Underwater Aircraft Carriers: Japan’s Secret Weapon

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In August of 1945, as the world celebrates Imperial Japan’s surrender and the effective end of the second world war, the American’s make a puzzling discovery out in the Pacific. The US Navy has intercepted a Japanese submarine that’s unlike anything they’ve seen before. It’s by far the largest submarine ever constructed, at nearly twice the length of a typical German U-boat. But it’s what the submarine carries that truly baffles the Americans.
The Japanese I-400-Class submarine’s most unusual feature was that it carried three torpedo/dive bombers inside an internal hanger. In order to fit, these full size attack float planes had wings and tailplanes that could be folded. The submarines also featured a catapult launch system and a crane mechanism to recover the aircraft. The I-400 submarine was effectively the world’s first underwater aircraft carrier. It was also a formidable submarine in the conventional sense, heavily armed with torpedo tubes, an enormous deck gun and anti-aircraft cannons.
Conceived as a secret Japanese weapon at the start of the Pacific war, a fleet of I-400 submarines would be tasked with launching surprise attacks on New York, Washington, San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles. The attacks were intended to shake the will of the American people to keep fighting in the war. But as the war turned against Imperial Japan, shortages in war materials and shifting military priorities resulted in only 3 I-400 completing construction before Japan’s surrender. Fortunately, the I-400 was never allowed to demonstrate it’s true capacity.
Select footage courtesy the AP Archive:
AP Archive website: www.aparchive.com KZbin: / aparchive and / britishmovietone
Special thanks to Nick Arehart for helping clean up our audio:
/ airhrt_
Thanks for watching!

[@kardashevsquark567]

I love the footage of the Americans walking around the sub, basically going “the frick is this?”

[@thedrunkenbananas1498]

You mean fuck

[@TominatorGaming]

dunno why, we brit's had one.....turns out you should always make sure the hanger doors are shut before diving

[@jasonirwin4631]

@@TominatorGaming the royal navy had 1 M class sub converted to a sub aircraft carrier and it sank in 1932 in all likely hood most of the us navy won't have know about HMS M2. Also M2 was 90 meters long with a beam of 8 meters and displaced 1600 ton on the surface the the i-400 subs where 122 meters long with a beam of 12 meters and displaced 6560 tons. No one was really amazed that they could launch aircraft the USN evan experimented with that. The colossal for size for that time is what surprised most.

[@MCFishNuggets]

I like the idea that they were walking around confused until one dude found his way into the hangar and was just like “oh shit, hey guys!”

[@BinkyBorky]

The admiral realized what it was and was like, literally, "God damn it". I read his lips.

[@drby0788]

History Channel needs to watch these and remember what they're about

[@Kinography]

Another Hitler alien mermaid game show special coming right up

[@CaptainBill22]

This was on History Channel back in the day, when they had good documentaries.

[@hawker7488]

"Who taught the Japanese to build such a craft? Aliens."

[@hamiltonhickman2248]

drby0788 history Chanel at night is just blaming any human advancement on aliensALIENS

[@xr6lad]

Pity the idea has been taken from other KZbin channels that have covered it all before. Easy to do your research when others have already done it.

[@edgarang]

Soviets: "May I take a look at the submarine?" Americans: "no" *proceeds to blow up sub

[@Illusionyary]

"What submarine?" *scuttling charges going off*

[@ArghyadeepPal]

@airlockengage Lmao

[@That_Soviet_Memer]

America: If i cant get it no one will

[@jeffmorris5802]

@@That_Soviet_Memer Er... America had it. Lol. More like, America wasn't going to hand the USSR a way to sneak planes right up to the American coastline.

[@ratyjoona]

@@jeffmorris5802 I'd go more sligned with comment of Mark. Just check MIR-1 and MIR-2 out as well. And why the production and development got halted

[@loctite417]

This concept is quite brilliant. Imaine the bombers replaced with unmanned drones with jet engine. They could literally deploy these drones in a matter of minutes and disappear into the sea and simply never engage directly. Wouldnt need a huge fleet like carriers since they can just hide underwater and get out before things heat up

[@piglin469]

thats just a nuclear sub

[@iancrowley420]

we have those now, they’re called ballistic missile submarines

[@Overneed-Belkan-Witch]

You just described the Alicorn from Ace Combat

[@dabbsblake1188]

@@Overneed-Belkan-Witch yeah now it needs the 600 meter rail cannon

[@topsecret1837]

@@iancrowley420 That’s not the same thing. SSBNs are not intended to be used for conventional warfare nor expected to recover their aircraft/weapon carriers after they finish their missions. Instead they’re used for Nuclear Deterrence.

[@panda4247]

8:25 "it took nearly a year to design [I-400]." When you look at what it was supposed to do, it's surprisingly fast!

[@BruiserBrad]

Meanwhile Kendrick can't even release an album in four years

[@oerlikon20mm29]

@@BruiserBrad meanwhile call of duty cant even make a good game in 6 years

[@shikhar3281]

@@oerlikon20mm29 Activision*

[@smoketinytom]

Laughs in Bradley IFV and F-35 Fighters.

[@cerealgudforu5624]

Laughs in cyberpunk

[@RCAvhstape]

Yamamoto studied at Harvard University, was a naval attaché in the US, had once attended the US Navy War College, and spoke fluent English. He knew what stupidity Japan was getting itself into by picking a fight with the Americans, and he thought it was idiotic, but he was a sailor who did what he was told and tried his best to make it work despite his leaders' poor decisions. It's a shame he didn't survive the war; interviews and writings from him would've been fascinating.

[@enzop6861]

Yamamoto, despite having worked for 'the bad guys,' would have been an amazing asset to any navy

[@voltgaming2213]

what is speaking english related to

[@RCAvhstape]

@@voltgaming2213 Being able to speak with Americans and understand things Americans write.

[@keanu3035]

Really?

[@jsoe81657]

@@keanu3035 yeah it was pretty well documented. Yamamoto actually said that he feared the attack on Pearl Harbor awakened "a sleeping giant." There were other top leaders who had been to the US. Ever watch Letters from Iwo Jima? The general that was in the movie actually was in an attache with the US army and even attended Harvard.

[@katherineberger6329]

"War is not often kind to the side with fewer weapons." - Tex Talks Battletech

[@ne0tic]

I had no idea something like this ever existed. They seemed really cool honestly!

[@Emptybee]

The idea is incredibly impractical. But darned if it isn't awesome just the same.

