Plans called for production of 7,000 naval aircraft by April 1942, while the stated monthly output in summer 1941 was only 162 aircraft of all types. Shortages also affected machine guns, bombs, Type 91 aerial torpedoes, ammunition, and fuel. Poor protection for fuel tanks and crews made aircraft losses especially costly in a prolonged air war. The China war reduced the planned pool of thoroughly trained aircrew from 5,000 to 4,100 and shortened training cycles. By Pearl Harbor, roughly half the naval air service was insufficiently trained by its own reckoning, despite its reputation for an elite cadre.
Notable Point · 13:32-15:03
Japanese aviation expansion outstrips production and training
Aircraft-production targets, weapons shortages, and shortened training cycles expose weaknesses already present before Pearl Harbor.