This paper analyzed Editors’ (2012) view of the causations of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the planning of the Japanese and U.S. military commanders on the attack of Pearl Harbor. Also, this paper will suggest that World War II started in Japan years before historians believe the war was initiated in Europe. Japan’s early aggression to its neighboring countries has significant and critical causations of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Editors (2012) suggested that Japan was drawn to wage war with the U.S. and the European due to their imperialistic ambitions. Japan’s ambitions were a dangerous notion that led to their demise. Editors (2012) also provided the U.S. military commanders ill assumption of the Japanese and its ill …show more content…
It was a tactical victory for the Japanese but I think they missed the opportunity to fully incapacitate the U.S. naval forces to reorganize its manufacturing capacity. The Japanese forces overlooked to target the supplies and main fuel storage in Pearl Harbor. To prove my point, the U.S. was known to have a vast industrial capability and the ability to manufacture airplanes in a very short period of time. The Japanese forces were not decisive on targeting the warships and aircraft carriers. The raid was simply not enough to delay the U.S. from launching a counter attack in time for the Japanese to meet their goals. My assumptions of a flawed Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor would still not negate the fact that the U.S. forces were unprepared. The U.S. military commanders knew that war with Japan was imminent and yet they ignored the signs or failed to capitalize on defending Pearl Harbor. I then analyzed the U.S. military commanders in Pearl Harbor and their concept of operations before the attack occurred. Lieutenant General Walter Short was the U.S. Army commander in charge of the defenses of Pearl Harbor. I questioned Lt. Gen. Short’s point of view of why the harbor’s defenses were so unprepared. According to Editors (2012), Lt. Gen. Short believed that Japanese attackers would initiate war in open seas. He feared sabotage was more
There were numerous strategic and political reasons that lead to the bombing of Pearl Harbour on December 7th, 1941. However nationalism, militarism and imperialistic notions were key influential factors, which together contributed to the almost complete annihilation of the US Pacific fleet. Based on Japan’s nationalistic beliefs of superiority over Asian nations, the surprise attack attempted to fulfill a change in the balance of power within South East Asia and expose the vulnerability of the West.
The main focus on this essay is “Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor?”. On a normal Sunday morning when the American navy units were busy doing their normal routine work, the Japanese navy planned a surprise attack that stunned the world. This attack was so unpredictable that the entire American navy went in deep shock. Very few of them realized the need to manage and control their position to save the naval power. All the staff and ships that were present at the Pearl Harbor suffered massive loss. Just a couple of hours of bombing gave the Pearl Harbor, a battlefield view with fire and smoke emerging from every corner. The attack left American navy at a loss of 2400 of her best men as well as 21 ships that were either sunk or completely demolished.
Sections 2: Investigation The Battle of Midway was a drastic war between the United States and Japan on the small island of Midway, Atoll. In the hot, bright summer of June, 1942 had become a grim, dark period. A battle that brought tides of the attack on both sides due to their past actions such as, when Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor and now wanted to get more territorial land. And on the other hand America’s attack on Tokyo.
On December 2, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, sinking and disabling 19 battleships and destroying aircraft 188 and 159. A newspaper from 1945 states that President Roosevelt described the attack as “a day that will live in infamy”. This shows how devastating the attack was and how big of an impact it had on the U.S. The attack began with dive-bombers attacking the navy and marine airfields to neutralize American air power so that the attack on the warships could proceed without any problems. Amid the roar of engines and the crash of bombs, Japan turned Pearl Harbor into a smoke-filled inferno of blazing, exploding warships and installations.
