Hi pasof!!
I will try to do this fascinating task starting with the Japanese
expansionism and its consequences related to the USA-Japan
relationship. Then follows the USA embargo against Japan that put
Japan between the sword and the wall and leave them the only option to
declare war. I will end with a brief description on the attack over
Pearl Harbor and its consequences.
Road to war:
In World War I, Japan fought on the side of the Allies, entering the
war only when Germany’s defeat seemed inevitable.
Japanese Army attacked German possessions in the Pacific, took the
German treaty ports in China, and expected to be seated at the table
of the victors at Versailles. But Japan was dissapointed in its
expectations. Japan was allowed to keep only some South Pacific
islands.
Japan started to see that they they would not be treated like another
power. Affected by the exclusionary laws of the United States and
others, prevented from obtaining resources cheaply and faced with a
growing population that the island could no longer sustain, Japan
entered the Great Depression with an unsteady economy.
All of this told to Japanīs leader that they must make their own
Influence Sphere, where they can establish rules that let Japan to
grow up, that is a Japanese Empire. Some groups demanded
nationalization of wealth and armed overseas expansion. They exalted
the emperor and tradition over 'greedy, assertive' Western
individualists.
The U.S. Congress passed the Exclusion Act in 1924 prohibiting further
immigration from Japan. This promoted the Japanese emigration to
Manchuria. In 1928, Japanese officers in Manchuria started
unauthorized protection of Japanese interests, including assassinating
a Manchurian warlord.
When the Chinese Nationalists began to seriously challenge Japan's
position in Manchuria in 1931, the Kwantung Army (Japanese armed
forces in Manchuria) occupied Manchuria. In the following year,
"Manchukuo" was declared an independent state, controlled by the
Kwantung Army through a puppet government. In the same year, the
Japanese air force bombarded Shanghai in order to protect Japanese
residents from anti Japanese movements.
Manchuriaīs vast natural resources and raw materials would help
further the economic goals of Japan.
China appealed the case to the League of Nations, this organism took a
long time to do nothing except a severe criticism against the Japanese
actions. Because of this criticism Japan withdrew from the League of
Nations and the U.S. became increasingly hostile.
In 1937, the 2nd Sino-Japan War broke out. The army, totally
independent of the moderate Diet, occupied China's coast.
The Greater East Asia Coprosperity Sphere was proclaimed for Japan,
Manchuria, China, and Southeast Asia to free Asia of Western
imperialism and to integrate Asia politically and economically against
Western domination. After the collapse of France, in 1940, Japan moved
to acquire bases in French Indo-China and joined the Axis powers
Germany and Italy, this led by degrees to the war in the Pacific.
Because of these acts the Japan's conflict with the United States and
Great Britain was intensified. The United States first declare an
embargo on the export of aviation gasoline, lubricants, and scrap iron
and steel to Japan; later extended to include chemicals and machine
tools. Finally in mid 1941 USA extended the embargo on the export of
oil to Japan and also closed the Panama Canal to Japan. This made made
Japan decide to capture the oil rich Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and
when USA demanded that the Japanese remove all their forces from China
and Indochina immediately (Nov, 1941) they decided to start a war
against the US and Great Britain.
Onthe other hand, Washington backed Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese
leader resisting the Japanese onslaught and had imposed sanctions on
Japan, as we have seen. Without this support, China would fall, along
with British possessions in the Far East. Without its empire, Britain
would fall, leaving the whole of Europe, Africa, and Asia to the Axis.
America would then be surrounded on all sides by hostile
dictatorships.
Pearl Harbor under attack:
On November 26, 1941, the First Air Fleet assembled in the remote
anchorage of Tankan Bay in the Kurile Islands and departed in
strictest secrecy for Hawaii. They did not know if they would be
recalled; their mission was not approved until the fleet received the
message "East Wind, Rain." This meant that negotiations with the West
had failed. On December 7, 1941, 359 planes attacked Pearl Harbor,
sinking 8 battleships. The American Pacific Fleet that was supposed to
steam to the defense of the Philippines was on the bottom of their
home waters.
Japanīs need for secure flanks during the planned offensive into
Southeast Asia and the East Indies spurred the commander of the
Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to plain an attack
against the US Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor. His staff found
that the assault was feasible, given the greater capabilities of newer
aircraft types, modifications to aerial torpedoes, a high level of
communications security and a reasonable level of good luck.
