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Were the Japanese planning to invade Australia during WW2?
Posted on 4/30/14 at 7:47 pm
Posted on 4/30/14 at 7:47 pm
I have always wondered this and the answers I received varied. By looking at this map, their empire was huge and it seems Aussie was the next step.
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Posted on 4/30/14 at 7:53 pm to Gcockboi
They've invaded straya over the last 60+ years via immigration. It's pretty much their island in some areas of Queensland.
Posted on 4/30/14 at 7:57 pm to Gcockboi
From a strategic standpoint, beating Aussie down would have been the goal moreso than invading the continent. They only invaded those landmasses which afforded them an advantage in air combat via landstrips. Australia wouldn't have offered them much in that way (plus, it's a huge landmass to which resources would have to have been diverted).
Posted on 4/30/14 at 8:05 pm to Gcockboi
Just google your thread topic. From wiki:
Proposed Japanese Invasion of Australia - In 1942 elements of the Japanese Navy proposed an invasion of Northern Australia to prevent the US from using the region as a staging area for attacks on Japan. The Army thought it was unfeasible and unnecessary and so instead they tried to isolate Australia from the US by taking several South East Asian Islands - see the New Guinea Campaign.
Proposed Japanese Invasion of Australia - In 1942 elements of the Japanese Navy proposed an invasion of Northern Australia to prevent the US from using the region as a staging area for attacks on Japan. The Army thought it was unfeasible and unnecessary and so instead they tried to isolate Australia from the US by taking several South East Asian Islands - see the New Guinea Campaign.
This post was edited on 4/30/14 at 8:27 pm
Posted on 4/30/14 at 8:16 pm to Gcockboi
They probably would have if they weren't having such a difficult time fighting the U.S.
Posted on 4/30/14 at 8:20 pm to Gcockboi
Yes, they would have invaded eventually, but because of the crippling defeats they suffered, it was impossible. To control the Pacific they would need to cut Australia off from the U.S. and GBR. While I don't think it would be impossible to completely control all of the continent, it would waste too many resources that could be allocated elsewhere.
In my opinion, Midway and Hawaii were more important than Australia. Cutting the US off from staging there would allow the IJN to have free reign and then, the possibility to invade Australia would open.
In my opinion, Midway and Hawaii were more important than Australia. Cutting the US off from staging there would allow the IJN to have free reign and then, the possibility to invade Australia would open.
Posted on 4/30/14 at 9:09 pm to rmnldr
Posted on 5/1/14 at 4:48 am to HamzooReb
quote:
They probably would have if they weren't having such a difficult time fighting the U.S.
Their really big problem was being bogged down in China.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 7:01 am to TheDude321
No, their problem lied in the fact that they relied on other places for resources. That's one reason why they expanded out so much. They had a problem in China but weren't necessarily bogged down, they just didn't have the manufacturing capabilities/resources to be involved in a long, drawn-out war. Where do you think they got the steel/oil/etc. before WWII started to build those carriers? The U.S. and other countries...once that supply stopped, every loss thereafter was devastating because they could not replace it. Australia would definitely have been invaded/taken due to the fact of the staging area for allied forces.
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