This article is about the Attack on Pearl Harbor. We explain how the Japanese offensive against the USA came about and help you historical background and consequences of the events to understand.
The US was in December 1941 not yet entered World War II and neutral set. However, they stood United States and Japan since the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) skeptical opposite to. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor to secure their position of power over the US in the Pacific.
Pearl Harbor was a US naval base on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Pearl Harbor is a natural harbor.
How did the attack on Pearl Harbor come about?
the United States had one powerful Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor as a deterrent. In this way they wanted to prevent the Japanese Empire from expanding into Southeast Asia. After this peace negotiations between the US and Japan failed were, prompted Japanese commanders Attack on Pearl Harbor. With that he should US naval base permanently weakened and Japan’s superiority in the Pacific secured will.
Planning the attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was sure that an offensive against the US was not a good idea. Yamamoto did not trust Japan to win a war against the USA. Nevertheless, he planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, because the political leadership of Japan and the army prevailed against his recommendation. So the admiral worked on implementing the idea of a surprise effect. The admiral saw airplanes as the most important offensive weapon of the future. Therefore, the war planes also played an important role in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Background to the attack on Pearl Harbor
At that time Japan was under great pressure as far as the oil supply was concerned: because the USA and Great Britain had one Oil embargo on Japan imposed to the end of Japanese occupation of French Indochina since April 1941 to force. Japan itself had few raw materials and had previously imported four-fifths of its oil from the United States. the Japan’s oil reserves lasted only a few months. This is why it was so important for Japan to gain power in the resource-rich Southeast Asian regions. When diplomatic negotiations between the US and Japan failed, Japan carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor.
An embargo is a ban on importing or exporting goods to or from a certain country. Thus, free trade with this state is disturbed.
Pearl Harbor as a target
The attack on Pearl Harbor marked the Beginning of US entry into the Pacific War. By attacking the US naval base, Japan wanted to weaken the US Pacific fleet. As a result, Japan hoped for the supremacy in the Pacific to get. This would have given Japan unhindered access to the Commodities in Southeast Asia can access.
Attack on Pearl Harbor Summary
Below you will learn exactly how the planning and then the attack on Pearl Harbor unfolded.
Strategic considerations
As early as November 1941, six fully equipped aircraft carriers, two battleships, three cruisers and eleven destroyers arrived off the Kuril island of Iturup. Actually, there was no shipping traffic on the north coast of Japan at this time of year because of the winter storms. So this place was ideal for the secret meeting. However, Hawaii and thus Pearl Harbor was about 6000 kilometers away. So the secret surprise attack started with a multi-day trip to Hawaii.
Japanese fleet
Yamamoto concluded that Japan’s United Fleet’s six most modern aircraft carriers, with 440 bombers and fighters, should be deployed for the attack. Two battleships and some cruisers and destroyers were provided as escort protection. During the attack, five midget submarines were to try to slip through harbor security and take suicidal action against the US ships.
In order not to encounter other ships on the way to Pearl Harbor, which the USA might have warned, the Japanese fleet sailed across the North Pacific. The ships’ crews practiced refueling the ships so that they could refuel during winter storms or other severe conditions. Bomber and fighter pilots prepared by practicing attack flights in bays similar to Pearl Harbor.
The surprise effect of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor offered a strategically clever attack target. For the US, the attack came unexpectedly. They would have expected an attack on American bases in the Philippines. As a result, the warships at Pearl Harbor were not prepared for the attack. the Japanese fleet came after several days of driving covert after Pearl Harbor.
Also, the Japanese chose a Sunday for their attack because the US military was not fully staffed on Sundays.
Attack on Pearl Harbor – The Start Date
At the December 7, 1941 at just before 8 a.m 360 Japanese fighter bombers reached the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Warnings from the military radio showed that the Americans Extremely Unprepared for Pearl Harbor Attack were. In two phases, each lasting 90 minutes, the warplanes attacked the base of the US Pacific Fleet. In less than two hours, Japanese planes wreaked havoc on the Americans.
