Introduction
Originally known as Wai Momi, Pearl of Harbor doubles as the home for the United States Navy base and the US Pacific Fleet in contemporary times. The history of Pearl of Harbor is long; however, some events that happened here evoke sad memories of a sad past. The most important event that took place here is the attack of the American Pacific Fleet by Japan in 1941.
Many American warships berthed in Pearl Harbor on different occasions but the activities around this place went unnoticed just like in any other lagoon harbor around the world. Nevertheless, the events of Sunday December 7, 1941 opened up Pearl Harbor to the world. The attack did not happen overnight; no, it was a culmination of a long-standing feud between the US and Japan.
Seemingly, the attack was the only feasible way out of the tension that was developing between America and Japan day after the other. This library project focuses on the ill-fated Japanese attack that occurred at the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
The Attack
Before the attack, the Imperial Japanese Navy was planning to attack the British and the Dutch armies in South East Asia; consequently, because the Japanese Navy feared the American army would get involved in protecting the Britain, they decided to attack the American navy first before proceeding with their mission (Peattie & Evans 64).
Therefore, the Japanese army embarked on intense training, which Barnhart describes as training for war founded on decisive battle philosophy that sought to destroy all battleships involved or at least the maximum number possible (23). The events that preceded the December 7 attack indicated an impending war whose time had come. According to Takeo, the relationship between Japan and America was tense and each knew war would be the ultimate eventuality (45).
The United States of America had continually opposed Japan’s extension into Asia and especially into China. The imminent tensions surfaced in 1940 following Japan’s invasion of Indochina after which the US retaliated by stopping gasoline and airplane export to Japan. In 1941, President Roosevelt deepened the tensions by moving the Pacific Fleet from San Diego to Hawaii coupled with the subsequent establishment of military exercises in the Philippines; a move seen as an attempt to deter Japan’s interest in Fareast.
America was increasingly becoming Japan’s obstacle in her exploits to control greater parts of Far East; finally, Japan decided that, attack was the best defense; as a result, the Japan Navy planned to strike the US Pacific Fleet located at the Pearl Harbor. Nevertheless, this was going to be a high stake gamble, which called for serious preparations.
The Japanese Navy took their time to prepare for the attack. The preparation part of it entailed formulating objectives of the attack, a subject that has drawn deep controversies in the recent past. Nevertheless, the chief objective was to destroy as many as possible American warships to cripple the Pacific Fleet’s involvement in any defense strategy towards shielding the Britain in Far East should Japan strike (Willmott 76).
The cause of the attack notwithstanding, Japan was determined to strike the American Pacific Fleet and she never relented on this pursuit. On November 26, 1941, six aircraft carriers left Japan for Hawaii as the battle day drew near. On the other hand, fleet submarines left for Oahu to wait for the day of attack (Hixson 46). The attack strategy entailed two phases, the primary wave aimed at grounding all major military establishments on the Pearl Harbor, and the secondary wave aimed at destroying the remains of the primary wave.
Just before the attack, two aircrafts went ahead to survey Oahu and identify the constitution and position of the American Pacific Fleet. Japan then declared war on the US by sending message that, any peace negotiations were unwelcome and that Japan would announce her next course of action after few days (Donald & Dillon 79). Unfortunately, due to its bulkiness, the message delayed and only managed to reach Washington a day after the war (French 6).
Then the attack came; the first wave of attack encompassed 183 warplanes attacking Oahu followed by the second wave, comprised of 171 warplanes among other war machines including battleships. The primary wave was divided into three groups each attacking from a different frontier while the secondary wave boasted the same number of groups. The groups launched their attacks simultaneously, a show of how to some extent, the attacks were organized.
Calvocoressi, Guy, and Pritchard posit that, among the important war machineries grounded in this attack were, “Helena the light cruiser, Shaw the destroyer, Curtis the seaplane tender, and Oglala the minelayer among others” (73). According to Higham and Harris, about four Japanese warplanes stalled in the middle of the attack possibly due to a technical hitch (97).
The attack lasted for one and half-hours leaving behind “2,386 Americans dead…1139 wounded, eighteen ships sunk, and five battleships grounded” (Toland 9). At this point, the Pearl Harbor was grounded. Fortunately, the American Pacific Fleet retaliated in time to prevent any attempt to launch a third wave of attack.
By the time, the Japanese Navy launched its second wave of attack; the American side had recollected itself and responded appropriately. In the retaliation, the American side managed to destroy Japan’s 414 aircrafts, killing 55 Japanese soldiers (Levine 132). After the attack, salvage efforts started led by Captain Homer Wallin and managed to re-float several ships even though it took almost six months to clear the first ship of debris and water. Conroy and Harry observe that, it took over one year to complete the salvage work (60).
One day after the attack, the then USA president, Roosevelt called for formal resolution of war against Japan, something that the Congress approved within one hour (Raymer 19). Following the America’s declaration of war against Japan, Germany and Italy announced war against the US and this heralded the subsequent birth of World War II.
Conclusion
Were it not for the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack, the mention of ‘Pearl Harbor’ would go unnoticed by many people in the contemporary America. However, the events of the morning of December 7, 1941 left many Americans puzzled by what seemingly incapable Japan would do. No one would have imagined Japan attacking the USA; nevertheless, to the surprise of many, she did. Japan wanted to guard her growing interests in the Far East at any cost and not even the apparently powerful America would stand in her way.
To prove this, Japan sniffed America’s invisible hand in defending the Britain in the Far East and she resolved to destroy the master before destroying the servant. Unfortunately, the contrivers of this attack were shallowly informed; consequently, they laid down weak strategies doomed to fail, and they did fail indeed. After the attack, the US recollected herself, declared war against Japan, and later entered into World War II without relenting. Pearl Harbor became known, courtesy of this attack.
Works Cited
Barnhart, M. Japan Prepares for Total War: The Search for Economic Security, 1919-1941. London: Cornell University Press, 1987
Calvocoressi, P, Guy W., and Pritchard J. The Penguin History of the Second World War. London: Penguin Group, 2001.
Conroy, H., and Harry W. Pearl Harbor Reexamined: Prologue to the Pacific War. USA: University of Hawaii Press, 1989.
Donald, G., and Dillon K. Eds. The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans. VA: Brassey’s, 1999.
French, H. “Pearl Harbor Truly a Sneak Attack, Papers Show”. The New York Times 9 December 1999. Print.
Higham, R., and Harris S. Why Air Forces Fail: The Anatomy of Defeat. USA: University Press of Kentucky, 2006.
Hixson, W. The American Experience in World War II: The United States and the Road to war in Europe. London: Routledge, 2003.
Levine, E. A Fence Away from Freedom: Japanese Americans and World War II. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Son, 1995.
Peattie, M, and Evans D. Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in The Imperial Japanese Navy. USA: Naval Institute Press, 1997.
Raymer, E. Descent into Darkness. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1996.
Takeo, I. Demystifying Pearl Harbor: A New Perspective from Japan. Japan: I-House Press, 2010.
Toland, J. Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 1986.
Willmott, P. The Barrier and the Javelin: Japanese and Allied Pacific Strategies, February to June 1942. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983.