[@jarnold1789]

@@Emptybee That sums up a lot of WWII technology. Probably a big part of why it’s such a popular setting for games and movies

[@belmarkestrellanes8188]

​@@Emptybeewhat if we made a new one?. Probably that would be larger than the typhoon class submarine from Russia

[@Emptybee]

@@belmarkestrellanes8188 Nowadays? It's a bit less impractical. At least modern planes could have GPS to locate the carrier and use jump jets to take off and land. I'm sure there's still some reason no one has built one though. Crush depth springs immediately to mind. Hard to mate a pressure hull with an aircraft hanger.

[@armandoventura9043]

The idea is impractical, but it may have served as a basis for nuclear submarines

[@aaronsanceda4085]

Everybody gangsta till the water starts launching planes

[@hollow6189]

Everybody gangsta till the ocean starts speaking Japanese

[@combatswa1lol782]

IDIOT

[@combatswa1lol782]

STUPID

[@Yamn_]

*NO U*

[@thunderbeam3348]

Lol

[@christofferhansson7950]

I really wish one of these were preserved, truly one of a kind

[@LordCommander-ui2fw]

Same. If it had been me, I would have scuttled only two of the subs and a mock-up, and then stored the last one in a secret facility, to see if its technology could be refined, improved, and utilized, and then, when we determined it was safe, donated it to a museum.

[@zharakov]

Who said their isn't some preserved? ;) Stuff like this is cocaine for american generals and military scientists, one way or another they did get a full model and kept it in a secret facility. Ofcourse stuff like that isn't supposed to be known to the public. America has alot of tricks up its sleeves and has hundreds of secret weapons of war

[@Chris-cf2kp]

Don't need the whole ship to understand the concept and then go about building one

[@FlyLeah]

Americans: naaah its not ours lets wreck it

[@kazukicarroll5944]

I mean I wouldn’t be surprised if the us was secretly building an alicorn or two

[@dionst.michael5818]

The boat ride getting called off when Japan surrendered must have been a relief for that crew. Would make a great movie or documentary. The Last Tour-I Should Be Dead 😂

[@mehulkakkar7932]

Plot: Hydra bought one of those to develop their flying air carrier.

[@lordsiomai]

that could actually fit well in the MCU. After all, hydra's been there for a long time

[@ct-buzzerct1776]

imagine just vibeing on a beach then seeing a bunch of planes launch out of the water

[@Humster]

If we take a look at this Tech, with the current Drone tech available, this is a VERY good weapon.

[@deadbeatdoge5132]

CT-Buzzer CT vibing

[@Nim...]

@Epinephrine He's making a joke since a spacecraft carrier would be much more intimidating and that Gundam is a brand in Japan would make a very Hilarious and terrifying scene. I might be wrong unless night parade explains it himself 😅

[@KandiKlover]

If you think this is cool you should see the Aircraft Carrier zeppelins the US navy had. Just imagine a giant balloon looking thing in the sky launching and picking up aircraft.

[@rigatonithetiger9986]

Epinephrine “Then the WEEB NATION attacked”

[@samuelbyles9286]

Mustard pulling out top quality content as always.

[@epictimes1959]

Nice

[@SirFawzar]

Indeed

[@ruination126]

His content is basically history channel level.

[@SCP--sd3wv]

ruination126 nah, better than the history channel

[@dmacpher]

Man I wan too pay for weekly episodes of this quality.

[@aljoshilagan3204]

Japan: designing a gigantic submarine aircraft carrier. The US: Figuring out how to drop a miniature sun on japan

[@brianb-p6586]

The sun (like other stars) is a hydrogen fusion reactor; the bombs which the USA used to kill hundreds of thousands of civilians were uranium fission devices.

[@zmaxx21]

The illustrations and animations on Mustard just keep getting better and better. Nice job!

[@Plat2D1]

What’s next? Flying submarines? Japan: heheh

[@youwantmyname9208]

It will not going to be called submarines if it was flying, we need good name that suitable

[@tails0420ify]

Tricarrier?

[@CC-gv1yd]

An evolution of the propeller plane could approach that idea.

[@AnantHandoo]

@@youwantmyname9208 idk maybe humans can create something like that. I already thought of a name for it...... AIRPLANES

[@koniciwamotherfucker1376]

How about invisible submarine..invisible warship..invisible aircraft and attack helicopter or invisible nukes..invisible on everything

[@colonelstriker2519]

0:55 that shot is so beautiful I want it as a background

[@PaprikaYT]

I back that

[@AErch]

We need that

[@aleksanderbeliaev8099]

1:49 way better before the text in my opinion

[@matthewnoud6938]

Put your playback speed to .25 and at around 50 secs the shot you want has no text

[@jontewicks6098]

Matthew Noud or just pause it and screenshot

[@romxxii]

I believe this may have been the inspiration for the anime Space Blue Noah, rebranded as "Thundersub" outside of Japan. It was a submarine that had a "carrier" mode. Of course with the freedom of animation, that sub was much bigger, and it could deploy fighter craft from "runways" made by its top half splitting down the middle.

[@ArkamasRoss]

Between superheavy battle ships and submersible aircraft carriers, Japan had some uniquely amazing naval concepts. Imagine redeveloping a carrier division around these.

[@memesrdreams4854]

World of Warships community: "I fear no man... but that thing..." *Carrier submarines* "... it scares me."

[@errornamenotfound2513]

Though. I think its not really that overpowered considering it doesn't have large amount of planes and also really fragile

[@EdwardChan.999]

well... WoWS already screwed up the carrier flight controls, so not a big deal when you only have 3 planes that need to be launched separately.

[@user-ro9zf9kz1h]

Well last year in warthunder April Fools event we got nuclear attack sub that fires active sonar torpedo.

[@EdwardChan.999]

許進曾 yeah... tho it was quite boring being underwater dodging guided torpedoes

[@yoseipilot]

*Edward Chan* It would be better IF the guns and catapult are removed, it would carry *7 Aircraft* .

[@paleoph6168]

Japan: Let's learn from our allies and enemies. Germany: good U-boat submarines USA: good aircraft carriers Japan: Let's do both.

[@smokey-smore]

Glockamole Gmbh. Glockamole glockamole gIve me the foramole

[@gelinrefira]

The idea would have been stayed relevant if missiles and nuke were not invented after the war. If you think about it, nuclear subs are basically underwater "carriers" except their "aircraft" are SRBMs.

