Message #24592

[Caleb]

Prelude to battle



Planner Captain Minoru Genda stressed that surprise would be critical for this operation.

In the event of outbreak of war with the United States, there would be little prospect of our operations succeeding unless, at the very outset, we can deal a crushing blow to the main force of the American Fleet in Hawaiian waters by using the full strength of the 1st and 2nd Air Squadrons against it, and thus to preclude the possibility of the American Fleet advancing to take the offensive in the Western Pacific for some time... We must use the entire carrier strength that we have. -- Minoru Genda, planning officer