Attacking Pearl Harbor

USS Tennessee and USS West Virginia burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 

December 7, 1941 was called by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt a day that will live in infamy, wherein the Imperial Japanese Navy imposed a preemptive strike at Pearl Harbor without any declaration of war killing 2,403 Americans and hampering the US Navy to impose immediate naval actions within the Asia-Pacific region. This caused the official entry of the United States in World War II.

While Europe is in chaos the Empire of Japan were aiming to expand their territory and set themselves as a naval superpower in the Asia-Pacific region. And to achieve their goal they need a great amount of resources. Unfortunately for Japan, one of their main source is the United States, a country that is against their expansion. The friction between the two countries started when Japan occupied Manchuria in 1931 and even reached another level in 1940 when Japan invaded the French Indochina. For this reason Roosevelt imposed a ban on export of scrap iron, steel and oil to Japan (more than 90% of their oil resources are from the US). This prompted Japan to proceed with the plan to take the oil rich Dutch East Indies at the same time of the diplomatic talks in 1941 to improve relations with the US, these talks reached nothing. There is only one problem for Japan in taking and securing Dutch East Indies, Malaya and the rest of Southeast Asia, the United States military. Roosevelt warned Japan in August 17, 1941 that the US is prepared to take actions against Japan if they will attack neighboring countries. Early in that year the US Navy transferred the Pacific fleet from San Diego to Hawaii together with the military build up in the Philippines to discourage Japanese aggression in the Far East. Japan decided to do a preemptive strike at Pearl Harbor.

The immediate objective was to destroy the important American fleet units like battleships and carriers so that they won't be able to intervene with Japanese conquest in Southeast Asia. They also thought that it would buy them time to strengthen and beef up their own navy and with the confidence of a swift victory, Japan hoped that the US would drop their demands against expansions and compromise for peace. Planning started early in 1941 under the auspices of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander of Japan's combined fleet at the time. Japanese pilots trained, adapted equipments and collected intelligence for months. And on December 1, Emperor Hirohito authorized the attack.

At 07:48 of December 7, 1941, the plan was turned into action. For 90 minutes Pearl Harbor was attacked by 353 Japanese aircraft fighters, dive bombers and torpedo bombers in two waves from six aircraft carriers (a third wave was canceled by the fleet commander Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo). It was devastating on the American side. 2,403 lives were lost and 1,178 wounded. 8 battleships, 1 target/AA training ship, 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers and 4 auxiliary ships were lost or damaged. 188 aircrafts are also destroyed and 159 damaged. The Japanese on the other hand suffered minimal losses with 64 killed in action and only one captured. 29 aircrafts were destroyed and 74 damaged by anti-aircraft guns.

The attack quickly united the United States, turning from a country supplying war materials to their ally to a fighting country. The following day of the Pearl Harbor attack Roosevelt delivered his famous “a date that will live in infamy” speech in the joint session of the 77th Congress and declared war on the Empire of Japan.  

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