Cooperative Pearl Harbor Wargame

[@davefranklin4136]

IMO, if Enterprise and Lexington are sunk at Pearl, one place affected is Malta, since I think Wasp, and possibly Ranger too, would have been sent to the Pacific immediately, and thus would not be available to help the Brits fly airplanes into Malta.

[@MetalMalta1311]

What an interesting observation. I suspect you're right.

[@GRB-tj6uj]

Oh that's a good point. I always find the (non)-presence of the carriers at Pearl Harbor an interesting subject to think about, but I never realized this possible ramification. That theatre and battle are criminally underdiscussed, but if the Malta and the Mediterranean fall early in the war the Axis have a real chance to win the whole thing.

[@beckyromero2131]

Wasp? Almost certainly. Ranger, quite unlikely. She was much more compared to USS Langley, then the large converted battlecruisers Lexington and Saratoga, or the modern Yorktown-class.

[@davefranklin4136]

@@beckyromero2131 Ranger's speed was comparable to Wasp's (and MUCH greater than the old Langley's). In spite of the "Germany first" strategy agreement, I think CINCUS (soon enough to be changed to COMINCH) Adm. King would have been inclined to send Ranger to the Pacific, along with Yorktown and Wasp - unless it was viable to expedite Hornet's working up (including if her complement of SBC Helldiver biplanes could be replaced by SBDs at the same time). Of course FDR, with influence from Churchill, might have directed otherwise...

[@beckyromero2131]

​@@davefranklin4136 Wasp was slower than both the Lexington-class and the Yorktown-class. And Ranger was slower than Wasp. She also didn't have as much storage for bombs and torpedoes. She was also lacking in underwater protection. If things got really bad, might Ranger have been transferred to the Pacific theatre? Of course. But consider that in late 1942, when things WERE really bad after Hornet was sunk and Enterprise damaged in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, leaving Saratoga as the only U.S. operational carrier in the Pacific, did Adm King transfer Ranger to the Pacific? Nope. Instead the U.S. asked the British to loan HMS Victorious to operate with the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Moreover, Ranger WAS needed in the Atlantic, where the threat of land-based bombers was not nearly as great as in the Pacific.

[@hamsternchips]

Thank you for another great game and video! My grandfather was on the Vestal during the attack. A piece of shrapnel knocked out his front teeth and exited out the side of his face. The injury and trauma eventually tore his family apart. I have heard many wargamers say they don't play modern games because it feels inappropriate. I never quite understood that until I heard that the Vestal was destroyed in the game. I had a visceral feeling recalling the sense of loss that my extended family has. I think it is good that we retell these war histories in all possible ways not only so that we are clear what is worth fighting for but also what the cost of fighting will be.

[@LittleWarsTV]

Great insight with the personal family connection. Always important when you play historical wargames to remember it’s not fantasy or sci fi. These battles happened and real people, like your grandfather, suffered the consequences.

[@anthonyanderson5302]

Vestal was a CRITICAL sinking. It was a major unsung hero of WW2. It repaired a good chunk of ships severely damaged ships during the war. Members of its crew were on the Yorktown on it's date with destiny at Midway.

[@hamsternchips]

@@anthonyanderson5302 Historically, Vestal was almost sunk. Two bombs intended for Arizona stuck her. These started fires and she started taking on water . The Captain, Cassin Young was knocked off the deck from explosions on the Arizona. He climbed back aboard and guided the Vestal away from the Arizona and grounded it to avoid it sinking, saving the ship and its remaining crew. Within a week they had refloated the Vestal and were repairing other ships in the harbour.

[@Doc_Tar]

I was pleasantly surprised at how your game master managed to inject so much uncertainly into a battle so lopsided one would be hard press to call it an actual "battle" which is probably why is it so often referred to as an "attack."

[@davidmooney1253]

This table is amazing. Little Wars TV met my friend Charles the modeler, who also produces super detailed game tables, in the UK at The Joy of Six 18 months ago. 6mm games are fantastic if done properly.

[@mrp3077]

I think this is one of the very best videos you've made so far. The everyone versus the GM format worked very well, because as a viewer I automatically got to connect to one side of the fight. Also the whole damage fog of war system helped overcome the feeling I often have of not quite understanding what's going on because I don't have access to detailed enough information to appreciate why the players make different choices. Here I felt I mostly knew what the players knew. Well done!

[@deathmagnetic300]

This and peleliu are without a doubt my favorite style of wargaming. A real scenario but the Commanders have complete freedom to conduct operations. I would love to see more like that.

