The Development of US Navy Tactics (1939-1945) - ...to Global Domination

Pinned post for Q&A :)

Yeah, Trent is very informative & you can tell he has massive knowledge of WW2. And as far as the US Navy goes, when there is no wars for over 20 years no one knows how to do what needs to be done. At Guadal Canal our inefficiencies were on full display when "surprise" the Japanese Navy shows up at night. And the US gets 4 cruisers blown out of the water & sunk & over 1000 sailors get killed. And Admirals picking the "biggest" cruiser for his flagship rather than the one with the most advanced radar & telling ships NOT to open fire without permission & NOT realizing that the Japanese had a very potent long range torpedo were all mistakes that made the American cruiser commanders appear completely incompetent! It really makes me mad that there were all these US sailors that were really great & efficient at what they were doing but because of orders from a man that had barely a clue of what to do they couldn't fire on enemy vessels when they sighted them & got killed because of it. And I still often wonder how USS Atlanta was so far away from the battle line? Small wonder she was hit by enemy fire & friendly fire! And Atlanta wasn't built for such an action either. She should have been with the carriers instead because she was mainly for anti-aircraft fire.
And the Japanese Navy must have been very proud of their early battles at Guadal Canal & was probably thinking "the stupid Americans don't know what they are doing. Maybe we can still win this war." But then the US Navy finally grows a brain.

Thank you, great information!

While I'm concerned about our peer and near peer competition, the US Navy will get it done.

In a way, it doesn't matter that there were two fronts in the Paciffic campaign because America can support two fully armed forces that still dwarfs the full force of the Japanese side.

So instead of the Japanese able to defeat in detail in such a move, through sheer numbers, it became a dilemma of what are the more important between the two to be defended because they can't do both.

The USN got fed of being spammed by kamikazes and air attacks that they went all out on ship borne surface to air missiles in Project Bumblebee which today turned into Standard Missile series SM-2, SM-3, SM-6 etc, very capable missiles.

Step 1: copy the British

Great video! Thank you. Sorry it took me so long to render my opinion which I know you have been waiting for on the edge of your seat for almost a year, but I didn’t want to rush into forming my opinion until I deeply considered your video.

Rewatched this today, noting Trents discussion of comparing CIC and AIO development. Recently found a british website on the forgotten fleet, the British Pacific Fleet of 1944-45. It had a section on the experiences of "USS Robin" (HMS Victorious) in 1943. Lots of interviews with RN crew on their experiences. Highlighted a number of unexpected points, how the brits thought US shipyards, underway replenishment methods and flight deck procedures were better, but the Brits fighter control methods were better. Claimed the USN re-wrote their book to copy what Victorious was doing.

Good to see a specialist interview type thing, and he seems respectful of Drachs "amateur" knowledge n opinions n data interpretation, tho I'd trust a TRUE hobbyists trivia range n detached analysis n just plain obsession, n Drach seems like my Boyfriend who is just obsessional about stuff like this

Interesting and informative history speak :) Thanks!

Kinda interesting how war plan Orange had a very clear idea what should be done after the decisive victory, and how those following actions were going to win the war. Meanwhile, the Japanese plan following a decisive battle was.. less complete.

Different subject but Dudley Pope in "The Battle of the River Plate" really shows up the way Harwood, with his inferior but numerically, had made details instructions, and carried some exercises to ensure that everyone knew what do. Plus Ajax had an airplane. Didn't really figure in the Fight but I'm astounded that anyone would sight a probable enemy and take to time think of flying off an airplane in 1939.
For an extreme opposite angle se The Battle Of the Java Sea" - American, British, Dutch, Australian battle squadron.
What could go wrong ?

amazing insight on the kamikaze tactic, I have never thought about it this way!

I went to Tarawa in 9777 as with the merchant navy (Bank line) near the beach was a big fixed gun. On the sheilding was a big jagged hole and on thhe breech was a brass plaque to British made and that it was from Singapore!

There's a thing ...

That Nations tend to have their smart people gravitate towards their most important service.

Thus - with the British the smart people went in the Navy and the ... not as smart people went in the Army. With the Germans the smart people went in the Army and the ... not as smart people went into the Navy.

With Israel - the whole country is in the military.

As the British had the Channel - we in the US - had two Oceans ... so - you can guess where our smart people were.

This isn't to say that there weren't any smart people in the "Junior" service so to speak it just seems that the dummies made more trouble.

One thing, if you look at their attitude towards Aviation, the Navy was a lot more realistic in their appreciation of what aircraft could and could not do - where as the Army was all wrapped up in this Air Power Bull Shit. The thing with the Army Air Power Advocates - was that their ideas for what Air Power would become and the way it would be used - were wrong. Time and time again in looking at what the Air Power Advocates actually thought - it was over blown horse shit. Thus - you had Bomber Harris in the UK stating that they could win the war with Air Power alone. They'd just bomb the Germans until the people rose up and over threw Hitler - which never happened.

In the US - you had the Bomber Mafia - who were so concerned with their Bomber Doctrine - that the bomber would always get through - that they worked to reduce the use of Fighters. The very idea that Bombers would require Fighter Escorts was Anathema to the Bomber Mafia and the only way things like Drop Tanks could be developed was by creating some fiction as to the reason for them - like extending range for Reconnaissance Aircraft.

