On December 7th, 1941, 353 Japanese airplanes bombed and attacked Pearl Harbor killing 2,403 people. This date is a day that will be remembered throughout history, it is a “Day which will live in infamy”. The attack by the Japanese took multiple months to prepare successfully, damaged multiple battle ships, as well as took the lives of thousands of Americans. Our nation to this day, still puts all the faults on Japan. The Japanese are continuously remembered for the lives they took in 1941 and the destruction they brought upon the United States. However, a large amount of Americans lack the knowledge that the United States was also at fault. The United States could have prevented the attacks by stopping aggression towards Japan, acknowledging …show more content…
The United States had put a halt on trading with Japan. Both countries were in desperate need of oil and other substances such as steel. Japan was in need of these materials to continue their attempt to expand their land in Asia as well as the pacific. When the United States congress put this restriction on trading with Japan, the two countries relationship began to collapse. This restriction on trade and business with Japan was called the “Export Control Act”. This act ultimately made the Japan see the United States as more of an enemy. If this act had never been removed, any previous disputes would have been eliminated. In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the United States Pacific fleet to move from California to Pearl Harbor. The Japanese were attempting to take over the pacific in order to have more control over the seas. The movement of this United States ship was seen as an act of war from the Japanese point of …show more content…
The United States began to get suspicious. On November 26th, Commander Husband Kimmel received a message from the Navy department. The Navy department message exclaimed “In order to keep the airplanes of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing available for expeditionary use OPNAV has requested and Army has agreed to station twenty five Army pursuit planes at Midway and a similar number at Wake provided you consider this feasible and desirable. It will be necessary for you to transport these planes and ground crews from Oahu to these stations on an aircraft carrier” (Navy Court of Inquiry, p. 1177 (Navy).). Kimmel agreed to do what the message said. Early on December 7th, 1941, multiple carriers were rushed out of Pearl just hours before the attack. This leads the conclusion that the commander in Pearl Harbor, Husband E. Kimmel might have had prior knowledge on the attack, as well as the United States
In the article, “Their Way to Show Loyalty,” it said that 2to prevent sabotage, “The most sensible … way to ensure against it is to move the Japanese out of harm’s way and make it as easy as possible for them to go and remain until the war is over.” This shows how and what America did to prevent any action against it and to cope up with
Beginning of the year in 1941, FDR decided that the Pacific Fleet would move to Hawaii from San Diego in the hopes of discouraging the invasion of the Japanese. Negotiations between Washington and Tokyo had been going on for several months without a resolution. On July 2, 1941, the Imperial High Command was tired of negotiations with the United States and needed to proceed with their development within Asia even with the embargo in place and meaning it would be at a high risk of war with the US. [4] Therefore, the Japanese had deceived the United States, ignored the arbitration, and moved forward with their plans. The United States had hoped that this restrictive embargo would halt Japan’s assault as negotiations had continued well into November.
By the early morning of December 7, 1941 the Japanese Naval force led by Admiral Nagumo had parked his fleet of 6 aircraft carriers 230 nautical miles off the north coast of the Hawaiian Islands completely undetected. The fleet had approximately 423 aircraft with a final destination of Pearl Harbor. At 600 a.m. the first wave of 180 aircraft were launch to attach the sleeping Hawaiian bay. At 702 a.m. an Army radar station sights the aircraft inbound and report to their direct officer who is aware of a squadron of B-17’s due in from the west coast and write off the sighting am friendly forces. This was the first of many mistakes that would become evident within the hour.
Nimitz was able to crack the Japanese secret code of communication and he was able to prepare his military for the surprise attack on Midway planned by the Japanese. Along with this, other strategies used were American submarine patrolling (Mcgowen 26). The submarines would gauge the enemy's attack and shoot torpedoes to sink the enemies ships. It would also help in sending secret codes that would help the United States military to prepare for the attack in addition to also protect their battleships. The United States were also advantageous on their land.
“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 attack. In all, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were likewise destroyed. Most important, almost 2,500 men were killed and another 1,000 were wounded. On December 8, Congress approved Roosevelt’s declaration of war. Three days later, Japanese allies Germany and Italy declared war against the United States. For the second time, Congress reciprocated. More than two years after the start of the conflict, the United States had entered World War II” (History.com).
The attack on Pearl Harbor was the product of Japanese anger at the United States and President Roosevelt should have taken immediate action to prevent it.
