|
|
In the late 1930s America and Japan was already on the way to war.
In 1940 the U.S cut off supplies of oil and other raw material. The attack
on Pearl Harbor was a BIG surprise. The U.S embarked on a crusade to increase
military and financial aid to China. Also the U.S increased military power
in the pacific.
The Japanese leaders responded to this threat by planning to seize the
recourse-rich territories of Southeast Asia. That move, they knew, would
result in war with the U.S. The problem with the plan was the danger posed
by the U.S. Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto,
the commander of the Japanese fleet, had a plan to immobilize the U.S.
fleet at the outset of the war with a surprise attack. In October 1941
the naval general staff gave final approval to Yamamoto's plan, which
called for the formation of an attack force commanded by Vice Admiral
Chuichi Nagumo. It focused around six heavy aircraft carriers accompanied
by 24 supporting vessels. Another group of of Submarines was ordered to
sink any America warship that escaped the Japanese force.
Nagumo's fleet gathered in the anchorage of Tankan Bay in the Kurile Islands.
The fleet left for Hawaii on November 26, 1941. On December 7, 1941 the
task force was slightly more 200 miles away. 6:00 a.m. on December 7 six
Japanese carriers launched an attack of 181 plans made up of torpedo bomber,
dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters.
Before dawn, U.S Navy vessels spotted an unidentified submarine periscope
near the entrance of Pearl Harbor. It was attacked and reported sunk by
the USS Ward. 7:00a.m. On Dec.7
An alert operator reported a sighting of several plane headed of the harbor.
The superior officer whom received these reports did not consider them
a threat. He told the operator that they were probably American planes.
At 8:00 the Japanese attacked, they had achieved total surprise. They
attacked military airfields at the same time they attacked the American
fleet anchored in the harbor. Their goal was to hit them simultaneously
so the American planes could not rise to intercept the attack.
Of more then 90 ships anchored in Pearl Harbor, the main objective was
to sink the eight battle ships anchored there. Seven were on battleship
row along the southeast shored of Ford Island. In the first few minutes
of the attack all of the battleships had been torpedoed or bombed. At
about 8:10 an armor-piercing bomb hit the USS Arizona. The bombe ignited
the ships forward ammunition storage; the resulting explosions and fire
killed 1.177 crewmen, almost half the causalities came from the Arizona.
When the attack ended at about 10:00 a.m., 21 ships of the U.S pacific
fleet were damaged or sunk. 188 Aircraft were destroyed and 159 damaged.
There were 2,403 Americans dead.
The Japanese losses were significantly less, 29 planes, less the 10% of
their attacking force.
All but three of the damaged [American] ships were repaired. The Japanese
had neglected to hit the Pearl Harbor Navel Base. The US carriers were
not in the Harbor when it was attacked. The Attack on Pearl Harbor united
the nation and dedicated it to victory.
This site was made by Max and Tony(A.K.A. God 1 and 2,
we don't which is which, but does it matter?)
Duckyuck79@yahoo.com ~ Tony
Messyuck@aol.com ~Max
12/21/01
|