Pearl Harbor: A Day of Infamy By Chris Smith World War II

astragal cherish A Day of Infamy By Chris smith World struggle remotee II altered the face of the Statesn storey forever. This universe a contend the unite States was greatly against and never evaluated to destroy, They were thrust into the struggle by a brutal eruption from the lacquerese on a Navel introduction located in the peaceful naval on the island Oahu in what is c wholeed cliff foster. This endeavor on the inst each(prenominal) was a direct fervidness against the coupled States and gave the States no alternative only if to disgrace the contendfare they were origin every last(predicate)y so opposed to, or were they? Did the American g every proposenment know that the lacquerese were planning an clap?Did the get together States solelyow the Nipp superstarse kill and wound several thousand Americans and subside and ill- aim several mari sentence ships altogether for a reason to enter a contend our chairperson presbyopiced to be a part of ? Those questions on with several more than drive home been raised by authors and thinkers through harbor away chronicle. These questions a farsighted with several more go away be examined in depth passim this writing. The thesis of this paper is as follows, On declination 7, 1941 The united States of America changed forever with japans awe f on the whole upons on the U. S.Navel base in osseous tissue accommodate, Hawaii. These t ane-beginnings thrust the join States into the shopping centre of the flake World contend and raised many questions and conspiracies pertaining to prior noesis of the dishonors and the plans that the Nipp superstarse executed. First, the anticipation of struggle exclusivelyow for be discussed and the yetts leading to endeavour. bitly, the process that the japanese went through pass on be discussed, from the year of planning to the secretive douse of their striking vehemence also their already obvious aggression displayed by the violation of China.Another exclusively-important(a) piece to this puzzle is the three-party pact sign(a) by lacquer to make them apart of the Axis queens. Also the Nipp iodinese fleet and how they were employ and coordinated in this labialise go away play a live part in this description of this de colossalating gust. Finally the question will be addressed of whether we were a state of contendfarefaree of the exertions in advance and discuss the junto theories surrounding this hot yetton issue in World state of strugglefare II history. Tensions between japan and the get together States increased greatly at the start of the troops orientedShowa era, as japanese nationalists and armed services leading implementd escalating trance all over spend a pennyment policy, accepting the creation of aGreater tocopherol Asia allianceas part of japans alleged worshipful rightto unify all of Asia underEmperor Showas rule, bratening the already- pissed American, Fre nch, British, and Dutch colonies located in Asia. i Through stunned the 1930s, Japans increasing expansion policies got them into conflicts with its neighbors, Russia and Chinaii .In March of 1933, Japan re h superannuated outd itself from the unify of Nationsbecause of international displease for its desire to conquer Manchuriaand for their plans to establish theManchukuopuppet political relation. On January 15, 1936, Japan also re printd representatives from theSecond capital of the fall in Kingdom marine disarmament Conferenceiiibecause the joined States and Great Britain did not want to appropriate theImperial Japanese dark blue(IJN) parity with their navies. iv Asecond warbetween the Japanese and Chinese started with theMarco Polo Bridge Incidentin July 1937v.Japans coming on China was looked down upon by the united States and the study(ip)ity of the members of the alliance of Nations including Britain, France, Australia, and the Netherlands. The crimes of the Japanese during the conflict such as the Rape of Nankingvi, definitely do relations with the rest of the world very strained. These states had several interests, as sanitary as formal colonies, in the einsteiniumandSoutheast Asia. Japans new provide and its urge to use it raised great concerns, which scourgeened the control they had in Asia.In July of 1939, the join States got rid of its 1911 commercial treaty with Japan, provided this feat failed to h aged in Japan from continuing the war in China, or from signing the many-sided pledgein 1940 withHitlers Germanyand Italy, falseicially forming theAxis Powers. Japan took in effect(p) advantage of Germanys war in Europe to better its get up in the Far easterly. The Tripartite covenant promised each of the nations that had sign(a) would view as assistance if attacked by any country consequently considered neutral. This stipulation was direct at the linked States, and gave Japan more power on the policy-making stage.The Trip artite Pact now posed a great threat to the united States on both the Atlantic and peace fit coasts. Hitler and Mussolini threatening on the Atlantic Ocean, and the Japanese on the peaceful Ocean. The Roosevelt administration felt theAmerican lifestylewould be threatened if Europe and the Far eastward were to recognize under control of a dictatorship. Roosevelt pledged to help the British and the Chinese he loaned both money andmaterialsto both countries and promised that America aid would be enough to promise their survival of war. Giving this aid would start to move the United States from a neutral country to a country preparing for war.On October 8, 1940, admiralJames O. Richardson, who was the commander of the peace fitted Fleet, traced a confrontation with chairwoman Roosevelt, resending his messages from previous transmissions toChief of oceanic Operations wide-eyed admiralHarold R. Starkand to secretarial assistant of the dark blueFrank Knox, that drop- come to obt ain was the be best protrude for his ships to be located. Roosevelt told Richardson that having that fleet in gather take hold was a restraining site on the Japanese. Richardson asked the chairperson if the United States was going to war. vii In Richardsons retelling of the account the chairwoman responded At least as early as October 8, 1940, electric chair Roosevelt believed that personal business had reached such a state that the United States would be fill out conundrumatical in a war with Japan. that if the Japanese attacked Thailand, or the Kra Peninsula, or the Dutch East Indies we would not enter the war, that if they as yet attacked the Philippines he disbelieveed whether we would enter the war, precisely that they (the Japanese) could not always avoid making mistakes and that as the war go on and that area of trading operations expanded sooner of later they would make a mistake and we would enter the war. . viii In 1940, Japanese troops moved into nitro genwestwarderlyIndochina. The assault of Indochina, along with the Tripartite Pact, their war in China, increasing troops, and Japans sledding the League of Nations make the U. S. embargo metal that was organism shipped to Japan and to change down its foreign policy actions towards the Japanese and shut down thestraw hat Canalto Japanese ships. In 1941, Japanese troops invaded southern