All six of Japan's first-line aircraft carriers, Akagi, Kaga, Soryu,
Hiryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku, were assigned to the mission accompanied
by 24 supporting vessels. With over 420 embarked planes, these ships
constituted by far the most powerful carrier task force ever
assembled. A separate group of submarines was to sink any American
warships which escaped the Japanese carrier force. The fleet avoided
normal shipping lanes, and its course crossed the North Pacific. This
fleet comprised approximately one third of the Japanese Navy. The rest
headed southward, toward Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, and the Dutch
East Indies. The strike against Pearl Harbor was only one part of a
much larger plan.
(see: http://history.acusd.edu/cdr2/WW2Pics/81951.jpg )
-What about the defenses in Pearl Harbor?
With diplomatic negotiations between Japan and the US seemingly at an
end, a 'war warning' was sent to Pearl Harbor. Admiral Husband E.
Kimmel, Commander in Chief Pacific, was told that 'an aggressive move
by Japan is expected in the next few days. However the attack was
expected in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaya, or possibly Borneo. In
preparation, he was ordered to deliver 25 aircraft to Midway and the
Wake Islands, far to the west.
An attack on Pearl Harbor seemed impossible. Oahu was 3,900 miles from
the Japanese Imperial Fleet's homeport in Tokyo Bay and no one had
attempted an attack over such a distance.
The British had demonstrated the devastating effect of an assault with
their carrier-borne planes that had destroyed the Italian fleet in the
harbor at Taranto in 1940. This lesson wasnīt learnt, the US
commanders thought that the anchorage at Pearl Harbor was too shallow
for a torpedo attack and no anti-torpedo nets were installed. The
winds at Oahu made smoke useless as a screening device and Washington
was concerned about the cost of barrage balloons. However some
precautions were taken. Kimmel rotated the carriers in and out of the
harbor and naval patrols were sent out, but they were searching for
submarines, this was the more feasible threat in the mind of the
commanders.
Major-General Walter C. Short, the army commander at Pearl Harbor, was
worried about the possibility of a popular uprising in Hawaii because
a big proportion of the islanders was Japanese descent. Short had the
munitions locked in armories and ordered all aircraft to be bunched
together. This made them sitting ducks in the event of an air attack.
The use of ground-based radar was limited to a few hours a day. Short
reasoned that the Navy patrols would alert his defense force of the
approach of the enemy.
At the North Atlantic Conference between Churchill and Roosevelt, in
August 1941, they agreed that if the US and Japan entered World War
II, the Allies' priority would be to defeat Nazi Germany first, then
finish off the Japanese. After the fall of France, the United Kingdom
had stood alone against Germany.
In order to help Britain in its difficult hours US had implemented the
Lend-Lease Act, which sent Britain materiel aid, including 50 US Navy
destroyers. The Japanese commanders thought that all six US aircraft
carriers were in Pearl Harbor when the fleet leave Japan. Five had
been, but the Hornet and the Yorktown, had been transferred to the
Atlantic, while the Saratoga had been pulled back to protect America's
West Coast. On November 28, the Enterprise and the Lexington set sail
westwards to deliver planes to Wake Island and Midway.
-End of Diplomacy:
The US was able to decipher Japanese coded dispatches because the
British had given them three ultra-secret MAGIC decoders. And on
November 28 an dispatch from Tokyo to the Japanese embassy in
Washington confirms that Japan was now preparing to go to war; the
Tokyo government did not want the Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburo
Nomura in Washington to warn the US of its intentions. The dispatch
told him: 'I do not wish you to give the impression that negotiations
are broken off. Merely say to them that you are awaiting
instructions.'. This dispatch was intercepted.
American intelligence should have known that an attack on Pearl Harbor
was imminent, they could decode messages between Tokio and the
Japanese consulate in Hawaii in wich this consulate reports all
comings and goings of all US Navy vessels. But when the fleet sailed
Japanese communication centers close to home had increased their
traffic, then the American code breakers were deluged with messages,
only some of which could be reported and a lot of important
information was missed under piles of paper. US intelligence had also
lost contact with the Japanese carrier fleet.
