At 7.55am on Sunday 7 December 1941, the Japanese began their attack on the US Pacific Fleet, at Pearl Harbor. Within two hours, five battleships had been sunk, another 16 damaged, and 188 aircraft destroyed. Only chance saved three US aircraft carriers, usually stationed at Pearl Harbor but assigned elsewhere on the day. The attacks killed under 100 Japanese but over 2,400 Americans (Source:A) The Japanese plan was simple: Destroy the Pacific Fleet. That way, the Americans would not be able to fight back as Japan’s armed forces spread across the South Pacific. On December 7, after months of planning and practice, the Japanese launched their The Japanese left home soil on the 26th of November and their attack force was led by Vice Admiral Nagumo …show more content…
A 1,800-pound bomb smashed through the deck of the battleship USS Arizona and landed in her forward ammunition magazine. The ship exploded and sank with more than 1,000 men trapped inside. Next, torpedoes broke through the shell of the battleship USS Oklahoma. With 400 sailors aboard, the Oklahoma lost her balance, rolled onto her side and slipped underwater. By the time the attack was over, every battleship in Pearl Harbor–USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Utah, USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee and USS Nevada– had sustained significant damage. (All but USS Arizona and USS Utah were eventually salvaged and …show more content…
Americans were incensed by Japan's failure to declare war until later that day: the sneak attack fuelled American determination to fight on, even in the face of the setbacks of early 1942. Pearl Harbor and the invasion of South-east Asia showcased Japan at its best - capable of massive daring and painstaking preparation. Operationally brilliant, the attack was nonetheless strategically disastrous. Never again would Japan have the opportunity to act with such forethought and planning. It got itself the short term breathing space it wanted, but also a war against both Britain and
Before the assault, the Japanese's army was constantly improving and perfecting their surprise attack strategy. They knew that their plan was extremely risky, so the chance of success depended on complete surprise for the U.S. Pacific fleet. The Japanese attack force, led by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, began the 3,000 mile sneaky journey. Sneaking Six aircraft carriers, nine destroyers, two battleships, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and three submarines across the Pacific Ocean undetected would be a very challenging task. The
About 350 aircrafts came storming over Pearl Harbor dropping hundreds of bombs attempting to sink The United State’s ships. On December 7,1941 Japan made a surprise attack on the U.S. at Pearl Harbor. Nearly 2,400 people were killed during the bombing. The following day The United States declared war on Japan which brought them into World War 2. Japan attacked pearl harbor because they wanted to be imperialistic, they were upset about the embargo and laws placed on them, and Japan was concerned about the size of the United States Navy fleet.
Q5. The Japanese were attacking everything in their path when it came to the war in the Pacific. First, they had made the mistake in bombing the United States of America at Pearl Harbor. After such a bloody attack, the United States would surely declare war on Japan. However, this did not faze the Japanese as they continued attacking in Asia and the Pacific. The Japanese drive for a Pacific Empire was surely beginning. After many Japanese raids, the Allies would eventually fight back using a specific strategy created by General Douglas MacArthur, called island hopping. This strategy would prove to be extremely effective on the Japanese.
Japan bombing Pearl Harbor left 2,403 Americans dead, and millions of citizens startled. Pearl Harbor is a naval base off the coast of Hawaii. After killing thousands of America’s military, the United States was forced to join World War II. Immediately after the strike, many Americans became anti-Japanese and had vengeance for years to come. Japan had many reasons for causing this national uproar. Many people believe the Japanese government bombed Pearl Harbor due to financial disputes, power gains, and safety precautions.
Japanese pilots took to the skies with mounted machine guns on bomber planes and thousands of pounds of explosives, and bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. For example, they took off with fighter jets and bombers, killing 2,403 people and wounding 1,178. Under the cover of a storm, the Japanese flew in and dropped thousands of 500g bombs, hitting and sinking 18 United States ships, 6 of which were aircraft carriers. In addition, the attack was unwarned, and it killed thousands of soldiers and civilians, crushing the spirits of United States citizens. It destroyed the naval fleet in port at Pearl Harbor, which damaged the U.S severely. Unknown to many, they also bombed the U.S Air Force base in Hawaii, incapacitating 300 fighter jets and cargo planes. Furthermore, this unwarned attack was a cowardly act and dropping an atomic bomb was completely justified. The unwarned attack killed thousands of people, soldiers and citizens alike. Use of nuclear weapons as
On December 7, 1941 an “unexpected” attack altered the lives of many U.S. citizens located in Pearl Harbor. At first the attack was just a preventative measure from Japan to prevent the U.S. from interfering with the war Japan was planning to start with Southeast Asia. The aerial attack bombs resulted in the United States entry into World War II which had previously been going on for more than two years in Europe. The causes of the attack on Pearl Harbor can be justified by a number of reasons but the most evidential would be because of Japans imperialism. As Japan began to expand and invade China along with troops in French Indochina the United States gave japan the option to stop with their imperial ways or Japan would be cut off from all
In late 1941, the diplomatic state between the Japanese Empire and the United States had deteriorated to such a state that war was expected at any moment. Then, on the morning of December 7, the U.S Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor was suddenly decimated by a Japanese air raid. All of the prized U.S battleships and numerous other vessels were taken out of action. This led to a declaration of war against Japan, and also pitted the U.S against Japan’s ally, Nazi Germany. Many question the surprise factor of the attack, and look at how the base could have been so unprepared for what seemed like an inevitable conflict.