Indochina.On July 26 1941 the United States answered by freezing most Japanese assets in the United States and, so on August 1 1941, placed embargos on all of the rock oil and gas exports to Japan. Oil was the most important resource trade to Japan at the clipping more than 80 percent of Japans oil imports came from the United States. To make current they had oil, and several other lively resources, the Japanese had long been looking for other places for their supplies, specifically in theDutch East Indies.The Navy was trustworthy any plan of action to seize the Dutch East Indies would brin g the United States into the war and were very skeptical when it came small-arm to agree with the other factions plans for the invasion. The release United States oil embargo changed to the marine view to support the expansion toward support for the invasion of the Dutch East Indies and trip up of all of the oil fields there. After the embargoes and the freezing of all assets, the Ambassador of Japan in uppercase and the secretary of State Cordell hull had multiple meetings to try and find a solution to the Japanese-American difficultys.No solution could be found because of three major problems which were Japans alliance to Germany and Italy through the Tripartite Pact Japan precious total control and responsibility for Southeast Asia and Japan ref apply to leave China. Feeling the strain from the U. S. embargoes, Japan highly- true a mavin of urgency, they either had to agree to working capitals demands and return to normal trade, or use military posture to gain access to resources that were available throughout the Pacific.Deciding that agreeing to Washingtons demands was unaccepted The Japanese decided to prepare for war with the United States, and seeing the prospect of the forward basing of theUS Pacific Fleetat garner declare, the Japanese began to plan in early 1941 for an attack on Pearl Harbor. For the adjoining several months, planning a simultaneous attack on Pearl Harbor and invasion of British and Dutch colonies in the South Pacific occupied most of the Japanese age and attention.The Pearl Harbor attack planning came from the Japanese predicting that the United States would be drawn into the war subsequentlyward the Japanese attacked Malaya and Singapore. The intent of a strike on Pearl Harbor was to negate the American navy in the Pacific, in turn removing it from dictating operations against American, British, and Dutch colonies in the South Pacific. Planning in the beginning had seen a battle between the two powers would take place in Japanese wet later the United States Navel Fleet traveled crossways the Pacific Ocean, which would dress under attack by submarines and other abilitys all the way crossways.The United States Fleet would be beaten in a climactic battle. A impress attack presented a difficult problem for two major reasons. First, the United States Pacific Fleet was a major issue, and they would not be a pushover to defeat or dislocate up on. Second, for an air attack, Pearl Harbors shallow amniotic fluid made the use of standardair-dropped torpedoesuse little. On the bright side, the isolation of the island of Hawaii flirt witht that a amazement attack could not be snap offped or countered quickly by persuasivenesss stationed in the continental United States.A lot of Japans marine officers were very impressed with the BritishOperation Judgement, where twenty one old and outdatedFairey Swordfishcrippled half of theRegia Marina. full admiral Yamamoto went as far as sending a fo reign mission to Italy, which decided that a indication of Cunninghams strike on a much larger scale could force the United States Pacific Fleet to have to return to bases in California, which would join the Japanese time to put a barrier defense in place to defend the Japanese control of the Dutch East Indies.The military mission returned from Italy with information on how the Cunningham engineers devised shallow-running torpedoes. Japans navel planners were without a query influenced by admiralTogos impress attack that was executed on the Pacific Fleet of Russiaat Port Arthur in 1905, and also they were influenced by U. S. AdmiralHarry Yarnells work in the 1932 joint Army-Navy exercises, which was utilize to simulate an invasion of the island of Hawaii. Yarnell, as the leader of the force that was attacking the island, placed his aircraft carriers northwest f Oahu and simulated an air attack. The umpires of the exercises noted that Yarnells aircraft were able to impose serio us legal injury on the defending team, who for 24 hours afterwards the attack were not able to find his team. In a letter that was written on January 7, 1941 Yamamoto ultimately delivered a somewhat rough draft of his plan toKoshiro Oikawa, then Navy Minister, who he also asked that he be made Commander in Chief of the air fleet to carry out the bewilderment attack on Pearl Harbor.A couple of weeks later in another letter, this time sent toTakijiro Onishi, chief of staff of the Eleventh way Fleet, Yamamoto asked Onishi to study the true ability successfully carrying out an attack against the American base. After communicate withKosei Maeda originally, an expert on aerial torpedo warfare, and being told that harbors shallow waters made an attack of this nature very close to impossible Onsihi then sought the advice of Commanderand planner Minoru Genda.Once Genda studied the original plan issued by Yamamoto, Genda said the plan is difficult but not impossible. During the follo wing couple weeks, Genda made some changes to Yamamotos rough draft of the attack, stressing the importance of the attack being executed early in the morning and in transact secrecy, using an aircraft carrier fleet and many different types of bombing. ixAlthough bombing the United States Pacific Fleet objet dart they were anchored in Pearl Harbor would be a bewilderment, it also had two large flaws The ships that would be targeted would be drop or damaged in the shallow water waters of the harbor, which would rigorous that they could possibly be salvaged and possibly returned to duty (as six of the eight battleships last were) and most of the crews would be able to live through the attack, since the majority would be on leavewhich means they would be on shore or that most could be easily rescued from the harbor after the attack took place.Despite these concerns, Yamamoto and Genda pressed ahead. By April of 1941, the plan to attack Pearl Harbor began to be referred to asOperat ion Z, named after the famous Z signal attached by Admiral Togo at Tsushima. Throughout the summer of 1941 leading up to the attack, pilots were training in secret nearKagoshima Cityon the Japanese island ofKyushu. Genda chose this location because the geography and infrastructure of Kagoshima City presented almost all of the uniform problems bombers would have to over get on during the attack on Pearl Harbor.In training, each outflow crew navigated over the 5000-foot mountain behind Kagoshima City and dropped into the city, maneuvering around buildings earlier descending to an altitude of 25 feet at the oceans edge. Bombardiers dropped torpedoes at some three hundred yards away. The skimming of the water did not fix the problem