How Did Yamamatoto's Attack On Pearl Harbor

“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

The attack on Pearl Harbor was the product of Japanese anger at the United States and President Roosevelt should have taken immediate action to prevent it.

December 7, 1941, was one of the worst attacks on the United States in U.S. history. Of that day 2,403 soldiers were killed in action, 1,178 were wounded in action. Numerous U.S. armed forces personnel were misjudged, which allowed the Japanese to carry out this terrible attack. Not only did the Japanese hit the U.S. where they knew it would hurt the most, but it crippled the United States’ entire Pacific Fleet.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, was the principal architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Yamamoto himself was personally opposed to war with the UNITED STATES, but knew that Japan’s only hope of success would be to achieve a quick and decisive victory. Japan needed to knock out the UNITED STATES Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. (Pearl Harbor’s History, Filmstrip)

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, early in the morning Japan attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. Nobody expected this. Japanese planes destroyed approximately 20 American naval vessels, and nearly 300 airplanes. 2000 American people were killed, and more than 100 injured.

The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941 and started at 0755. A total of four bombs hit the U.S.S. Arizona. “Another plane dropped a 1,700 pound bomb on the U.S.S. Arizona. The bomb crashed through the ship’s deck and into its magazine”(Santella 27). The bomb ignited over one thousand pounds of black powder. The entire ship’s band died in the attack along with twenty-three sets of brothers. The U.S.S. Arizona was the site of almost half of the casualties at Pearl

The Japanese concluded that our military would be too big and strong in a couple of years, so Japan decided to strike first and bombed Pearl Harbor. The Prime Minister and War Minister of Japan said “when I think about the strengthening of American defenses in the Southwest Pacific, the expansion of the American fleet,...I see no end to the difficulties...I fear that we would become a third-class nation after two or three years if we just sat tight.” Japan bombed Pearl Harbor because they believed if they waited too long, the U.S would be unstoppable.

The first attack against the U.S. done by the Japanese was the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor just before 8 a.m., it was devastating. The Japanese fighter planes destroyed around 20 naval ships and eight of them were some of the United State’s biggest battleships. The Japanese didn’t just destroy vessels, they also managed to destroy around 300 airplanes. The amount of American soldier’s lives lost was heart-rending, there were over 2,000 Soldiers and Sailors lost from the American fleet. There were also more than 1,000 wounded or critically injured on that horrifying day. The day of the Pearl Harbor attacks became known as “a date which will live in infamy”, and this day was only the beginning. This was only the midpoint of Japan’s attacks, the second half was the Bataan Death March.

When the attack on Pearl Harbor was over, many people died or they suffered critical injuries. Moreover,the attack was a complete surprise to the citizens that live in Fort Island. According to,(www.history.com) the attack took around 10 minutes. Also,”the total number of military personnel killed was 2,335”(visitpearlharbor.org). There was also, “2,008 navy personnel, 109 marines, and 218 army”(visitpearlharbor.org). Additionally, there was “68 civilians” that died with most of them were from the USS Arizona by 1,177 people (visitpearlharbor.org). Not to mention,the amount of people who were injured “came in 1,143” (visitpearlharbor.org). In addition,the “Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships” (www.history.com).

The Japanese Pacific Commander, Admiral Yamamoto, believed that in order for Japan to win full control the Pacific, they’d need to take down the US Naval Fleet once and for all. Yamamoto almost chose to attack Pearl Harbour, however America’s land-based air power had gotten much stronger since the bombing of Pearl Harbour on the 7th of December 1941, and believed that attacking Pearl Harbour directly would be too risky, and decided battling them somewhere just out of reach from Pearl Harbour would be ideal.

In the early hours of December 7th 1941, The Combined Fleet of Imperial Japanese Navy launched a preemptive military strike on the United States of America. Their target, the U.S Pacific Fleet and its headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii .Their objective to launch a lighting preventative assault on the United States, cripplingly the U.S’s ability to take part in World War Two and contribute to the Allied War effort. The Attack caught the Pacific Fleet completely by surprise, U.S forces only becoming aware of the Japanese presence as they came under fire from waves of Japanese Aircraft and Ships. Inflicting extensive damage, sinking and damaging over a dozen U.S capital ships and hundreds of Aircraft, damaging even more and killing and maiming almost four thousand U.S serviceman at the cost of only Sixty-four Japanese casualties and one captured. Well successful in a tactical sense the attack was considered by many including multiple top level officers in the Japanese military officers as a strategic blunder if not an outright calamity, as the attack causing the previously neutral U.S to enter World War Two on the side of the Allies and lend them its substantial military and industrial might, tipping the odds firmly in the favor of the Allied forces.

interfering with their advances toward the Dutch East Indies.(Pearl Harbor [Page #]). The Japanese believed that the attack would neutralize the U.S. pacific fleet and that the U.S. would not be able to recover in time to stop their advances, but the Japanese decided to not launch the final fleet of planes. This shows that the Japanese did not believe that they needed to do anymore damage and that they had accomplished their mission. The Japanese had the opportunity to severely cripple the U.S. , because the U.S. did not think that they would ever attack.(Pearl Harbor 5). The Japanese thought that the U.S. would handle the attack like they would, by rebuilding and getting more troops and by the time they finish the Japanese thought the U.S. would not care anymore.(Pearl Harbor

In addition, Japan were keen on expanding their empire and had to make a decision between surrendering or going to war with the United States. Lastly, United States had not yet entered the Second World War, because they were still reeling from depression due to the First World War. United States did, however, still possess the strongest naval fleets. In that perspective, the Japanese were almost as strong as the American navy. As time passed, America favored more and more towards joining the war. The Japanese anticipated a full-blown naval war with America and therefore, decided to act first by bombing Pearl Harbor which was a key terrain feature in the Pacific due to it’s massive and deep harbor for naval ships.