Why would Japan want access to the Panama Canal?

The Panama Canal was a major transshipment point for war materiel essential to the Pacific theater. Closing it off would slow down if not stop the Allied advance, which would give Japan much-needed breathing room. Japanese engineers had helped to build the canal, so Japan had construction plans to work from.

Why is the Panama Canal no longer as significant important to the United States and its Navy during war time situations?

Simply put, the canal is too vulnerable to count on. Its three locks are obvious targets for attack, and destruction of either of two dams could put the canal out of operation for up to two years. The chiefs, in good conscience, could no longer hold that the canal was vital to U.S. defense.

What threatened the canal during WWII and what was done to protect it?

Now, with the advent of modern aircraft carriers and long-range bombers, an attack by air quickly became the most serious threat to the canal’s safety. The army had been given the mission of protecting the canal against sabotage and of defending it from positions within the Canal Zone.

Was there a war over the Panama Canal?

Therefore, the defense of the Canal Zone was the United States’ chief concern in the American Theater….

Panama during World War II
Events	The Panama Conference – September 1939 The Arias Coup – October 7, 1941 Declaration of war – December 7–13, 1941 Operation Pelikan – Fall 1943 The Panama Canal strike – June 1945

Why was building a sea level canal difficult on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal?

Why was building a sea-level canal difficult on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal? High tide can reach up to 12 to 18 feet compared to the almost 1 foot on the Atlantic side. … Culebra was the main headquarters for the project and was the most difficult 9 miles out of the entire canal.