[@andrewtodd5919]

Great job as always. I agreed with Gregs approach beforehand, not often i dont agree with Ed. Nimitz himself said afterwards, Gods providence saved us as the oil stocks and dry docks were untouched. Had the oil tanks been destroyed we may not have been able to sortie out to Coral Sea let alone Midway. I think the final outcome would be the same but the war would have lasted longer and been bloodier. Well done gents

[@Vehrec]

I don't think that destroying the oil tanks was that critical, actually. Like, oh no, we've lost the oil tanks, now we have to fight on the same kind of footing as the Japanese, Italians and Germans do, and actually worry about our stocks until we can build a new tank farm. That will take, with wartime production, maybe six months for the thin sheet-metal tanks on the surface, or they could focus on bringing at least one of the Red Hill underground tanks online faster. But overall, American *production* of oil is so vast and extensive, I don't see the total destruction and burning of the bunker oil tanks as actually a limit on US operations. And unless you come back every few months, some kind of oil storage will be ready by Midway. Either Nimitz was projecting American strategic targeting onto the Japanese, or he is re-framing the attacks from an Operational success (no American fleet sails into the western Pacific until months after the Philippines have fallen) to Strategic blunder.

[@michaelyarnell1559]

@@Vehrec Admiral Edwin Layton (Nimitz's intelligence chief) disagrees with you. He said if the oil tanks had been destroyed it would have taken many months to ship the oil in as the US only had one operational tanker in the pacific fleet after the Pearl Harbor attack. The fleet would have been paralyzed, unable to strike back at the Japanese for possibly 4-6 months. The problem would not have been production (you are right about that), it would have been getting the oil to Hawaii. See Layton's book, "And I Was There" for details. Great read.

[@SusCalvin]

The US ability to quickly repair and refit damaged ships will also be extremely useful as the war goes on. A damaged Japanese ship will take longer to repair, while US ships return to action. The historical IJN seems to focus a lot on decisive battle doctrine and sinking capital ships, at the detriment of the boring but effective disruption of US tankers, drydocks etc.

[@TemporaryHeroJayLaw]

What a gorgeous playboard. Stunning. Well done.

[@LittleWarsTV]

Really was a top notch table. Patrick did a spectacular job on it.

[@joshuataylor7213]

If the Americans at Pearl weren't ready for an attack on the 7th, just imagine how much less prepared they were on the 6th! Been waiting for this one!

[@dawnfire82]

7 DEC was a Sunday. The attack was timed to begin while people were going to church. It also coincided with an expected incoming flight from the mainland (by coincidence) so early radar detection of the Japanese were discounted as the expected American planes.

[@charlierichardson613]

Nice! Looks a little like the map from Morison's great series of books. And a great cooperative idea.

[@LittleWarsTV]

A very clever scenario design by Patrick. It’s an unusual situation to wargame as an exercise because one side (the Americans) have so few assets capable of fighting back aside from static AA positions. Framing the exercise as a test of Japanese target selection and coordination made it very interesting

[@vincentstella5131]

Patrick's game is both beautiful and fun. I've had the pleasure of playing in his Pearl Harbor game a number of times and it was a great gaming experience each time.

[@CrusaderinBlack]

You guys do AMAZING work on the boards and pieces. I dabble on 40k models in my spare time, so when I see the beautiful details, and realistic boards, it blows me away. Thank you!

[@LiscenedColonial]

This makes me want to Tora Tora Tora! A classic pearl harbor movie

[@bigsarge2085]

Fascinating. I had the honor of a private tour of Pearl Harbor on the Deputy Commader of the Pacific Fleet's navy yacht, and we stopped at the Arizona Memorial in between the waves of tourists. Incredibly interesting to see it all in person, and very poignant. Lest we forget.

[@j.b.macadam6516]

Outstanding game! Your target priorities were correct. This result would have changed the war in the Pacific theatre significantly. Thanks!

[@gamesforlife7458]

You guys do amazing work but I would like to see a gallipoli or Kokoda track war game at some point maybe you could even turn the pacific war into a mini campaign series also maybe a American civil war campaign would be kinda cool as well

[@svenrio8521]

Kodack Trail would be amazing 👏 I know Bolt Action has some miniatures related to that campaign

[@HistoryandDice]

Fantastic board and location and great narrative game. You are great advocates for our hobby!

[@raysandrarexxia941]

My great grandfather was there that day, very faithful and respectful game!

