“Execute Against Japan”: Freedom-Of-The-Seas, the Us Navy

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

“Execute Against Japan”: Freedom-Of-The-Seas, the Us Navy “EXECUTE AGAINST JAPAN”: FREEDOM-OF-THE-SEAS, THE U.S. NAVY, FLEET SUBMARINES, AND THE U.S. DECISION TO CONDUCT UNRESTRICTED WARFARE, 1919-1941 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Joel Ira Holwitt, B.S., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee Dr. John F. Guilmartin, Adviser Approved by Dr. Allan R. Millett Dr. Kevin Boyle Adviser Graduate Program in History Copyright © 2005 by Joel Ira Holwitt ABSTRACT On 7 December 1941, the U.S. Navy began unrestricted warfare against Japan, attacking “noncombatant” Japanese merchant ships. The decision violated international law and directly cost the lives of thousands of civilian Japanese sailors as well as possibly hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians on shore. The conditions for unrestricted warfare were created during the interwar period by impractical naval treaties that did not prohibit armed merchant ships that could easily sink surfaced submarines attempting to conduct search-and-seizure operations. Many U.S. naval officers understood the importance of commerce warfare and they suggested changes like prohibiting armed merchant ships in order to permit legitimate submarine warfare. However, the U.S. Navy’s fleet submarine was designed not as a commerce raider but as a warship that could operate in support of the battle fleet in the Pacific Ocean. Fortunately, the abilities required for such a difficult mission gave U.S. submarines the versatility to shift from naval warfare to commerce warfare when the time came. The decision to conduct unrestricted warfare began to coalesce with the acceptance of Plan Dog as the United States’ national military strategy in December 1940. By late September 1941, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold R. Stark and ii his Director of War Plans, Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner, had decided to commence unrestricted warfare almost immediately upon the outbreak of hostilities. They did so with no documented approval from their civilian chain-of-command and in contravention of repeated public statements by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who urged defense of absolute freedom-of-the-seas. Stark, Turner, and other naval leaders had a number of reasons for conducting unrestricted warfare. Chief among these was a pragmatic strategic objective: to economically strangle Japan by completely cutting off the shipping lanes. The American strategy was also influenced by decades of naval training, as well as culturally inculcated Eurocentricism and racism. Although there were a number of ramifications of U.S. unrestricted warfare, the most important and lasting ramification was the end of previous paradigms of freedom- of-the-seas and the introduction of a new and more pragmatic freedom-of-the-seas that classified merchant sailors as combatants and their cargoes as legitimate military targets. This study is the story of that transition. iii Dedicated to my family: My mother, Dr. Dara S. Holwitt; My father, Dr. Eric A. Holwitt; And my brother, Greg S. Holwitt iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I was very fortunate to have three outstanding scholars on both my dissertation and thesis defense committee: • Dr. John F. Guilmartin: As another service academy graduate, a military officer, and a military historian who has devoted his life to public service, Dr. Guilmartin set a terrific example for me and he proved to be a wonderful mentor and advisor. While giving me plenty of freedom to pursue my project in the way I wanted, he also set a high academic standard and remained a steady voice of encouragement and constructive criticism. • Dr. Allan R. Millett: A retired Marine Corps colonel and a topflight scholar, Dr. Millett never let me forget that I was at first a worthless ensign and then an almost-as-worthless lieutenant (junior grade), but also one from whom the Navy expected a solid record of achievement. Dr. Millett pushed for results, and he usually got them. • Dr. Kevin Boyle: Although not a military historian, Dr. Boyle set a tremendous example as a professional academic historian who loves his work. Despite his achievements, Dr. Boyle remains a paragon of humility v and is one of the genuinely nicest people I have ever met. He taught me why academic history is not culturally irrelevant, when done right. I am also very grateful to Dr. Fred J. DeGraves, professor of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, who served as my outside reader for my dissertation defense. Professor DeGraves asked probing questions and brought a valuable outside view to my topic. The professors on my doctoral candidacy committee also held me to a high standard of academic ability and scholarship. In addition to Dr. Guilmartin and Dr. Boyle, I would like to thank: o Dr. David Stebenne, who stepped in at the last minute to serve as my second reader in the field of