Of course here - the Air Power Advocates - couldn't say that they wanted to develop Bombers to go attack someone's industrial centers - they had to say that these aircraft were Anti-Maritime Aircraft - to defeat enemy Navies that would cross our oceans and attack us. The problem with this - was that Heavy Bombers - which could attack factories - were largely useless at attacking ships. They had to fly high to avoid the flak and the ship could see the bombs drop and just steer away from them.

Air Power was very important in WW II but none of it's use turned out to be what the Air Power advocates of the '30's had anticipated.

With at least the US Navy (which I know enough about to comment on) they would seem to have had their ideas about Aircraft in line with the actual capabilities of the aircraft they had to use. Thus - when aircraft were weak, short ranged and fragile - they saw them as such - but - as the aircraft got better - their attitudes towards them changed.

Anyway - this is all a very simplistic POV on this but something I've noticed and thought was interesting.

[shrug]
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Did the guest do a rail before coming on, just saying.

Very interesting and well presented. Thanks from Texas.

Drac has excellent interviewing skills, he asks the questions and allows his guest the freedom to answer without interruption. Thank you!

Watch Task Force the admirals an Senators were anti carrier

I think UK naval assets new innovations Dreadnought carriers BC concept limited time, etc doctrine was world dominating, and u.s took over 1942, not bad going for UK, since battle of Trafalgar, love UK all not much respect.

War, including strategy is a young man's game. The younger mind naturally tends to creative, problem-solving, thinking. The older mind tends to the reflective based on an older set of realities. Striking the balance and maintaining it is the essence of a modern force. All ideas may have some value, they just need a review process that does not involve a veto, unless it were unanimous. I go a bit further; the over 35-40 mind is incapable of command and these need to be moved to the avuncular role; non-binding advice, logistics, larger-scale strategy, sailing-master, etc. e.g. The early Pacific naval skirmishes were costly because older minds applied their understanding of the capacity of a buck-toothed, eye-wear dependent, short, excitable peasant enemy only to have their hulls detached because they no longer had the flexibility of mind to think otherwise. The rambunctious junior mind makes mistakes too but learns more quickly. A more homogeneous crew (age wise) is the result. The above applies to all military forces. The rank for these age-retired is Marshal, it has no levels, it does not require a salute, they are kept and valued because their proven experience and knowledge will help those in command and the commanded to do what they do best, fight.

Tradition is peer pressure from dead people. The second world war was basically a long wait until the junior ranks could take over; partially obscured by existence of exceptional minds, e.g. 'Ching' Lee and further exposed by Halsey's many errors. George Marshall knew this and immediately sacked as many commanders as he could. As I imagine it so did Nimitz.

Didn't the ijn have a 14 to one,surface too surface kill ratio?

Drach has a face?

Kudos to Drac for enlisting this guest. The kind of in depth info so often lacking. Well presented, bullseye for all concerned.

I played this vid3o expecting a typiczl .ecture video Not a conversational video. Down vote!

It’s honestly amazing to see how far Drach has come. From 5 minute guides on warships to having large enough of a channel to draw in Naval historians oral the time. Way to go drach !!!

U.S. Navy Tactics 1939-1945 - UNLIMITED BUDGET DOODS!

Essex and fletcher

Fascinating exchange about the Naval tactics with surface ships. The Navy also seemed to be innovative and adaptive with their Naval Aviation. I would like to discover the various processes they used to implement successes fleet wide.

Next time sniffle maybe talk to him sniffle when he isn't SNIFFLING please?
They all seem knowledgeable, but there always seems to be something with this "duets". (quiet, sniffling, ums, awkwardness)

Their are the very brave shore watchers. British and Australia men hiding out in the mountains giving information on Japanese troop movements to enable American air power to stop the Japanese as they sailed south through the slot to bring supplies and reinforcements to Gwadle canal??? Remember Mchale`s Navy?

You can't burn O2, you have to have a fuel to go with it.

Downvoting stating outright the importance of liberate millions of Filipinos, many of whom were born as US Nationals, hundreds of thousands who continued to fight under occupation, and the abandoning of tens of thousands of POWs.

The bit about Macarthur's centralized command helps explain why we collapsed in Korea when the Chinese came in and he had one of his panic attacks (like he did after pearl harbor)

Learned so much from this interview, particularly enlightening about kamikazes and radar developments with early form of AWAC.

Another excellent interview. Well done, Drach!

Great guest!!! Thanks!

That was da bomb

Every time I watch one of these videos I wonder why I find this stuff so interesting.
Must be the presentation. Bravo. :)

This I found very insightful, however there was no mention of subs being utilized by surface fleets. I realize there purpose was to sink the enemy merchant fleet. Where they ever a component in major surface actions ie screens against other surface operations or as advanced scouts, as Japan tried at Midway?

Towers was power hungry. Even King said Spruance handled the Phillipines Sea correctly guarding the invasion fleet.

I wish these were in a podcast.

CIC...Believe it! No, play World of Warships. You will learn you cannot command the ship and fight the ship at the same time.

Blockade...Nimitz did exactly that, by other means.

This was a great program. Very informative.

Well when we have our own sailors burning down our own ships. I would not say things are going well.

I don't have any doubt that the Imperial Japanese Navy forced the US Navy to become what we see now. They really taught us that you cannot fight like the 'last war'. For current scenarios, the ccp should know that the Japanese, even today, will hand them their lunch (with a little of our help of course... due to their Pacifist constitution). We learned that you do not underestimate your enemy, especially when faced by an enemy such as the Japanese. I feel we came to respect each other and become real friends. Really great discussion 👌🇬🇧🇺🇸👍

If you could get an animator you would reach an even greater audience, such great content.