[@beckyromero2131]

While you all did a great job, I'd be remiss in pointing out that the aircraft carriers Enterprise, Lexington and Saratoga (which was at SAN DIEGO, not Puget Sound ... the RN battleship Warspite was in Puget Sound) were the Japanese principle targets, not the battleships, not the fuel depot, not the dry docks, etc. Admiral Yamamoto's goal was to prevent the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering in the Japanese seizure of the Philippines, Singapore and the Dutch East Indies, where much needed oil fields would be procecured. So of course the Japanese need to go after them. (Patrick, can you edit with correct info? Enterprise was returning from ferrying planes to Wake Island; Lexington was some 460 miles east of Midway after ferrying planes to that island. Also, Honolulu was a LIGHT cruiser.). The target ship, ex BB Utah, had lumber stacked all over its deck and COULD be mistaken for a carrier. In the actual attack, it was hit and capsized, the bombs it took saving another target from being hit with them. Overall, a good job on the 'fog of war.' Putting the U.S. carriers in port is certainly worth a war-gaming scenario. And as the game master, Patrick is within his rights to make such decisions. But anyone who has studied the Pearl Harbor attack knows what the sinking of the Enterprise and Lexington would have meant as far as how big a battle victory the Japanese would have received. But as far as the possible deaths of Adm. 'Bull' Halsey and Commander Wade McCluskey and the U.S. Navy being down two carriers in the Pacific on the first day of the war? The carrier Wasp would have almost certainly been sent to the Pacific immediately (instead of ferrying planes to Malta in early May 1942; in the real-time line Wasp arrived at San Diego on June 19, 1942). It would have been difficult, but the Royal Navy would have had to step up their re-supply efforts for Malta without Wasp (and would have had some lead time to prepare). After the attack on Pearl, Saratoga left San Diego and arrived at Pearl on December 15th. The carrier Yorktown was at Norfolk when the war began. It arrived at San Diego on December 30, 1941. The immediate effect on the alternate timeline loss of Enterprise and Lexington would have been Admiral Kimmel ruling out any attempt for the relief of Wake Island with Task Force 14 (led by Saratoga under the command of Rear Adm. Frank Jack Fletcher). Vice Adm. William S. Pye, who relieved Kimmel on December 18, would have had to rule out a diversional strike on the Marshall Islands by the carrier Lexington since Lexington has already been sunk in the alternate time line. Now as for the Doolittle Raid. The carrier Hornet wasn't commissioned until October 1941. She left Norfolk on Feb. 2, 1942 for training, returning on March 4 and arrived at Naval Air Station Alameda on March 20. But Time Butterflies can also travel in two directions. If the Doolittle Raid is called off, Yamamoto's plan to invade Midway likely does not get approval. But what if Wasp is sent to the Pacific immediately? What if Saratoga doesn't take a torpedo hit on January 11, 1942? She was 420 nautical miles southwest of Pearl, heading for a rendezvous with Enterprise. But if Enterprise had been sunk, perhaps Saratoga isn't where the Japanese sub I-6 can fire off that torpedo. With repairs first at Pearl and then Bremerton and then to San Diego, Saratoga was out of the war until May 25, 1942. So, even with the loss of Enterprise and Lexington, the U.S. could indeed still have had the same number of carriers available to carry out the Doolittle Raid, the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway as it did historically. The only difference would have been Admiral Chester Nimitz nowperhaps being more cautious. Also, there is no guarantee that the U.S. still loses a carrier at Coral Sea (just as there is no guarantee that the Doolittle Raid is as successful if Adm. Halsey isn't in charge of the task force). But if the raid on Tokyo still occurs, with Yamamoto then receiving permission to go ahead with Operation MI, the U.S. could still possibly have had three aircraft carriers (Yorktown, Saratoga and Wasp), and the Japanese order of battle due to code breaking, to defend Midway (if no carrier is lost at Coral Sea). Not addressed in the wargame scenario was the possibility of Enterprise and/or Lexington being repaired. They would have sunk in the shallow waters of Pearl, not at sea. Perhaps one or both is repaired in time to be rushed into service at Midway as the damaged Yorktown was after Coral Sea. Perhaps next year on Pearl Harbor Day, Patrick and his group might entertain a different set of "What Ifs." What if the SS Cynthia Olson, 350 miles off the California coast, recognizes it is being stalked by the Japanese submarine I-26 on the evening of December 6, 1941 and sends out an SOS that San Francisco relays to the Hawaiian command (instead of it only getting off an SOS when it was torpedoed roughly just 15 minutes before the attack on Pearl began)? What if the sighting at 03:57 in the morning of December 7th of a Japanese sub by the minesweeper Condor is immediately reported to Admiral Kimmel? What if the likely lone mini-sub to actually make it thru the harbor defenses doesn''t, perhaps saving the West Virginia from one or two torpedo hits? What if at 07:02 when Joseph Lockard, a U.S. Army third-class specialist and his colleague, Private George Elliott, at the Opana Radar Site on northern Oahu report the detection of a large number of aircraft approaching from the north, USAAC Lieutenant Kermit Tyler adds to his infamous reply to tell them "Don't worry about it" that Private Joseph P. McDonald passes on to Lockard and Elliott that the formation was likely a group of B-17 aircraft coming from the continental United States? What if armed with that additional piece of information, Lockard and Elliott stress again the exact direction the formation they were tracking, leading to Tyler to make the correct conclusion that planes coming in from the continental United States would be heading in from the northeast, nor directly from the north? What if Lt. Gen. Walter Short is immediately informed of this and issues an alert to scramble aircraft from Hickman Field? What if the attacking aircraft from the Kidō Butai arrive over Pearl Harbor to find Battleship Row EMPTY, anti-aircraft fire immediate and intense and with most of the P-40s and older P-36s fighters having taken off from Hickman and now intercepting the Japanese planes? In the real time line, the Japanese lost 29 planes, 20 of those losses coming in the second wave. How many losses might they now take in the first wave attack in this alternate time line? What if Admiral Kimmel orders Adm. Pye's battleship to head south or west of Pearl, just in case there is a Japanese task force heading to Hawaii from the area around the Marshalls, thus making it even impossible for Nagumo's fleet to encounter the old, lumbering battlewagons? Does Nagumo even launch a second wave against Pearl, not knowing where not only the U.S. carriers are, but seven battleships as well (Pennsylvania was in dry dock)? How might a larger number of losses effected which ships Yamamoto would send to Coral Sea (in the real time line it was the large aircraft carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku and the light carrier Shōhō)? Might the loss of many more experienced Japanese flight crews over Pearl have perhaps saved Lexington at Coral Sea in the real-time line?

