Chapter 57 Chapter fifty-seven

The Disaster at Pearl Harbor (from "The Lost Empire of the World") turmoil Just one week in May 1940 was enough to break the centuries-old balance of power in Europe; just as one week in December 1941 was enough to decide the outcome of the Second World War. Outcome and future global balance of power. On December 4th, the center of our army group drove straight into the outskirts of Moscow in a blizzard; from Leningrad to Crimea, Bolshevik Russia was on the verge of collapse.The French Empire has long since collapsed.The British Empire has also collapsed, and while the British Isles are barely supporting it, our ever-expanding submarine blockade has left them more and more starving.No country can stand in the way of our way to world empire but the United States, but America's habit of easy life and internal quarrels have left her too weak to fight.The strike crippled half of its factories, but it still cranked out luxury goods and accessories at full capacity.Its forces were only concentrated on the outdated navy centered on warships, and in order to deter the Japanese, it even took the risk of choosing Hawaii as a naval base, but it could not affect Germany's already looming victory of world-historic significance.

Seven days later, on December 11th, we were at war with an America transformed into an aggressive military dictatorship.This America, ruled by the mad enemy of Germany, is united in one mind, has urgently turned the industry of the country to the service of the war, and has recruited vast new armies and air forces to overthrow us.The Red Army on the Moscow front, aided by supplies from Britain and the United States and reinforced by the arrival of primitive, desperately fighting Siberian divisions, had turned to the counter-offensive.Elsewhere, the Soviets are forcing us to retreat from Rostov - this is Adao

This is the first German retreat since Hitler led us in 1933. On December 4th the German people were only one rung away from the pinnacle of world empire, but on December 11th they found themselves in a general battle of life and death on two fronts, threatened on the east and west by a population equal to We are five times the threat of two industrial giants whose territory is equal to twenty times ours. There is no precedent in history for such a huge military reversal.The main reason is due to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.Lord Winston Churchill said frankly that when he heard the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was so happy that he shed tears of gratitude, because he knew at that time that they had already won this war.He certainly would not waste tears on the raided and killed American sailors.

Translator's note: Here's what Churchill heard: "If I declared that it would be my greatest pleasure to have America on our side, I don't think any American would think I was wrong. I cannot predict events I can't claim to have accurately measured Japan's military power, but now, at this very moment, I know that the United States is in the war, and with all its might, ready to fight to the death. So we're victorious!" No mention of shedding tears.I have pointed out that General von Roon could not keep his cool when referring to Winston Churchill. japan's big mistake

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was of course perfectly justified, but it was a terrible strategic mistake. The collapse of the power of France and Britain has almost completely withdrawn the European colonies in the Far East.Japan is the natural heir to this wealth.It needs to use this wealth to end the war on China.Several generations ago, Europeans came halfway around the earth, conquered East Asia, and plundered its resources.But now all is a thing of the past.Japan is the only great power that exists in East Asia.Rather than allowing a few drunken white officials of a dead European empire to continue their genteel parasite life, it is naturally more ethical for this Asian nation to take over a fertile area.Adolf Hitler sought only friendly relations with this industrious and intelligent nation destined by fate.At the General Staff we presume that Japan will advance when the time is most opportune for her.We favor it on every evidence of world philosophy.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a tactically brilliant military operation, comparable in many respects to Barbarossa.These two examples also show that regardless of the tense atmosphere of war and various advance warnings and hints, a small poor country can catch a big rich country off guard.In both cases, raids were used to massively destroy the enemy's front lines.Barbarossa's raid relied on a non-aggression pact with Soviet Russia to trick the enemy, which was still in force at the time.The Japanese were even better, and they launched a surprise attack on the enemy in the middle of peace negotiations.

Of course, in both attacks there were shouts of "shameless" and "betrayal," as if such private moral standards had anything to do with historical events.A poor country that wants to replace a rich one must use the best means it can find.In history, whatever works, is ethical.Hegel taught that God's will is revealed only in the consummation of history.From this point of view, both Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor were idealistic moves toward a grand New World Order. The difference was that Barbarossa was strategically unassailable and would have turned out victorious had it not been for some unfortunate unforeseen factors, including the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor five and a half months later.The Pearl Harbor raid was just the opposite. It was a strategic miscalculation, so Churchill was right this time when he called it an act of mad suicide.

