A Harder WWII Question - I think...

[dcunning30]

Hagar,

the contents of the above post is a huge hint.

[Hagar]

Hagar,

the contents of the above post is a huge hint.

Thanks but I'm still none the wiser. I'll have to admit defeat.

[dcunning30]

On March 31, 1944, two Japanese flying boats crashed into the sea off the Philippines, killing Yamamoto's successor, Admiral Koga.

[Hagar]

The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.

That would explain it. My knowledge of the war in the Pacific is hazy at best.

[eno]

I'm glad he said "arguably" as this sort of question is incredibly subjective.
As has already been suggested the enigma codes would be "arguably" more important as the finding of them had a bigger influence on WW2, as a whole, rather than just one battle. Didn't the Japanese use a form of the enigma machine? and wern't their messages being decoded too?

[H]

I'm glad he said "arguably" as this sort of question is incredibly subjective.
As has already been suggested the enigma codes would be "arguably" more important as the finding of them had a bigger influence on WW2, as a whole, rather than just one battle. Didn't the Japanese use a form of the enigma machine? and weren't their messages being decoded too?

They had code -- and it was being deciphered with some guesswork; supposedly, it was a main reason the U.S. admiralty decided that Midway was the next place to catch them en force.

[Hagar]

Didn't the Japanese use a form of the enigma machine? and wern't their messages being decoded too?

Indeed & there was a Japanese section at Bletchley Park where much of this work was done. At its peak there were 10,000 people working at Station X, as it was known, from all parts of the world & all walks of life. Many of the decipherers in the Japanese section were Americans. I discovered this & many other facts about the top secret work that took place there during WWII & the vital part it played in the outcome of the war. It was so secret that much of this is still classified & some is still being revealed. The place was completely dismantled & everything including the complex electronic deciphering equipment developed there was destroyed soon after the end of WWII to prevent it falling into the hands of a potential enemy. It's hard to believe now but many of the people that worked there took their secrets to the grave & never revealed what they actually did there even to their spouses or close family.

It's a very interesting place for a visit if you get the chance & set in beautiful surroundings. http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ Near Milton Keynes so it's not diffcullt to find.

[dcunning30]

I'm glad he said "arguably" as this sort of question is incredibly subjective.
As has already been suggested the enigma codes would be "arguably" more important as the finding of them had a bigger influence on WW2, as a whole, rather than just one battle. Didn't the Japanese use a form of the enigma machine? and wern't their messages being decoded too?

But the difference, that I pointed out earler is the enigma machine allowed the allies to decode ciphers.

[dcunning30]

And another point, radio traffic amounted to operational info, which the codebreakers and analysts attempt to understand to put together strategic pictures of the enemy's intentions.  The Z Plan was a strategic document.  There's a big difference between the two.

[Hagar]

[quote]Technically, the enigma machine cannot be construed as a captured document.

[dcunning30]

Hagar,

point well made.

[Felix/FFDS]

Narrowing down the comparisons between the German plan captured in Belgium early on, and the capture of the Z-plan, it's interesting to note the different reactions

Early on, the command with the German plans chose to ignore the plans, and did not act on them.  That inaction definitely contributed to the fall of Western Europe in 1940.  Had the troop dispositions been changed, would the Germans have had the same success?  Arguably yes, but with more struggle, and maybe not as complete.  Conceivably, there would have been no Battle of Britan, and a less "intrusive" US intervention in the European War....

By acting on the Z-plan, what was basically the last Japanese major naval offensive was not merely blunted but stopped dead.

[Hagar]

[quote]Narrowing down the comparisons between the German plan captured in Belgium early on, and the capture of the Z-plan, it's interesting to note the different reactions

Early on, the command with the German plans chose to ignore the plans, and did not act on them.

[dcunning30]

They found it as difficult to believe as me that a senior officer would carry the detailed plans with him on the actual operation.

Oh it is definately possible.  That nimrod, Fukudome, who caused Plan Z to fall into Allied hands, later on during an air battle over a Japanese base, I believe on Formosa (Taiwan), Fukudome looked up at the flaming and falling planes and exclaimed "Well done, well done", not realizing the majority of flaming and falling planes were Japanese.

[Flt.Lt.Andrew]

Well he was a bit Fuked in his dome!



A.