Pearl Harbor: A Day That Lives in Infamy
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy bombed the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack shocked the nation and brought it into a world war.
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Script:
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy bombed the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor. It was among the most successful– and failed– surprise attacks in military history..
The attack shocked America and the world..
President Franklin Roosevelt described it as “a date which will reside in infamy.”.
An armada of six-fleet carriers, equipped with some 350 fight aircraft, crossed 4,000 miles of rough winter seas to reach its destination.
Neither American radar operators on the island nor intelligence officers who had broken much of the Japanese naval codes had a notion of the method.
Flying out of the intense morning sun, 2 waves of bombers sank four battleships of the US 7th fleet, damaged 4 others, and killed over 2,300 American sailors and soldiers. The Japanese suffered minimal losses of simply 29 aircraft..
The attack was brilliant..
It did not achieve its goal– for 2 factors:.
One:.
By a twist of fate, the 3 American warship based at Pearl– the ships the Japanese most wanted to destroy– Enterprise, Lexington, and Saratoga– were all out to sea on the 7th– and safe.
2:.
The Japanese didn’t end up the job..
To put the base out of commission required not two, however three attack waves. This last wave would have ruined a full six months’ worth of kept naval and aviation fuel, dockyards, and upkeep stores, and truly set the Americans reeling..
At the last moment, Admiral ChĹ«ichi Nagumo concluded that the risks were too terrific– his airplanes and ships too susceptible to a counterattack. He made his way back to Japan, leaving the Americans bloodied, however not fatally so..
Why did the Japanese attack at all? What did they want to achieve?
The response is that Japan meant to dominate and control all of Asia: its resources and individuals. To do that, it thought it had to neutralize America..
From the hindsight of history, this appears suicidal. At the time, it practically made sense..
To begin with, in 1941 the United States was, militarily speaking, in a sorry state. The ships in its Pacific fleet were couple of and many were dated. The Japanese fleet, in contrast, was newer, larger, and more powerful..
Second, America had no appetite for overseas dispute.
Like the rest of the world, the Japanese had viewed most of Europe fall to the Nazis while America did little to stop it. If the US wasn’t going to combat in Europe where it had many alliances, why would it combat in Asia where it had couple of? How much more so if Japan were to destroy most of its Pacific fleet! Surely, the Japanese reasoned, America would sue for peace..
Other present events likewise went into their thinking..
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, it assumed– again, rather fairly– that Hitler’s forces in Russia would rapidly catch Moscow and take the Soviets out of the war. This would get rid of any danger the Russians may present to Japan’s conquest of Manchuria and China..
A brand-new fascist world order appeared to be on the horizon. Germany would rule Europe; Japan, Asia..
But just as Hitler ignored Soviet strengths and overstated his own, the Japanese ignored American strengths and overstated their own.
Rather of cowing America, the Pearl Harbor attack infuriated it. The nation awakened with a terrifying start..
Within 6 months General Jimmy Doolittle led a surprise battle raid on Tokyo, a remarkable feat no one at the time, including the Japanese, considered possible. American carriers just did not have sufficient runway to introduce a long-range bomber. However in some way Doolittle handled it. The raid did little real damage, however it boosted American morale and sent a stern message to Japan: America would not be intimidated.
For the total script as well as FACTS & SOURCES, visit https://www.prageru.com/video/pearl-harbor-a-day-that-lives-in-infamy.
source
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy bombed the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack shocked the country and brought it into a world war. To this day, it stays seared in America’s historic memory. Within 6 months General Jimmy Doolittle led a surprise battle raid on Tokyo, a remarkable accomplishment no one at the time, including the Japanese, thought about possible. The raid did little real damage, but it increased American spirits and sent a stern message to Japan: America would not be daunted.