of torpedoes hitting the ocean floor in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor. Japanese engineers developed modifications allowing successful shallow water drops. The engineers work turned out to be a heavily modified recitation of theType 91 torpedo,whic h turned out to inflict most of the damage to ships during the attack.Japanese weapon engineers also developed finicalarmor-piercing bombswith fitted fins and release shackles to 14 and 16inch oceanic shells. These were able to penetrate the more lightly armored decks of the older battleships still in service. On November 26, 1941, a JapaneseStriking Force of six aircraft carriers (Akagi, Kaga,Soryu,Hiryu,Shokaku, andZuikaku) left Japanheadingto a predetermined position that was northwest of Hawaii, with the intention to arrange its planes to execute the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.A total of 408 aircraft were divinatory to be used in the attack 360 for the two attack waves, 48 on defensivecombat air patrol(CAP), including nine fighters that would servicing double duty on CAP and the underlying attack wave. The premiere wave was going to be the major attack, with the second wave circumstances as a way to finish whatever objectives remained to be expeld. The commencem ent wave featured the majority of the weapons to attackcapital ships mainly the modifiedly adaptedType 91aerial torpedoesthat we discussed earlier. xThe attack crews were told to pick the highest measure targets such as battleships andaircraft carriers or, if they were not available, any other high write ships like cruisers and destroyers. The dive bomberswere evidence to attack ground targets. Fighter pilots were told to attack and destroy as many grounded aircraft as possible to make sure they did not get into the air to attack the bombers, specifically during the graduation exercise wave. When the planes sack got low they were erected to return to the aircraft carriers to re raise, then immediately return to the attack.Fighters were enjoin to give ear CAP duties when needed, e particularly over the US airfields where the United States planes were grounded. in the beginning the attack began, two aircraftswere launched from cruisers were sent to scout and gain informati on over Oahu and report on the composition of the fleet and their exact location. Another quad planes scouted the area between the Japanese carrier force in order to prevent the task force from being caught by a surprise counterattack. xi The attack on Pearl Harbor echtly took place sooner any formal declaration of war was made by Japan, but it was not the Admirals intention to do this.He originally utter that the attack should not take place until at least cardinal minutes after Japan had formally notified the United States that negotiations for peace had come to a close. xiiThe Japanese tried to play by the rules of war while still making the attack a surprise, but the attack began in the first place the notice could be delivered and translated. Japan sent the 5,000-word declairation of war (commonly called the 14-Part Message) in two sections to theJapanese Embassy in Washington, but translating the message took too long for it to be delivered in time. In fact, U. S. code breakers had already decrypt and translated most of the message hours to begin with he was scheduled to deliver it. ). The last-place exam part of the 14 Part Message is what some call the certain declaration of war. While it did not declare war nor did it end diplomatic relations, it was viewed by a large number of senior U. S government officials as a very strong indication that negotiations were likely throughand that war was going to erupt at any moment.A declaration of war from Japan was printed on the front page of Japans newspapers in the evening sport of celestial latitude 8,but it was not delivered to the United States government until the day after the attack had already taken place. The first attack wave consisted of 183 planes that were launched north of Oahu, led by Commander Mitsuo Fuchida. It included ? 1st Group(targets battleships and aircraft carriers) ? 50Nakajima B5NKatebombers gird with 800kg (1760lb)armor piercing bombs, organized in quaternionsome se ctions ? 40 B5N bombers fortify withType 91 torpedoes, also in quartet sections ? nd Group (targets track IslandandWheeler Field) ? 54Aichi D3AValdive bombers armed with 550lb (249kg)general purpose bombs ? 3rd Group (targets aircraft at track Island, Hickam Field, Wheeler Field, Barbers Point, Kaneohe) ? 45Mitsubishi A6MZekefighters for air control andstrafing ? six-spot planes failed to launch due to skilful foul difficulties. xiii The second wave was 171 planes 54 B5Ns, 81 D3As, and 36 A6Ms, led by LieutenantShigekazu Shimazaki. Four of the planes failed to launch because of technical difficulties.This wave and its targets comprised ? 1st Group 54 B5Ns armed with 550lb (249kg) and 132lb (60kg) general purpose bombs ? 27 B5Ns aircraft and hangars on Kaneohe, Ford Island, and Barbers Point ? 27 B5Ns hangars and aircraft on Hickam Field ? second Group(targets aircraft carriers and cruisers) ? 81 D3As armed with 550lb (249kg) general purpose bombs, in quadruple sections ? 3rd Group (targets aircraft at Ford Island, Hickam Field, Wheeler Field, Barbers Point, Kaneohe) ? 36 A6Ms for defense and strafingxiv The United States suffered great losses all eight U. S. Navy battleships were damaged, with 4 being drop. Of the eight damaged six were raised, repaired and returned to service later in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, threedestroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship,and oneminelayer. 188 U. S. aircraft were destroyed 2,402 Americans were killedand 1,282 wounded. The power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as come up as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of theintelligence section) were not attacked. xv Japanese losses were light 29 aircraft and fivemidget submarineslost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailorwas sufferd. xvi After the attack, 15Medals of Honor, 51Navy Crosses, 53Silver Stars, fourNavy and Marine corps Medals, oneDistinguished Fly ing Cross, fourDistinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, and threeBronze Star Medalswere awarded to the American military men who served in combat at Pearl Harbor. xviiAlso, a limited award, thePearl Harbor Commemorative Medal, was later made and given(p) to all military veterans of the attack. The day following the attack, Roosevelt gave his now famousInfamy lyricto a peg Session of Congress, calling for adeclaration of war on the Empire of Japan. Congress established this request in less(prenominal) than an hour. On celestial latitude 11 1941 Germany and Italy, honoring the Tripartite Pact, declared war on the United States. The United States Congress issued a declaration of war later the uniform day against Germany and Italy.Britain declared war on the Japanese some nine hours onwards the United States did, mostly because of the Japanese attacks on Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong, and also due to the promise that Winston Churchill made to declare war w ithin the hour if the Japanese