U.S. military history. Professor Stebenne did not cut me any slack during the exams, for which I am very grateful. His comments and his high standards before, during, and after the exam pushed me to work harder, smarter, and better. o Dr. Mark Grimsley, who helped prepare me for the military history field and provided a very different but important view on where the scholarship of military history should be going. o Dr. James Bartholomew, who took a student who hardly knew anything about Japan, and within three months helped me learn as much as possible about Japan from the Meiji Restoration onwards. o Dr. Philip Brown, an expert on Early Modern Japan, who still kept me honest when discussing more recent events in Japanese history. Dr. vi Brown also stepped in at the last minute, and I am very grateful for his flexibility and high academic standards. o Dr. Robert Lawson, the graduate school’s representative, who might not have been a historian, but still pressed me to push beyond my own intellectual limits and strive for more. o Rob Padilla and Evan Dicken, two fellow graduate students who prepared me for the Japanese field of the candidacy exam. I am deeply indebted to both of them for their good humor and their wise tutoring. I am also indebted to my other professors at the Ohio State University: Dr. Geoffrey Parker, Dr. Matt Goldish, Dr. Warren Van Tine, Dr. Judy Wu, Dr. Randy Roth, and Dr. Alan Beyerchen, all of whom inspired me to become a better historian. I also had the honor to be with a number of intelligent and high-caliber graduate students in the military history program. These students advanced my knowledge of military history while providing a constructive atmosphere to genuinely explore the field. In particular, I am indebted to: Major John Plating, U.S. Air Force; Captain Steven Barry, U.S. Army; Captain James Doty, U.S. Army; Captain Franz Rademacher, U.S. Army; Mark Mulcahey, Leif Torkelsen, Jon Hendrickson, Todd Aoki, Josh Howard, and Jeff Jennings. A number of people aided me in my project. No historical work, based heavily on archival sources, can succeed without the help of the talented archivists at numerous archives around the country. In particular, the following archivists helped me greatly: • Barry Zerby, Archivist, Modern Military Records, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD vii • Rebecca A. Livingston, Archivist, Old Military and Civil Records, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington DC • Dr. Evelyn M. Cherpak, Head, Naval Historical Collection, Naval War College, Newport, RI • Kathy Lloyd, Head, Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center, Washington DC • Wade Wyckoff, Archivist, Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center, Washington DC • Dr. Regina Akers, Archivist, Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center, Washington DC • Bob Clark, Supervisory Archivist, and Robert H. Parks, Mark A. Renovitch, Alycia J. Vivona, Karen P. Anson, Virginia H. Lewick, Archivists, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Hyde Park, NY • Dr. Marvin Russell, Dr. Milton Gustafson, Mr. Matthew J. Olsen, and Mr. Louis Holland, Archivists, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD • Christine Weideman and Danelle Moon, Archivists, Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library In particular, I owe a great debt of thanks to Mrs. Kathy Lloyd, Wade Wyckoff, and Dr. Regina Akers at the U.S. Naval Historical Center. I first met these wonderful people while I was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy. They mentored me when I served two summer internships at the Naval Historical Center in 2001 and 2002. It is viii because of their education and aid that I was able to navigate the mazes of archival sources as quickly as I did. I was extremely fortunate to be assisted by three outstanding naval historians: Dr. William McBride and Commander Craig Felker of the U.S. Naval Academy and Dr. Randy Papadopoulos of the U.S. Naval Historical Center. Dr. McBride taught me while I was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, and he provided me with a great deal of inspiration, help, and ideas. Commander Felker courteously sent me relevant sections from his PhD dissertation related to interwar U.S. submarine warfare and training. Dr. Papadopoulos graciously took time from his busy schedule to talk with me about previous research on this topic and also gave me one of his unpublished papers related to the topic. I am also truly grateful to a number of people who let me stay at their home while I was researching for my thesis, including my Naval Academy sponsor family, the Fitzgeralds: Dr. Jeff, Mrs. Lynda, Matt, Danny, and Buddy; one of my Naval Academy roommates, Peter Buryk and his wife, Missy; my aunt, Elisa Holwitt Duch and her family; and my grandmother, Beverly Holwitt. Historical projects also need some sort of inspiration. Part of that inspiration came in October 2001, when I met Captain Slade Cutter and his wife, Ruth, by sheer chance after having read the Captain’s oral history.
