The Japanese Submarine Campaign of WW2 - Origins to Coral Sea

Today we take a look at why the IJN's submarine force was doing in comparison to its USN opposite number, and also why they were conducting their war in this manner.

Sources:

Footage from US National Archives video codes:
428-NPC-10043/10012/20614

[nickierv]

I can't help but feel IJN promotion was a case of someone asking "Kantai Kessen?" "Kantai Kessen!", followed by much cheering and a promotion being handed out. And operational decisions being base around "thats not decisive enough" or not. Then followed on by needlessly complex plan #41 that requires the opposing force to be, act, and react in a needlessly convoluted manor.
Vs the US "Here is your boat, here is your map square, if its not our sink it. Good hunting"

[ph]

28:12. That particular Dauntless was flown by VS-6 pilot Lt Clarence Dickinson. Who had been shot down during the attack on Pearl Harbor and would later bomb Kaga at Midway.

[mitchm]

The last time I was this early to a video, the Kamchatka hadn't seen any torpedo boats yet!

[TheNinjaGumball]

The lack of any anti-shipping campaigns in the Eastern Pacific shortened the war by a year at least, perhaps up to two. It blows my mind how hard the IJN continually threw the chances and opportunities given to them and wasted valuable resources because of the obsession with their Kantai Kessen doctrine

[Kwaj]

I've always been fascinated by IJN submarines; they had so many unique types. The Sen-Toku, Sen Taka-Sho, Sen-Ho, and Ko-hyoteki are excellent examples of engineering even though their impacts on the Pacific War were practically negligible.

But the success of submarine I-19 in the Solomon Islands is legendary.

[ramjam]

With regard to the "Liberty" it was a US Army (not Navy) ship. 34:44 The USAT Liberty is a very popular dive site here in Bali, Indonesia. The USAT Liberty was a US Army Transport ship in its past life, and is now home to a lot of lovely sea life. I have personally dive her wreck more than 50 times.

[amerigo]

IJN subs were headed by an incompetent admiral who was closely associated with the royal family. This is part of why I have never understood military historians who believe the IJN picket line between Hawaii and Midway was a real factor. Those subs would have to see fast moving task forces, not get themselves damaged or sunk, and accurately (!) report what they had observed to Yamamoto. Add to this that nothing seemed to sway Yamamoto from his Midway timetable and I think that picket line was a non-factor. As it was, the picket line was only in place after TF16 and TF17 had rendevoused at Point Luck.

[markfryer]

Back in the early .90s a friend's Mum informed me that her father had come out to his little backyard garden shed office on a Sunday morning prior to going to church, heard an aircraft and looked up and identified a Japanese float plane flying over a inner Northern suburb of Melbourne. I was absolutely amazed because I had never heard anything about this incident despite paying more than average school boy attention to WWII. Nothing. We learnt about the bombing of Darwin and the midget sub attack on Sydney but that was it. I questioned my friends Mum and it turned out that her father had been a Clerk of Works and as a government employee had been made the local Air Raid Warden, so his aircraft recognition skills were much better than the average person. It was only later while watching a documentary that I learnt the story of an Anti-Aircraft 40 mm Bofors gun battery at Point Cook RAAF Base had taken a bead on the same aircraft but were prevented from firing because their officer was trying to ring Victoria Barracks on a Sunday morning to get permission to open fire! What a Rupert! If you see a Japanese plane with Japanese markings and no Captured white markings, you open fire and try to knock it down! Having served in the Australian Army Reserve, I can only imagine that extreme frustration that gun crew must have felt. All of your training and time spent on duty and finally an enemy aircraft flies into your gun sights but your officer in charge won't let you open fire! Arrrgh!
I later on learnt from an ex Digger that the fishermen on King Island would often spot lights at night in Bass Strait where the Continental Shelf dropped away. I surmise from this that the sub would have surfaced in that approximate area, launched the scout plane and then submerged to await their return. The aircraft would have flown along the West coast of Victoria, over Geelong and up the West side of Port Phillip Bay and so over the gun crew at Point Cook. I think from there they would have flown inland to the North to check out Broadmeadows Barracks which dated from WWI so I assume that the Japanese would have known about it.
At that time Melbourne essentially ended not far North of Bell Street so the scout pilot would have used Bell Street as a reference until he got to the Reservoir train line and turned South to follow it back to the city. It was just near Crocston railway station that my friends Grandfather spotted the aircraft when he was just near his office shed. The scout plane probably flew down to the city, along St Kilda Road to check out Victoria Barracks and then followed the Bay shoreline down to the Heads and out over Bass Strait again to meet up with it's submarine. Now I want to know why the gun crews at Point Nepean and Point Lonsdale never attempted to fire on the aircraft?
Anyway they got clean away having used a Sunday morning against Western Allies again just like Pearl Harbor.
Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[grandadmiralzaarin]

It's really quite staggering how much the IJN misused their excellent Submarine force.

[Kevin_Kennelly]

13:17 "Second class submarines included the 'Type F' which appears to have just meant 'F' in a rather pleasing change of pace."

13:59 "The development of this sometimes bewildering variety of submarines..."

[Verdis_deMosays]

Getting in the car to head to work, thinking "what would I listen to?" *Ping* New Drach, that is perfect.

[BrianSmith-gpxr]

My father was aboard the U.S. Princeton during Leyte. When it was hit by a single bomb dropped by what was thought friendly plane. Unsuing havoc. Ultimately brought about it's sinking. Quite a story

[jefferynelson]

thanks for the work you put into the channel Drachinifel, your audience appreciates you sir

[dy]

It's amazing how all the supporting arms of Kantai Kessen doctrine ended up withering away while spending years trying to set up a decisive battle that's supposed to end the war in a few months.

[bobfrye]

The accompanying Japanese video is one of the best I’ve seen. As usual, the commentary is outstanding.

[davidstange]

These discussions show who much the Human element of warfare of any Nation effects on outcome both long and short term can not be underestimated or overstated.

[Trident]

A spectacular Rum Ration. All the footage and photos of the Japanese sub service was great. Thanks Drach.

[barleysixseventwo]

The WW2 Japanese experience seems to boil down to “high command had a very specific idea of how the war should go, but for some reason nobody else agreed to play ball.

[dragonfirexx]

As a submariner I'm feeling blessed with all the sub videos coming out!

[Armored_Muskrat]

I love these submarine histories for both sides in the Pacific. Thank you, the quality is much appreciated!