Pearl Harbor: What happened?

[webfact]

Pearl Harbor: What happened?

 

 

It was at 7:55 am local time on December 7, 1941 that Japanese planes launched a surprise and devastating attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

 

The bombing of the American Pacific Fleet catapulted the United States into World War Two.

 

The following day President Roosevelt told Congress that December 7, 1941 was “a date which will live in infamy”.

 

He said: “The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of Japan. As Commander in Chief of the army and navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defence.”

 

The loss of life from Pearl Harbor was colossal. Some 2,400 Americans were killed as the Pacific Fleet was pounded. The US was utterly unprepared and unable to put up meaningful resistance.

 

Besides the Americans who perished, 1,178 were wounded. A dozen US warships were sunk or heavily damaged in the attack.

Having declared war on Tokyo on December 8, 1941, the United States threw itself into efforts to defeat the enemy.

 

Some of the fiercest fighting was seen in the Guadalcanal campaign of 1942 and 1943 in the Solomon Islands, seen as a significant strategic victory for the Americans and allies over the Japanese.

 

At the end of the war, in 1945, US atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and marked the final chapter in the confrontation between the United States and imperial Japan.

 

On December 7, 2016, exactly 75 years on, US veterans honoured fallen comrades who had perished in Pearl Harbor – an attack that marked a turning point in US and global history.

 

Some returned to the scene of the bloodbath, where a special memorial honours the battleship USS Arizona. It sank with 1,177 officers and crew on board and lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-12-27

[phantomfiddler]

The only "good" thing about Pearl Harbor was that it brought the Americans, previously reticent, into the war and helping their allies as they should have been in the first place.

[Pimay1]

33 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

The only "good" thing about Pearl Harbor was that it brought the Americans, previously reticent, into the war and helping their allies as they should have been in the first place.

There is nothing "good" about 2,400 people losing their lives.

[halloween]

Yep, big surprise. Could hardly expect the US to remember how the Japanese began their war with Russia.  "After negotiations broke down in 1904, the Japanese Navy opened hostilities by attacking the Russian Eastern Fleet at Port Arthur in a surprise attack. "  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War.

 

And highly unlikely that the Brits would bother to tell them that Thailand and Malaya were being invaded.  " The Japanese Invasion of Malaya began just after midnight on 8 December 1941 (local time) before the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was the first major battle of the Pacific War, " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_invasion_of_Malaya

[geriatrickid]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

The only "good" thing about Pearl Harbor was that it brought the Americans, previously reticent, into the war and helping their allies as they should have been in the first place.

 

They were, indirectly and at a very steep price. Lend lease wasn't a giveaway.

[ThaiFelix]

The US govt wanted to enter the war but the US people didnt.  Pearl Harbour was exactly what the govt needed in order to turn the public's opinion.  They had a pretty good idea it was going to happen:  they had earlier depth charged a mini sub near the harbour entrance and the main Jap fleet had not long disappeared but last seen heading  that way.  Whatever, its so sad that so many innocent lives were lost thinking they were there to defend their country.

[rabas]

1 hour ago, ThaiFelix said:

The US govt wanted to enter the war but the US people didnt.  Pearl Harbour was exactly what the govt needed in order to turn the public's opinion.  They had a pretty good idea it was going to happen:  they had earlier depth charged a mini sub near the harbour entrance and the main Jap fleet had not long disappeared but last seen heading  that way.  Whatever, its so sad that so many innocent lives were lost thinking they were there to defend their country.

 

Before going to sound bite conclusions, read the real history from the people and admirals involved. An in depth investigation.

trigger warning: This report was written in 1944 before sound bites when even ordinary people used complex reasoning.

You need to read the whole story to get to the picture. But fascinating, it was a big question then as well.

 

http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/myths/Missing_Carriers.html

Edited December 27, 2016 by rabas

[IMA_FARANG]

As Admiral Yamamoto asked when he heard about the Pearl Harbor results, "And the carriers, how maay aircraft cariers did we sink?"

When he was told there were no aircrat carriers as thry were not in Peal Harbor but out on a training exercise at the time, Yamamoto reportdly said, "Now we have wakened a sleeping Tiger, and he has powerful claws"

In 1945 the U.S. naval ship building  industry actually built and launched more aircraft carriers in one  single day than the IImperial Japanese Navy had left in their entire Navy fleet by then.

The sleeping Tiger had woken up, and by 1944 the bombs were being droped from the Tiger's aircraft carriers on Japanese cities.

Although it is a seperate topic, my father acually joined the U.S. Army in early 1942 about 2 months after Pearl Harbor, and eventually served in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and eventually into Austria  by the war's end.

