Attack on Pearl Harbor - 1941
Surprise Military Attack
Photograph of Battleship Row taken from a Japanese plane at the beginning of the attack.
Who was involved in the Attack?
On December 7, 1941, at about 8 a.m, Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor which is located near Honolulu Hawaii. Hundreds of Japanese planes came flying into the base, without any signs or warning and gave the Americans a huge surprise. The attack was between Japanese and Americans.
Background between Japan and America
Japan and the United States had been edging toward for decades and the attack on Pearl Harbor was the last point until they declared war on each other. The U.S was particularly unhappy with Japan's attitude toward China. The Japanese government thought that the only way to solve their economic and demographic problems was to expand to more territory. The Americans want the Japanese to lose access to money, goods, and essential supplies like oil, so they wouldn't be able to expand into places like China. Japan and America had negotiated for quite a bit of time and neither side wouldn't budge and a war was certain to happen.
Warning's of Pearl Harbor!
A warning had been sent out to Pearl Harbor that Japanese were coming to attack but the warning didn't make it on time and this made it a surprise. They did use radar to check for planes, but the Americans thought they were American B-17's which were due from the West Coast. This made a peaceful Sunday morning into dreadful one.
Why did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor Surprisingly?
The Japanese attacked because Japan wanted to neutralize the U.S Pacific Fleet where there was natural resources (oil). Also the U.S had broken the Japanese diplomatic code which is was a way of communicating (a secret code) for Japanese people to talk back and forth. The Americans had broken this code and found out plans the Japanese were going to execute. Japan was planning this attack as early as January 1941 and the Americans could have found out .Also Japan had allied with Germany and this made Japan just want to break relation with America and start war.
Here is a map of Pearl Harbor, showing the sunken, damaged, and destroyer ships.
Fighting Equipment!
Submarines
The submarines were mainly used by the Japanese to execute their plan. The Japanese sent out five submarines on November 25, 1941, just half a month before the attack. On November 6, 1941, a day before the attack, the ships were 10 miles away from pearl harbor. The Japanese used the submarines as their first weapon of attack.
Airplanes
The Japanese managed to take down 300 airplanes that the Americans had to get up without warning. About 100 American planes were able to land safely. The Japanese also used airplanes which came after the submarines started to attack.
Naval Vessels (ships )
There were 20 American naval vessels at sea and 8 enormous battleships along with that.
The Attack!
The Japanese attacked pearl harbor without a declaration of war. The declaration of war was not Admiral Yamamoto's, prime minister of Japan intention at the time. He wanted to attack after telling the United States that the peace negotiations between them were at the end. The Japanese attacked in two waves. The first wave had 183 planes and started to shoot aircraft's so they can make their way further into Pearl Harbor. The second wave consisted of 171 planes. This wave was split into three groups so the Japanese could attack from several directions.
Visual on Pearl Harbor and Cool Facts!
Attack on Pearl Harbor - Footage and Aftermath
Outcome
The Japanese put the Americans into a really tough situation. As the American's didn't know about the Japanese, the Japanese were able to destroy much of the American equipment. The battle lasted 2 hours long, but in this little time, the Japanese left their mark. More than 2,000 American soldiers and sailors were killed during the attack and another 1,000 were wounded. The American soldiers were awarded many medals and honors, some being the Navy Crosses and silver stars. The Japanese lost 55 airmen, 9 submarines shot and broken down by Americans and one was captured. Out of the 414 planes, 24 were lost during battle and another 74 airplanes were damaged.
After affects between Japan and America
One day after the attack, the President of the U.S, Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. The congress approved his declaration with one dissenting vote (opposing vote). Three days later, Japan's allies Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States. This led to America finally joined World War II. America joining the war was what made this attack significant to history.
Cool Facts!
- There was only one dissenting vote when Roosevelt asked the congress if war should be declared on Japan.
- A lieutenant ignored the planes on the radars due to American fighter jets scheduled to arrive that morning. He told others not to worry.
- When the Japanese left Pearl Harbor at 9:45 a.m, the Americans didn't realize the attack wasactually over. They expected another wave to hit.
- Japan wanted to attack the American aircraft carriers but all were out at sea
By, Arjan and Sahil