Japanese Carriers and Victory in the Pacific: The Yamamoto Option

During the pre-war debate, Japanese Carriers and Victory in the Pacific explores the decision to construct a new generation of super-battleships or to adopt aircraft carriers as the capital ships of the future. Martin Stansfeld's book reveals that Japan had a secret attempt to create parity with the US in carriers, known as the "phantom fleet," which could have doubled its fast carrier fleet and provided sufficient air cover for an invasion of Hawaii. However, this program was successfully hidden, leading to significant changes in the strategy of the Pacific War. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the mastermind behind Pearl Harbor, plays a prominent role in the book.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 09 December 2021
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Japanese Carriers and Victory in the Pacific delves into the pre-war debate between constructing a new generation of super-battleships or adopting aircraft carriers as the future capital ships. An Asian power, in particular, views carriers as a means of challenging the United States and the colonial empires, initially losing the contest but emerging victorious in the Cold War aftermath. Martin Stansfeld explores the overlooked origins of Japan's so-called "shadow fleet," a covert endeavor to attain carrier parity with the United States—albeit through slower speed conversions of liners and auxiliaries, alongside the crowded launch facilities that could have been dedicated to keel-up fast fleet carrier production. This first analytical examination of Japan's major launch facilities reveals that the Imperial Japanese Navy could have doubled its fast carrier fleet, enabling it to provide sufficient air cover for an invasion of Hawaii rather than just the raid on Pearl Harbor. However, this possibility remained hidden if no one noticed the carriers' construction. Stansfeld demonstrates that this secret fast carrier fleet program was feasible, given the IJN's exceptional success in concealing their super-battleship and shadow fleet production. He subsequently labels this clandestine fleet the "phantom fleet," and proceeds to illustrate how the strategy of the Pacific War would have undergone a transformative shift. Throughout the chapters, an exotic cast of characters takes center stage, with Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the mastermind behind Pearl Harbor and a legendary figure in Japan today, as the most prominent figure. Stansfeld delves into the ironies of war, notably how, without the infamous "day that will live in infamy," America might never have become the global superpower it is today.

Weight: 586g
Dimension: 165 x 241 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399010115