I was born in October 1946 after my father was demobed frm the Army in 1945.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2016 by IMA_FARANG
corect typos

[Honthy]

4 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

The only "good" thing about Pearl Harbor was that it brought the Americans, previously reticent, into the war and helping their allies as they should have been in the first place.

 

why don't you dig into the subject a bit 555

[Krataiboy]

There is documented proof that Roosevelt was warned of a possible attack on Pear Harbour three days before the event. While interesting, the movement of US warships in and out of the harbour is less germane than the failure of the US intelligence community, in view of the heads-up, to recognise the threat posed by the Japanese carrier fleet.

 

One is struck by the parallel between the events of 1941 and the events half a century later when despite prior warnings the US airforce proved powerless to prevent attacks on Twin Towers and other targets.

 

(Yes, I know - I'm just another of those crazy conspiracy theorists).

[Enoon]

4 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

The only "good" thing about Pearl Harbor was that it brought the Americans, previously reticent, into the war and helping their allies as they should have been in the first place.

 

America was not obliged to enter the war as there were no treaties extant that compelled them to.

 

It had no alliances with any European nation. (One of it's inter-war strategic scenarios considered the possibility of the UK as an enemy)

 

The US went to war against Japan because Japan attacked them.

 

The US went to war against Germany because Adolf Hitler, in his madness, then declared war on the US.

 

German declaration of war against the United States (1941) - Wikipedia

"In fact, Hitler's declaration of war came as a great relief to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who feared the possibility of two parallel but disconnected wars – the UK and Soviet Union versus Germany in Europe, and the US and the British Empire versus Japan in the Far East and the Pacific."

 

Only then did the US acquire "allies" and become one of the allied nations.

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2016 by Enoon

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, Krataiboy said:

I'm just another of those crazy conspiracy theorists

Well said.

[elgordo38]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

an attack that marked a turning point in US and global history.

Yes a fact that we are well aware of today. The likes of George Bush and his Iraq "war" is but a small taste. The man is a war criminal plain and simple yet still walks among us. 

[elgordo38]

3 hours ago, ThaiFelix said:

The US govt wanted to enter the war but the US people didnt.

Yes your right and a lot of conspiracy theories are tied to this. Theory or fact will we ever know the truth or the "truth" the government feeds us. 

[freebyrd]

5 hours ago, Pimay1 said:

There is nothing "good" about 2,400 people losing their lives.

 

Fair point, but how many of the 50 million that died would have lived if the 'greatest nation on earth' had really shown the stuff it purported, and still purports to be made of, had entered the fray 2 years earlier?

[Thaidream]

The Japanese attacked because they feared strangulation by the American Government's policy of denying essential resources  such as steel and oil and felt threatened by Russia and China. Japan felt it must go to war with the US and tried to catch the American Fleet in Pearl Harbor. The Aircraft carriers were not there and they knew they had made a grave error.America indeed did awake and carved out the greatest call to arms and armament industry in the World. My father and his brother enlisted in the Marine Corps and Navy and were sent to some of the worst battles in the Pacific. My mother worked 12 hours per day in an aircraft factory. America was united as never before.

The Americans and British were allies in the War and are still the same today. America was supplying armaments to the British in the 30's and 40's and of course the Americans and British planned the D day invasion together. There are some Brits and also Americans who will claim that neither side needed the other but the majority of people on both sides knew that the war could not have been won without the skills of either side.  Britain had superior intelligence and a professional well trained military while America had superior numbers and equipment as well as the potential for all the armaments needed to win. The German Army at the time was massive and capable and had its own massive armament industry- of course- fuelled by 'slave' labor.

The British suffered greatly during the war years  with 28,000 killed and another 25,000 wounded during the German Blitz on London and other areas. That is a huge number compared to their population.  In addition the total UK deaths from the war (which includes British colonies) is a staggering 380,000 and the Americans lost over 400,000 dead.  

Absolute madness in the World at that time and it appears there is still madness out there in the form of ISIS and others who want to force their ideology on others.

[optad]

There is no doubt the US have been opportunistic entrants into world war. Roosevelt certainly was more eurocentric than his backers  and Pearl Harbor a godsend in trigger terms. Morally the US should have been there 1940ish.

 

The US  declared  themselves neutral in 1914. It does that nation no favors with historical hindsight that it entered in 1917 after so many had been buried.  America in the twentieth century has proven to be  a war monger but not an initial  partner when matters countered.

[canuckamuck]

There was a pretty big bill for that war, but that money all went somewhere. Good business war is.

[ilostmypassword]

11 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

There was a pretty big bill for that war, but that money all went somewhere. Good business war is.

Well, it did pull America out of the Great Depression. At the end of the war, America's debt to gdp ratio was the highest it's ever been.

