A forlorn hope was a hazardous assault party sent first against a fortified wall so the rest of an army could follow. Survival was so uncertain that troops, NCOs, and officers received promotion if they lived. A party could range from a dozen or two people to about a hundred, sometimes divided across several assault points. The danger served a concrete purpose: seize the wall and open the city to the army behind them. Tan No. 2 lacked that relationship between sacrifice and effect even though Japan could have assembled more resources. A force too small to damage the target meaningfully spent people and aircraft for the appearance of action.
Notable Point · 50:06-56:29
A forlorn hope still needs a purpose
The closing comparison with a forlorn hope asks whether a high-risk attack has any concrete objective worth its cost.