[@Albtraum_TDDC]

If the USA was so far behind, perhaps we would have seen nukes used against Naval formations in Ports or out at sea. How would that have looked I wonder. Port attack probably easier. BTW in the game, is it better to use bombers against Carriers and torpedoes again Battleships?

[@lorcanievers1813]

Thank you for another EXCELLENT Batrep. I enjoyed it immensely. Thank you to the club and tho the Battleship Historical Society. Well done.

[@aarona2183]

Great video, the sound effects during the strike planning scared the life out of me for a second!

[@svenrio8521]

I like Ed's analysis at the end, really puts things into perspective

[@anthonymonroe-warren8624]

Dammit guys! I was painting miniatures when yall started discussing the battle plan with the sudden and sharp gun fire...........I think you know what happened to my paintbrush and miniature lol! Nice video keep em coming :D

[@reglavcor]

Great job guys, as always. Seeing this makes me think that we need a remake of "Tora, Tora, Tora"! We got one with "Midway"!!

[@waltleach8880]

Great video. I like how you splice in vintage film clips and have different speakers to vary perspective. Thanks for all you do for Wargaming Walt

[@Anvilarm07]

Wow, one of your best videos yet. I love the fog of war where you don't know exactly what damage you are doing, and the surprise appearance of the two carriers. I also like the aspect of the players each having individual command of their resources. The only thing I would have liked to have seen in such a game is some command and control mechanics - air groups are assigned targets at the beginning and need a die roll to change targets. Some planes can be assigned to a "reserve" but those need a command roll to be assigned targets and there could be a "failure" or a "confused target" result so they don't hit exactly what you want. And the ever present danger of smoke obscuring targets for reserve attacks. But overall a fantastic game I'd love to play, and a touching commentary at the end.

[@LG-rg4ut]

You guys have outdone yourselves…. Fantastic game, terrain, models, history, location…. Freaking Aces.

[@davidwasilewski]

Great looking game. Tora Tora Tora!!!!

[@juanel2742]

Love the look of the table and miniatures. Good game!

[@andyedwards9222]

A fantastic game, gorgeous table and set up. Marvellous.

[@StormofSteelWargaming]

Cracking stuff, fellas! I find it interesting that you all went for the carriers as a priority target, knowing what they were capable of in the actual Pacific Theatre. I think the Japanese in 1941 wouldn't have done the same, as at the time the importance of carriers wasn't recognised and was only ushered in because of the loss of the capital ships at Pearl anyway. It's an interesting thought experiment either way.

[@iamspamus8784]

This is a freaking good video and game. I live and work around this area. Crazy.

[@mjinoz1677]

A great watching fascinating game and scenario.

[@NonLinearExistence]

I have lived within a 15 min walk of the Taney for 15 years. I had no idea its historical relevance. I have been on the Constellation and the Torsk. But I dont think I even knew why the Taney was there.

[@PhilosopherScholarPoet6272]

83 years ago. I am going to be alive when the 100 year anniversary happens. so many complex feelings about that

[@bertsteele]

Amazing game board. Props to the maker.

[@mikereinken4928]

Excellent game. Powerful presentation. Agree with Greg's last words. Keep up the good work guys.

[@gordonwhitney6052]

Great video! Loved that the players had to deal with incomplete information.

[@lennonmanners-lolley7981]

This youtube channel is so underated its crazy. Another banger video

[@LittleWarsTV]

We keep saying that to KZbin and they keep not listening! But thanks!