On 1 December 1941, president Roosevelt, after suspicion heightens
that the Japanese will attack.returns hurriedly to Washington from
vacation. On instructions from Tokyo the Japanese ambassador in
Washington were still going through the motions of diplomacy. That
Monday Tokyo decided that Japan should go to war against the United
States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. But the planned
attack on Pearl Harbor depended for its success on surprise and
nothing should be done to alert the enemy.
Although Washington was now certain that Japan was about to attack, no
one knew where that attack would come. Britain had declared a state of
emergency in Malaya, following reports that it was about to be
attacked.
On 2 December 1941 Vice-Admiral Nagumo received message saying: 'Niita
Kayama Nobore' ('Climb Mount Niitaka'), in other words proceed with
the attack. On the same day US intelligence intercepts a message to
the Japanese Embassy to destroy all codes.
On 3 december 1941 the Japanese strike force stops at 43 degrees
North, 170 degrees East to refuel one last time before the attack and
to join two squadrons of submarines which had sailed direct from Tokyo
Bay; also other submarine squadrons had made their way direct to
Hawaii.
If there was any doubt in the minds of the naval commanders at Pearl
Harbor and in the Philippines that an attack was imminent, it was
dispelled on 4 December. They received a dispatch that said:
"Highly reliable information has been received that categoric and
urgent instructions were sent yesterday to Japanese diplomatic and
consular posts at Hong Kong, Singapore, Batavia, Manila, Washington,
and London to destroy most of their codes at once and to burn all
other important, confidential, and secret documents." Code machines
were to be destroyed, along with the codes they used. Admiral Nagumo
ordered the sinking of any shipping that they came across, enemy or
neutral.
At the night of 6 December the the Japanese fleet turned due south
for its final approach. The speed was increased to 20 knots. The
aircrew turned in early. While they slept, mechanics on the flight
decks were preparing the planes for the first wave of the attack. A
second wave was prepared in the hangars.
The Japanese strike force was steaming towards the position 230 miles
north of Oahu, where they would launch their attack. They knew that US
air patrols were thinnest to the north of the island. Patrols did not
extend beyond 200 miles, so the chances of being detected were
minimal.
At midnight Japanese submarines at the mouth of Pearl Harbor launched
the five midget submarines which moved silently off toward the
anti-submarine nets.
-7 December 1941: 'A day which will live in infamy' -
The Pacific Fleet was about to be blown, but there had been no
declaration of war.
At 0342hrs the minesweeper USS Condor spotted the periscope of a
midget submarine just outside the antisubmarine nets. The contact was
reported, but submarine sightings were not uncommon.
At 0550 the Japanese carriers turned into the wind. The fliers
assembled on deck, tying around their heads ceremonial hachimaki
scarves bearing the legend 'Certain Victory.'
By 0620, 49 bombers, 51 dive-bombers, 40 torpedo-planes, and 41 Zero
fighters headed off to Oahu, while plane handlers marshaled the second
wave on deck.
At 0630, the USS Antares, a supply ship, spotted another submarine.
The USS Ward closed in, put a shell through its conning tower, then
finished it off with depth charges.
At 0700, Commander Fuchida, the flight leader, picked up music from
an Hawaiian radio station and locked onto it. Five minutes later, two
radar operations on the north of Oahu spotted a blip. It indicated
that a group of more than 50 planes were bearing down on them. They
reported this, but the information was disregarded. A flight of B-17s
were expected from the mainland that morning.
At 0753, Fuchida sent the famous radio message Tora,Tora, Tora',
'Tiger, Tiger, Tiger,' which meant that the Americans had been taken
completely by surprise by the First Attack Wave.
When the first bomb dropped, most Americans who heard it assumed it
had been dropped by accident by one of their own planes. It was only
when a dive-bomber blew up a hangar at the Ford Island Command Center
that Commander Logan Ramsey realized they were under attack and
radioed: 'Air raid, Pearl Harbor. This is no drill.'
By 0755, the Pacific Fleet and the surrounding airfields were under
full-scale attack.
The japanese pilots was trained at a scene with a strong resemblance
to Pearl Harbor.
A very hard damage on the Pacific Fleet was vital if Yamamoto's plan
was to succeed. So the efficiency of the bombs and torpedoes had to
count. Dive-bombers improved their accuracy by swooping down to 450
meters, instead of 600 meters, before dropping their load. At that
height, they discovered, it was just possible to pull up without
crashing.
