Pearl Harbor raid worth it?

Ok, everyone knows that the Japanese can wipe out the Pearl Harbor fleet and the units in the adjacent sea area (can’t remember its number right now). As well as wipe out the Prince of Wales battle group and other things.

However my question is this - the Japanese then have three carriers and their (surviving) fighters - what’s to stop an overwhelming force of USA materiel from turning up in Hawaii on the USA’s first turn, from both the USA itself and Samoa? There’s two carriers, loads of fighters, bombers, tons of firepower! The Japs would get marmalised!?

So, do the veteran players of this excellent game consider the loss of the three carriers to be worth it, and/or the damage of much of the USA Turn 1 forces in destroying the carriers? I just think that the three carriers are in a very vulnerable position.

But then I have only just started playing this excellent game, and I realise I might well be missing something….

There’s no way the carriers can retreat after the raid? Nor can they retreat at all if they are attacked - is that right? They’re basically stuck there…

Nice essay - thanks for the pointer :)

I have to say, though, that this kind-of spoils the game a little for me. If you can’t play the historical situation without a reasonable chance of it turning out the same as it did historically, then as a simulation the game is broken.