[@johnskibajr5691]

One dynamic scenario is, what if the Japanese declaration of war was made just before the attack as was the intention of Japan. The label of sneak attack may have lost some impact. It certainly is interesting to speculate how the US government would have handled that situation vis a vis the public.

[@LittleWarsTV]

That’s a great idea John. Could make for a true wargame scenario where the Americans are in position to fight back.

[@speedydb55]

@@LittleWarsTV I was thinking something similar while watching this video. If it's plausible that Enterprise and Lexington were in the Harbor and vulnerable to attack, it should be equally plausible that the Japanese fleet could have been discovered in route or the air attack detected by radar and properly responded to by the Commanders in charge.

[@SuperShanook]

​@speedydb55 Makes you think about how arbitrary history really is. The slightest change in circumstance and we would remember an event like pearl harbour differently

[@porksterbob]

​@@speedydb55 I think only the last two. The american commanders on the day had the opportunity to respond correctly to the midget sub sighting and the radar, but the Japanese deception campaign had been very successful. As far as the Americans knew, the Kido Butai was in the South China sea and there was the intercepted orders and radio traffic to prove it. Furthermore, the primary target of the Japanese on December 7th, wasn't Pearl Harbor, it was Malaya, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies. The Americans also discounted the ability of the Japanese to refuel at sea for the trip to Hawaii because that was something that the American navy COULDN'T do. There was very much a view that "if we find it to difficult, there is no way the Japanese can do it." (The US would then build that capability very fast)

[@SusCalvin]

​@@speedydb55That's why I like to leave elements like that to randomness. Like rolling for how many submarines get in. It could as well be a roll to see if one or both carriers are there at port.

[@peterfett253]

Outstanding Gentlemen, Outstanding! STG3 Fett. USNR 84-92.

[@SusCalvin]

Playing in public is great fun. We try to display games the public can take part in, one of my mates will be showing off little 30 minute skirmish battles. People are usually curious and ask a few basic questions.

[@Kevbing9825]

Great war game! My 2nd cousin was killed on the Arizona and had a ship named after him.

[@elvenfellow8596]

Lovely game as usual: repair yards, Drydocks, oils, airbases and Carriers are defo priority with hinsight! Makes me want to crack out my carrier and do some battles!

[@TravelinginMiniature]

My top three Little Wars video (Agincourt and Trafalgar the other two)! Excellent work.

[@HillsgroveMike]

I love you guys. I live in a black hole of wargaming here on the Mexican border in Socorro Texas.

[@LittleWarsTV]

Happy we can be your remote club! We get lots of messages from disconnected gamers who want to find a group. And we always tell them, our club started with just 2 guys.

[@user-ne1vx7mj1b]

Awesome set up and game..the best of wargaming, ty ty

[@LittleWarsTV]

Thank you! We had a great time on deck

[@trevynlane8094]

Hitting the machine shops and supply facilities was not in doctrine for the IJN, and never even occurred to them in planning. The fuel tanks lost would be a minor inconvenience, and the damage to the machine shops would likely be repaired faster than the battleships. I feel like those are overvalued as targets.

[@MrFarmer110]

Not hitting the sub-pens, except for a cheeky little strafing run at the end was a missed opportunity. Even though US subs would be hampered by the terrible Mk 14 torpedoes until late 43 or early 44. They did prove useful for the US Navy in the early phases of the war. From scouting to picking up downed pilots, to the occasional lucky hit on Japanese shipping, they acted like a swarm of angry hornets constantly attacking and hurting the Japanese war efforts. If I had been part of this effort, I would have dedicated at least one air group to hit the pens and deny the US the use of their subs early in the war. It wouldn't change the overall outcome, (maybe) but it would make things easier for the Japanese. But I do agree that hitting the oil, repair, and drydock facilities was a good move, and making sure that both carriers were on the bottom of the harbor was a sound plan. The only other thing I would change would be to focus less on Battleship Row as without carriers, battleships would be sitting ducks in open waters, and sinking them out at sea would guarantee that they can't be brought back into service at a later date.

[@colincampbell817]

The subs operations would have been severely curtailed until the fuel situation and maintenance yards were fixed. Brisbane could only support so much.

[@porksterbob]

US subs weren't primarily operating from Pearl harbor. As it was, the Japanese underestimated US subs because they saw a ton of them and they didn't do anything in the first year due to the MK 14. If the Japanese see less subs, they would still be an unknown, and they might not discount the threat as much as they did historically.

[@domdalbello9435]

Great venue!

[@tyrantsonthefield]

Awesome game gentleman. The table is beautiful and couldn't ask or a better place to play it.

