Quote:
Originally Posted by Targan
Gee, the Japanese stuffed up their planning for Midway then. Only twice as many invaders as defenders (not counting naval and air assets obviously). Generally a ratio of 3:1 attackers vs defenders is a bare minimum for any hope of success; 5:1 or better is preferable.
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The whole landing force operation was not very well considered. Naval gunfire support would be by four heavy cruisers, firing for roughly an hour. But as the USN would learn, naval rifles were not the ideal weapon in dealing with a dug in defender. The most likely result would have been shells hitting at a slight angle and ricocheting.
Any attempt to send landing craft up the ship channel would have run into four 7-inch, four 5-inch and at least eight 3-inch guns firing over open sights into a killing area less than a hundred yards wide. Chopped hamburger comes to mind.
If the Japanese landed on the edge of the reef, then they would have faced advancing across a fairly even surface of at least 500 yards, straight into interlocking machinegun fire. Wouldn't have mattered if they landed at high or low tide, since high tide over the reef still didn't give landing craft enough water to float over.
Finally, 6th Defense Battalion spent its time laying in multiple barbed wire barricades seeded with demolition charges and home-made AP mines. I've never found a definite answer on how many barricades were present, but reports that I've seen indicate at least two thick belts with numerous "channeling" barriers in between. But then there are eyewitness acounts of three to four barriers....in either case, it would have been almost impossible for the landing force to cut their way through under fire.
Most likely, the assault troops would have been cut to pieces, just getting to the wire, the IJN could have committed its construction battalions, but there is no indication that the landing force had anything heavier than the 70mm battalion guns (two supporting each island)...and the Marines had plans to use 37mm and 20mm AA guns to support the beach defenses...not to mention that platoon of tanks.