Violation of one basic law is enough to render strategic planning ineffective.The Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor violated two laws.The two iron rules of warfare that the Japanese ignored were: 1.Strike the enemy's heart. 2.Know your enemy. "Strike the enemy's heart" The law of "strike the enemy's heart" is only a deduction from the first principle of warfare, that is, the principle of concentration of forces.This is what Japan's military leaders ignore. They accurately judged that the European war was an excellent opportunity for them to seize East Asia. From that moment on, they faced a severe choice: should they first attack the Soviet Union and invade Siberia in the north, or go south to explore the colonies guarded by European countries? Lax treasure?Of course, going south is more tempting.But in war we should not be led astray by mere easy plunder or the front of least resistance.

The rewards of war consisted of precisely the political redistribution of vast swaths of the world.It was a violent global conflict, the first real world war.The lineup of the two sides is lawful: rich against poor, gold against black iron.Germany is the only first-rate power on the side of prosperity, which is trying to draw a new map of the world, and it is its great mission to attack the Soviet Union.Once it becomes the master of Russia, Germany will be invincible in the world.Logically, the Japanese should act to help Germany bring down the Soviet Union.With Germany victorious, the Japanese could take whatever it wanted in East Asia.But if Germany is defeated, Japan has little hope of keeping the huge gains it has already made.

If Japan had attacked Siberia in 1941, the German advance on Moscow would have been successful, and the Russians would not have been able to turn to the counteroffensive in December.Either the Bolshevik regime had collapsed, or a second "Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty" had been signed.Because what saved Moscow in December was only because Stalin recklessly pulled out all the reserve troops on the front line in Siberia and put them all into battle, thus turning the tide of the battle at the last second. Besides, Napoleon had a famous saying: In war, spirit and matter are three to one ratio. If this sentence is true, Japan only needs to launch a surprise attack on Siberia that autumn, which will contribute to the collapse of Russia.In mid-October, fear seized the hearts of the Bolsheviks right up to the highest levels of the government, and the ministries, with no regard for decency, fled Moscow like frightened birds, while the terrified dictator uttered shrill general mobilization. Command, come and save the city.There is an unconfirmed story that Stalin himself escaped secretly, returned to Moscow after the panic subsided, and shot everyone who knew of the humiliating act.The rulers of Russia issued orders in the Byzantine labyrinth, making it impossible to check the veracity of this episode.

