The Suprise Attack on Pearl Harbor

Introduction. I chose this battle because I had been hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor, but I did not know much about it. This paper talks about the countries that fought in this battle, where the battle was fought, what the geography was like during the battle, what the weather was like, what happened during this battle, how many casualties occurred, other things I learned about the battle, who won the battle, and how the battle was important to WWII.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his war speech and asserted December 7, 1941 as, “a date which will live in infamy.” The United States’ naval bases stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii were struck by Japanese planes intentionally and promptly. The news of this attack on the Pearl Harbor shocked the world. It was devastating to the nation that were still in the throes of depression. Witnesses of this event painted a portrait of a nation stunned, but determined to rise again. The United States’ government had not disclosed a Pearl Harbor story to the public--that the U.S. had failed to act on advance information about a planned Japanese attack. Japan 's move against the United States was audacious enough to be considered no more than a slight possibility, although the potential for an attack had been widely discussed.

December 7th, 1941, was the day 2,403 Americans lost their lives and 1,200 wounded during the Japanese air raid, on Pearl Harbor. On this day, the US Navy lost almost the entire Pacific Fleet in the harbor. After the attack, all the ships were either sunk or severally damaged minus the aircraft carriers. The aircraft carriers luckily were still at sea. The total number of military personnel killed was 2,335, including 2,008 navy personnel, 109 marines, and 218 army. Added to this were 68 civilians, making the total 2403 people dead. 1,177 men alone were from the USS Arizona.

More than 2800 United States citizens, both military and civilian, lost their lives and over 1100 were wounded on December 7, 1941. In addition, over 340 ships and aircraft were sunk or damaged in the waters of Pearl Harbor on that day (National Park Service, n.d.) (See Appendix A for chart of casualties).

On December 7, 1941 -- the day that will always be commemorated as “the date which will live in infamy” by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt -- the Japanese unexpectedly attacked the United States’ naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This crippling attack caused many American casualties, and American citizens quickly became filled with fury and abhorrence; the detestation that swallowed the hearts of the American citizens was shown through President Roosevelt’s expeditious appeal to Congress to declare war against Japan. The attack on Pearl Harbor was an unforgettable day in history and directly affected the United States involvement in World War Two and the patriotism of the United States’ citizens.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which made every person of japanese heritage on the east coast uproot and move to ten different internment camps. No matter what their loyalty or citizenship they were forced to get up and go to camps established in either California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas. After all said and done this ended up at over one hundred and twenty thousand japanese americans. Sadly most Americans don 't know why they were moved from their homes, how they were removed, and how they were treated within these camps.

The attack on Pearl Harbor, this caused many people to be afraid and angry of the Japanese, American or foreign. This escalated so quickly that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1941(Timeline 6). The Executive Order declared that all people of Japanese ancestry were to be sent to internment camps away from the west coast( Timeline 6). The West coast had many military bases, and other places important to the war effort(Newsreel). With this information it can be can concluded that placing the Japanese people in the internment camps was unjustified. The internment of the Japanese was unjustified because The Germans and Italians were not sent to the internment camps as well, most of the Japanese people didn’t have a job that would allow them to sabotage the United States and the decision was not based on military conditions like it was said to.

In July 1940, the U.S. placed an embargo on Japan, hoping they would restrain Japan 's military aggression in China. Japan, a proud nation, would not hear of being dictated to by the United States and began to prepare for the attack on Pearl Harbor in early 1941. Meanwhile, there was some warning of the attack on America, but it went without being duly acknowledged. The day before the attack occurred, a code-breaker intercepted a message from the Japanese concerning the movement of ships at Pearl Harbor. The operator relayed the message to the superior officers who said they would get back to the radioman on Monday, December 8, 1941 (Socolow 43). Also, on the morning of the attack, a radar operator saw a large group of airplanes on the radar screen, and when he reported this, the senior officer said it was probably just some US Bombers and not to worry about them (HistoryNet.Com). The Japanese planes flew under the radar by flying through a pass in the mountains called Kolekole Pass. This maneuver added to the surprise of the attack. The frantic attack began on Sunday at 7:55 in the morning. A little before ten the entire attack was over (Pearl Harbor, Attack On). The men of Pearl Harbor fought with valor.