[@LongVu-lh9el]

Yeah and they make a bad submarine and bad aircraft carrier in a same time.

[@yoseipilot]

Long Vu There is any Japanese submarine hit the American warships and some Japanese Aircraft Carrier survived by bombs and torpedo.

[@enoughrope1638]

@Leigh Garfield Yup, ironically the Americans invented the first submarine. Furthermore the Japanese acquired their first Aircraft Carrier from the British and the Germans began constructing their first legitimate aircraft carrier when the Japanese literally handed them the technical specifications/blueprints.

[@advasarythetrainer5445]

So this was the inspiration for the Alicorn-Class submersible aviation cruiser

[@galmlrssg210]

A MILLION LIVES

[@motivegoon2892]

Now a days R&D requires years, but in those days during the critical times of Wars they have planned designed implemented and make new ideas and technology. That's awesome.

[@DonJDawson]

You would be surprised what can be done when you change up the manufacturing method

[@D-Man_Jam]

Japan: _"So Germany, we blew up a harbor, and the US is in the war now."_ Germany: *"YOU WHAT?"*

[@hermannabt8361]

Germany: "BRILLIANT! We'll declare war on them. That'll finish them!"

[@hyperhektor7733]

hole WW2 was a big scam 2,5 superpowers (US,Russia,GB) vs 1 little 80mio people land. Yes japan and italy where alies, but the list of Allies of US is a long list. When you take Manpower,Resources and aviable land space into concideration its even a bigger scam like odds above > 20:vs 1

[@joseguillen603]

@ET Hardcorgamer Lmao

[@2bnot178]

america is already in the war before they attack pearl harbor

[@le_me5410]

Japan forced the US to declare on them, Germany could have done nothing, there was no part of the tripartite pact that said Germany would have to declare war on Japans enemies, instead Hitler and Germany *CHOSE* to join Japan in the war

[@risk5485]

The trees: start speaking Vietnamese The sky: Starts singing fortunate son The snow: Starts speaking Finnish The Sea: Starts speaking Japanese

[@thatmeme8648]

I don't know, I always thought the skies sung Flight of the Valkyries.

[@risk5485]

That Meme nah Fortunate Son is more *AMERICAN*

[@atharvamalandkar9267]

@@risk5485 ok kid

[@joshe9409]

Hi, veitnamese but born in the u.s, I'm Dad!

[@kinocorner976]

Sea is speaking scrap- that’s what was left of Japanese naval fleet.

[@jlb9577]

Just found your channel. These videos are fantastic, well edited, informative and good clear script writing

[@rosscasey3352]

Having the Japanese being our friends now a days gives me a sense of comfort.

[@mwanikimwaniki6801]

True lol😂😂😂😂They now have the industrial might and imagination to bring deadly weapons to life.

[@erikrigt4294]

I already know this gonna be good

[@jacknehme5313]

It's always good

[@MichaelSteeves]

So do I, I watched it on Nebula.

[@LudicrousTorpedo]

Agree dude

[@goofytycooner5519]

It’s Mustard it’s always good that’s just how it works

[@Zak-ob5ze]

Proper English please

[@tagalaseimonlorenzom.11hum79]

Soviets: Hey, can we see the Japanese carrier subs? Americans: Carrier subs? I don't remember seeing any. Edit: wth going on down there

[@DirectorBird]

Yea, nobody trusted the Soviets.

[@saturn5mtw567]

@@DirectorBird i wonder why

[@Ka9radio_Mobile9]

You can see them under water, sunk!

[@leontam221]

@@saturn5mtw567 They never do. They(USA, British) are forced to work with Soviet because there is common enemy(The Axis). Once the common enemy is gone(ww2 ended), the reason for cooperation gone with it.

[@kyrlchristianboni5263]

@@leontam221 as churchill once said "there are no friends of the british empire, just common interest."

[@jacobberg373]

Good God, I love this guy and all these amazing, if ridiculous, vehicles especially these Japanese super submarines.

[@Wrenling]

If you like this video, you should look up the Japanese I-25 submarine aircraft carrier, which carried a single plane that completed the only "successful" aerial bombing of the Lower 48 (I put "successful" in quotes because while they did drop a couple bombs in southwest Oregon, the fires were put out pretty quickly without much damage).

[@datemasamune2904]

Japan: Good thing they didn't find the submarines with the Gundam yet.

[@KandiKlover]

Or the lolicon

[@Bryian1125]

Good thing they didnt find the giant shapeshifting samurai robots yet (Red Alert 3 reference)

[@ZaHandle]

That ship with the stock of stand arrows:

[@Tottleminerftw]

Good they haven't found the space battleship Yamato

[@teamredshirt]

Date Masamune, that’s just as well, Amaro still hasn’t grown up.

[@CJPortugal]

Ace Combat has shown me that Submarine Aircraft Carriers can be a real sight to behold

[@sleepylion9511]

Would you say that ace combat 7 is worth getting for a newbie (like me) who has never touched an AC game

[@georgetomlinson9922]

@@sleepylion9511 if you like them games then yes because its great

[@sleepylion9511]

@@georgetomlinson9922 alright thanks now I have something to do in lock down.

[@mikewizz1895]

@@sleepylion9511 The story took me 10 hours to complete and my god... It's amazing

[@isaac000215]

*loud Latin choir noises

[@lundsweden]

A truely impressive design with innovative engineering. No wonder post war Japan did so well!

[@increase9896]

Dude, this thing was a piece of garbage. The practical military application of a huge, slow submarine that can only carry 3 bombers is insignificant.

[@Chibanah]

The video doesn't mention many important things, for example I-400 was not the first of its kind in Japan, but the previous version Type B1 (or I-15-class) submarine was more successful, though they only built 18 units from this one.

[@ravimusic8665]

Everyone's a gangsta until ocean starts speaking Japanese.

[@skxrblx383]

*Every gangsta till the ocean starts speaking japanese

[@bishop51807]

Banzai!!

[@mbr41]

From Vietnamese on trees to Americans on-air to Japanese on the seas to Russians In the snow to Muslims on the sands to Europeans not knowing where to go.

[@octaviusgalacticus2253]

@@skxrblx383 your both dum

[@madkirk7431]

Bruh y'all suck at making memes

[@coolingdawn]

US: Man what an interesting piece of engineering, this would be bad if it got in the wrong han- Soviet Union: Hey Hey!

[@mikotokoro9136]

i love that i get this reference

[@livethefuture2492]

Wouldn't matter though cuz the soviets made their own nuclear subs.

