Theu.s. Navy And Naval Aviation

The attack on Pearl Harbor was devastating and almost everyone knows how the US responded and how many people were killed but I want to tell you about the event from the Japanese point of view in this essay. First they needed a reason to attack, some type of motive for destroying one of America’s great naval bases. For the Japanese the Pacific was an easy and tactical target due to the lack of resistance in many of the islands giving access to the U.S. and gaining territory at the same time. The only problem was Pearl Harbor, the American naval base in the pacific, so the solution was to eliminate the base before it became a factor. To many taking down Pearl Harbor is an almost impossible task especially for the Japanese; as they had to travel across the Pacific and once they got to Pearl Harbor they would be confronted by 100 ships, a few hundred planes and artillery such as AA units. But in the mind of the Japanese it was an easy attack, as they thought they had the best navy and air force in the world and

It was one of the worst attacks on American soil; it is second to 9/11.The main reason Japan attacked was due to America cutting off 90% of their exports. America decided to do this, with the help of other nations, because Japan was attacking China. Obviously, this was a blow to Japan and out of frustration they retaliated by taking out America's biggest weapon, the US Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor. This sneak attack occurred on December 7, 1942 and caused approximately 3,500 casualties.(“Why Was Pearl”) Pearl Harbor forced Americans to make some difficult decisions and change their attitude when faced with a direct threat.

The American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked by the Japanese navy and air force because of the economic sanctions and embargos placed on Japan by the United States government. The tension between the United States and Japan were very high. Japan had forcefully expanded into China

Another Japanese target was the Philippine Islands, which at the time was an American territory. The Japanese presumed if they attacked the Philippine Islands, the American’s military would respond. So rather than taking the Philippine Islands, the Japanese decided to attack Pearl Harbor believing it will neutralize the U.S. thus leaving them defenseless against the Japanese who would then take the Islands. Pearl Harbor, being on Hawaii, would appear to be easier to attack because it relativity of being an Island. It’s around water which makes ships easier to arrive, planes can easily drop bombs and leave and since they arrived surprisingly, the Navy was not prepared.

Pearl Harbor is a naval base on the island Oahu, Hawaii, it is also a major site of the U.S navy. A surprise attack happened by a fleet of around 1200 Japanese borne fighter planes on a Sunday morning on December 7, 1941, it imposed heavy damage to the harbor and that brought the U.S into World War II. The reason the attack on Pearl Harbor started was because the U.S put sanctions on Japan and that cut off the majority of their oil supply because Japan was a part of the axis forces; Germany Italy. Before the Pearl Harbor attack the United States was against getting into the war it had a policy called isolationism. One has to remember that just 20 years prior the United States was involved in World War I with many of the citizens not wanting

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 surprise attack that the Japanese attempted and succeeded on Pearl Harbor caused great damage and grief. The surprise attack caused the United States to join WWII, fix up the Pacific Fleet after all the damage the planes caused, and build a memorial for those lost in the awful attack. The Pearl Harbor attack caused an abundance of damage and heartbreak that lead the United States to build a memorial of the attack.

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.

On the seventh of December, 1941, U.S. naval base Pearl Harbor suffered the damage of a surprise attack from 100s of Japanese planes. Being twice as far a distance from Japan as it was from the U.S. mainlands, the port near Honolulu, Hawaii was the target least expected by America. Rather than protecting Pearl Harbor, America was focusing on the areas that had been expecting an attack, such as the Dutch East Indies, Singapore, and Indochina, which were all European colonies in the South Pacific. Since Pearl Harbor was both full of important American warcraft and fairly unprotected, it was the perfect target for a Japanese attack. The reasoning behind the attack was simple. After a war broke out between Japan and China, sprouting from Japan’s attempt at growth, America refused to supply Japan with

