The Attack on Pearl Harbor Essay

On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, at 7:55 AM the Japanese Empire led a surprise attack on the US Naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, that would leave millions of Americans in shock, and heartbroken. Before the attack, the United States kept a low profile on International affairs, and concentrated on the domestic affairs at hand. This tragic moment in American history forever remembered. It is a mournful day for the American people, although, for the Japanese Empire it was an honorable day, one they would call a

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval plus the air forces of the Empire of Japan.” The bombing of Pearl Harbor was the start of America’s entrance into the Second World War. Just before 08:00 on the Sunday morning, hundreds of fighter planes descended onto the naval base incapacitating almost 20 naval vessels along with over 300 airplanes. The attack on Pearl Harbor also killed over 2,400 Americans

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy . . .” These famous lines were spoken the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave this speech to the U.S. Congress on December 8, 1941. Many criticized the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but the decision to attack America was wisely made. The Americans were going to enter the war sooner or later, and on the allies’ side. The attack on Pearl Harbor would hurt the United States’ strongest defense and kill many Americans. This was the first terrorist attack on the United States, by another country, which came as a total shock to many people.

On November 26, 1941, the Japanese Task Force comprised of six aircraft carriers. A support force, which included two battleships, three cruisers, nine destroyers, three submarines, escorted it and eight oil supply ships, began their trek to Hawaii. They must travel four thousand miles across open sea and remain undetected by the UNITED STATES Forces. (Wisniewski 20) The UNITED STATES Military knew a surprise attack by Japan was possible and they thought they were prepared. Adm. Husband E. Kimmel and Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short, the commanders of the UNITED STATES Naval and Army forces in Hawaii, respectively, had regularly scheduled training exercises and had taken many precautions to avert disaster. (Pearl Harbor’s History, Filmstrip)

There were many events that led up to Japan making the decision to bomb Pearl Harbor. It all started with Japan wanting to expand their power. Japan was an island nation, it was

“A date which will live in infamy” . This is a quote said to congress by the Commander- in- Chief Franklin Roosevelt. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor Roosevelt asked congress to declare war on Japan. Pearl Harbor was a surprise to the United States, a great plan to the Japanese Empire, and a gateway to World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor took a toll on countries all over the world. That day in 1941 has been and forever will be the most infamous act of the Japanese Empire.

Introduction – Pearl Harbor was vulnerable to attack because of the obstruction of defense and warning.

It wasn’t a sudden decision of the Japanese army to bomb Pearl Harbor, it was a long series of events which led to Pearl Harbor bombing. In fact, in the years antecedent to 1941 there was a lot of tension between the two countries. There were several events which scattered the attack on Pearl Harbor which was then used by the American government as an alibi to declare war to Japan. Over the course of the 1930s, Japan's increasingly expansionist policies brought it into renewed conflict with its neighbors, Russia and China (1).

Planning had begun early in 1941 under the oversight of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. He won approval for formal planning and training for an attack from the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff, but only after much conflict with the Japanese Naval Headquarters (Parshall, 2011). Over the next several months, pilots were trained, equipment was prepared, and intelligence was collected. Despite these preparations, Emperor Hirohito did not approve the attack plan until November 5, 1941. By late 1941 many people in the United States and the general public in Japan believed that the conflict between the two nations was imminent. While United States Pacific bases had been placed on high alert on many occasions, but U.S. officials doubted Pearl Harbor would be the first target; instead, they expected the Philippines would be attacked first. They also believed that Japan was not capable of mounting more than one major naval operation at a time (Parshall, 2011). Ever since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, there has been much debate as to how and why the United States was caught off-guard by the attack, and how much American officials knew of these Japanese

The United States were wanting to stay out of oversea affairs but with the sudden attack it gave President Roosevelt no choice but to enter the war. When Pearl Harbour was bombed, the United States affective immediately declared war against Japan. All six of the Japanese Aircraft Carriers which were involved with the attack were sunk by the Americans. There were multiple sea battles, bombing raids, and ultimately it led to the dropping of two bombs, one on Hiroshima and the other on Nagasaki. The Japanese leadership wanted to fight a weakened foe, so they tried to conquer the Pacific while the rest of the world was fighting elsewhere.

It was a bright Sunday morning on December 7, 1941. Citizens were starting off their day just like any other day in Hawaii. Ships that were docked on the Hawaiian shores were ready to depart that morning. Along with the ships were 43,000 American soldiers.The skies were quiet and beautiful. But then, at 7:53 a.m, the streets were suddenly filled with terrified people, screaming and shouting, running for their lives. Nobody was prepared for the following attack.

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan…It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.” (Senate Document No. 148) This speech would echo through history as the moment the United States officially entered the most costly five year period in all of human history. President Roosevelt continued stating multiple islands and American

Misconception? On December 7, 1941 the Japanese launched an “unexpectedly” attacked Pearl Harbor. The event lead to the deaths of 2,403 Americans. The attack is seen as complete unjustifiable attack.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces executed a surprise attack on a naval base stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Japanese were able to destroy American naval supplies including vessels, battleships, and airplanes. As a result of the attack, more than 2,000 Americans were killed some of which were soldiers and civilians, and at least 1,000 were injured. The attack was planned perfectly for they attacked early on a Sunday morning, which caught the people in Honolulu, Hawaii off guard. The Japanese were able to carry out their attack on the United States because of various spies, their interference with American technology, and the secrecy of their strategies. The attack led to Franklin D. Roosevelt announcing that the position of the United States would be changing from a neutral nation to an allied force.

“December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” (Roosevelt). Japan surprise attacked the Hawaiian naval base, Pearl Harbor, approximately at 7:55 am. The intent of the Japanese strike was to prevent the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with plans to seize overseas territories belonging to United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States.