[@leroy4320]

Finally a fellow man of culture

[@timmocnik3458]

@@livethefuture2492 implyong the japanese had nuclear subs

[@dimdimbramantyo7666]

HEY HEYY, A ME RI KA-KUN !

[@TheMilitantHorse]

America: Dang, this is a fascinating submarine! USSR: Let us see! America: _destroys_ What submarine?

[@sovetskyskaiyastrigon1750]

Pretty stupid and shameful what the US did

[@haydenframe5991]

@@sovetskyskaiyastrigon1750 didn’t need the soviets catching us 🇺🇸

[@maybeidkwhy]

dick move from US lmao

[@FlyLeah]

"Its good but its not ours so lets destroy them"

[@AED10]

Not exactly a dick move but rather a strategic one. You don't give weapons that can be used against you to a possible rival or enemy. Considering what happened afterwards we can say that it was a wise choice. What are the methods of delievery of nuclear warheads nowadays? Among other things, through the launch of misiles that are carried in submarines. The Soviets committed to the delivery of nuclear weapons using ballistic missiles first. The U.S relied on bombers to do the deed. The development of American ICBMs came later and the idea to deploy nuclear weapons from submarines as well. Who's to say that the USSR wouldn't have come up with it first had the U.S caved in to their demands? They would've had a huge headstart considering they developed ICBMs first, and even when they started developing submarine launched missiles like a year after the U.S they managed to beat the Americans to have a successful test with a live nuke. That goes to show that guarding such weapons was vital for both parties before and during the Cold War. So not a dick move

[@lukebyczynski505]

Great episode, subject are well described and material are very interesting even in modern times.

[@SomniatisSplit]

It's kind of sad to see how the beautiful engineering of WW2 often result in failure due to many factors but generally lack of ressources and bad strategic use ! Japanese empire managed to get a really astonishing jump into modern era resulting in some of the most impressive ship design in that time, but the lack of ressources made pretty much all of those creations near to pointless ! Still it's very cool to see those old project where engineer thought about the impossible, and that's why I always like to watch your videos, everytime I feel the creativity from the past inspiring me for a brighter future ! Thanks for the video !

[@ahmadniam3568]

Well Japanese subs performance is subpar, because of lack of resources (in this Sentoku case, yes they only managed to build hanful of ship) and bad strategic use

[@ryanmacaulay2654]

Same thing can be said for much of the German engineering by the end of the war

[@elz_0682]

Yh but also because America used two atomic bombs on civilian cities forcing them to surrender.

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

That's the result of politics.

[@MrGrombie]

Tell that to the Chinese.

[@The_Mup]

Plot twist: They were actually designed to launch gundams

[@GOD_O_WAR]

Now I hate you

[@wilmerbesitan1200]

Ah shit, ahahahaa

[@dlararomero]

Carries 6 Mobile suits

[@robertoperez94]

Zaku's would make more sense

[@JustAlex0504]

nostalgic

[@telesniper2]

Imagine if they had finished both the original MCLOS/radar seeking head for the MXY-7 Ohka (it wasn't originally designed as a suicide weapon!) and the project to fit them to these subs.

[@rabium5175]

Imagine what the Soviets would have built if they got to inspect the Subs.

[@olivernorth7418]

Well the idea is totally stupid and ineffective, so I imagine they wouldn't have done anything different.

[@jinatlas8674]

@@olivernorth7418 they probably will make it bigger. As what they always do.

[@olivernorth7418]

@@jinatlas8674 And make it even more stupid and ineffective? I say go right ahead. You realise that making something bigger doesn't make it more cost-effective, right? It tends to do the opposite. Also, the Soviets didn't stupidly enlarge their technology. That was the Germans. The clickbait 'massive Soviet tech' videos were all small experiments.

[@BaldRiOfficial]

@@olivernorth7418 I don't think so. I feel that the Soviets would do anything to try to keep up to the US by improving it by a ton. Thank god they did not find this.

[@olivernorth7418]

@@BaldRiOfficial How would they 'improve it a ton'? If the Soviets would have been able to improve the design enough to be able to rival the US navy with a tiny number of these subs, they should have been able to design significantly better tanks, planes and guns than the US in our timeline. They weren't able to, so I have no idea why you think that they had the capability turn this crappy boat into an effective weapon.

[@nordun1385]

how the cold war started: soviet didn't get to see the sub

[@nordun1385]

thats alot likes tysm

[@DYFortescue]

The tactical nuke subs were descendants of the aircraft carrier sub. In a way the Soviets have the sub.

[@ricardope1889]

U9

[@TheRetirednavy92]

Not true

[@knuckles1206]

russia give us the fucking subz!

[@razia3508]

Last time I was this early the DC10 was still safe.

[@Tottleminerftw]

So when it wasn't in production or after they fixed the problems?

[@sidefx996]

@Razi Aftab don't quit your day job dude, time for some new material

[@SierraDelta-]

So you’ve never been this early?

[@julemandenudengaver4580]

The DC10 type have a safety record a like other planes of the era even with the cargo door disaster counted in...

[@Snipurss]

Hilarious and original

[@farklestaxbaum4945]

Its truly insane that these were actually built and put into use

[@insovietrussiavodka]

It should be noted - The I-400 did not have a functional underwater toilet, no refrigeration unit and so little space for the crew, members were forced to sleep in corridors. Because of the island, the ship always had to steer 7* to SB in order to go straight and the turning radius was much larger to starboard than to port It did however have a relatively high cruising speed of 14kn/h compared to the usually 10 for subs at the time. Imagine sailing 30.000nm in those conditions.

[@rifqicendikiatahtaislami6621]

Engineer: What do you want? Aircraft Carrier or Submarine? Yamamoto: YES!

[@meghanachauhan9380]

Engineer n commander did some smoochy smoochity?

[@vimalalwaysrocks]

Admiral Yamamoto: “I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant.”

[@ShinGojira54]

Godzilla?

[@Hans.Dewitt]

@@ShinGojira54 american industrial might is far more scary than godzilla

[@CarsonMHerr]

Yes, very scary

[@mbr41]

@@ShinGojira54 Technically, yeah. Godzilla absorbed radiation and mutated.

[@Inception1338]

I once got some information that leading industrials in Japan had already a deal with the US to lead Japans economy after the war if they let Japan fail in the war. I never had the time to verify that. Information on this one seems scarce. This would explain the quote.