High-level bombers trained to come in at 3,000 meters instead of 4,000
or 5,000 meters. This improved their accuracy, even though it made
them much more vulnerable to antiaircraft fire.
Another technical breakthrough allowed the Japanese fliers do what the
Americans thought was impossible in the shallow waters of Pearl
Harbor, attack the vulnerable sides of the battleships using
torpedoes. Pearl Harbor's anchorage was only 12 meters deep. Even
dodging the harbor-side buildings and coming in at 25 or even 15
meters, an airborne torpedo would drop to 20 meters before beginning
its run. In Pearl Harbor, it was thought, torpedoes would bury
themselves harmlessly in the mud. The solution was found by adding
wooden fins to the torpedoes. This gave them extra buoyancy. It also
helped them run straight and the strike rate rose to 70 percent.
"At 8:15 AM the USS Arizona was hit in turret #2 by a modified naval
shell dropped from a level bomber. The ship’s magazine detonated, and
the ship blew up, collapsing the bridge and the forward mast into what
was left of the bow. The Arizona "rained sailors." Almost 1200 of her
crew died.
At 8:15 AM the USS Arizona was hit in turret #2 by a modified naval
shell dropped from a level bomber. The ship’s magazine detonated, and
the ship blew up, collapsing the bridge and the forward mast into what
was left of the bow. The Arizona "rained sailors." Almost 1200 of her
crew died.
By the time Arizona was settling permanently into the harbor mud, USS
West Virginia was hit by four torpedoes, USS Oglala was capsizing, and
the attack had just begun. There were torpedoes and bombs raining down
all over Pearl Harbor and the Ford Island Naval Air Station. Kehnoe
Army Air Station was being chopped to pieces nearby.
At 8:45 the USS Nevada, under command by a junior officer, ran for the
open sea and gave the Japanese a chance to block the channel. She was
jumped by dozens of fighters and bombers, and received several hits.
She was sinking and her officer beached her to prevent her sinking in
the channel.
At 9:30, the second wave came in, and the devastated fleet was more
prepared to meet them. Most of the 29 aircraft were shot down in the
second wave. They still did major damage to ships and aircraft. Only
four or five US aircraft were able to get aloft, and many obsolescent
P-26 and P-35s were destroyed on the ground.
By 10:30 the last attacker left. The cleanup began and would last
until 1944....
Tactically, the attack was a success. Complete surprise had been
achieved and eight battleships, one cruiser, and three destroyers and
many other vessels had been damaged or sunk. But lingering questions
in the Japanese Naval command and in the minds of historians have led
to a reexamination of the success of the attack. Fuchida, the flight
leader, argued for another attack to strike the oil storage facility,
which would have crippled Hawaii as a forward base for the US Navy.
Nagumo, fearing discovery and attack on the First Air Fleet, took his
carriers away at top speed. The top targets, the American aircraft
carriers, were not in port. Failure to destroy these assets would come
to haunt the First Air Fleet in a short six months’ time off Midway.
Nagumo had achieved every other objective, and it seemed that nothing
could stop the Japanese anywhere. It was believed that the midget
submarines had been a great success, and they were hailed as heroes
who gave their lives. The airmen were upset that honors were given to
the submariners and not their dead comrades, but what would have made
them even more upset is that not one midget sub even fired a torpedo.
All five were sunk, except for one that beached. One crewman killed
himself and the other was Japanese POW no. #1."
Taken from "Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941":
http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/Pearl.htm
There were more than 3,400 casualties, with 2,403 killed, including 68
civilians. 169 aircraft were completely destroyed and 150 damaged,
mainly on the ground. The Arizona was completely destroyed, and most
of its crew lost. The Oklahoma capsized and the Nevada, California,
and West Virginia sank in shallow water. Three other battleships,
three cruisers, three destroyers, and other vessels were badly
damaged, but all of the ships sunk that day, with the exception of the
Oklahoma and the Arizona, were repaired and then they returned to the
sea.
Pearl Harbor was not the only target of the Japanese Army; President
Roosevelt went on to list for Congress what else had happened on that
day: 'Yesterday the Japanese government also launched an attack
against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last
night Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night Japanese forces
attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night the Japanese attacked Wake
Island. This morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island. I ask that
Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by
Japan on Sunday, December 7th, a state of war has existed between the
United States and the Japanese Empire.' The Senate passed the
resolution 82 to 0; the House of Representatives by 388 to 1.