[@gabrielpope8105]

Stellar video, as always

[@malcolmkelly8475]

This was neat. Enjoyed it, I would like to point out an error that has occured dozens of times since the end of the war. The photo marked Japanese Attacki Planning is not that at all. It could not be as the Japanese had no idea what ships were in what places at the time they would go in. The photo is from a Japanese film that came out a year later about the attack on Pearl, using aerial photos provided by the Imperial Japanese Navy, which supported the filming completely.

[@gre8132]

Great table. Looks like you guys had fun.

[@UNC_Samurai]

We ran something similar at Cold Wars 2010 using War at Sea minis and the Victory at sea rules. Our "Pearl Harbor" was just felt and Legos because we were college students with limited time and budget, though.

[@UNC_Samurai]

I will also add, we used a carrier mini that was out of scale in place of the Utah, and one table of players took the bait.

[@MrElliptific]

We've missed you. Great game, thanks!

[@danielshriver5491]

Liked before watching

[@LittleWarsTV]

Let's hope you don't take it back after watching!

[@danielshriver5491]

@@LittleWarsTV nope, I loved it! My brother and I are playing “Live Free or Die” end of December, really looking forward to it

[@ohiobrian8993]

Sure hasn't been much to watch from you guys as of late. Sadly, I have to undergo surgery soon so I'm hoping you'll put out a few more so I can watch during recovery. 😊

[@Gerhard_Schroeder]

As always - Great narration

[@baldiesbattlesinminiature5902]

Fab game as ever chaps, thanks for putting it on. looks amazing, I am getting more and more into smaller scales. I know some people worry about games not being respectful but in my humble opinion wargames tend to understand very well how awful real events were. If playing games keeps history alive I for one thinks that's a good thing.

[@dongilleo9743]

An interesting alternate history of the Pearl Harbor attack are "Pearl Harbor" and "Days of Infamy", both by William Forstchen. One major difference is that the importance of the attack weighs so heavily that Yamamoto decides to take command of the Japanese fleet personally, instead of delegating it to Nagumo. Yamamoto would have been much more likely to act more boldly, take more risks, and to push much harder for a bigger Japanese victory. This was going to be the one and only chance for the Japanese to hit and do the most damage to both the U.S. Pacific fleet, and the major U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese had to do that to remove or limit the ability of the U.S. fleet to interfere with or oppose their efforts elsewhere in the Pacific. This was the time for the Japanese to really swing big. Another of the alternate decisions taken in the book above was to detach the two fast battleships escorting the Japanese carrier force and send them sail around Oahu to bombard Pearl Harbor the night of Dec 7/8th. Each shell from one of the battleship big guns had the equivalent destructive capability of a bomb dropped by an aircraft. Pearl Harbor, the ships and facilities there, surely would have been devastated. I've also ponder the effect of the Japanese landing a small force, no bigger than a battalion, on Oahu. Japanese fast transports/destroyers were doing this very same thing on Guadalcanal just six months or so later. Of course, there's no way such a small force could conquer the island, but the psychological effect on the Americans would be crushing. The Japanese would carelessly throw away far more troops in other haphazard missions later on, but the loss of a few hundred soldiers in concert with the Pearl Harbor attack would have had an effect far outweighing their numbers. Combine that with 5th Column elements, spies, saboteurs, and commando types snuck ashore from submarines, and the Americans would be in even more turmoil and uncertainty than they were historically.

[@jacobsmith2577]

Gottta see if u guys can get Dennis Quad to participate

[@dr.strangelove6118]

Please more episodes with these great maps.

[@Wissenlander]

Nice Culpeper Minutemen shirt.

[@tritarch6687]

Fantastic video!

[@brentbman6945]

Brilliant!

[@Shenaldrac]

Oh boy! Can't wait to watch this with my wife later! :D

[@robandrosehobden3344]

Wow fantastic video it looks so cool on the table in England thay don't do so much of pearl harbour at shows I don't think that will ever be not reminded of that day like a lot of the war it be told about when we are dead and gone for Donkey years to come to make sure that those who died in battle are not for gotten about ♥️♥️♥️

[@gilmer3718]

Chal wearing a Point Break t-shirt is the ultimate.

[@chalfantconley5995]

Utah, get me two!

[@chalfantconley5995]

Utah, get me two!

[@mban2748]

Thank you. Lest we forget.

[@sunrayuk]

Really cool game and a great idea! Think I might try a smaller scale one for the battle of Taranto. 😬

[@breakfire78]

The total war Shogun 2 music at the start surprised me lol

[@LittleWarsTV]

Classic soundtrack! An all time favorite.

[@Myke...]

I kinda hope you put a acrylic medium gel (use a airbrush or straw or other way to give sea texture and when dry is transparent and glossy) over the sea a number of coats to build up depth of harbour and contrast to land mass. Looking bloody good though. it may give more durability as well

[@paulcrowther4514]

Amazing set and an amazing alternative view on the introduction of the USA into the war. I dont think ive ever seen a game before where all of the players are on the same side. Id love to see you guys put together something similar for the Battle of Britain. How would you organise your limited resources. As the RAF would you use the 'big wing' and as the Luftwaffe where would you concentrate your attacks, the radar stations?, the RAF bases?, London? Go on, you know you want to.