Recommended publications
  • United States Navy and World War I: 1914–1922
    Cover: During World War I, convoys carried almost two million men to Europe. In this 1920 oil painting “A Fast Convoy” by Burnell Poole, the destroyer USS Allen (DD-66) is shown escorting USS Leviathan (SP-1326). Throughout the course of the war, Leviathan transported more than 98,000 troops. Naval History and Heritage Command 1 United States Navy and World War I: 1914–1922 Frank A. Blazich Jr., PhD Naval History and Heritage Command Introduction This document is intended to provide readers with a chronological progression of the activities of the United States Navy and its involvement with World War I as an outside observer, active participant, and victor engaged in the war’s lingering effects in the postwar period. The document is not a comprehensive timeline of every action, policy decision, or ship movement. What is provided is a glimpse into how the 20th century’s first global conflict influenced the Navy and its evolution throughout the conflict and the immediate aftermath. The source base is predominately composed of the published records of the Navy and the primary materials gathered under the supervision of Captain Dudley Knox in the Historical Section in the Office of Naval Records and Library. A thorough chronology remains to be written on the Navy’s actions in regard to World War I. The nationality of all vessels, unless otherwise listed, is the United States. All errors and omissions are solely those of the author. Table of Contents 1914..................................................................................................................................................1
    [Show full text]
  • Proquest Dissertations
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to loe removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI* Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 WASHINGTON IRVING CHAMBERS: INNOVATION, PROFESSIONALIZATION, AND THE NEW NAVY, 1872-1919 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctorof Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Stephen Kenneth Stein, B.A., M.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea a Practical Guide
    Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea A Practical Guide Eleanor Freund SPECIAL REPORT JUNE 2017 Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Harvard Kennedy School 79 JFK Street Cambridge, MA 02138 www.belfercenter.org Publication design and illustrations by Andrew Facini Cover photo: United States. Central Intelligence Agency. The Spratly Islands and Paracel Islands. Scale 1:2,000,000. Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency, 1992. Copyright 2017, President and Fellows of Harvard College Printed in the United States of America Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea A Practical Guide Eleanor Freund SPECIAL REPORT JUNE 2017 About the Author Eleanor Freund is a Research Assistant at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She studies U.S. foreign policy and security issues, with a focus on U.S.-China relations. Email: [email protected] Acknowledgments The author is grateful to James Kraska, Howard S. Levie Professor of International Law at the U.S. Naval War College, and Julian Ku, Maurice A. Deane Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at Hofstra University School of Law, for their thoughtful comments and feedback on the text of this document. All errors or omissions are the author’s own. ii Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea: A Practical Guide Table of Contents What is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)? ..............1 What are maritime features? ......................................................................1 Why is the distinction between different maritime features important? .................................................................................... 4 What are the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, and the exclusive economic zone? ........................................................... 5 What maritime zones do islands, rocks, and low-tide elevations generate? ....................................................................7 What maritime zones do artificially constructed islands generate? ....
    [Show full text]
  • Truman's First Nomination for Senator
    TRUMAN’S FIRST NOMINATION FOR SENATOR WAS STOLEN By EWING YOUNG MITCHELL Former Assistant Secretary of Commerce (In New Deal Little Cabinet, 1933-1935) The first nomination for United States Senator of Harry S. Truman was stolen. This has never been denied. It cannot be successfully denied as the election figures given below clearly prove. Truman was first nominated for United States Senator in the Missouri primary in August, 1934. At that time Jackson County, Missouri, including Kansas City, was in the clutches of the Pendergast democratic machine, the most corrupt, the most brazen, gang of thieves who ever looted an American city. Its power was derived from complete control of the elections held in Kansas City and Jackson County. The machine’s control extended not only to all offices in the city and county, and the millions of dollars spent by them annually, but into the economic life of the community as well. It had several corporations through which it transacted a tremendous amount of business, including The Ready Mixed Concrete Company, Midwest Paving Company, Midwest Pre- cote Company, Midwest Asphalt & Material Company, a fire insurance company, a wholesale liquor company, an oil company and a soft drink company, to mention only some of them. The Machine Forced Its Wares On The People No citizen was allowed to use anything built of concrete not bought of the Ready Mixed Concrete Company. A house built of other concrete was closed by city inspectors and its use refused to its owner. The owner of a lot desiring to build an oil station could not get a building permit from the city council until his tenant had signed an agreement with the Pendergast oil company to buy all his oil and gas from it as long as he was in business.
