Conclusion

There is perhaps no other period in modern history more laboriously studied than the Second World War. Historians have poured over every aspect of the conflict, to include the Allied campaign to sink the Japanese merchant fleet. Previous scholars have leaned heavily on the actions of the U.S. submarine fleet to analyze this component of the conflict, and not without good reason. However, a computational examination of the campaign reveals that it is best understood as a combined effort of submarines, aircraft, and mines. The campaign serves as an instructive medium to understand the larger conflict and the issues of trade and geopolitical competition which proceeded it. Using a computational method also conveys the scale of the campaign while still providing opportunities to examine discrete events. Lastly, a robust understanding of this facet of the war, buttressed by computational methods, can contribute to debates about the war’s end and the decisions which preceded it.