[@sparkieT88]

seems like an aspect missing is that the Japanese pilots misidentified many targets , they thought they were attacking larger ships than they actually were

[@christopherwebber3804]

I love the music from Shogun 2 Total War... ok only at the beginning, it was a fascinating game, amazing terrain, too. With so many ships sunk or damaged, could the Japanese fleet move closer so the return flight for a third wave would be shorter, and even bombard the base with battleship guns?

[@lok3kobold]

Inflicting damage to the repair facilities and dry docks on a scale larger than historical will really help delay the refloatation effort. Historically a lot of the losses could be put back into service over the coming years. but now it looks like the closest repair facility is San Diego

[@joshuashirley4993]

I do appreciate the comments about the weirdness of playing as the Japanese at Pearl Harbor as Americans. I think experiences like that are a very important aspect of historical tabletop games, video games, mock trials, etc. It can be hard to understand the horror of war when the media, whether books, movies, or war games, is portraying something like WWII where there were very obvious "good guys" and "bad guys". But in the example of playing the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, you can directly relate that every victory: a sunk ship, cratered runway, or strafed deck, translates to another body in a coffin. And that is happening no matter which side you are playing for. Despite being as far away from real combat as possible, war gaming highlights how awful war can be by relating your in-game decisions to real life consequences no matter the result of the game, and how the people making those high level decisions can lose grasp on the human toll of conflict. A favorite example of this is the board game "John Company". Each player plays as an aristocratic family managing the British East India Company. You win the game by earning the most prestige, and while everyone can cooperate to run the Company efficiently for the players, it is in everyone's in-game interests to screw over each other as much as possible so that you have the highest standing at the end of the game. Added on to that is the fact that most decisions you make as an administrator of the Company, will result in the needless deaths of thousands of Indians who you rule over. Want to screw over the player in charge of military operations so you can take the role next turn? Simple, cause a famine in Bombay to start a revolt that lowers your opponent's prestige...and kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people in the process.

[@harold-p1l]

I left a similar comment over on the VIETNAM river landing battle - we play the battle GAMES but nobody BLEEDS, we just set up the pieces again and do-over ! I described the 10 MILE FENCE for my friend who made it back HOME but NOT for my other 2 friends who DID NOT get back HOME (Vietnam was a long time ago) ! :-(

[@davefranklin4136]

VERY cool board/game! So the IJN didn't have to allocate any planes to hitting the other airfields, e.g. Bellows, Wheeler, Ewa or Kaneohe? When I saw the US CVs, my first thought was it was a ruse, and the GM would replace them with USS Utah and the other ships over there, after the IJN players recommitted planes to attack, since she was apparently mistaken for a CV in the attack. The first GQ game I ever played, at Genghis Con in Denver, was an action off Norway, and the GM initially had the German force led by Tirpitz for a turn, to cause a moment of panic to the British players - of which I was one, and it worked!

[@chalfantconley5995]

I don't recall the specifics, but even though its not emphasized in the video, our pre game planning included distributing assets to a number of targets outside of Pearl, mostly air fields including the big naval recon element... we had no idea how effective those strikes were, or how many US aircraft would show up within the game.

[@davefranklin4136]

@@chalfantconley5995 Ah, ok, cool. So I guess there was a chance something like Taylor and Welch (and the few other US pilots that got into the air during the attack) could happen.

[@chalfantconley5995]

@@davefranklin4136 correct... we did allocate enough to do a decent job it appears.

[@larstolminus9416]

Nice!

[@Armchair_Commanders]

Awesome video guys!

[@LiscenedColonial]

LETS GO!!!

[@theandf]

Nice use of the original Shogun: Total War's soundtrack!

[@harold-p1l]

NAVAL BATTLE TABLETOP MINIATURES WARGAMING - Our group does Naval Battles a few times a year and different periods ( different ship models, etc.) from galleys to WW2 (haven't done moderns YET?) - we at times make Hand-Crafted ships ( galleys, Civil War, Predreadnaughts) and at other times buy something Cheap and paint them ( MB Broadsides, A&A plastic ships from the A&A games NOT the $$ War-at-Sea ships ) ! Whats important is that the rules are simple ( 1-2 pages) & the ships are to a scale (BBs BIG, CAs not as big, Cls smaller, DDss smaller PTs smallest ) - we've found that we can cut & file plastic ships if need be ! We did JUTLAND once at a local con with plastic A&A ships painted gray on blue card stands - have done TRAFALGAR a few times with MB BROADSIDES plastic ships/sails 60 SOLs ( it takes 4 games-worth off EBAY to have enough sails) ! :-)

[@michaelkoznarsky7911]

I loved the hidden nature of the game. Not allowing a third wave because of darkness makes sense but because of carriers? The ones already attacked and sunk on the table? That one didn’t make sense as a reason for not allowing a third wave.