    [Show full text]
  • The Heroic Destroyer and "Lucky" Ship O.R.P. "Blyskawica"
    Transactions on the Built Environment vol 65, © 2003 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3509 The heroic destroyer and "lucky" ship O.R.P. "Blyskawica" A. Komorowski & A. Wojcik Naval University of Gdynia, Poland Abstract The destroyer O.R.P. "Blyskawica" is a precious national relic, the only remaining ship that was built before World War I1 (WW2). On the 5oth Anniversary of its service under the Polish flag, it was honoured with the highest military decoration - the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Medal. It has been the only such case in the whole history of the Polish Navy. Its our national hero, war-veteran and very "lucky" warship. "Blyskawica" took part in almost every important operation in Europe throughout WW2. It sailed and covered the Baltic Sea, North Sea, all the area around Great Britain, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. During the war "Blyskawica" covered a distance of 148 thousand miles, guarded 83 convoys, carried out 108 operational patrols, participated in sinking two warships, damaged three submarines and certainly shot down four war-planes and quite probably three more. It was seriously damaged three times as a result of operational action. The crew casualties aggregated to a total of only 5 killed and 48 wounded petty officers and seamen, so it was a very "lucky" ship during WW2. In July 1947 the ship came back to Gdynia in Poland and started training activities. Having undergone rearmament and had a general overhaul, it became an anti-aircraft defence ship. In 1976 it replaced O.R.P. "Burza" as a Museum-Ship.
    [Show full text]
  • Submarines in the United States Navy - Wikipedia Page 1 of 13
    Submarines in the United States Navy - Wikipedia Page 1 of 13 Submarines in the United States Navy There are three major types of submarines in the United States Navy: ballistic missile submarines, attack submarines, and cruise missile submarines. All submarines in the U.S. Navy are nuclear-powered. Ballistic subs have a single strategic mission of carrying nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Attack submarines have several tactical missions, including sinking ships and subs, launching cruise missiles, and gathering intelligence. The submarine has a long history in the United States, beginning with the Turtle, the world's first submersible with a documented record of use in combat.[1] Contents Early History (1775–1914) World War I and the inter-war years (1914–1941) World War II (1941–1945) Offensive against Japanese merchant shipping and Japanese war ships Lifeguard League Cold War (1945–1991) Towards the "Nuclear Navy" Strategic deterrence Post–Cold War (1991–present) Composition of the current force Fast attack submarines Ballistic and guided missile submarines Personnel Training Pressure training Escape training Traditions Insignia Submarines Insignia Other insignia Unofficial insignia Submarine verse of the Navy Hymn See also External links References https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarines_in_the_United_States_Navy 3/24/2018 Submarines in the United States Navy - Wikipedia Page 2 of 13 Early History (1775–1914) There were various submersible projects in the 1800s. Alligator was a US Navy submarine that was never commissioned. She was being towed to South Carolina to be used in taking Charleston, but she was lost due to bad weather 2 April 1863 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
    [Show full text]
  • World War I Context Follow up in 1915, Europe Was Embroiled in U.S
    1915: World War I Context Follow Up In 1915, Europe was embroiled in U.S. newspapers aroused outrage war, but U.S. public sentiment op- against Germany for ruthlessly kill- posed involvement. President ing defenceless Americans. The U.S. Woodrow Wilson said they would was being drawn into the war. In “remain neutral in fact as well as in June 1916, Congress increased the name.”23 size of the army. In September, Con- gress allocated $7 billion for national Pretext Incident defense, “the largest sum appropri- On May 7, 1915, a German subma- ated to that time.”30 rine (U-boat) sank the Lusitania, a In January 1917, the British British passenger ship killing 1,198, said they had intercepted a German including 128 Americans.24 message to Mexico seeking an alli- The public was not told that ance with Germany and offering to passengers were, in effect, a ‘human help Mexico recover land ceded to shield’ protecting six million rounds the U.S. On April 2, Wilson told of U.S. ammunition bound for Brit- Congress: “The world must be safe ain.25 To Germany, the ship was a for democracy.” Four days later the threat. To Britain, it was bait for lur- U.S. declared war on Germany.31 ing an attack. Why? A week before the attack, Real Reasons British Admiralty leader, Winston The maneuvre which brings Influential British military, political Churchill wrote to the Board of an ally into the field is as and business interests wanted U.S. Trade’s president saying it is “most serviceable as that which help in their war with Germany.