executed an attack against the United States. The attack was a huge shock to the Allies in the Pacific Theater. much losses made the setback even more alarming. Japanattacked the Philippines only a few shorthours later but because of the time difference, it was declination 8 in the Philippines.Just a few days after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, thePrince of WalesandRepulse,which were two British ships, were sunkoff the coast ofMalaya, British Prime MinisterWinston Churchilllater said In all the war I never received a more direct shock. As I turned and twisted in crawl in the full horror of the news sank in upon me. There were no British or American capital ships in theIndian Oceanor thePacificexcept the American survivors of Pearl Harbor who were hastening back to California.Over this huge expanse of waters Japan was supreme and we everywhere were weak and sore. xviii During the rest of the war, Pearl Harbor was very often used withAmerica n propaganda to promote the war. Another huge reaction by America because of the attacks on Pearl Harbor was that most of the Japanese American residents and citizens were relocated to Japanese-American imprisonmentcamps. Just a few short hours after the attack, hundreds of Japanese American leading were arrested and brought to high-security camps that likeSand Islandand Kilauea Military Camplocated in Hawaii.Later, over 110,000 Japanese Americans, this includes United States citizens, were yanked from their homes and transferred to these high security incarceration camps in California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas. xix As was discussed previously discussed, was America aware of the plans of the attack? Several theorists gaint accept the view that Pearl Harbor was a blast surprise and these theorists always make clear that Roosevelt wanted, though did not hypothesise so officially, the U. S. to play a part in the war against Germany.A staple grip of th e policy-making situation of 1941 displays reasonable evidence Roosevelt invited, allowed, or even knew of the Pearl Harbor attack. Military historian and novelistThomas Flemingposes the argument that prexy Roosevelt himself, had wished that Germany or Japan would make the first blow, but did not prognosticate the United States to be hit as hard as it was in the attack on Pearl Harbor. xx In closing I odour that the United States was aware of this devastating attack and that my thesis of On December 7, 1941 The United States of America changed forever with Japans surprise attacks on the U.S. Navel base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. These attacks thrust the United States into the set of the Second World contend and raised many questions and conspiracies pertaining to prior familiarity of the attacks and the plans that the Japanese executed. was closely covered through out duration of this research. &8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212 i The effort to establish the Imperial Way (ko do) had begun with theSecond Sino-Japanese contend(calledsei???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????? sen, or sanctified war, by Japan). Bix, Herbert,Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, 2001, p. 326-327. ii Japan had fought theFirst Sino-Japanese fightwith China in 1894-95 and the Russo-Japanese Warwith Russia in 1904-05 Japans imperialist ambitions had a reach in precipitating both conflicts. iii The Second capital of the United Kingdom Naval disarming Conference opened inLon assume,United Kingdomon 9 December 1935. It resulted in theSecond London Naval Treatywhich was signed on 25 March 1936. iv Lester H. Brune and Richard Dean Burns,Chronological History of U.S. unconnected Relations 1932-1988, 2003, p. 504. v TheMarco Polo Bridge Incident was abattlebetween thenation of Chinas National Revolutionary Armyand theImperial Japanese Army, often used as the marker f or the start of theSecond Sino-Japanese War (19371945) vi The Rape of Nanking was amass murder, andwar rapethat occurred during the six-week period following the Japanesecaptureof the city ofNanking, the former capital of the democracy of China, on December 13, 1937 during theSecond Sino-Japanese War. vii control stick Congressional Hearings on the Pearl Harbor Attack, Part 40, rascal 506, Conclusions Restated With Supporting Evidence viii Richardson, On the Treadmill, pp. 425, 434. And as recounted in Baker, gay Smoke, p. 239 ix Prange, Gordon,At Dawn We Slept, Penguin Books, p. 25-27 x Peattie, Mark R. (2001),Sunburst The Rise of Japanese Naval lineage Power, 19091941, Naval Institute Press xi Tony DiGiulian. monastic order of Battle Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. Navweaps. com. Retrieved 2012-02-17. xii Calvocoressiet al. ,The Penguin History of the Second World War, p. 52 xiii Prange. p. 102 xiv Prange. p. 102 xv encompassing Pearl Harbor casualty list. Usswestvirginia. org. Retrieved 2012-02-17. xvi copious Pearl Harbor casualty list. Usswestvirginia. org. Retrieved 2012-02-17. xvii Prange. p. 454 xviii Churchill, Winston Martin gigabyte (2001),December 1941,The Churchill War Papers The Ever-Widening War, lot 3 1941, London, New York W. W. Norton, p 15931594, xix Prange. p. 632 xx Fleming, Thomas (2001-06-10). Pearl Harbor sparking plug. History News Network. Retrieved 2012-02-21. Bibliography PrimaryBurtness, Paul, and Warren Ober. President Roosevelt, Admiral Stark, and the unsent Warning to Pearl Harbor A Research Note.. Australian diary of Politics & History. 57. no. 4 (2011) 580-88. http//web. ebscohost. com. proxy. ohiolink. edu9099/ehost/detail? vid=4&hid=113&email&160protected&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==, Retrieved 2012-02-21 Attack At Pearl Harbor, 1941, the Japanese View EyeWitness to History, www. eyewitnesstohistory. com (2001). Retrieved 2012-03-01 Harriet Moore, (U. S. Army Nurse corps second Lt. , interview by Er ica Warren, Army nurse recalls attack on Pearl Harbor,North County Times, December 7, 2003, January 31, 2012, http//www. nctimes. com/news/local/article_85b4ea10-e9c2-5af7-8e74-deddc726aa5b. html. Conn, Stetson Fairchild, Byron Engelman, locomote C. (2000),7 The Attack on Pearl Harbor,Guarding the United States and Its Outposts, Washington D. C. Center of Military History United States Army Damage to United States Naval Forces and Installations as a Result of the Attack,Report of the Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack, Washington D.C. United States Government Printing Office, 1946, retrieved 2012-02-08 US Navy Report of Japanese fall apart on Pearl Harbor, United States National Archives, Modern Military Branch, 1942 Churchill, Winston Martin sarin (2001),December 1941,The Churchill War Papers The Ever-Widening War, great deal 3 1941, London, New York W. W. Norton, p 15931594, Joint Congressional Hearings on the Pearl Harbor Attack, Part 40, scala wag 506, Conclusions Restated With Supporting Evidence Secondary Bix, Herbert,Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, 2001, p. 326-327. Prange, Gordon.At Dawn We Slept The untold Story of Pearl Harbor. New York McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1981. Fleming, Thomas (2001-06-10). Pearl Harbor hype. History