The events of December 7th1941 on Pearl Harbor are ones that along with many others will forever remain written down as a historic day in not just in history but in naval and military history as well. In this essay I will first explain and describe the Pearl Harbor attack. I will do that in the perspective of a male veteran who at the time was stationed at Pearl Harbor as a U.S. Navy cadet describing the events of that topic to a news anchor for a local newspaper. I also explain what happened after the attack and explain if there was any possible way to prevent it. Next, I will transition to playing the role of the news anchor and describe the events of September 11th 2001. I will interview a person who survived that terrorist attack and
In Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War by Akira Iriye, the author explores the events and circumstances that ended in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, an American naval base. Iriye assembles a myriad of primary documents, such as proposals and imperial conferences, as well as essays that offer different perspectives of the Pacific War. Not only is the material in Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War informative of the situation between Japan and the United States, but it also provides a global context that allows for the readers to interpret Pearl Harbor and the events leading up to it how they may. Ultimately, both Pearl Harbor and the subsequent Pacific War between
“Suddenly, in the early morning of December 7… the carriers released their planes, each stamped with a red sun representing the Japanese flag, swept down on the unsuspecting American naval base… dropping torpedoes and bombs.” President Roosevelt described Pearl Harbor as “a date which will live in infamy,” and launched the neutral United States into World War II. As every AP United States history textbook states, Japan suddenly attacked Pearl Harbor. Yet each book fails to mention a comprehensive explanation behind Japanese motives, such as Japanese politics, nationalism, and the divided nation. Although Pearl Harbor had one of the most significant impacts on the war, not much was mentioned from the Japanese perspective. If the United States adhered to their policy of neutrality, given the exceptions of the Lend Lease Act, shooting German u-boats at sight etc., why would the Japanese illogically decide to provoke the US? Every coin has two sides, and I wanted to learn about Japan’s perspective, instead of accepting the simplistic one sentence explanation I learned previously. This book certainly did not fail my expectations, for it provided a timeline of the complex year for Japan, detailed the failures of the government, the warring government officials, and thoroughly explained the decision behind why Japan decided to wage an unwinnable war, further slimming their chances of victory by inciting the United States to join.
I believe that the reason why Japan was so successful in attacking Pearl Harbor was because the day of the attack was on an unexpected day and time for such a huge conflict, also because the United States was not prepared for an
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.
On December 7, 1941 the infamous bombing of Pearl Harbour by the Japanese took place, but who was really responsible? Many historians lay the blame with President Franklin D Roosevelt (FDR), citing his approach to the war as antagonistic and inciting a Japanese attack. This report however will highlight that the Japanese were the real antagonises, deliberately and purposely attacking the United States (US), United Kingdom and Holland, and Pearl Harbour was but a pawn in their war plan, thus alleviating FDR of the historical responsibility bequeathed to him over the last 70 years. The key elements within this review focus on Japan's Pacific War plans, FDR's
December 7, 1941 was one of America’s darkest days. This was the day of the famous pearl harbor bombing. This attack came from the Japanese attacking the American Naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack had been in the planning for many years to attack and weaken the United States Naval force. Japan wanted to do this to gain more superiority in the Atlantic and to grow their ties with European nations. In this paper I will talk about the people, the planning, the attack, and the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor bombing.
On a pleasant and beautiful Sunday, December 7, 1984, Japan implemented a surprise attack on the US Naval Base in Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii which gave United States a door to enter into World War II. Even though Japan did not follow through with the attack causing the third wave of bombers to break contact from dropping bombs to finish off the rest of the fleet docking in Pearl Harbor, it was a well prepared, and carefully orchestrated attack on the Americans because the Japanese followed almost all the nine Principles of War. However there was one principle that the Japanese did not executed causing them to surrender later on in World War II.
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.
The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941 remains a clear memory for both nations. Everything seemed to have played in favor of the Empire of Japan; from planning, to gathering the necessary resources, the silent 3,300 nautical mile journey of the task force and ultimately the attack itself. From a tactical standpoint the attack was one of the most ingenious naval operations in history. With the loss of four U.S. battleships, 180 Aircraft, and 2,400 sailors the attack can be chalked up as a “win” for Japan. But since the surprise attack was conducted without a formal declaration of war, it may have been
Shortly before 8am on Sunday 7 December 1941 , the first of two waves of Japanese aircraft launched a devastating attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet, moored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The raid, which came with no warning and no declaration of war, destroyed four battleships, leaving an additional 4 damaged in merely two hours. The attack destroyed 188 US aircraft, killed more than 2,400 Americans, and injured another 1,200 . Although remembered as “the day that will live in infamy”, the exact reason behind the attack on Pearl Harbor still remains unknown. Some believe that the Japanese were galvanized by Germany to attack the United States because of the assumption that the United States would be unable to concentrate all of its resources toward the fight with Japan. Germany desired assistance in the fight during World War II and, because of that, nearly guaranteed the United States’ defeat if Japan attacked. On the other side, it is believed that the Japanese prompted the Pacific war with the attack on Pearl Harbor in order to eliminate their primary competitor for resources in the Pacific and fulfill its destiny of creating a “greater East Asian co-prosperity sphere” .