[Marxism] Socialist Policy in World War Two

[nada]

Tom...Japanese designs on Australia were never set in stone. There has 
been much writing of late, mostly in well researched counter-factual 
fiction writing, of possible Japanese invasion of Hawaii which, of 
course, in December of 1941, they had no plans to do. As you noted, they 
were after the carriers. They were not capable of finding the carriers 
and thus history unfolded is it did (also they failed to launch the 
famous 'third assault' and take out the massive diesel and fuel oil 
tanks at Pearl).

But...it is also clear that the Japanese, like any experienced military 
force was flexible, not just in their tactical approach for this or that 
battle, but of over all strategy. There were, in fact, "plans", more in 
terms of discussions, but jotted down in references, about the 
*possible* occupation of Hawaii by the Japanese Imperial Army should the 
carriers have been found and sunk, but with the subsequent U.S. reaction 
to fully focus on the Pacific war; that such a occupation, purely for 
military reasons as opposed to integrating it in the Japanese 
Co-Prosperity Zone, was considered. The Japanese would of faced huge 
obstacles to such an occupation, logistically, as all the food in Hawaii 
had to be imported and supporting a garrison from 8000 miles away was a 
nightmare for them to consider, but it was considered.

I would argue that a similar situation was considered, or could of been, 
for a temporary occupation of Darwin and, some other coastal areas, 
essentially to knock the British/Aussie navy out of the war, deny them 
bases, destroy supplies, rain terror down on the civilian population and 
burn down as many cities as they could. Unlike the proposed occupation 
of Hawaii, I don't know if this was considered. But if one places 
oneself in the mindset of the Emperor's General Staff, I think it's VERY 
plausible that this could of occurred, even thought it would not be a 
flat out invasion, per se.

Just a thought...a thought that surely could of passed through the minds 
of Japan's war machine...

David