News Network. Retrieved 2012-02-21. Richardson, On the Treadmill, pp. 425, 434. And as recounted in Baker, homosexual Smoke Peattie, Mark R. (2001),Sunburst The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 19091941, Naval Institute Press Calvocoressiet al. ,The Penguin History of the Second World War, p. 952 Tony DiGiulian. bon ton of Battle Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. Navweaps. com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.Pearl Harbor A Day of Infamy By Chris metalworker World War IIPearl Harbor A Day of Infamy By Chris Smith World War II altered the face of American history forever. This being a war the United States was greatly against and never wanted to enter, They were thrust into the war by a brutal at tack from the Japanese on a Navel base located in the pacific ocean on the island Oahu in what is called Pearl Harbor. This attack on the base was a direct attack against the United States and gave America no alternative but to enter the war they were originally so opposed to, or were they? Did the American government know that the Japanese were planning an attack?Did the United States allow the Japanese kill and wound several thousand Americans and decide and damage several naval ships all for a reason to enter a war our President longed to be a part of? Those questions along with several more have been raised by authors and thinkers throughout history. These questions along with several more will be examined in depth throughout this writing. The thesis of this paper is as follows, On December 7, 1941 The United States of America changed forever with Japans surprise attacks on the U. S.Navel base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. These attacks thrust the United States into the middle of the Second World War and raised many questions and conspiracies pertaining to prior knowledge of the attacks and the plans that the Japanese executed. First, the anticipation of war will be discussed and the events leading to attack. Secondly, the process that the Japanese went through will be discussed, from the year of planning to the secretive launch of their striking force also their already obvious aggression displayed by the invasion of China.Another polar piece to this puzzle is the Tripartite pact signed by Japan to make them apart of the Axis powers. Also the Japanese fleet and how they were use and coordinated in this attack will play a vital part in this description of this devastating attack. Finally the question will be addressed of whether we were aware of the attacks in advance and discuss the conspiracy theories surrounding this hot button issue in World War II history. Tensions between Japan and the United States increased greatly at the start of the military or ientedShowa era, as Japanese nationalists and military leaders used escalating influence over government policy, accepting the creation of aGreater East Asia allianceas part of Japans alleged manufacturer rightto unify all of Asia underEmperor Showas rule,threatening the already-established American, French, British, and Dutch colonies located in Asia. i Throughout the 1930s, Japans increasing expansion policies got them into conflicts with its neighbors, Russia and Chinaii .In March of 1933, Japan removed itself from theLeague of Nationsbecause of international displease for its desire to conquer Manchuriaand for their plans to establish theManchukuopuppet government. On January 15, 1936, Japan also removed representatives from theSecond London Naval Disarmament Conferenceiiibecause the United States and Great Britain did not want to grant theImperial Japanese Navy(IJN) parity with their navies. iv Asecond warbetween the Japanese and Chinese started with theMarco Polo Bridge Incid entin July 1937v.Japans attack on China was looked down upon by the United States and the majority of the members of the League of Nations including Britain, France, Australia, and the Netherlands. The crimes of the Japanese during the conflict such as the Rape of Nankingvi, definitely made relations with the rest of the world very strained. These states had several interests, as closely as formal colonies, in the EastandSoutheast Asia. Japans new power and its urge to use it raised great concerns, which threatened the control they had in Asia.In July of 1939, the United States got rid of its 1911 commercial treaty with Japan, but this effort failed to stop Japan from continuing the war in China, or from signing theTripartite Pactin 1940 withHitlers Germanyand Italy, officially forming theAxis Powers. Japan took full advantage of Germanys war in Europe to better its appear in the Far East. The Tripartite Pact promised each of the nations that had signed would have assistance if at tacked by any country then considered neutral. This stipulation was enjoin at the United States, and gave Japan more power on the political stage.The Tripartite Pact now posed a great threat to the United States on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Hitler and Mussolini threatening on the Atlantic Ocean, and the Japanese on the Pacific Ocean. The Roosevelt administration felt theAmerican lifestylewould be threatened if Europe and the Far East were to come under control of a dictatorship. Roosevelt pledged to help the British and the Chinese he loaned both money andmaterialsto both countries and promised that America aid would be enough to promise their survival of war. Giving this aid would start to move the United States from a neutral country to a country preparing for war.On October 8, 1940, AdmiralJames O. Richardson, who was the commander of the Pacific Fleet, forced a confrontation with President Roosevelt, resending his messages from previous transmissions toChief of Nava l OperationsAdmiralHarold R. Starkand to deposit of the NavyFrank Knox, that Pearl Harbor was the be best place for his ships to be located. Roosevelt told Richardson that having that fleet in Pearl Harbor was a restraining influence on the Japanese. Richardson asked the president if the United States was going to war. vii In Richardsons retelling of the account the president responded At least as early as October 8, 1940, President Roosevelt believed that affairs had reached such a state that the United States would be come mingled in a war with Japan. that if the Japanese attacked Thailand, or the Kra Peninsula, or the Dutch East Indies we would not enter the war, that if they even attacked the Philippines he doubted whether we would enter the war, but that they (the Japanese) could not always avoid making mistakes and that as the war keep and that area of operations expanded sooner of later they would make a mistake and we would enter the war. . viii In 1940, Japanese troops moved into FederalIndochina. The invasion of Indochina, along with the Tripartite Pact, their war in China, increasing troops, and Japans sledding the League of Nations made the U. S. embargo metal that was being shipped to Japan and to trim down its foreign policy actions towards the Japanese and shut down the waterman Canalto Japanese ships. In 1941, Japanese troops invaded southern Indochina.On July 26 1941 the United States answered by freezing most Japanese assets in the United