Japan had been preparing for this invasion for a while now and had practiced it for months. The people of the United States had become naïve and thought they were invulnerable because of their military strength. However, they were tremendously wrong. In the early hours of the morning, over 300 Japanese planes barraged Pearl Harbor unrelentingly with bombs. The bombs seemed to fall like a torrential downpour in a storm and decimated the ground below. Many people were still sleeping when the invasion occurred; this caused the death toll and the damage to be significantly higher because the soldiers were not ready or able to defend the base. Over “2,400 servicemen were killed, about half of them dying aboard the USS Arizona. Nearly 1,200 were wounded” (Laurie 2). In addition, many United States naval ships were significantly damaged. The Japanese wanted to “cripple the U.S. Navy” (Laurie 1) to prevent it from helping other foreign countries defend themselves from attacks from the Axis powers (the Axis powers were made up of Japan, Germany, Italy, Hungary, and many other smaller nations). In addition to this reason, the Japanese wanted to get revenge on the United States for helping the Allies (the Allies were made up of Great Britain, Russia, France, and other smaller countries at the time) by giving them materials such as food, weapons, and ammunition and to prevent them from continuing to do so. Part of the reason the attack was so successful at crippling the United States Navy and why it killed so many people was because “intelligence failures contributed to a lack of preparedness” (Laurie 1). Many military officials did not expect an attack on United States soil over 3,000 miles from Japan so they did not have a very good defense system in place. After the invasion, the Japanese thought the attack was a complete success and accomplished everything that they hoped it

Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan in one of the most destructive naval battles of World War II. The U.S. was unable to counter Japan’s planned ambush of its few remaining aircraft carriers, causing permanent damage on the Japanese Navy. It was also a big turning point in the Pacific campaign. The victory allowed the United States and its allies to move into an offensive possession.

"The attack on Pearl Harbor, which was influenced by a successful British attack that used carrier aircraft against an Italian fleet at Taranto, Italy, the previous year, was essentially a last best-hope for Japanese success in the Pacific"(Pearl Harbor history net). Yamamatoto was the brains behind this operation. He studied in the United States so he knew Japan didn't have the power to defeat the United States with normal battles. Yamamatoto wanted a third wave of attack but the Japanese feared an attack at home. The fuel reserves enabled the remainder of the fleet to continue to operate, and failure to destroy the submarine base allowed submarines to play a major role in the Pacific War (Pearl Harbor history net). The Japanese failure to destroy the submarine base resulted in the remainder of the fleet to continue operating. “Two of the aircraft carriers that are usually posted at Pearl Harbor were out delivering planes to Midway”(John). This left two of America's assets undamaged. As President Roosevelt said “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again”(Pearl Harbor History.com). THe words of PResident Roosevelt really moved the people leading them to do something about the

Pearl Harbor was a naval base located in Hawaii. It was considered by most a wonderful “home away from home” for the men who preserved America’s interests abroad. Even though Europe was involved in a bitter world war, in the Pacific, there were no signs of trouble. During this time, Great Britain was at war with Germany and Italy, Japan’s allies. The United States attempted to aid Great Britain in every way possible which in turn caused Japan to grow vociferous towards the United States. Japanese anger also focused on the embargos which the United States had placed on American exports to Japan. Above all, Pearl Harbor stood athwart Japan’s path-a navy which Japanese admirals thought capable of menacing their nation’s existence. Because of

The attack against Pearl Harbor was not more than an attempt to deter the U.S via the Pacific fleet from becoming a buffer zone in the war Japan was getting ready to start in Southeast Asia with the intention to expand its empire. Once the American fleet was crippled, the Japanese empire plan was to engage in

Since 1930 the Japanese conquests with the Chinese had cause ever increasing friction with the US. From the early 1940s America had banned exports of strategic materials such as scrap iron and metal to the Japanese Empire, then in 1941 they lead and oil embargo and froze all of the Japanese assets. This had huge effects on the Japanese Empire as they imported 90% of their oil. Because of this the Japanese leadership made the decision to invade and take over neighbouring territories and take their resources which Japan lacked. But before this could be done they faced a great and powerful obstacle, the American naval fleet at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbour. And thus this lead to Japan’s attack on Pearl