Comments by "William Cox" (@WildBillCox13) on "The Drydock - Episode 073" video.

  1. Off topic but still capable of generating controversy . . . The great kaiju-Japanese resistance to any potential allied invasion of the Home Islands. Here are some points worth considering, followed by my tentative conclusions: 1) All remaining IJN warships were heavily damaged, reduced to use as strafing targets for USAAF fighters. In fact, most IJN ships had been sunk at their moorings. No resistance there. 2) The 25mm was still the worst AA gun of the war. It does not suddenly become effective-except in a work of utter fiction. Small resistance there. 3) Japan went to war to obtain a source of fuel oil. She had no--read zero--access to antiknock additives so absolutely necessary for high performance fighter engines*. No oil, plus no antiknock, means no kamikaze planes to intercept our landing fleet. You can't fly a fighter if you have zero aviation gasoline. And Japan was out. 4) The Japanese version of Hitler's Volksturm was being issued yaris and naginata polearms from museums. We would be murdering the defenders, not suffering huge casualties from them. Moreover, Japanese army rifles were bolt action, and there was no automatic rifle, or large numbers of the Type 100/400 SMG available to counter an enemy heavily supplied with automatic weapons. 5) Japanese midget submarines were terrible, just like everyone else's. No effective resistance there. If you need more, watch Drach's video on the Axis' small submarines. 6) A serious drop in materiel maintenance, and repair capability and quality of repairs effected, spelt death for any air resistance-and, remember: Japan had ZERO GASOLINE to fuel them. 7) So strapped for materials was the Japanese military that most bomb fillings had been replaced with picric acid--a large step backwards. Conclusion: Were we facing a long term, low intensity, war against "terrorists/freedom fighters" on the Home Islands? Absolutely. Were we facing organized and effective military resistance to a mass invasion? No. Japan had none to offer. For those who disagree: Please, oh pretty please, find documentation on the amount of aviation gasoline Japan had hoarded way in anticipation of an allied invasion. I looked and that's where I began to gather my current conclusions. There was none. Nary a mention of hidden fuel reserves for anything, let alone high performance fighter engines. No gas means no kamikaze planes or boats or submarines. Zero major resistance. Better chance of dying from the clap after the occupation began. Which has happened since on more than one occasion. *The ONLY source for those was the USA. That's why the P51 was what it was--able to operate at higher manifold pressures (>50lb) due to the cooling effect of lead additives. Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles does extensive coverage on this peculiarity of high performance fighter aircraft propulsion. It's here, on YouTube, somewhere.
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