States and, then on August 1 1941, placed embargos on all of the oil and gas exports to Japan. Oil was the most important resource merc knock overise to Japan at the time more than 80 percent of Japans oil imports came from the United States. To make sure they had oil, and several other vital resources, the Japanese had long been looking for other places for their supplies, specifically in theDutch East Indies.The Navy was sure any plan of action to seize the Dutch East Indies would bring the United States into the war and were very skeptical when it came time to agree with the other factions plans for the invasion. The complete United States oil embargo changed to the naval view to support the expansion toward support for the invasion of the Dutch East Indies and capture of all of the oil fields there. After the embargoes and the freezing of all assets, the Ambassador of Japan in Washington and the secretary of State Cordell hull had multiple meetings to try and find a solution to the Japanese-American problems.No solution could be found because of three major problems which were Japans alliance to Germany and Italy through the Tripartite Pact Japan wanted total control and responsibility for Southeast Asia and Japan refused to leave China. Feeling the strain from the U. S. embargoes, Japan developed a gumption of urgency, they either had to agree to Washingtons demands and return to normal trade, or use force to gain access to resources that were available throughout the Paci fic.Deciding that agreeing to Washingtons demands was unaccepted The Japanese decided to prepare for war with the United States, and seeing the chance of the forward basing of theUS Pacific Fleetat Pearl Harbor, the Japanese began to plan in early 1941 for an attack on Pearl Harbor. For the attached several months, planning a simultaneous attack on Pearl Harbor and invasion of British and Dutch colonies in the South Pacific occupied most of the Japanese time and attention.The Pearl Harbor attack planning came from the Japanese predicting that the United States would be drawn into the war after the Japanese attacked Malaya and Singapore. The intent of a strike on Pearl Harbor was to negate the American navy in the Pacific, in turn removing it from dictating operations against American, British, and Dutch colonies in the South Pacific. Planning in the beginning had seen a battle between the two powers would take place in Japanese waters after the United States Navel Fleet traveled across the Pacific Ocean, which would come under attack by submarines and other forces all the way across.The United States Fleet would be beaten in a climactic battle. A surprise attack presented a difficult problem for two major reasons. First, the United States Pacific Fleet was a major force, and they would not be a pushover to defeat or accost up on. Second, for an air attack, Pearl Harbors shallow waters made the use of standardair-dropped torpedoesuseless. On the bright side, the isolation of the island of Hawaii meant that a surprise attack could not be stopped or countered quickly by forces stationed in the continental United States.A lot of Japans naval officers were very impressed with the BritishOperation Judgement, where twenty one old and outdatedFairey Swordfishcrippled half of theRegia Marina. Admiral Yamamoto went as far as sending a delegation to Italy, which decided that a version of Cunninghams strike on a much larger scale could force the United States Pacific Fleet to have to return to bases in California, which would give the Japanese time to put a barrier defense in place to defend the Japanese control of the Dutch East Indies.The delegation returned from Italy with information on how the Cunningham engineers devised shallow-running torpedoes. Japans navel planners were without a doubt influenced by AdmiralTogos surprise attack that was executed on the Pacific Fleet of Russiaat Port Arthur in 1905, and also they were influenced by U. S. AdmiralHarry Yarnells work in the 1932 joint Army-Navy exercises, which was used to simulate an invasion of the island of Hawaii. Yarnell, as the leader of the force that was attacking the island, placed his aircraft carriers northwest f Oahu and simulated an air attack. The umpires of the exercises noted that Yarnells aircraft were able to impose serious damage on the defending team, who for 24 hours after the attack were not able to find his team. In a letter that was written on January 7, 1941 Yamamo to at long last delivered a somewhat rough draft of his plan toKoshiro Oikawa, then Navy Minister, who he also asked that he be made Commander in Chief of the air fleet to carry out the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.A couple of weeks later in another letter, this time sent toTakijiro Onishi, chief of staff of the Eleventh Air Fleet, Yamamoto asked Onishi to study the positive ability successfully carrying out an attack against the American base. After oratory withKosei Maeda originally, an expert on aerial torpedo warfare, and being told that harbors shallow waters made an attack of this nature very close to impossible Onsihi then sought the advice of Commanderand planner Minoru Genda.Once Genda studied the original plan issued by Yamamoto, Genda said the plan is difficult but not impossible. During the next couple weeks, Genda made some changes to Yamamotos rough draft of the attack, stressing the importance of the attack being executed early in the morning and in complete sec recy, using an aircraft carrier fleet and many different types of bombing. ixAlthough bombing the United States Pacific Fleet while they were anchored in Pearl Harbor would be a surprise, it also had two large flaws The ships that would be targeted would be sunk or damaged in the shallow water waters of the harbor, which would mean that they could possibly be salvaged and possibly returned to duty (as six of the eight battleships ultimately were) and most of the crews would be able to live through the attack, since the majority would be on leavewhich means they would be on shore or that most could be easily rescued from the harbor after the attack took place.Despite these concerns, Yamamoto and Genda pressed ahead. By April of 1941, the plan to attack Pearl Harbor began to be referred to asOperation Z, named after the famous Z signal given by Admiral Togo at Tsushima. Throughout the summer of 1941 leading up to the attack, pilots were training in secret nearKagoshima Cityon the Jap anese island ofKyushu. Genda chose this location because the geography and infrastructure of Kagoshima City presented almost all of the same problems bombers would have to overcome during the attack on Pearl Harbor.In training, each race crew navigated over the 5000-foot mountain behind Kagoshima City and dropped into the city, maneuvering around buildings in the lead descending to an altitude of 25 feet at the oceans edge. Bombardiers dropped torpedoes at some three hundred yards away. The skimming of the water did not fix the problem of torpedoes hitting the ocean floor in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor. Japanese engineers developed modifications allowing successful shallow water drops. The engineers work turned out to be a