Board Thread:News and Announcements/@comment-25170451-20150415214156/@comment-25170451-20150616210424

God Bless the United States of America wrote: Kegu211 wrote: What would happen if all of the American fleet carriers at the time (that is Langley, Wasp, Lexington, Saratoga, Yorktown, Enterprise, Hornet, and Ranger,) were all destroyed at the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and then the Essex, Yorktown II, and Intrepid are destroyed during the Invasion of Oahu, followed by the early completion of the Nakajima G-10N intercontinental bombers capable of reaching Germany? Would America still be able to win the war?

(In this case, the Russians allied themselves with the Japanese, giving the German and Russian troops, the ability to assist in the amphibious landings of Midway, Oahu, Phillipines, and other Pacific regions of importance.) To have all of those carriers in Pearl at once for an ATL Pearl Harbor was never going to happen, basic military principles dictate that (Nevermind the fact a lot of those carriers were in the Atlantic at the time). Japan lacked the logistics to invade Hawaii, and to have them get those three additional carriers means nothing (That doesn't even cover how unlikely it is as an event) simply because the US is going to be replacing them in matter of weeks. With regards to the G-10, I've never seen anything cited it could fly that far, nevermind carrying a decent payload to actually be of strategic use. As long as the US had the political will, Japan was screwed. The differences in industry, population, and tech base are just too great to be beaten.

That last bit is ASB, neither the Soviets or Germans would be interested in doing that, nor would the logistics to even try that be there. But for the sake of alternate history, lets say the political situation in America is different, and the Americans are preparing for war against Japan, therefore five carriers: Lexington, Saratoga, Yorktown, Enterprise and Hornet (despite the lack of the logic of it), end up all being @ Pearl when the Japanese bomb it, will the WPL 10 project (to convert large merchant ships to slow Fleet carriers) along with Bogues and Casablancas suffice to supply the west coast?