In 2019 I blogged – US & Japan war-gamed Pearl Harbor attack in 1930’s – and with the 80th anniversary near I had hoped to sketch over the main warnings during 1941.
The McCollum Memo October 1940 by Lieutenant Commander Arthur McCollum in the Office of Naval Intelligence which IMHO was written quickly is a fair summing of WWII at that time by a well informed officer sketching out the global security problems facing America.
This is the most comprehensive list of “all of 1941 warnings” I have found online.
Additional to the above list and while not strictly a warning but for sure a closely related event in the saga.
Two years ago I blogged “Did Admiral Kimmel exercise his fleet north of Oahu 21st to 24th Nov 1941 ?” and discovered thru Google that the answer was yes he did and was ordered back to Pearl by Washington. I will add more 1941 warnings missed from the above link as they come to mind.
For example on the day of the attack – Early am on the 7th the Destroyer Ward fired on a submarine conning tower near the entrance channel to Pearl and radioed in a report but the office brass just talked about it and asked for confirmation. Well the confirmation did arrive.
There was also the cogent warning about incoming aircraft from the radar station on northern tip of Oahu but that managed to be ignored too. What was so hard about scrambling some aircraft. Also early that morning the Japanese sub I-26 sunk the freighter SS Cynthia Olson en route from Tacoma, Washington, to Honolulu. A radio message was broadcast and picked up by the Matson Liner Lurline heading for San Fran from Honolulu – could have helped weave the tapestry of warnings but who wanted to be warned. I will add more as they come to hand.
It is also the 81st aniversary of the death of Hector Bywater. Ever read his book “The Great Pacific War” written in 1925?
I found it a page turner. Brilliant detail. I have often wondered if the Japanese high command had not used it as a primer.
I ordered that book you suggested – will give you my views in the New Year. You enjoy Christmas now.
What of the commonly held view that Admiral Yamamoto’s Pearl Harbor plan of attack was modeled on Admiral Cunningham’s attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto about a year earlier?
digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1934&context=nwc-review
I did mention that Bob at my top link – US & Japan war-gamed Pearl Harbor attack in 1930’s – I said [The subject was enlivened after the British success (hell they needed a success) with an airborne torpedo attack on the Italian Fleet at Taranto 12Nov1940.] and [All this was against a back ground of much high level Navy discussion from December to February initially ignited by the British Fleet Air Arm torpedo attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto.]
Thanks Wazz.
Just as Australia was militarily ill prepared for the second world war so we find ourselves today in the face of an increasingly belligerent, large, northern neighbour.