Germany and Italy declared war on the US on December 11, 1941. Now the
United States of America were involved into the World War II.
I hope this helps you. This essay exceeds the number of words required
in the subject. I could summarize it if you want. So if you want that,
or if you need a clarification, and also if you need a more detailed
study on any event related to this topic, please let me know before
you rate this answer and I will be glad to response to your request.
Best Regards.
livioflores-ga |
Clarification of Answer by
livioflores-ga
on
09 Jun 2003 22:17 PDT
Hi pasof!!
I just finished the essay as you request, it is now a 2200-2300 word
essay. I keep its structure but the first part was more summarized
than the last part; the idea is to keep the level of detail of the 7
Decemberīs events.
The essay start telling you briefly why Japan start an expansionist
policy and how big was its Empire at the end of the 30īs; then
explains you why US need to stop Japanese expansion and why this lead
Japan to the position of start a war against US. It ends describing
the main events of the first week of December of 1941 and the main
events of the 7 December of 1941.
Road to war:
From the end of the World War I Japanese economy was in trouble due to
its difficult access to raw materials. In order to gain this access,
Japan started an expansionist policy. At the end of 1937 the Japanese
Empire comprised Japan, Manchuria, Chinaīs coast, Korea and some South
Pacific islands, and "The Greater East Asia Coprosperity Sphere" was
proclaimed to free Asia of Western imperialism and to integrate Asia
politically and economically under the Japanese rule. After the
collapse of France Japan moved to acquire bases in French Indo-China
and joined the Axis powers, Germany and Italy.
On the other hand, Washington backed the Chinese resistance. Without
this support, China would fall, along with all British possessions in
the Far East. Without its empire, Britain would fall, leaving the
whole of Europe, Africa, and Asia to the Axis. America would then be
surrounded on all sides by hostile dictatorships. Because of this
United States declared a comercial embargo against Japan. Finally in
mid 1941 United States extended it on the export of oil to Japan and
also closed the Panama Canal to Japan, the Japanīs oil reserves did
not reach to cover a year. This made Japan decide to capture the oil
rich Dutch East Indies and to start a war against the US and Great
Britain.
Pearl Harbor under attack:
The Japanese Plan:
Japanīs pressing need for secure flanks during the planned offensive
into Southeast Asia and the East Indies spurred the commander of the
Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral Yamamoto to plain an attack against
the US Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor. His staff found that the
assault was feasible.
Six Japan's carriers, Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku
with over 420 embarked planes were assigned to the mission,
accompanied by 24 supporting vessels. A separate group of submarines
was to sink any American warships which escaped the Japanese carrier
force. The fleet avoided normal shipping lanes, and its course crossed
the North Pacific. The rest of the Japanese Navy was headed southward,
toward Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies and Pacific
Islands. The strike against Pearl Harbor was only one part of a much
larger plan.
On November 26 the fleet assembled in the remote anchorage of Tankan
Bay in the Kurile Islands and departed in strictest secrecy for
Hawaii. The Japanese commanders thought that all six US aircraft
carriers were in Pearl Harbor when the fleet leave Japan, but the
Hornet and the Yorktown had been transferred to the Atlantic, while
the Saratoga had been pulled back to protect America's West Coast and,
on November 28, the Enterprise and the Lexington set sail westwards to
deliver planes to Wake and Midway in order to protect Philippines
islands for a possible attack.
-What about the defenses in Pearl Harbor?
With diplomatic negotiations between Japan and the US seemingly at an
end, a 'war warning' was sent to Admiral Kimmel, Commander in Chief
Pacific. However the attack was expected in the Philippines, Thailand,
Malaya, or possibly Borneo. In preparation two carriers were sent to
deliver planes to Wake and Midway.
A surprise attack on Pearl Harbor seemed impossible: Oahu was 3,900
miles from the Japanese Imperial Fleet's homeport in Tokyo Bay.
In addition, the US commanders thought that the anchorage at Pearl
Harbor was too shallow for a torpedo attack and no anti-torpedo nets
were installed. The winds at Oahu made smoke useless as a screening
device and Washington was concerned about the cost of barrage
balloons. However some precautions were taken; Kimmel rotated the
carriers in and out of the harbor and naval patrols were sent out, but
they were searching for submarines.