[@iamshikhersrivastava]

Japan: Our secret weapon will show the Americans. America: hold my atomic bomb

[@Ob1tuber]

Japan: hold ‘my’ beer Goes on to create Godzilla

[@E-E.ADVENTUREGEARS]

YA DROP BOMB ON CIVILIANS

[@murasaki848]

A lot of people really aren't thinking this through. This weapon is a "counting coup" weapon at best, and even in the beginning of the war most likely ends its service life even more ignobly than most battleships in this era. A few of many flaws in the plan: 1) This is not like modern ultra stealthy nuclear submarines that can stay submerged 6 months. Presuming they could overcome the endurance difficulties (many months of fuel and food) mentioned in this video, it is a diesel, meaning that for most of its cruise it needs to breathe air, hence the cut of the prow for surface operation but inefficient underwater. Even if they invented a workable all-weather snorkel that could let the diesels breathe, it keeps the submarine near the surface, noisy, and visible. 2) If against all odds it makes it to its operation zone undetected, one attack, maybe two, and surprise is over. If they launch without floats, one attack is all they get. One way or another, those aircraft will be lost. Now there's an expensive sub deep in enemy territory that even had it been constructed using the best methods and materials of that era, is still several times more vulnerable due to its size and the now dead mass of the equipment to support the aircraft. Meanwhile every coastie, civil air patrol, reserve unit, and patrol destroyer along the coast has absolutely nothing better to do than to hunt it down, and the sub has no intel to help it evade. If it had the best radar of the day, it would still have to surface to use it. Even if the Americans didn't know they were attacked by a submarine, they know they're looking for something, and have a good estimate of the operational radius they're looking in from the aircraft they were attacked by. A sub running on lead acid batteries just can't stay submerged long enough. 3) Just how much damage can three aircraft, or even 3*18 ships = 54 do? Look at Lt Tomonaga's strike against Midway Is. during the Battle of Midway. 108 attack aircraft, Kates, Vals, and Zeroes that have no compromise in design like draggy pontoons, facing only AAA and largely obsolete cap cover. And it wasn't enough to knock out operations at Midway, a small base on an atoll. And at the cost of 11 planes lost and 14 planes damaged. And that was a successful attack by WW2 standards. If the intended attack profile in the video is accurate, this is the same Samurai-hero-muddy thinking that made the attack on Pearl Harbor seem like a good idea but ultimately a failure both strategically and (arguably) tactically. It assumes you are heroic, quick, and smart, and your enemy is cowardly, slow, and prone to superstition. It is a far more expensive Doolittle-style raid that in the end would serve no purpose in the era of industrial capacity warfare. The best this sub could achieve is surprise special operations during a larger battle, and that unlikely with the design difficulties, just like the micro submarines that Japan used that really didn't accomplish much. Those who are correlating it to modern SLBM/cruise missile nuclear warfare are seriously overestimating the capabilities of the technology of the time.

[@Emptybee]

Bravo. The first comparison I thought of was the Doolittle raid. Which accomplished just as much-or more-than the proposed fleet could have accomplished while using a normal aircraft carrier and modified versions of pre-existing bombers. I think a lot of people are also discounting how poor navigation was back in the days before GPS. Even in peacetime, pilots often got lost. Expecting the launched planes to return to their sub, by dead reckoning on an open ocean, was expecting a minor miracle.

[@wtfbros5110]

the bombers dont carry bombs, the Japs are planning to have them equipped with fucking Bubonic Plague and other nasty Bioweapons they developed

[@coreyandnathanielchartier3749]

Very good points!

[@nannerrammer]

Pearl harbor attack WAS a good idea IF they didn't fuck up the timing and attacked when the main pacific fleet was there. But, it was a bad idea as there was no plan B and plan A would've relied mostly on dumb luck and wishful thinking. The Doolittle-style raid had a profound effect on Japanese operations in the Pacific and is a great example of how a small force can shit on the entire war plans of an entire country. Obviously, the losses/damages were trivial at best but the psychological damage on the populace and hence the war effort, was profound. resources and personnel that would've otherwise been used elsewhere had to be diverted back to the mainland in preparation for another attack and appease the populace.

[@murasaki848]

@@nannerrammer I doubt there really could have been a plan B, other than not attacking at all. Even had they caught the carriers, this victory would have been temporary at best. There's simply no way they could have simultaneously fought on four fronts: continuing fighting in the south Pacific/Australia, continuing fighting in China, consolidating and securing gains in southeast Asia and Indonesia, and fighting on the US west coast. Fighting across the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas would have been a terrible slog even if (and I wouldn't bet on it) the entire coast fell, as well as having to secure the Panama Canal (or render unusable, since their ships weren't designed for it). They may even having to secure the Straits of Magellan, or at least set up the Argentinians to attack US ships skirting the coast. There would never be a point where all the 16 or so shipyards on the east coast were ever in real danger from more than raids by sea. Heck, they were even building destroyers in Colorado, then sending them by train to the Gulf. The real pain arguably would be the complete loss of all the B-17 manufacturing facilities, leaving only B-24s. Also, to be clear, it was my point that these submarines could not have had the same effect the Doolittle raid did, By that time US war production was so high that relatively trivial amounts of resources would have been redirected to the US coast, there wouldn't have been a desperate rethink like there was in Japan, and the news would have had little effect in Japan as B-29s kept up daily firebombings. Interesting bit of trivia: calculating land area devastated by bombing in Japan, the atomic bombs accounted for only 2%.

[@Photosystem1]

This boat has the means to end this hideous war, in a definitive and elegant manner. - Imperial Japan, probably

[@fjhatsu]

SALVATION -Yamamoto, maybe

[@KevinSmith-qi5yn]

These bombs have the means to end this hideous war, in an absolute manner. -America, probably.

[@henniquint6833]

The Plague Bombs could be worse than Atomic Bomb (I'm not sure). It would infect more people to get sick.

[@livethefuture2492]

This nuke has the means to spread the fire of revolution everywhere around the world ...and completely end the world in definitive and -elegant- manner -Stalin probably

[@user-ci7mw5tj6l]

Torres, in Japanese dub, basically

[@awndriplays8075]

2040: Fighter Drone Carrier Subs. You heard it here first.

[@leroiarouf1142]

Yes u genius

[@toddhoward2103]

Ha! More like 2022 subs they almost already have them

[@user-vp9ub1fm8y]

There will be made within 10 years

[@shmallkine]

I mean Americans already got the x-47b, kinda. Naval as well

[@TheObsidianX]

All you need to do is design a drone that can launch from a missile tube. A lot nuclear submarines don’t actually use all their tubes so it would be easy to implement.