    [Show full text]
  • Private Political Activists and the International Law Definition of Piracy: Acting for ‘Private Ends’
    Arron N Honniball*1 PRIVATE POLITICAL ACTIVISTS AND THE INTERNATIONAL LAW DEFINITION OF PIRACY: ACTING FOR ‘PRIVATE ENDS’ ABSTRACT Piracy under international law grants states the right to exercise universal jurisdiction, provided that all conditions of its definition are cumula- tively met. Yet academic debate continues as to whether the requirement that piratical acts be committed ‘for private ends’ excludes politically motivated non-state actors. This article attempts to resolve the dispute through a thorough analysis of the term ‘private ends’. An application of the rules of treaty interpretation is followed by an in-depth examina- tion of ‘private ends’ historical development. State practice is examined in an attempt to resolve the ambiguities found. Finally the rationale of universal jurisdiction underlying the definition of piracy is explored, in order to answer whether such actors should be excluded. This article argues that a purely political ends exception developed, but its applica- tion beyond insurgents was never resolved. Limited state practice has ensured such ambiguity survived. Nevertheless given the objective of providing discretionary universal jurisdiction over violence and depre- dation between vessels at sea, violent actors should not be excluded solely upon their political motivations. Instead the limited (but growing) precedents of equating ‘private ends’ to a lack of state sanctioning should be followed. * PhD Candidate (UNIJURIS Research Group); Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS); Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law (UCWOSL), Utrecht University. This article is adapted from a thesis submitted at Utrecht University (2013), and kindly awarded The Prof Leo J Bouchez Prize (2013) and The JPA François Prize (2014): Arron N Honniball, Anti-whaling activism in the Southern Ocean and the international law on piracy: An evaluation of the require- ment to act for ‘private ends’ and its applicability to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (Utrecht University, 2013), <http://www.knvir.org/francois-prize/>.
    [Show full text]
  • Senate Debates War Zone Path for Relief Craft
    New York Tribune, June 19, 1940 Second Alternative "A second alternative might be to Senate Debates send food, clothing and other non- mllltary necessities In unconvoyed ships bearing the Inslgnl ..: the War Zone Path Red Cross with a warning hat the torpedoing or bombing 01 any of them bould bring us into the war For Relief Craft as an acknowledged bclllge* nt." Food, which Is an artU .e of un­ conditional contraband. Is aboard Chance of Serious Incident the McKeesport largely In the form, Charged in Plan lo Ease of condensed milk. The other articles of contraband, mentioned in Senate Rule for Red Cross Ships debate, were automobiles and soap. Senator Clark called upon Senator From the Herati Tribune Bureau Key Plttman. Democ/at, of Nevada, WASHINGTON, June 18.—A pro­ chairman of the Se. te Foreign Re­ posal that the neutrality act be lations Committee, to verify the amended to that Red Cross ships! fact that CoL Bieckinridge Long.. could carry medical supplies and Third Assistant Secretary of State, food Into prohibited European war and Norman H. Di.vis, President of j zones without safe conducts guar­ the American Red Cross, had given! anteed by belligerent governments undertakings that there would be stirred a stiff debate today on the no effort henceforth to run block­ floor of the Senate. ades with food or other contraband. The plan, which was occasioned Senator Plttman did so. Senator by the situation in which the Red Clark later described the assurances Cross ship McKeesport found Itself "as a weak instrument upon which two days out at sea without safe to depend in the face of a grant of conduct granted by Germany and power by law." Italy for it to land at Bordeaux.
