True, Yamamoto called the big shots but Nagumo was a rival in the Naval hierarchy. To assume command of the Combined Strike Force was a big deal as you may well imagine.

Unfortunately, Nagumo also was a cautious man, really not into looking at the strategic picture as he might have done. He saw things as finished when he got
the reports of all the destruction he caused at Pearl so he went home. And even noted that the carriers were not there.

People posit, but I don't think anyone can prove, that had Yamamoto been in command he would have hunted down the US carriers as all of the US carriers were somewhere near Hawaii and that he would have relied upon the fact that the Japanese naval air capability at the time was better trained, experienced and equipped, to try to knock out the US carriers altogether or at least very severely cripple them.

The purpose of the attack on Pearl, after all, had nothing to do with battlewagons in port and everything to do with the carriers.

While a "success" so to speak, it was a hollow victory at best as the strategic naval objective was not achieved.

Edited by - Indy11 on 9/15/2004 1:53:03 PM