Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:45:54-1:46:36

Could submarines in Indochina threaten Japan?

French and British submarines could not level Japanese dockyards, but they would create an ambush threat in the Far East.

Far EastFrench IndochinaImperial Japanese NavySubmarine WarfareT Class Submarines
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Question

Could French forces in Indochina strike Japan's home islands and destroy its dockyards?

Short answer

Not at that scale, but French submarines and retained British T-class boats could cause serious operational problems in the Far East.

Notes

The forces in French Indochina would be too small to strike and destroy Japan's home-island naval infrastructure. French submarines could still complicate Japanese movement and impose defensive demands. Because the Mediterranean and North African crises are reduced, Britain would have less reason to withdraw its T-class boats from the Far East. Those boats could remain in the theater for the long-range ambush role for which they had been designed.