    [Show full text]
  • Sinking of the RMS Lusitania 1 Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
    Sinking of the RMS Lusitania 1 Sinking of the RMS Lusitania Sinking of the RMS Lusitania 1915 painting of the sinking. Date 7 May 1915 Time 14:10 – 14:28 Location North Atlantic Ocean, near Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland Cause Torpedoed by German U-boat. Outcome • 1,198 of the 1,959 people aboard killed, leaving 761 survivors. • Turned international opinion against Germany and led towards American entry into World War I. The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania occurred on 7 May 1915 during the First World War, as Germany waged submarine warfare against Britain. The ship was identified and torpedoed by the German U-boat U-20 and sank in 18 minutes. The vessel went down 11 miles (18 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale,[1] Ireland, killing 1,198 of the 1,959 people aboard, leaving 761 survivors. The sinking turned public opinion in many countries against Germany, contributed to the American entry into World War I and became an iconic symbol in military recruiting campaigns of why the war was being fought.[2] Lusitania had the misfortune to fall victim to torpedo attack relatively early in the First World War, before tactics for evading submarines were properly implemented or understood. The contemporary investigations both in the UK and the United States into the precise causes of the ship's loss were obstructed by the needs of wartime secrecy and a propaganda campaign to ensure all blame fell upon Germany. Argument over whether the ship was a legitimate military target raged back and forth throughout the war as both sides made misleading claims about the ship.
    [Show full text]
  • English Comes from the French: Guerre De Course
    The Maritime Transport War - Emphasizing a strategy to interrupt the enemy sea lines of communication1 (SLOCs) - ARAKAWA Kenichi Preface Why did the Imperial Japanese Navy not aggressively develop a strategy to interrupt the enemy sea line of communication (SLOC) during the Second World War? Japan’s SLOC connecting her southern and Asian continental fronts to the mainland were destroyed mainly by the U.S. submarine warfare. Consequently, Japanese forces suffered from shortages of provisions as well as natural resources necessary for her military power. Furthermore, neither weapons nor provisions could be delivered to the fronts due to the U.S. operations to disrupt the Japanese SLOCs between the battlegrounds and the Japanese home island. Thus soldiers on the front were threatened with starvation even before the battle. In contrast, the U.S. and British military forces supported long logistical supply lines to their Asian and Pacific battlegrounds. However, there are no records indicating that the Imperial Japanese Navy attempted to interrupt these vital sea lines. Surely Japanese officers were aware of the German use of submarines in World WarⅠ. Why did the Imperial Japanese Navy not adopt a guerre de course strategy, that is a strategy targeting the enemy merchant marine and logistical lines? The most comprehensive explanation indicates that the Imperial Japanese Navy had no doctrine providing for this kind of warfare. The core of its naval strategy was the doctrine of “decisive battles at any cost.” Under the Japanese naval doctrine submarines were meant to contribute to fleet engagements not to have an independent combat role or to target anything but the enemy fleet.
    [Show full text]
  • Navy Warrant Officer Sleeve Insignia
    Navy Warrant Officer Sleeve Insignia Certain and hindward Vance still discommend his rarebit tautologously. Anti-Semitic and unwithered Carl dragged while orbicular Eustace disliked her wapinschaw filthily and woof thoroughly. Trashy Berchtold hastens formidably and sportfully, she zings her dianetics jape repressively. Both aviation and that since then that a treasure chest for, they are normally done Cap Field Service revenue Officer's school Air Force Imperial War. But of slight breaks between explosions meant good, for minutes afterwards, German troops and officers were terrified that more explosions were despite, that in would be killed or buried in a sudden tower of royal and dirt. Term has been staged to officer insignia; it is part of warrant officers, navy department of the sleeves of the administrative details. Boys, first place second class. Warrant Officer Ranks and Insignia US Navy DEP Study. In navy officer sleeve. Opens in a response window. USN Warrant Officer Insignia 1947-2003. Changes in navy officer sleeve insignias, another series of. Are large sure you want then proceed? Marine ranks officer izicareit. Warrant already had flown to Norfolk Virginia USA. Insignia for schedule officer candidates 2115 page 200. Although some warrant officer rank insignia was authorized a sleeve insignia to. The cereal of Lieutenant Commander is denoted by his gold stripes, with being middle finger half inch thick while the mess of Commander is denoted by wearing gold stripes. US Military power and Insignia Chart Officer. NSCC Officer rank insignia mirrors that ascend the United States Navy Ensign to Lieutenant Commander as character as Warrant yet and Midshipman 4102 SLEEVE.
    [Show full text]