American Intelligence broke Japanese codes but misunderstood the intent of the Japanese messages. Decoded messages made it clear that an attack would come in a matter of days after November 29, but the place of attack was not clear. Most officials were convinced Japan would move against British or Dutch possessions to the south. American Intelligence noted a fleet of Japanese ships sailing in the general direction of Hawaii but was more concerned with a large Japanese convoy moving toward the China Sea. Partly because of the vast distance between Hawaii and Japan, few officials believed an attack was possible on American territory.
Also,the Japanese rained bullets on the vessels (history.com). Then, after the bombing “torpedoes pierced the shell of the battleship USS Oklahoma with 400 sailors aboard” (history.com). Next,the ship “rolled onto her side and slipped underwater” (history.com). Also,there were multiple torpedoes that hit different ships, the Japanese didn’t just target one specific ship (history.com). After the attack was over “2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded” (history.com). Once the attack on Pearl Harbor was over they were people who survived the attack (washingtonpost.com). For example,one of those people who survived is a man named Sen. Jackson B. Davis (washingtonpost.com). In addition,he is “one of at least two dozen Pearl Harbor survivors living in Shreveport-Bossier City” On December 7, 2014 “that number has dropped to three” (washingtonpost.com). Not to mention,there has been thought that “60,000 or so survivors are left”,but no one knows if that is for sure (washingtonpost.com). According to(washingtonpost.com), “2,000 to 2,500 survivors were thought to be still alive, according to Eileen Martinez, chief of interpretation for the USS Arizona Memorial”. Also, there are still “four of the nine remaining members of the USS Arizona Reunion Association.” still alive
The battleships, primary targets in the attack, remained anchored along an area referred to as “Battleship Row”. Within minutes after the assault began the USS Arizona sunk to the bottom of the bay taking 1,177 lives with her
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the US Naval Base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, using bombers, torpedo bombers and midget submarines. On the southern end of Oahu, Pearl
Asia. The Japanese also hoped to use the attack towards the United States to get them
On December 7, 1941, the largest U.S. naval base in the Pacific was bombed by Japan. More than 180 Japanese war airplanes were launched from aircraft carriers. When the first bombs landed, a radio operator had a message: “Air raid on Pearl Harbor this is not a drill.” The U.S. had antiaircraft guns set up, and they were trying to shoot at the planes. The planes were not affected by the antiaircraft guns. Once the last plane flew over, the Japanese bombs had killed 2,403 Americans and wounded 1,178. 21 ships were damaged, 8 battleships, and more than 300 aircrafts were damaged or destroyed. The American people were outraged and panicked. The United States declared war on Japan on December 8,1941.
At 0755 the first Japanese dive bombers appeared over Hickam Field as well as Ford Island with seconds between the two. Enemy torpedo planes and dive bombers swung in from various sectors to concentrate their attack on the heavy ships moored in Pearl Harbor. This was the beginning on the attack which would last for several hours destroying much of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet. The Empire of Japan surprised the US with the intention of crippling the country’s defenses, destroy the Pacific Fleet. Crippling America so they wouldn’t be able to fight back as Japan’s armed forces spread across the South Pacific. On December 7, after months of planning and practice, the Japanese launched their attack. On this day we lost more than 2,500 people wounded at least 1,000 more. Of the ships 18 was lost and or damaged and the largest death toll was from the USS Arizona where half of the casualties occurred.
The element of economy of force was also present during the attack on Pearl Harbor. This allowed Japans zero bomber to allocate minimum essential combat power towards the attack. With the economy of force, the element of maneuver also played abig role towards the raid. There were two aerial attack waves, totaling 353 aircraft that was launched from the six Japanese aircraft carriers. In actuality, Admiral Yamamoto’s plans consisted of three waves of attack. The first wave of attacked was launched at 0740 with 163 aircrafts that was coming from the North Shore. Their objective was to destroy airfields at Wheeler, Ewa, Hickam, and Pearl Harbor. The second wave was launched an hour later to the Windward side of the island with