Attack wave 1
183 aircraft took off about 400 kilometers north of Oahu. They shot down several American planes en route to Pearl Harbor, but otherwise managed to fly in undisturbed. A single American plane made it by radio almost incomprehensible warning to drop off Although unable to form up properly at first, the Japanese went undetected and chaotically attacked everyone at once by Bombs on the American ships threw off Not knowing that the Japanese aircraft carriers had a longer range than their own, the US searched in vain for the Japanese carriers in the north.
Attack wave 2
After a brief pause, more Japanese fighter-bombers attacked the ships in the harbor. The goal was that battleship Nevada in close access channel to sink and thereby to To block. The plan failed because the ship could not get through the canal. Instead, the bombers sank the Nevada in the harbor basin.
Attack on Pearl Harbor – The aftermath
2,403 Americansa majority of them marines, died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Japanese underwater weapons thrown from the planes hit the American battleship Arizona. It was loaded with ammunition and exploded when it caught fire. All in all the Japanese sank five battleships and inflicted extensive damage on three other ships in the American fleet to. Eleven warships of the fleet were under fire. 188 US aircraft were on the ground destroyed. the japanese site had to against it only 29 ships and five submarines lose. Besides that came 65 Japanese pilots and submarine crew killed. The USA were already prepared for the second wave of attacks and were able to defend themselves with their previously undamaged armed forces.
Attack on Pearl Harbor – The End
The Japanese had actually planned a third wave of attacks. However, the Japanese commander-in-chief decided against it. The US would have been on high alert after the first two waves of attacks. For the Japanese, a third attack would have resulted in higher losses. Already the first two attack waves were devastating for the US fleet. The Japanese used the element of surprise in their attack. the USA could a large part those stationed at Pearl Harbor fighter planes and guns on the battleships no longer fill in time.
Pearl Harbor – Retribution
The Japanese Navy’s offensive on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor is called Key event in World War II designated. The attack on Pearl Harbor led to America’s entry into the war. The Japanese attack had a major impact on world politics. In fact, American society was pacifist at the time. After the First World War, the population in the United States the Peace maintain. Interference in the war that was already raging in Europe was generally rejected by the population.
Pacifism is a worldview opposed to war and military armaments.
Pearl Harbor Counterstrike
However, the attack on Pearl Harbor forced the United States to launch a counterattack. This is how the US reacted
December 8, 1941 with the Declaration of war on Japan on the Japanese offensive. Germany and Italy declared four days later the USA the war. Since they were allies of Japan, war against the US was inevitable.
The war, which had begun in 1939 with the German attack on Poland, expanded into an intercontinental war world war out.
The Doolittle Raid
With the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942 the USA wanted to finally retaliate for the attack on Pearl Harbor. target of surprise air raid on Tokyo it was the Japanese destroying industrial areas and the Japanese both materialas well as psychological damage to inflict In addition, the United States hoped for positive effects on their relationship with their allies and the American people themselves.
The attack on Pearl Harbor as a historical fallacy
The attack on Pearl Harbor is thus partially considered historical error designated. The US President Roosevelt reacted Notas expected, intimidated on the Japanese offensive. On the contrary, Roosevelt talked about the shame of the attack on Pearl Harbor and Congress approved the declaration of war on Japan. Said on Japanese radio Hideki Tojothe General of the Imperial Japanese Army at theDecember 8, 1941 the following:
Japan’s existence depends on this war. The time has come for 100 million Japanese to stand up and fight with all their might against the United States of America.”
Mystery of the attack on Pearl Harbor
When attacking Pearl Harbor, Japan wanted surprise effect use for yourself. Whether it was planned to attack without a declaration of war is not 100% certain. Supposed to be at the end Misunderstandings in Japan’s leadership the Reason for the missing declaration of war been. The bureaucracy of the Japanese Empire would therefore be responsible for the belated declaration of war.
US entry into the war
Later, several commissions tried in vain to find out how the Japanese armed forces had managed to take America by surprise. That’s how it stays suspicionthat at least US President Roosevelt was hardly surprised by the attack had been. For him, the attack on Pearl Harbor was perhaps a welcome opportunity to get his people behind him, most of whom were opposed to America’s participation in World War II….