In any case, this was truly a great moment in World War II, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Japanese nation.Its indecisive leaders, with their undisciplined military mind and their strange oriental character, mingled with excesses of recklessness, alertness, and emotion, let opportunity slip forever through their fingers.History is like a woman, when she submits readily, she must be firmly possessed.Otherwise, she would laugh at the man who caressed her, never forgive him, never give him a second chance. "Know Your Enemy" Therefore, the first mistake is to go south instead of going north, and to grab the spoils instead of beating the heart.But if Japan hadn't made a really crazy second mistake on top of the first mistake, the Axis powers would have won the war despite the spread of power. Let’s assume that the strategy of going south is correct. Its obvious process is to enter the East Indies with the greatest speed and strength, quickly consolidate the results of the battle, and prepare to defeat any resistance from the United States.Americans may not act at all.There is enormous force in the United States against sending American youths to die in place of the gentlemen of Asia.Roosevelt may have just spattered some harsh words, as he did when he saw Hitler win a battle.Roosevelt never took a visible step outside the sphere of public opinion.This is the master key to understanding the characteristics of the enemy.The Japanese have forgotten it because of the weirdness of the Eastern mind. Even if Roosevelt, ignoring the opinions of half his people, sent his navy to East Asia to fight the entrenched Japanese, that fleet would be in enemy waters, at the far end of the supply lines, at the ground-based Japanese Air Force Fight to the death with the enemy within range.This battle was about to become another battle for the Tsushima Strait with air force joining.Such an ignominious killing for an unpopular cause could lead to impeachment of an unloved political strategist in the White House. ①The Tsushima Strait is a strait between Korea and Kyushu, Japan. During the Russo-Japanese War in May 1905, Japan and Russia fought naval battles there, and the Russian fleet dispatched from distant Europe was completely wiped out by Japan. But even this is not the worst aspect of the Japanese error.The United States has the most advanced and largest factories in the world.This mercenary nation, which worships the omnipotence of money and enjoys excellent mineral resources stolen from the Indians, devotes the enormous productivity of its factories to making toys and trinkets.But this productivity could easily be converted to the manufacture of munitions on an unimaginably gigantic scale.All hope of Axis victory in World War II lay in keeping the United States divided and weak until it became an isolated nation without allies. That prospect is imminent.Half the American population would rejoice at the news of Germany's victory over the Soviet Union.Until the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Lend-Lease program remained mired in bureaucracy and inertia, reflecting divisions and confusion among the people. In this regard, Adolf Hitler has a lot of credit.He is a narrow-minded man who is completely ignorant of America.But his feminine intuition warned him that Roosevelt, his sworn enemy, must not take advantage of the opportunity to unite the Americans against him.So the Führer endured all the public obscene insults of the American President, and made the German U-boats endure excessive provocations. But this wise strategy of the Führer was shattered by the bomb dropped on Pearl Harbor.One hundred and thirty million Americans, quarreling, uncertain, and divided, turned overnight into an angry mass eager for war.Roosevelt proposed to Congress a huge war plan and military spending, which was completely unimaginable just a few days ago.In August, Roosevelt introduced a moderate draft bill to Congress.After weeks of debate and by a majority of one vote, the vicious declaration of war was unanimously passed in a matter of hours, along with all the grand and staggering battle plans that Roosevelt had long planned. This was a major consequence of Pearl Harbor, as the fleet was soon repaired and enlarged.Germany was on the strategic offensive, and the world empire was in its hands, but within a week, it was on the strategic defensive with no hope. Unless our enemies make the same stupid and suicidal mistakes, we will be defeated. There is no way out.The non-existent "axis" Some people may ask: "How can Germany allow such a disaster?" The answer is: The Japanese did not consult with us.We found out that Pearl Harbor was targeted just as the Americans were, that is, when the torpedoes and bombs went off there. The Axis of Germany, Japan and Italy never existed as a military entity.It was a menacing-looking rubber balloon inflated by propaganda.Its purpose is to intimidate.The three nations acted independently throughout the war, often not even informing their partners in advance of their attacks, invasions, and strategic decisions. Because of this, when Hitler attacked Poland, Mussolini suddenly refused to participate in the battle, and he did not rush to participate until France was about to collapse.The Italian dictator invaded Greece without notifying Hitler.Hitler attacked Russia and only told the Italian leaders when the war was about to start.But he has good reasons for doing so.Our intelligence services have reported to us that any Mussory Everything that Nenny knew was passed directly to the Americans through the Italian royal family. Among the Axis armed forces, there was never a real staff meeting.In the year before Pearl Harbor, the United Kingdom and the United States held many such meetings!They worked closely with the Bolsheviks and adopted a joint strategy throughout the war.Now they can calmly consider whether it would be wise to help Stalin destroy us and direct the Slavic flood to the Elbe.However, the military actions of the Allies are examples of joint operations, while the strategy of the "Axis Powers" is ineffective.Here it is a war of its own accord, where unfortunate Germany is bound hand and foot by two second-rate companions who, by taking reckless and capricious ventures, have thus brought her ruin. The Role of Isohiro Yamamoto Why did Japan take this deviant, doomed path? It broke into modern history suddenly by attacking the Russian navy at Lushun Port in 1904, and it probably still misses the way the yellow race defeated the white race.The Japanese naval staff advocated a normal course of action: take the East Indies first, and if they encountered the U.S. Navy, they would fight it on the waters near Japan.But the plan to attack Pearl Harbor was conceived by Admiral Yamamoto Fifty-Six, the commander-in-chief of the fleet, who threatened to resign to force his navy and government to accept his opinion.Yamamoto Fifty-Six was completely opposed to war with the United States on the grounds that it was hopeless to attempt to confront an enemy with a seven-to-one industrial