[@fadel_rama]

Honestly this concept can be use for modern warfare replace the plane with UAV you can make suprise attack on to enemies ship, or port, the use of modern UAV also mean less corgo weight, and you can carried more units, especially low speed small UAV like Bayraktar.

[@robertbritten2573]

As a follow up, there is a you tube video about the second most secret weapon that allies had in use before the end of WW2. So guarded that it was only allowed to be used at sea, that way if it didn't explode it sank to the bottom of the sea. Radar guided anti aircraft shells. Every guided rocket system in the 60's and on wards stems from this weapon.

[@SolracNexus]

History Channel: "Is tHiS the WoRK of A TIMe TrAVellINg PeRSon OR dId aliEns Give THe enGINEers tHe IdeA oN how tO MAKe it?"

[@luckyeddy350]

😂😂😂😂😂😂 And don't forget the horrendous background music.

[@igameidoresearchtoo6511]

true, youtube channels are better than high budget tv shows nowadays

[@ragunathsubramaniam8268]

Noob the fonts look retarded like like your comment

[@kinggofpotatoes7747]

General kenobi

[@Anonymous-nn8yg]

Hammerschlägen M shut the f up

[@Mr_Happy_Face]

last time I was this early the Buran-Energia was still flying

[@theessentialgamers2423]

When I was this early the Bear Bomber was still in development.

[@mrdeurknopp]

it takes a long time to make these videos, give him some credit for not sacrificing quality over quantity :)

[@thebuiscutmaster9664]

Ha

[@Ryu_Makkuro]

This sounds like an awesome lore subject for a mission in a Medal of Honor game. Shame those aren't made anymore.

[@user-ox3qe4nh4l]

Mustard pulling out top quality content as always.. Mustard pulling out top quality content as always..

[@timothygeorge5806]

Like a Hotdog in New York: *I need more Mustard*

[@yg6484]

Well played....

[@jmsal5556]

Well played +1 pun points

[@theotherside931]

*The only failure here was the timing. This was a great weapon and would've made a lot of difference.* *Plus the 30 minutes launch time.*

[@ajorsomething4935]

Every one says that whenever there's an experimental weapon that never reaches it's fullest potential. In reality it's just that a single weapon like that won't win a war on it's own. Remember how good the british got at dectecting uboats? Yeah that kind of nonsense could've happened and then the I-400s would've had a formidible ememy in the form of anti submarine warfare.

[@theotherside931]

@@ajorsomething4935 *I'm positive no single weapon was ever created to win a war.* *This submarine aircraft carrier wasn't meant to win the war but to destabilize the Japanese enemies, especially America, with surprise attacks.* *US fought WWII from a position of absolute comfort. Not fighting any defensive war at home unlike other countries involved in the war, and simply putting all efforts on attack.* *If these subs had made it to the war on time, the US military efforts would've been divided thus reducing their military outputs to Europe.*

[@ajorsomething4935]

@@theotherside931 Eh it'd be a a problem for costal defence but given just how big the us was and how at it's max at the start of thr project there'd be only be like 60 planes in total at a single time it definitely seems more like a minor annoyance.

[@Cypherdude1]

The launch time was *_strived_* to be 30 minutes but never achieved. This documentary states the quality of the aircraft was low due to parts shortages, probably due to the USA's blockade and mining of Japan's harbors. BTW, this documentary leaves out the first Japanese planned, but never executed, use of the I-400's: *Operation Cherry Blossoms at Night.* 5 I-400's were to surface off the coast of San Diego. All 15 aircraft were to be loaded with plague contaminated fleas, courtesy *Unit 731* , and were to be dropped on the county. The USA was moving too fast forward for the Japanese to carry out this plan so they switched to attacking the Panama Canal which was also too late to carry out.

[@trumpbad4062]

All the subs would have been sunk.

[@glennreading1136]

Recently found these videos love them 💕

[@thematrix3431]

Wait. WTF. Why have I NEVER heard of this? That's actually insane and so forward thinking. craaaaazy

[@jocax188723]

Well. I can see the Alicorn from Ace Combat wasn't entirely fictional.

[@megajeremy90001]

S A L V A T I O N

[@ninjastreet5]

@@megajeremy90001 HAHAHAHA, IMAGINE! TEN MILLION LIVES FOR JUST A MILLION

[@megajeremy90001]

@@ninjastreet5 crisp white sheets

[@rat7464]

10 MILLION PEOPLE

[@jocax188723]

@@rat7464 Something something CRISP WHITE SHEETS something

[@ondergun9857]

When I was watching this video, I couldnt help thinking: That is perfection

[@asiandrag0n]

Japan: The plan we acted on was calculated......but man, am I bad at math.

[@adonisparts1343]

"But forcing the pilots to ditch into the ocean" IJN: *KAMIKAZE!!!*

[@taco_xd1725]

Bombing its own sub XD

[@NikkiTheOtter]

Honestly, if they'd taken a hint from the Americans on the plane design, they might have been able to get away with something simpler...and not needed a corrosion-prone launch track either. Do something similar to the Corsair bombers, with the pontoons permanently mounted near the hinge point. Then just slide them out, unload, and deploy the plane entirely on the surface while the submarine sneaks away again. No runway, no waiting.

[@jehoiakimelidoronila5450]

@@NikkiTheOtter cool idea, but it still takes time... The procedure on getting just one plane out, unfold the wings and tail, loading ordnance and getting the catapult ready is long. And setting planes on water won't do much. They'll have to lift off on their own power (& decreasing the range because they used up gas just by getting off water), which adds up even more time.

[@Sputmint]

For those that are interested, these submarines play a large role in the animated alternative series (as well as novel & 90s games) konpeki no kantai (紺碧の艦隊）、which is still untranslated due to its notoriety; wherein Japan is able to win the war by bringing an expanded fleet of I-400 type machines to bear. It's absolutely a power fantasy, but interesting if only for that reason.

[@mrbuttocks6772]

Ironically while that would have helped, Japan would have still lost the war no matter what they did. Simply put there was no way for them to beat the American's in the pacific, they lacked the raw manpower and industrial capacity for it.