To begin with, the underlying cause of Japan attacking Pearl Harbor has to deal with the United States stopping Japan’s efforts to create a new world order. In 1938, Japan announced their plan for a new
Despite all the success Japan had early in the war, they did not do as much damage to the United States Pacific fleet as they would have like to have done. This gave America a false sense of security at the time when Japan was preparing to take stronger action. Rear Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s plan was to draw in the remaining American ships into an area where they could be attacked and destroyed by a much greater number of Japanese vessels. Admiral Yamamoto thought that if Japan captured valuable territory like the Midway Islands that the United States could not afford to give up, he could destroy the remaining American ships with ease because the Americans would have no supply chain.
In the 1930s the United Stated and Japan had a turbulent relationship as the result of Japan trying to expand into China and take their territory as well as take over their economy by force resulting in a variety of horrible events done to the Chinese. To reprimand Japan for their aggression towards China and to try to force them to end their aggression the United States put in place a system of economic sanctions and trade embargoes to cut off essential goods. Instead, this only made the Japanese more determined and after months of discussion no peaceful conclusion could be reached. This in turn led to the events on an island 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland and 4,000 miles from Japan. The name of this island is Pearl Harbor, which was
As shown in document D, the US also put a stop to the trade of steel and scrap iron to Japan. Although the US put a hefty embargo on Japan, they did not do so without fear of Japanese retaliation.
During 1941, despite President Roosevelt wished to stay neutral in WWI; on December 7th, Japan established an unexpected, (though perhaps to be foreseen) assail upon Pearl Harbor, hence the next day war was declared. Prior to Japan’s attack on the U.S; Japan had been struck by an Immigration Policy, embargos on aircraft and parts, a freezing of all its assets and bank accounts, and eventually an embargo on oil and petroleum shipments. The Immigration Act was a forge of shame and humiliation against the Japanese, causing them to become unable to purvey the Yamato race; thus began the first surge of aversion towards the U.S (first-page doc). Embargos on aircraft, parts, and oil would lead to believe Japan to become a third- class nation within two to three years if no action on the U.S policy was taken (as stated in document E). The propositions which were taken by the U.S preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor led Japan to hold a surge of execration, which became a wound Japan sought out vengeance for.
He ordered the soldiers to occupy and destroy the American fleet and invade Midway. However, the U.S. intelligence was already aware of Japanese intentions after breaking their naval code. With this advantage the United States prepared three heavy aircraft carriers. These ships were placed 350 miles northeast of Midway and awaited the move of Yamamoto’s navy. While the Japanese had no land-based air support, the Americans from Midway and from Hawaii could perpetrate around 115 land-based planes
suffered a major defeat at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, took advantage of the situation the U.S. was put in after its losses during Pearl Harbor (“Japs Risk Large Naval Units...”). With the backbone of U.S. Pacific Fleet torn out, Japan made several attempts to dominate the Pacific. Japan was anxious to settle their differences with the U.S., so they began risking large naval units in Pacific battles. An article posted in the Los Angeles Time, “Japs Risk Large Naval Units in Blows at U.S.” says, “For the sixth time in six months Japan made a deadly bid to capture the mastery of the Pacific, and for the sixth time she has failed after paying a price that is fast becoming prohibitive,” (“Japs Risk Large Naval Units...”). This article was posted days after the Battle of Midway, on June 7th, 1942 reflecting the actions of the Japanese Navy in the previous months. The Japanese were anxious to pounce on the weakened U.S. after Pearl Harbor, backing their attacks with large naval units. The Japanese felt that they needed to take over Midway Island in order to claim dominance over the U.S. in the Pacific.
At the Battle of Midway, Japanese ships were not equipped with radar . The Japanese ships were refueling when the United States attacked. The Japanese Imperial army "lost one third of its elite corps" during the battle
Since the A.S. base of operations was on a land surrounded by water, they are bound to have a dangerous and versatile Navy to defend themselves. Japan and the United States agreed to a treaty to help the success in becoming victorious in the water, calling it “Treaty of the Pacific”. The Japanese made Kanmusu or “Ship Girls” while the Americans lend their aircraft carriers and jets. The Japanese have recreated remnants of past WWII ships and embodied them into humanoid beings to show that the Japanese Navy is a force to be reckoned with. In exchange, the US have dedicated most of their Air Force in the hands of the Japanese for the time being until the war ends. But money and materials going into the war effort and especially this project was making a huge hole in their wallets.