Major-General Walter C. Short, army commander at Pearl Harbor, was
more worried about the possibility of a popular uprising in Hawaii
because the big proportion of Japanese-Americans.
The use of ground-based radar was limited to a few hours a day. Short
reasoned that the Navy patrols would alert his defense force of the
approach of the enemy.
-End of Diplomacy:
The US was able to decipher Japanese coded dispatches because the
British had given them three ultra-secret MAGIC decoders. And on
November 28 an dispatch from Tokyo to the Japanese embassy in
Washington confirms that Japan was now preparing to go to war.
American intelligence should have known that an attack on Pearl Harbor
was imminent, they could decode messages between Tokio and the
Japanese consulate in Hawaii in wich this consulate reports all
comings and goings of all US Navy vessels. But when the Japanese fleet
sailed, Japanese communication centers close to home had increased
their traffic, then the American code breakers were deluged with
messages, only some of which could be reported and a lot of important
information was missed under piles of paper.
On 1 December, president Roosevelt, after suspicion heightens that the
Japanese will attack returned hurriedly to Washington from vacation.
On instructions from Tokyo the Japanese ambassador in Washington were
still going through the motions of diplomacy. That Monday Tokyo
decided that Japan should go to war. Although Washington was now
certain that Japan was about to attack, no one knew where that attack
would come.
On 2 December Nagumo received the order to proceed with the attack. On
the same day US intelligence intercepts a message to the Japanese
Embassy to destroy all codes.
On 3 december 1941 the Japanese strike force joined with two
submarines squadrons which had sailed direct from Tokyo Bay; also
other submarine squadrons had made their way direct to Hawaii.
At the night of December 6 the Japanese fleet turned to the south for
its final approach. The aircrew turned in early. While they slept,
mechanics on the flight decks were preparing the planes for the first
wave of the attack. A second wave was prepared in the hangars.
The Japanese strike force was steaming towards the position 230 miles
north of Oahu, where they would launch their attack. They knew that US
air patrols were thinnest to the north of the island. Patrols did not
extend beyond 200 miles, so the chances of being detected were
minimal.
At midnight Japanese submarines at the mouth of Pearl Harbor launched
five midget submarines which moved silently off toward the
anti-submarine nets.
-7 December 1941: 'A day which will live in infamy' -
The Pacific Fleet was about to be blown, but there had been no
declaration of war.
At 03:42hrs the minesweeper USS Condor spotted the periscope of a
midget submarine just outside the antisubmarine nets. The contact was
reported.
At 05:50 the Japanese carriers turned into the wind. The fliers
assembled on deck, tying around their heads ceremonial hachimaki
scarves bearing the legend 'Certain Victory.'
By 06:20, 49 bombers, 51 dive-bombers, 40 torpedo-planes, and 41 Zero
fighters headed off to Oahu, while plane handlers marshaled the second
wave on deck.
At 06:30, the USS Antares, a supply ship, spotted another submarine.
The USS Ward closed in, put a shell through its conning tower, then
finished it off with depth charges.
At 07:00, Commander Fuchida, the flight leader, picked up music from
an Hawaiian radio station and locked onto it. Five minutes later, two
radar operations on the north of Oahu spotted a blip. It indicated
that a group of more than 50 planes were bearing down on them. They
reported this, but the information was disregarded. A flight of B-17s
were expected from the mainland that morning.
At 07:53, Fuchida sent the famous radio message 'Tora,Tora, Tora',
'Tiger, Tiger, Tiger,' which meant that the Americans had been taken
completely by surprise by the First Attack Wave.
When the first bomb dropped, most Americans who heard it assumed it
had been dropped by accident by one of their own planes. It was only
when a dive-bomber blew up a hangar at the Ford Island Command Center
that Commander Logan Ramsey realized they were under attack and
radioed: 'Air raid, Pearl Harbor. This is no drill.'
By 07:55, the Pacific Fleet and the surrounding airfields were under
full-scale attack.
The japanese pilots was trained at a scene with a strong resemblance
to Pearl Harbor. A very hard damage on the Pacific Fleet was vital if
Yamamoto's plan was to succeed. So the efficiency of the bombs and
torpedoes had to count. Dive-bombers improved their accuracy by
swooping down to 450 meters, instead of 600 meters, before dropping
their load. At that height, they discovered, it was just possible to
pull up without crashing. High-level bombers trained to come in at
3,000 meters instead of 4,000 or 5,000 meters. This improved their
accuracy, even though it made them much more vulnerable to
antiaircraft fire.