[@introboy1]

@@mrbuttocks6772 i agree, but also i think if they somehow managed to hit the panama canal before the battle of midway (or if they won the battle of midway as well) then they could have forced the US to negotiate on their terms. the US then would have no reasonable way of reinforcing the pacific fleet, and so if they lost at midway too they would be completely unable to stop the japanese from capturing the rest of the US pacific island bases, and the fall of all those bases would ultimately mean the US would have no launching point to counter attack even with superior industry. they needed to blitz the US navy, but thankfully werent able to as the US beat their fleet at midway.

[@pastmasterjt6186]

Hey is it notoriety

[@pastmasterjt6186]

@@introboy1 I would have to disagree with you there as I believe that the might of the USA military economy would hold on. I do agree that the USA wouldn't be able to hold they pacific island but Japan was struggling in China as well as in Papua new Guinea but hey this is just speculation

[@introboy1]

@@pastmasterjt6186 thats true, but it would take years to build a fleet to retake the pacific, and without western weapons the chinese military would have also collapsed. the thing i doubt though is that the japanese economy would have been able sustain its conquests in the long term

[@rebmcr]

"Can we get a SLBM?" "We have SLBM at home." SLBM at home:

[@mariajankowska6931]

I remember that idea from Clive Cussler book "Black Wind". Thanks for this video!

[@TheDaltonius]

Damn the views! I love that more people are now learning about the I400s, beautiful subs those things.

[@c4ble472]

Soviets: “whatcha go there?” US: “a smoothie”

[@usspaceforcethreatsandrese1915]

FBI OPEN UP

[@thomas84833]

Thanks for the like

[@schnibbelhenry1232]

Mustard is one of my absolute favorite channels. The videos on here are so incredibly high quality that it's unbelievable.

[@achillesa5894]

"All slow ahead! Flood the aft tanks!" "But sir, that will make us sink aft first!" "AND THAT WILL GIVE THE GUN THE ELEVATION IT NEEDS"

[@KianaK0423]

"1 MILLION LIVES!!"

[@512TheWolf512]

literally the coolest weapons system that was ever put into service

[@EverythingScience]

I know KZbin just demonitizes your videos on here (everyone check out Nebula) but we all really love your content and the fact that you still upload on the platform ❤

[@adityaxxanand]

But, why? Never seen him criticise China.

[@AErch]

He love his subscriber

[@xr6lad]

Pity the idea has been taken from other KZbin channels that have covered it all before. Easy to do your research when others have already done it.

[@alfrredd]

why do they demonitize his videos????

[@EverythingScience]

@@alfrredd They demonetize 'violent' content to discourage creators from making it and since he makes content on machines for war, KZbins filters pick it up (even though it's not violent at all). It's all about trying to keep the platform 'advertiser-friendly'

[@rakaipikatan8922]

Belkan's navy be like : *WRITE THAT DOWN! WRITE THAT DOWN!*

[@cellokid5104]

I love ace combat

[@carlvincent12]

Ave Belka!!!

[@lorenzomata6080]

More like the yukes

[@ssifr3331]

Scinfaxi and hrimfaxi dudes.

[@jacksoncronk3623]

Mattias Torres wants to know your location

[@ariete_3281]

Soviets: may i please take a look at these strange japanese submarine? USA: "blows up submarine" what submarine?

[@mysticdragonwolf89]

Despite their atrocities - you got to admit, they made many innovations in terms of warfare They mastered air carrier ware fare, created torpedoes for shallow water, built two super ships of Yamato and Mashashi, and paved the way for the nuclear bombs which would burn away the Imperial age and make Japan the capital of anime, neet culture, and subs in general

[@SolitarySpade_Davon]

imagine when we have aircraft carriers underwate- japan: say no more.

[@user-mr7zl9pp5x]

We the Japanese Navy could point it at your China's vessels and deep ocean of submarine, in and out of the earth already! Just wait for the command and.....

[@thanhnhanle5335]

If Japan destroy other countries Japan will be bigger

[@thanhnhanle5335]

Do United States have a secret? But Japan don't have a secret Japan wants a bigger Country

[@toopink4death492]

I-400, I-401, I-402 Submarines so Iconic to Japan. An anime was made about one of em, I-401 Mental Model Iona, designation Flag Ship of the Arpeggio of Blue Steel. Granted Takao was also involved well because she's a very famous Heavy Cruiser for ship enthusiasts.

[@lt.x-02s-wyvern25]

SAVIOR OF SONG

[@madwolf0966]

❤️

[@gandalflotr2898]

I agree also they made the yamato as a supreme flagship of fleet of fog

[@dipling.pitzler7650]

I like the way the CG s look a lot like paintings done for 70ies cardboard packaging boxes for Airfix , Revel or Helier plastic model kits.

[@Halbared]

Alongside the 5 sub carriers, the Japanese also had a new strain of plague and a delivery method with the word''s first smart bomb, a possible 70,000 casualties. The way of getting these plague bombs across the ocean was the sub carriers. Thankfully the Japanese chose to not use them on the West coast of the USA.

[@taufiqutomo]

Somewhere, a crisp white sheet of some admiral's bed is getting ruined.

[@sorrent0]

This boat has the means to end this hideous war, in a definitive and elegant manner.

[@johnwu226]

SALVATION!

[@nogisonoko5409]

Can't you see, Three Strikes!

[@LynSain]

*< < S A L V A T I O N ! > >*

[@ST-zn3fj]

And in the end his boat gets split in half and exploded underwater

[@lenny_1369]

Mustard in the near future: *here we found lost documents and blueprints for a bipedal AT-GT(All Terrain Ground Transport) designed by the imperial 4rth Reich led by the tyrannical emperor Rudolf whose uprising has been cancelled due to snow...*

[@hydrochloricacid2146]

Their main base? On the dark side of the moon.

[@md.moinulislam9467]

Very impressive and innovative useful technology video review....!

[@homeairplane]

Wow, amazing Underwater Aircraft.

[@theessentialgamers2423]

The legend has uploaded once again. All hail das legend.

[@xr6lad]

Pity the idea has been taken from other KZbin channels that have covered it all before. Easy to do your research when others have already done it.

[@sailintothesun3421]

@@xr6lad This channel brings plenty of unque content to the table and no one else is creating CGI like Mustard

[@riot2136]

xr6lad no one really does it this high quality though

[@SomewhatSummarized]

Two uploads in less than two months! You’re on fire man :D

[@luissemedo3597]

*quarantine, he's in quarantine

[@SomewhatSummarized]

We all are

[@Slicer400]

@@SomewhatSummarized sty safe

[@sigusmundcomibra5788]

There is an Anime series that covers the usage of the I-400 and a alternate version of WW2 with Japan “Konpeki no Kantai “ I highly recommend it, even though it’s animation quality is that of early anime’s

[@ZERO-it9qg]

勉強になりました😄 ありがとうございます～！！

[@joshuagoh7289]

I’m still trying to find out why this channel is named Mustard...