[@LittleWarsTV]

Japanese carriers would be the ones sending the third wave.

[@adamedwards1937]

@Ed, Would King have actually had a strong enough position to oppose calling in British carriers though? Would the BPF have formed earlier?

[@YOUPIMatin123]

Crushing victory that would have put the US on the back foot for real and led to massive effects on ww2.

[@LittleWarsTV]

The loss of two carriers, which just barely avoided being present, would totally have reshaped 1942 and 1943. But I’m inclined to agree with Ed at the end of the video in his analysis. It wouldn’t have changed the ending, just the path to reach the ending.

[@YOUPIMatin123]

@LittleWarsTV yes 100% Can't touch the US boats, always makes them angry.

[@beckyromero2131]

@@LittleWarsTV As I mentioned in my main comment, perhaps not as much as it is assumed. One or both might have been repaired in time for Midway or late 1942. And Wasp would have been sent to the Pacific immediately. Saratoga isn't in a position to rendezvous and ends up torpedoed and out of action until late May 1942. So it's quite possible that the U.S. still would have been able to carry off the Doolittle Raid, Coral Sea and Midway with the same number of carriers. The death of Halsey would have been a big blow. But perhaps that gives Admirals Fletcher, Spurance and Pye the chance to shine.

[@JMACCSArmiesOfMiddleEarth]

Awsome video as always

[@VonSvenenberg]

Idea for a wargame: The Japanese team think they are going to play Pearl Harbor, you can say something like "We just want to try it in a different system" or something. But then instead of Japan launching a surprise attack, its a version of pearl harbour where the americans discovered the plan a few days before, and launch a counter-attack. The IJN players have to both try to get some hits in, and also get the heck outta there.

[@LittleWarsTV]

That would be an interesting what if scenario to explore! The American air wing available in Hawaii was significant, even without the carriers being present that morning

[@VonSvenenberg]

@@LittleWarsTV Exactly! Not to mention the threat of a USN surface fleet sallying out, or even having snuck out they night before. If nothing else it's worth it for the drama of the IJN players getting back their first report from the first wave... but they don't hear "Tora Tora Tora" to indicate total surprise like they expected. Instead they get back: "Substantial enemy air presence already airborne over the harbor. Surface ships missing. Submarine pens empty." And then you reveal the *other* gameboard. Where the Carriers just sent their best pilots into a slugging match above Pearl, while the USN force, already at sea, lunged for the throat. Then the game is a struggle of the American aircraft trying to delay and weaken the IJN groups above pearl long enough for the surface force on board 2 to get through the IJN escort and strike at the carriers. Meanwhile the Japs desperately try to buy enough time for their highly skilled pilots to come to the rescue, sacrificing escort after escort...

[@DivineNoah]

Amazing video and wargame but you should have released the video on the 7th because today is the 6th

[@LG-rg4ut]

Follow up Thought- you should have this guy over at your club to play midway with the US

[@DukeExeter]

what was the baseline to see if you did better than the historical outcome? like how many victory points did the Japanese "score" in the actual battle?

[@pearsonbrantley8012]

Great game as usual guys! Where do the miniatures for this game come from? What scale? 6mm? I might have missed that somewhere in the video.

[@gliuon39yy]

Fantastic wargame played in a real piece of history. As always viewing your videos is want to play the game. Where can I get or buy the scenario? I remember it from a convention you assisted but I don't recall what was. Greetings from Spain

[@karlosrolero]

Table Air Combat is really good. A shame the author coulnt finish the modern version due to personal problems and due to it not being enough to sustain himself. A shame, he does very good rulesets. Nice game friends!

[@hobbitomm]

I wonder if, in these circumstances, Somerville might have ended up linking up with the USN by Midway, as neither navy had enough carriers to really contest against the Kiri Butai.

[@anathardayaldar]

No US planes took off? But how is Ben Afleck supposed to outfly the zeros ?

[@SwordlordRoy]

"Send the message: 'Tora! Tora! Tora!'"

[@dawnfire82]

This wasn't a game so much as an operational exercise on cost and resource management, operational judgment, and adapting on the fly to events and new information. Neat. Edit: "It may be that A-bombs really are seen to shorten the war." They absolutely did. Without them, Operation Downfall was scheduled to launch in NOV 1945. Casualty estimates were in the multiple millions and the likely timeline to pacification was early **1947**. There has always been a strong revisionist tendency to complain that the atomic strikes were unnecessary barbarism. Those people are wrong.