Another technical breakthrough allowed the Japanese fliers do what the
Americans thought was impossible in the shallow waters of Pearl
Harbor, attack the vulnerable sides of the battleships using
torpedoes. Pearl Harbor's anchorage was only 12 meters deep. Even
dodging the harbor-side buildings and coming in at 25 or even 15
meters, an airborne torpedo would drop to 20 meters before beginning
its run. In Pearl Harbor, it was thought, torpedoes would bury
themselves harmlessly in the mud. The solution was found by adding
wooden fins to the torpedoes. This gave them extra buoyancy. It also
helped them run straight and the strike rate rose to 70 percent.
"At 8:15 AM the USS Arizona was hit in turret #2 by a modified naval
shell dropped from a level bomber. The ship’s magazine detonated, and
the ship blew up, collapsing the bridge and the forward mast into what
was left of the bow. The Arizona "rained sailors." Almost 1200 of her
crew died.
At 8:15 AM the USS Arizona was hit in turret #2 by a modified naval
shell dropped from a level bomber. The ship’s magazine detonated, and
the ship blew up, collapsing the bridge and the forward mast into what
was left of the bow. The Arizona "rained sailors." Almost 1200 of her
crew died.
By the time Arizona was settling permanently into the harbor mud, USS
West Virginia was hit by four torpedoes, USS Oglala was capsizing, and
the attack had just begun. There were torpedoes and bombs raining down
all over Pearl Harbor and the Ford Island Naval Air Station. Kehnoe
Army Air Station was being chopped to pieces nearby.
At 8:45 the USS Nevada, under command by a junior officer, ran for the
open sea and gave the Japanese a chance to block the channel. She was
jumped by dozens of fighters and bombers, and received several hits.
She was sinking and her officer beached her to prevent her sinking in
the channel.
At 9:30, the second wave came in, and the devastated fleet was more
prepared to meet them. Most of the 29 aircraft were shot down in the
second wave. They still did major damage to ships and aircraft. Only
four or five US aircraft were able to get aloft, and many obsolescent
P-26 and P-35s were destroyed on the ground.
By 10:30 the last attacker left. The cleanup began and would last
until 1944....
Tactically, the attack was a success. Complete surprise had been
achieved and eight battleships, one cruiser, and three destroyers and
many other vessels had been damaged or sunk. But lingering questions
in the Japanese Naval command and in the minds of historians have led
to a reexamination of the success of the attack. Fuchida, the flight
leader, argued for another attack to strike the oil storage facility,
which would have crippled Hawaii as a forward base for the US Navy.
Nagumo, fearing discovery and attack on the First Air Fleet, took his
carriers away at top speed. The top targets, the American aircraft
carriers, were not in port. Failure to destroy these assets would come
to haunt the First Air Fleet in a short six months’ time off Midway.
Nagumo had achieved every other objective, and it seemed that nothing
could stop the Japanese anywhere. It was believed that the midget
submarines had been a great success, and they were hailed as heroes
who gave their lives. The airmen were upset that honors were given to
the submariners and not their dead comrades, but what would have made
them even more upset is that not one midget sub even fired a torpedo.
All five were sunk, except for one that beached. One crewman killed
himself and the other was Japanese POW no. #1."
Taken from "Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941":
http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/Pearl.htm
There were more than 3,400 casualties, with 2,403 killed, including 68
civilians. 169 aircraft were destroyed and 150 damaged, mainly on the
ground. The Arizona was completely destroyed, and most of its crew
lost. The Oklahoma capsized and the Nevada, California, and West
Virginia sank in shallow water. Three other battleships, three
cruisers, three destroyers, and other vessels were badly damaged.
Pearl Harbor was not the only target; the next night the Japanese Army
also launched an attack against Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam, the
Philippine Islands and Wake Island. On next morning the Japanese
attacked Midway Island.
On 8 December, the Senate passed Declaration of War 82 to 0 and the
House of Representatives by 388 to 1.
Germany and Italy declared war on the US on December 11. Now the
United States of America were involved into the World War II.
I hope that this new essay be the one that you need; if not please let
me know and I will work on it to do the changes that you request.
Best regards.
livioflores-ga
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