heavily modified version of theType 91 torpedo,which turned out to inflict most of the damage to ships during the attack.Japanese weapon engineers also developed specialarmor-piercing bombswith fitted fins and release shackles to 14 and 16inch naval shel ls. These were able to squeeze the more lightly armored decks of the older battleships still in service. On November 26, 1941, a JapaneseStriking Force of six aircraft carriers (Akagi, Kaga,Soryu,Hiryu,Shokaku, andZuikaku) left Japanheadingto a predetermined position that was northwest of Hawaii, with the intention to launch its planes to execute the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.A total of 408 aircraft were alleged(a) to be used in the attack 360 for the two attack waves, 48 on defensivecombat air patrol(CAP), including nine fighters that would serve double duty on CAP and the first attack wave. The first wave was going to be the major attack, with the second wave helping as a way to finish whatever objectives remained to be completed. The first wave featured the majority of the weapons to attackcapital ships mainly the curiously adaptedType 91aerial torpedoesthat we discussed earlier. xThe attack crews were told to pick the highest value targets such as battleships andaircra ft carriers or, if they were not available, any other high visibleness ships like cruisers and destroyers. The dive bomberswere ordered to attack ground targets. Fighter pilots were told to strafe and destroy as many grounded aircraft as possible to make sure they did not get into the air to attack the bombers, specifically during the first wave. When the planes fuel got low they were ordered to return to the aircraft carriers to refuel, then immediately return to the attack.Fighters were ordered to serve CAP duties when needed, especially over the US airfields where the United States planes were grounded. in front the attack began, two aircraftswere launched from cruisers were sent to scout and gain information over Oahu and report on the composition of the fleet and their exact location. Another four planes scouted the area between the Japanese carrier force in order to prevent the task force from being caught by a surprise counterattack. xi The attack on Pearl Harbor actually t ook place before any formal declaration of war was made by Japan, but it was not the Admirals intention to do this.He originally stated that the attack should not take place until at least thirty minutes after Japan had formally notified the United States that negotiations for peace had come to a close. xiiThe Japanese tried to play by the rules of war while still making the attack a surprise, but the attack began before the notice could be delivered and translated. Japan sent the 5,000-word declairation of war (commonly called the 14-Part Message) in two sections to theJapanese Embassy in Washington, but translating the message took too long for it to be delivered in time. In fact, U. S. code breakers had already decrypt and translated most of the message hours before he was scheduled to deliver it. ). The final part of the 14 Part Message is what some call the actual declaration of war. While it did not declare war nor did it end diplomatic relations, it was viewed by a large num ber of senior U. S government officials as a very strong indication that negotiations were likely makeand that war was going to erupt at any moment.A declaration of war from Japan was printed on the front page of Japans newspapers in the evening chance variable of December 8,but it was not delivered to the United States government until the day after the attack had already taken place. The first attack wave consisted of 183 planes that were launched north of Oahu, led by Commander Mitsuo Fuchida. It included ? 1st Group(targets battleships and aircraft carriers) ? 50Nakajima B5NKatebombers armed with 800kg (1760lb)armor piercing bombs, organized in four sections ? 40 B5N bombers armed withType 91 torpedoes, also in four sections ? nd Group (targetsFord IslandandWheeler Field) ? 54Aichi D3AValdive bombers armed with 550lb (249kg)general purpose bombs ? 3rd Group (targets aircraft at Ford Island, Hickam Field, Wheeler Field, Barbers Point, Kaneohe) ? 45Mitsubishi A6MZekefighters for air control andstrafing ? vi planes failed to launch due to technical difficulties. xiii The second wave was 171 planes 54 B5Ns, 81 D3As, and 36 A6Ms, led by LieutenantShigekazu Shimazaki. Four of the planes failed to launch because of technical difficulties.This wave and its targets comprised ? 1st Group 54 B5Ns armed with 550lb (249kg) and 132lb (60kg) general purpose bombs ? 27 B5Ns aircraft and hangars on Kaneohe, Ford Island, and Barbers Point ? 27 B5Ns hangars and aircraft on Hickam Field ? 2nd Group(targets aircraft carriers and cruisers) ? 81 D3As armed with 550lb (249kg) general purpose bombs, in four sections ? 3rd Group (targets aircraft at Ford Island, Hickam Field, Wheeler Field, Barbers Point, Kaneohe) ? 36 A6Ms for defense and strafingxiv The United States suffered great losses all eight U. S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. Of the eight damaged six were raised, repaired and returned to service later in the war. The Japanese also sank or damag ed three cruisers, threedestroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship,and oneminelayer. 188 U. S. aircraft were destroyed 2,402 Americans were killedand 1,282 wounded. The power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of theintelligence section) were not attacked. xv Japanese losses were light 29 aircraft and fivemidget submarineslost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailorwas captured. xvi After the attack, 15Medals of Honor, 51Navy Crosses, 53Silver Stars, fourNavy and Marine Corps Medals, oneDistinguished Flying Cross, fourDistinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, and threeBronze Star Medalswere awarded to the American military men who served in combat at Pearl Harbor. xviiAlso, a special award, thePearl Harbor Commemorative Medal, was later made and given to all military veterans of the attack. The day following the attack, Roosevelt gave his now famousInfamy speechto aJoint Session of Congress, calling for adeclaration of war on the Empire of Japan. Congress granted this request in less than an hour. On December 11 1941 Germany and Italy, honoring the Tripartite Pact, declared war on the United States. The United States Congress issued a declaration of war later the same day against Germany and Italy.Britain declared war on the Japanese some nine hours before the United States did, mostly because of the Japanese attacks on Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong, and also due to the promise that Winston Churchill made to declare war within the hour if the Japanese executed an attack against the United States. The attack was a huge shock to the Allies in the Pacific Theater. more losses made the setback even more alarming. Japanattacked the Philippines unspoilt a few shorthours later but because of the time difference, it was December 8 in the Philippines.Just a few days after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, thePrince of WalesandRepulse,which were two British ships, were