The Super Summary of World History - Alan Dale Daniel [311]
[262] War Plan Orange was updated to the Rainbow Plan that assumed a war with Germany and Japan, but still called for the defense of Bataan in the Philippines. War Plan Orange, by Edward S. Miller,1991, US Naval Institute.
[263] The “initiative” is a term that means the power to determine what to do next. The attacker decides when, where, how, and with what forces to attack. The defense then responds. Thus, the attacker has the initiative. Note there is both a strategic and tactical initiative.
[264] He also received a huge sum of money from the Philippine government . . . for some undisclosed reason (want to make a guess?).
[265] US Army thought he should have said, “WE shall return . . .”
[266] The Japanese had aircraft spotters to help direct their shell fire and they had the Long Lance torpedo. The Japanese Long Lance torpedo had a twenty-mile range, one thousand pounds of explosives, was very accurate, and always worked, which made this the best torpedo of the war by far. Four Japanese destroyers defeated a larger Allied force in an action at Badung Strait with these superior torpedoes.
[267] This was a daring raid by B-25 aircraft flown off of the carrier USS Hornet. The air crews successfully bombed Tokyo and flew on to China.
[268] The emperor was a god on earth to the Japanese, and he had to be protected.
[269] See, The Shattered Sword, the Untold Story of the Battle of Midway, by J. Parshall and A. Tully.
[270] Admiral Halsey’s place at Midway in command of the USS Enterprise was taken by Admiral Spruance due to Halsey’s being ill. USS Yorktown, in a different task force, was commanded by Admiral Fletcher.
[271] There is some dispute about this: see, The Shattered Sword: the Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Parshall and Tully; Midway, the Battle That Doomed Japan, by M. Fuchida, M. Okumiya, R. Spruance and C. Kawakmi; Miracle at Midway, by Gordon Prange; Incredible Victory, by Walter Lord, among others.
[272] This destroyer had been depth charging the US submarine Nautilus that was trying to get in on the battle. The Japanese destroyer was heading back to the main fleet.
[273] SBD was the Dauntless designation meaning Scout, Bomber, Dive (or, slow but deadly).
[274] Nagumo was badly served by his staff during these critical moments in the battle. Constantly changing orders caused the ordinance crews to rush, leaving bombs and torpedoes just lying on the deck. When the fire reached the ordinance it exploded helping to sink the carriers. One bomb was enough to sink one of the Japanese carriers.
[275] Because of outstanding damage control efforts, it took two Japanese air strikes hitting the Yorktown with four bombs and two torpedoes, plus torpedoes from a Japanese submarine, to put the Yorktown under.
[276] Sounds like the battle for Malaya and Singapore.
[277] The Japanese force was starving as it advanced up the Kokoda Track because of inferior logistic support. Still, they went forward.
[278] See: Guadalcanal: the Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle, by Richard B. Frank
[279] See p.977 The Oxford Companion to World War II, editors Dear, & Foot, Oxford University Press, 1995.
[280] As the battle went on, the Japanese became much worse off. Even with fast destroyers as the delivery method, little food got through. Japanese troops were literally starving to death and eating grass trying to stay alive. Again, we see the importance of logistics in warfare.
[281] Hitler wanted fascist Spain to join the Axis, but Franco (Spain’s leader) wanted no part of another war. Sub-rosa, Spain did aid the Axis, but stayed neutral. Spain joining the Axis would increase the Axis power base substantially.
[282] Reserves were available on the Eastern Front in early 1942 IF no further offensives were undertaken.
[283] General Von Paulus commanded the German Sixth Army fighting at Stalingrad.
[284] After the attack, Germany’s Army Group Center ceased to exist. It was wiped from the German order of battle as completely as the Sixth Army had been after Stalingrad. And this was an ARMY GROUP