advantage.But he insisted that if he had to fight, he would destroy the American fleet first.He was ignorant of the wider consequences of the attack.The Naval Staff considered such an attack too risky a gamble, but Yamamoto's opinion prevailed.Of course, tactically, his record is indelible.For as long as this history is read or written, "Pearl Harbor" will become synonymous with successful raids.It is as famous as "Waterloo" in the languages ​​of the world. How, then, was the Japanese fleet able to muster, sail across the Pacific to within two hundred miles of the Hawaiian Islands, evade all reconnaissance and all sea and air patrols by American intelligence, and surprise the American army and navy?According to the revelations after the war, the United States once saw through Japan's telegram ciphers and saw its secret diplomatic submarine telegrams, which made this mystery two or three times more difficult to solve!The U.S. Congressional investigation into the Pearl Harbor incident has millions of words.Yet it remains a mystery. As a German staff officer, I saw Pearl Harbor as an abstract war problem like Salamis or Trafalgar.The reason why Yamamoto Fifty-Six's military action surprised Americans is precisely because this military action was such a stupid act, such a fierce gamble, such a bad strategy, such a bad policy, and such an unhealthy state of mind.Even if successful, this would be the worst military operation Japan could attempt.So the Americans made the mistake of not considering this issue at all.So the Japanese did it irrationally, and happened to be successful. ①The battle in which the British fleet defeated Napoleon's fleet in the Anglo-French naval battle in 1805. ②The battle in which the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Persian War in 480 BC. During the interrogation of the dismissed Admiral Kimmel, a brief passage in the defendant's complaint seemed to hold the key to the mystery.In those days it was necessary to drop air-dropped torpedoes into deep water to make it possible for the torpedo to go straight at the predetermined depth line.According to American experts, the shallowest depth is about seventy-five feet, while Pearl Harbor is thirty feet deep.Therefore the risk of the warship being attacked by torpedo planes was considered "very small" and was not equipped with anti-torpedo nets.On December 7, air-dropped torpedoes sank seven battleships and wreaked havoc on Pearl Harbor.Since the Japanese had invented a torpedo that could be dropped into water less than thirty feet deep, from May to December, the Japanese air force had been practicing the technique of dropping mines into shallow water!This incident summed up the intellectual differences between the two countries in 1941.Was this planned by Roosevelt? Historic suspicions arose, and have not been eliminated, that Roosevelt and his top aides had planned the failure of Pearl Harbor.According to this view, they knew for certain from deciphered diplomatic coded telegrams that Japan was about to attack, but withheld this information from the command in Hawaii, leaving the armed forces there unprepared for the enemy's attack.According to this view, Roosevelt concluded that it was more important militarily to keep the United States firmly engaged in the war than to lose a few battleships.This kind of speculation was thought of by those generals who were caught off guard.They and those who supported their views retain their views to this day. Of course, Roosevelt could have done such despicable behavior.He can do anything.But the records prove that the headquarters at Pearl Harbor and all American forces in the Pacific must have known that war was approaching.Indeed, they had only to read the papers to know.In any case, even in the most tranquil and peaceful environment, there is no reason to excuse those professional generals for being so caught off guard.It happened, but it was unforgivable. After exhaustive investigation, there was no evidence that Roosevelt knew where the enemy was going to attack.The Japanese kept complete secrecy about the targets they intended to attack.Not even their own top diplomats know.Our Supreme Command doesn't know either.Therefore such a secret would never be handed over to the cipher telegraph. American soldiers were caught off guard because they were not mentally prepared to fight, as the Red Army was in June.On the eve of the attack, there is no doubt that the officers at Pearl Harbor, like most American soldiers, followed the sacrosanct weekend night customs in the United States, and they were all drunk, so when the first bombs fell , they would not be able to defend themselves with their numerous aircraft and anti-aircraft guns.Here, the maxim of "know your enemy" certainly helped the Japanese.Wherever U.S. troops are stationed, the appropriate time to come under attack again is always Sunday morning.Nationality changes very slowly. It would have been better for Roosevelt to have won the battle at Pearl Harbor than to have suffered a disaster.Repelling enemy attacks boosts morale.The failure of Pearl Harbor took a long time for the Americans to recover mentally.Roosevelt was not an imbecile, and only an imbecile would give up the opportunity to launch a counter-surprise attack and sink the approaching exposed Japanese fleet.The reason why Roosevelt did not warn the headquarters at Pearl Harbor of the impending air raid was only because he, like everyone else, did not know or guess that the Japanese would do such a weird thing.The notion that the failure of Pearl Harbor was a conspiracy was just a silly excuse for one's failure. Of course, the fact is exactly this: Franklin Roosevelt first cut off oil supplies to Japan, and then recklessly demanded that Japan make peace with China and withdraw from East Asia as the price for restoring supplies, thus forcing Japan to attack the United States.He cornered Japan so that there was no other respectable way for this proud warlike people to find a way out.But he was a master of tactics, and he has always played these global political strategies openly.The papers were full of reports of this diplomatic quid pro quo, so it would be foolish to speak of any conspiracy.Roosevelt probably always hoped to intimidate this relatively weak nation and bring it into submission without going to war.Hitler would have done exactly the same thing under the same circumstances.But there was one difference: the German army would not disgrace him by surprise attack, as Roosevelt's army did.We are real soldiers! English translator's note: Long's military insight is extremely keen as long as the German character is not involved.I unfortunately agree with him about his assessment of the attack on Pearl Harbor.He ignores the really clumsy and stupid things that happened in Washington and Hawaii in those days; but his conclusion should be accepted, that commanders are absolutely inexcusable for being surprised in the field.A similar failure in our military would have brought the end of American history in the atomic age.There will be no room for recovery next time.