KC Hill
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Craig Hill
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Oracle of DelphiDecember 7 - Attack on Pearl Harbour
December 6th 2006 23:18
Japanese Prime MInister Hideki Tojo
December 7, 1941
Today marks the most memorable moment of World War II - The Attack on Pearl Harbour. A surprise Japanese aerial attack on the US port of Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, the moment is seen as the entry point of the United States into World War II, which at that point had been an ongoing conflict for two years between the Western European Coalition agains the Axis - Japan, Germany and Italy.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour stemmed from a long and hostile relationship between the Japanese and the US. Japan's planned invasion of mainland China in 1937 was condemned by the League of Nations, but when the now formidable military power refused to cease offensive actions against China, the United States placed an embargo of all scrap metal and oil to Japan, as well as closing the Panama Canal to Japanese naval traffic.
Contrary to popular belief, it was a well-known fact that the Japanese government and inner cabinets were contemplating an attack on Pearl Harbour. Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo was concerned with the idea of "losing face" and honour if forced to comply with international demands. As such, they demanded that, if Japan's demands were not met by early October, Japan would initiate hostilities against the US, Britain and Netherlands. Pearl Harbour was already known to be a key US port, and there are many reports that the US government knew of a possible attack agains the port.
A Japanese military contingent left Japan on November 26, 1941, armed with six aircraft carriers, and 441 planes among numerous other ships and submarines, all under radio silence. Japan had planned to halt all negotiations with the US thirty minutes before the attack, but due to decryption times and administrative failures, the last message did not reach the US until hours after the attack began.
The attack began at 7.53am Hawaii time on December 7, and lasted an hour and half. The Japanese contingent had eight American battleships to contend with, of which one was destroyed, a further two sunk, and the remaining five damaged to some extent. Two thousand, four hundred and three American soldiers and civilians died in the attack, as opposed to sixty-four Japanese soldiers. The harbour only faced two air strikes, after which the US base was too prepared and ready in order to warrant a third Japanese strike on the base.
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941. Germany and Italy subsequently declared war on the US on December 11, 1941, in concordance with the Axis Agreement between the three countries. The Pearl Harbour was the first in many attacks by the Japanese on Pacific harbours, ports and land bases that led to Japanese expansion in the pacific as far south as Papa New Guinea. The US began to take back Pacific territory with key attacks on the Phillipines and various other islands in late 1944, until Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945.
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Comment by Anonymous
When the movie "Perl Harbour" created the effects of showing how the battle ships destroyed was supperb. But I also heard that there was another film about Perl Harbour from the Japanese point of view because there were critics saying that it was pro American...
Lay-In
Comment by Jimbo
Comment by Jessicca
Learning Something Everyday
Malaysia Found
It wasn't anything about history, just a love story and the writer made use of the time of Perl Harbour. It can be at any time, any where, but since it is an American love story it would be on a place where Americans dwelled. Just as simple as that.
Lay-In, thanks for your continuous support. ^_^
Comment by Justin
Under the leadership of the brilliant General Douglas Macarthur trained some of our troops in Australia (in Melbourne, from memory) to halt the advance of the Japanese that also bombed parts of northern Australia and had small subs enter Sydney harbour.
Like the Americans (and subsequently Japanese as well), Australia also suffered many losses both in the Pacific and France but also in North Africa with the British fighting Rommel.
Comment by Jimbo
Comment by Justin
I feel I have offended and dishonoured you and now I must commit seppuku, or more appropriately, kamikaze!!
Sorry, probably in bad taste, don't mind me, carry on.
Comment by Jimbo
Comment by Daressi
Good guys Americans , they should threw few more A-bombs on Japan.
If you understand what I want to say ...