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You are here: Home / Article topics / Publications / Naval Historical Review / Leadership: Admiral of the Fleet Isoroku Yamamoto

Leadership: Admiral of the Fleet Isoroku Yamamoto

NHSA Webmaster · Jun 4, 2007 · Print This Page

Author
NHSA Webmaster
Subjects
Biographies and personal histories, WWII operations, History - WW2
Tags
Japanese operations, Pearl Harbor
RAN Ships
None noted.
Publication
June 2007 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)

With the aid of an outstanding staff officer and tactician, Commander Minoru Genda, Yamamoto devised a daring strategy to bomb Pearl Harbour even though it was diametrically opposed to his own personal opinion about going to war. He wanted to give Japan the best chance to deal America such a decisive blow, that they might consider negotiating an end to the conflict even though he held little hope of this eventuating. His plan received stiff opposition from naval staff due to it being fraught with risk. It was only after Yamamoto threatened to resign that the plan was approved.

Achievements and Failures

Yamamoto’s greatest tactical achievement is undoubtedly the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941. His awareness of America’s industrial and military strength allowed him the foresight to understand that Japan could not withstand or endure a long drawn-out battle. His plans were to take control of the entire Western Pacific by destroying as much as possible of America’s land, sea and air power in a period of less than 12 months, thereby allowing Japanese forces a remote chance of victory. It was also his knowledge of America’s strengths that enabled him to predict Japan’s ultimate demise in the war if they could not take control quickly and establish key strongholds throughout the Western Pacific region.

While the attack on Pearl Harbour was considered a success in Japan, Yamamoto held grave concerns because a number of America’s carriers, heavy cruisers and submarines were absent from Pearl Harbour on the day of the attack. Yamamoto wrote to a friend ‘The fact that we have had a small success at Pearl Harbour is nothing. The fact that we have succeeded so easily has pleased people . . . people should think things over and realize how serious the situation is.’ Yamamoto struggled to keep the upper hand in the war. His planning was poor, for example allowing Admiral Nagumo who was a torpedo expert to command the aircraft carriers, and this, combined with superior US Naval Intelligence, worked against him in the Battle of Midway. That defeat started a chain of events that resulted in the ultimate demise and subsequent defeat of Japan’s efforts in the war.

Nagumo’s plan of attack at Midway was needlessly complex. His forces were too widely dispersed and when the US Navy was able to surprise Japan’s aircraft carriers, which had been sailing ahead of the main fleet, Nagumo’s lack of experience resulted in the loss of four of their best aircraft carriers and their elite crews. Had Yamamoto been present, the outcome may have been different because his expertise was in the tactical manoeuvring of aircraft and aircraft carriers.

How He Was Viewed

Despite being vehemently opposed to entering into a war with America and challenging Japan’s army and government to try and prevent it, Yamamoto was considered with the utmost respect by both his enemies and allies. He had always been a fair man who fought hard, clean battles and the Imperial Navy followed his sense of honour during his command. Even after the defeat at Midway, America still considered Yamamoto to be its most dangerous enemy. When US Intelligence provided an opportunity for an assassination attempt, Admiral Nimitz Commander of the US Pacific Fleet was so concerned about the political implications that he took the unusual step of seeking advice from Washington before carrying out the attack.

After Yamamoto’s death, he was posthumously promoted to the highest rank of Fleet Admiral, received the highest state honours at his funeral and was the only foreigner to receive the Knights Cross from Germany, one of its highest medals.

Yamamoto’s Impact

The attack on Pearl Harbour was a crushing blow to America and without it Japan would have been overwhelmed much earlier in the war. Regardless of the success at Pearl Harbour, Japan was always going to be competing against a far better equipped and resilient navy. It is unlikely that Yamamoto was ever going to be in a position to alter the course of history. He understood that it was possible but implausible that Japan could be victorious in a war with America. He was obligated to follow ‘Japan’s funeral march of aggression’ even though he recognised that the Japanese government and army suffered from ‘jingoism – unrealistic and overblown patriotism’ Despite the intellectual qualities that he developed from studying and working in a Western culture, he could not influence the higher command. Ultimately, only his patriotism provided the necessary motivation to participate in the battle he fought very hard to avoid and it was that battle that subsequently resulted in his own demise. American pilots shot down the aircraft that he was flying in 18 months after the attack on Pearl Harbour.

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Naval Historical Review, Biographies and personal histories, WWII operations, History - WW2 Japanese operations, Pearl Harbor

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