[@hamiezanshafy1505]

Yea,its named mustard should be cooking channel but instead a history channel.

[@xp3r670]

well its just a name isnt it? why is pewdiepie called pewdiepie? its just a name

[@ikarischannel]

Mustard Gas

[@letsbegreattv465]

Mustard as in mustard seed being small

[@mlh4711]

mustard is a slang term for "really good" - that might have something to do with the thinking behind it.

[@dangermjort]

It's a requiem Set off as soon as we're ready

[@lt.x-02s-wyvern25]

SALVATION

[@frosty5122]

This boat has the means to end this hideous war, in a definitive and elegant manner

[@HowieClark52]

there it is

[@BusterBuizel]

There goes the crisp white bedsheets

[@pmayo7894]

SO USE YOUR IMAGINATION, MY FELLOW SUBMARINERS!

[@dokkaboi917]

Can’t wait for Wargamming to add this to World of Warships, I’m sure the community will “luv” it

[@yeetboiiiiii2488]

A submarine that can just appear out of nowhere and has 8 torps with 3 aircraft? I can see why they will ‘love’ it lmao

[@ManiaMac1613]

With modern technology this concept could be far more viable. F-35B fighters can launch from an incredibly short runway and land vertically. The sub would have to be enormous, probably in the ballpark of 800 feet long with a displacement of over 35,000 tons, but submarines of a similar size have been proven to be successful. Being able to conduct an airstrike or provide air support independent of a carrier strike group could be a game-changer.

[@guilhemnavarette9310]

At this point, they could bite the bullet and build them enormous, with facilities and means to operate in complete isolation from supply lines on board Like proto-spaceships

[@randyhavard6084]

Launching Torpedoes against a city seems like a flawed tactic

[@stevie-ray2020]

Especially carrying just one torpedo!

[@Stefan7067]

they planed to load some chemical stuff on the planes

[@RainytheNB]

Did you not hear the part where he talked about bombs? Also torpedos can be deadly launched against shipyards and docked ships.

[@EduardoEscarez]

@@Stefan7067 But with 3 bombs per attack, unless were talking about chemicals that weren't available in that time, or a biological weapon, it would have been a very limited attack. And don't count nuclear devices in that, the technology to have small weapons took decades to be deployed.

[@gmkusnov485]

@@EduardoEscarez It is true that the whole project was too ambitious at the time, but it was surely a precursor to the modern missile submarines.

[@valiantsoldier548]

This video: Submarine Aircraft Carrier Me: *Ace Combat Intensifies*

[@LynSain]

*>*

[@paolocalzone7186]

Salvation

[@aperson-wh7kl]

(SALUTEM AV DEUS intensifies)

[@kimarykorlumiose7728]

real Alicorn hours

[@LyamBenacon]

Scinfaxi and Hrimfaxi time

[@FE428Power]

I grew up in the Panama Canal. There was a Japanese mini sub on display that was salvaged off the coast of Panama.

[@filip1408]

To be honest, the Americans would’ve considered a cripple wielding a stick a danger. I-400 was a very bad idea, but considering the context, it was for the better, it diverted Japanese ressources from other more critical areas to a project that even if completed, would’ve still been a farce. 15 subs with 3 planes, no means of resupplying in the middle of the ocean? That’s a one trick pony. And even if they would’ve managed to launch one attack with all 45 planes, the damage would’ve been minimal. After the shock, the Americans would double sea patrols and hunt down all these lumbering subs, riveted, so once they were located it was game over. A complete joke.

[@introboy1]

yeah it just sounds cool, 3 planes for such a large sub is nothing. Instead of building that they could've built traditional carriers or subs with the same materials that would actually be effective. Now had they figured out how to put minimized german v-2's on the sub, that would have been on the right track.... but still probably wouldn't mean anything in the long run of a war.

[@sigmasmegma1539]

Yeah, the purpose it was made was for a surprise attack, so once it's known, it would become a complete joke. It's just a waste of materials, they should've just find another way of keeping the americans off the pacific or just focused on stabilizing their conquered territories and proceeded to conquer more once they've stabilized themselves. Look at where their poor decision-making led them, 2 cities just got bombed and a lot of lives were lost, the disadvantages far outweighed the advantages. Would've been badass to see Japan becoming a superpower, maybe they'd make gundams, lmao.

[@introboy1]

@@sigmasmegma1539 best case scenario I see for those things is striking the panama canal, then fleeing back to japan and never coming back. That would literally be the only potential use of this. Such a mission may even be too much to ask, as the subs could easily be caught on the way there, or the un-escorted bombers may be disrupted on the way, or they would get spotted in take off and sunk then. Even if the operation succeeded there would be large losses in the aircraft, and almost certainly some losses in submarines. This sacrifices months if not years of Japanese industrial output to stall the americans from being able to attack Japan for a few months longer, or shorter depending on the amount of damage done. As an above user mentioned, a 1-trick 1-time-use billion dollar pony. Otherwise known as a gimmick/axis war idea

[@linkinlinkinlinkin654]

pretty juvenile and arrogant to assume that not one person in the Japanese army managed to realize these issues that is so apparent to KZbin viewers lol. This was the 40s. A movable, undetectable base, even with only 3 bombers, that can submerge itself under water was definitely a threat. There is a reason why there was so much interest for the engineering/design of these things way past the war as well. 'The damage would've been minimal', patently false. 40 (54 theoretically) surprise bombers (with plausible ability to return base) can very easily change the course of war. Gunpower matters way lesser than planning and execution when the countries are eons apart with no apparent warfront/trenches/embargo. This wasn't a traditional conflict (still isn't) from a technical pov

[@introboy1]

@@linkinlinkinlinkin654 Still doesn't mean in practice it was a waste of resources. Since we have hindsight, its very easy to see now that the idea was going no where and the resources could have been better spent, but back then they didn't know, which is why they were experimenting. In the future we'll probably say similar things about secret projects being worked on now. Just because it was a bad idea doesn't mean that the people who came up with the idea were stupid, or even that it shouldn't have been done, it just means the cost-benefit ratio of this particular investment ended very poorly for the Japanese Imperial Navy.