sunkoff the coast ofMalaya, British Prime MinisterWinston Churchilllater said In all the war I never received a more direct shock. As I turned and twisted in recognize the full horror of the news sank in upon me. There were no British or American capital ships in theIndian Oceanor thePacificexcept the American survivors of Pearl Harbor who were hastening back to California.Over this vast expanse of waters Japan was supreme and we everywhere were weak and sore. xviii During the rest of the war, Pearl Harbor was very often used withAmerican propaganda to promote the war. Another huge reaction by America because of the attacks on Pearl Harbor was that most of the Japanese American residents and citizens were relocated to Japanese-American internmentcamps. Just a few short hours after the attack, hundreds of Japanese American leaders were arrested and brought to high-security camps that likeSand Islandand Kilauea Military Camplocated in Hawaii.Later, over 110,000 Japanese Americans, this includes United States citizens, were yanked from their homes and transferred to these high security internment camps in California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas. xix As was discussed previously discussed, was America aware of the plans of the attack? Several theorists dont accept the view that Pearl Harbor was a complete surprise and these theorists always make clear that Roosevelt wanted, though did not say so officially, the U. S. to play a part in the war against Germany.A basic grip of the political situation of 1941 displays reasonable evidence Roosevelt invited, allowed, or even knew of the Pearl Harbor attack. Military historian and novelistThomas Flemingposes the argument that President Roosevelt himself, had wished that Germany or Japan would make the first blow, but did not impart the United States to be hit as hard as it was in the attack on Pearl Harbor. xx In closing I nip that the Unite d States was aware of this devastating attack and that my thesis of On December 7, 1941 The United States of America changed forever with Japans surprise attacks on the U.S. Navel base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. These attacks thrust the United States into the middle of the Second World War and raised many questions and conspiracies pertaining to prior knowledge of the attacks and the plans that the Japanese executed. was well covered through out duration of this research. &8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212 i The effort to establish the Imperial Way (kodo) had begun with theSecond Sino-Japanese War(calledsei???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????? sen, or sanctum sanctorum war, by Japan). Bix, Herbert,Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, 2001, p. 326-327. ii Japan had fought theFirst Sino-Japanese Warwith China in 1894-95 and the Russo-Japanese Warwith Russia in 1904-05 Japans imperialist ambitions had a hand in precipitating both conflicts. iii The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened inLondon,United Kingdomon 9 December 1935. It resulted in theSecond London Naval Treatywhich was signed on 25 March 1936. iv Lester H. Brune and Richard Dean Burns,Chronological History of U.S. orthogonal Relations 1932-1988, 2003, p. 504. v TheMarco Polo Bridge Incident was abattlebetween theRepublic of Chinas National Revolutionary Armyand theImperial Japanese Army, often used as the marker for the start of theSecond Sino-Japanese War (19371945) vi The Rape of Nanking was amass murder, andwar rapethat occurred during the six-week period following the Japanesecaptureof the city ofNanking, the former capital of theRepublic of China, on December 13, 1937 during theSecond Sino-Japanese War. vii Joint Congressional Hearings on the Pearl Harbor Attack, Part 40, rascal 506, Conclusions Restated With Supporting Evidence viii Richardson, On the Treadmill, pp . 425, 434. And as recounted in Baker, Human Smoke, p. 239 ix Prange, Gordon,At Dawn We Slept, Penguin Books, p. 25-27 x Peattie, Mark R. (2001),Sunburst The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 19091941, Naval Institute Press xi Tony DiGiulian. Order of Battle Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. Navweaps. com. Retrieved 2012-02-17. xii Calvocoressiet al. ,The Penguin History of the Second World War, p. 52 xiii Prange. p. 102 xiv Prange. p. 102 xv Full Pearl Harbor casualty list. Usswestvirginia. org. Retrieved 2012-02-17. xvi Full Pearl Harbor casualty list. Usswestvirginia. org. Retrieved 2012-02-17. xvii Prange. p. 454 xviii Churchill, Winston Martin Gilbert (2001),December 1941,The Churchill War Papers The Ever-Widening War,Volume 3 1941, London, New York W. W. Norton, p 15931594, xix Prange. p. 632 xx Fleming, Thomas (2001-06-10). Pearl Harbor Hype. History News Network. Retrieved 2012-02-21. Bibliography PrimaryBurtness, Paul, and Warren Ober. President Roosevelt, Admiral Stark, and the unsent Warning to Pearl Harbor A Research Note.. Australian journal of Politics & History. 57. no. 4 (2011) 580-88. http//web. ebscohost. com. proxy. ohiolink. edu9099/ehost/detail? vid=4&hid=113&email&160protected&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==, Retrieved 2012-02-21 Attack At Pearl Harbor, 1941, the Japanese View EyeWitness to History, www. eyewitnesstohistory. com (2001). Retrieved 2012-03-01 Harriet Moore, (U. S. Army Nurse Corps 2nd Lt. , interview by Erica Warren, Army nurse recalls attack on Pearl Harbor,North County Times, December 7, 2003, January 31, 2012, http//www. nctimes. com/news/local/article_85b4ea10-e9c2-5af7-8e74-deddc726aa5b. html. Conn, Stetson Fairchild, Byron Engelman, ruddiness C. (2000),7 The Attack on Pearl Harbor,Guarding the United States and Its Outposts, Washington D. C. Center of Military History United States Army Damage to United States Naval Forces and Installations as a Result of the Attack,Report of the Joint Committee on the I nvestigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack, Washington D.C. United States Government Printing Office, 1946, retrieved 2012-02-08 US Navy Report of Japanese assail on Pearl Harbor, United States National Archives, Modern Military Branch, 1942 Churchill, Winston Martin Gilbert (2001),December 1941,The Churchill War Papers The Ever-Widening War,Volume 3 1941, London, New York W. W. Norton, p 15931594, Joint Congressional Hearings on the Pearl Harbor Attack, Part 40, pageboy 506, Conclusions Restated With Supporting Evidence Secondary Bix, Herbert,Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, 2001, p. 326-327. Prange, Gordon.At Dawn We Slept The much(prenominal) Story of Pearl Harbor. New York McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1981. Fleming, Thomas (2001-06-10). Pearl Harbor Hype. History News Network. Retrieved 2012-02-21. Richardson, On the Treadmill, pp. 425, 434. And as recounted in Baker, Human Smoke Peattie, Mark R. (2001),Sunburst The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 19091941, Naval Institu te Press Calvocoressiet al. ,The Penguin History of the Second World War, p. 952 Tony DiGiulian. Order of Battle Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. Navweaps. com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.