army private operator at the Army radar station at Opana noticed a large flight of planes heading toward the bay. The exact morning, the base was expecting a flight of B-17s from the United States, so the private was told to ignore them. (Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.) Not one single person knew what was about to hit them. At exactly 7:55 am, the first Japanese dive-bombers were spotted over the horizon, which was part of the nearly 200 aircraft, including bombers, torpedo planes, and fighters. ("EyeWitness to History - History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It." EyeWitness to History - History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.). Their goal was to cripple as many planes as possible so that they didn’t have any time to take to the air. Most of the planes were all in one place so that made it an easy target for them. The planes at Ford Island and Kaneohe Bay, the Army Cir Corps fields at Bellows and the Marine Airfield at Ewa, and the Hickam and Wheeler fields were all strafed. Not a single one was preserved. In the first thirty minutes of the attack is when most of the damage was done to the battleships. With the help of five midget subs, the Japanese were able to help aid their airplanes in targeting the battleships. The Arizona exploded when a bomb hit its ammunition room leaving nothing but bits and pieces of debris, and the Oklahoma was damaged so badly that it turned upside down. The Nevada, California, and West Virginia sank in shallow water along the bay area. Everyone thought it was over till the second wave struck at 8:50 am, exactly 45 minutes after the first. This wave came more fiercely. 170 Japanese planes targeted what was left standing, which was only a few ships and less than 10 dogfighters. By 9:55 it was all over. When the Japanese left, they left chaos behind. More than 180 aircrafts were

On December 7, 1941 the world was embroiled into the attack of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor with their ally, Nazi Germany. It started with Japan being a bit suspicious and not so thrilled with the Treaty of Versailles as it was seen as a way to keep everything in ship shape even if there were some disagreements in the world. The attack of Pearl Harbor could have been prevented if America had not forced them to trade, had not moved the Pacific Fleet in California, and by not provoking them by doing terrible things to Japan.

Pearl Harbor occurred in the morning December 7th of 1941, which was a Sunday. There were six carriers with 423 Japanese fighter planes that attack Pearl Harbor. The Japanese attack in several waves, the first wave was 183 Japanese planes that took off 230 miles north of Oahu and were heading to Pearl Harbor. When these planes took off, at 7:02 a.m., a short radar station detected the planes and then contacted a junior officer who said it was American B-17 that was expected from the U.S. west coast. The second wave was 167 planes that took off from the Japanese carriers and headed to Pearl Harbor at 7:15 a.m. At 7:53 a.m., the first wave attacked the airfields and battleships and the second wave attacked other ships and shipyard

A Day which will live in infamy (Staff, 2009). This famous words were delivered by former United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A day that change America forever. This paper will provide a description of the events that build up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the effects of the attack and will also provide insight on how the United States responded.

The bombing that accrued December 7, 1941 at the Pearl Harbor navy base was the beginning of a new war for the United States. It has been about 77 years since Japan first bombed Pearl Harbor. It was the battle that caught everybody but the Japanese off guard. More than 2,400 lives’ were lost and will be remembered for their bravery. This was the event that lead to the second World War occurrence. The Pearl Harbor attack is the most heavily document event in history even though it was only two hours. Many were lost and are still remembered today for their bravery.

At the time of the attack, there were approximately eighty different vessels in the harbor, most notably eight battleships, three cruisers, four destroyers, one minelayer, five auxiliary craft, and over 400 aircraft present at Pearl Harbor (Figure 2). Additionally, the three aircraft carriers of the fleet were not present: the USS Enterprise was approximately 150 miles West of Pearl Harbor, the USS Saratoga was still in San Diego, California, and the USS Lexington was at sea in the vicinity of Midway Island (Yarnall, 2003). The Japanese Imperial Navy forces that attacked Pearl Harbor were comprised of six carriers, several submarines, and over 450 aircraft. Despite being outnumbered in terms of sheer military power, the Japanese forces had the element of surprise on their side, allowing them to strike the first blow of the

The first wave of 183 Japanese planes initiates the attack at 0600 hours and was concentrated on Hickam airfield and the flying boat ramps on Ford Island, with the torpedo bombers en route to battle ship row. The first wave lasts until 0945 with 4 battleships sunk, 8 badly damaged, 200 U.S. aircraft destroyed and multiple smaller ships lost. A secondary attack is launched as well, with the total casualty count tallying in roughly 2,400 U.S. personal killed, and 1,200 wounded. A nation-wide broadcast of the “Sneak Attack” hits the airwaves, rallying the nation