Q&A · 2:09:48-2:10:27

Would destroying Pearl Harbor's infrastructure have changed the war?

American industrial depth could replace damaged facilities, limiting what a more successful infrastructure strike could achieve.

Question

If the fleet had sortied and Japan attacked shore infrastructure, would the United States have suffered more in the long run?

Short answer

Not decisively; the damage would hurt, but American industry could rebuild the facilities.

Notes

Even a more successful infrastructure attack would not solve Japan's fundamental problem. The United States had the industrial depth to rebuild Pearl Harbor. Attrition had worked against Russia because geography and industry limited the force it could bring to the Far East. The same calculation failed against the United States and the worldwide resources of the British Empire. Damage to shore facilities would have to be judged against that capacity for replacement.