[yardrunner]

8 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

 

They were, indirectly and at a very steep price. Lend lease wasn't a giveaway.

no but American policies at the end of the war finished the ruination of the UK economy and the dissolution of the British Empire. (and the end of empire was not a bad thing) 

[lungbing]

The end of the empire lead to the death of millions of people in India and Africa and  that is still happening today.

[Prbkk]

3 hours ago, optad said:

There is no doubt the US have been opportunistic entrants into world war. Roosevelt certainly was more eurocentric than his backers  and Pearl Harbor a godsend in trigger terms. Morally the US should have been there 1940ish.

 

The US  declared  themselves neutral in 1914. It does that nation no favors with historical hindsight that it entered in 1917 after so many had been buried.  America in the twentieth century has proven to be  a war monger but not an initial  partner when matters countered.

 

Powerful forces in the Democrats did everything they could to stop entry to the European theatre of war: mostly of Irish heritage and for reasons that are well-understood.

[elgordo38]

6 hours ago, freebyrd said:

'greatest nation on earth' had really shown the stuff it purported, and still purports to be made of, had entered the fray 2 years earlier?

Government like to garner the support of the people before declaring war. Reverse physcology in case things go south. 

[GOLDBUGGY]

8 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

As Admiral Yamamoto asked when he heard about the Pearl Harbor results, "And the carriers, how maay aircraft cariers did we sink?"

When he was told there were no aircrat carriers as thry were not in Peal Harbor but out on a training exercise at the time, Yamamoto reportdly said, "Now we have wakened a sleeping Tiger, and he has powerful claws"

In 1945 the U.S. naval ship building  industry actually built and launched more aircraft carriers in one  single day than the IImperial Japanese Navy had left in their entire Navy fleet by then.

The sleeping Tiger had woken up, and by 1944 the bombs were being droped from the Tiger's aircraft carriers on Japanese cities.

Although it is a seperate topic, my father acually joined the U.S. Army in early 1942 about 2 months after Pearl Harbor, and eventually served in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and eventually into Austria  by the war's end.

I was born in October 1946 after my father was demobed frm the Army in 1945.

 

 

 

 

Had the war lasted 5 more years, you would be 5 years younger now. 

[copa8]

8 hours ago, Thaidream said:

In addition the total UK deaths from the war (which includes British colonies) is a staggering 380,000 and the Americans lost over 400,000 dead.  

 

Both Chinese & Russian military and civilian deaths are about 70X more (15-27 million mark).

[Basil B]

I think the key word here is intelligence...

 

And the lack of it...

Like only running radar during daylight hours, sending urgent "intelligence" telegrams by post... 

[Scott]

Troll post removed.  

 

[billmichael]

On 12/5/2016 at 0:13 AM, elgordo38 said:

Its always good to be open minded. I am sure Charlton Heston has kicked you out of the gun clan and Michael Moore stands ready to embrace you. 

 

20 hours ago, rabas said:

 

Before going to sound bite conclusions, read the real history from the people and admirals involved. An in depth investigation.

trigger warning: This report was written in 1944 before sound bites when even ordinary people used complex reasoning.

You need to read the whole story to get to the picture. But fascinating, it was a big question then as well.

 

http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/myths/Missing_Carriers.html

 I took the time to read and found this near the very end as part of a conclusion:

" And finally, it is also clear that the carriers, instead of being wrapped in cotton and stashed away in a box like fragile Christmas ornaments, were being used as warships with orders to seek, locate and destroy. "

 

My question would be why "...seek, locate and destroy." at a time when we had not yet declared war?

 

It is almost pointless to discuss this now.  What causes me pain is the thought of so many young men from both sides at the bottom of the seas.  Boys who never got to grow up.  What a sad day it was and is.

 

[i claudius]

23 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

 

They were, indirectly and at a very steep price. Lend lease wasn't a giveaway.

No Britain only just stopped paying America for their Generosity" of selling us arms to fight the war a few years ago . that is why while Germany thrived after the war Britain was broke for many many years .

[ilostmypassword]

36 minutes ago, billmichael said:

 

 I took the time to read and found this near the very end as part of a conclusion:

" And finally, it is also clear that the carriers, instead of being wrapped in cotton and stashed away in a box like fragile Christmas ornaments, were being used as warships with orders to seek, locate and destroy. "

 

My question would be why "...seek, locate and destroy." at a time when we had not yet declared war?

 

It is almost pointless to discuss this now.  What causes me pain is the thought of so many young men from both sides at the bottom of the seas.  Boys who never got to grow up.  What a sad day it was and is.

 

Yes, they were being used to seek locate and destroy. And according to the document you linked to, the orders to do so came after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.