Why did the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attack the United States
Pearl Harbor was an American territorial harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, and was the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The Pearl Harbor attack occurred as Japan was preparing to launch a massive offensive against Southeast Asia, and sought to neutralize the American fleet in order to allow their military actions to proceed unimpeded.
The Pearl Harbor attack began at 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian time on December 7, 1941, when hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on Pearl Harbor. The attack was over in two hours, and resulted in the deaths of 2,403 Americans and the destruction of or damage to nearly 20 U.S. Navy ships. Japan’s unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor crippled the American fleet and drew the United States into World War II.
The US President’s response to the morning attack on Pearl Harbor
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a speech to the American people on December 8, 1941, the day after the Pearl Harbor attack. In his address, Roosevelt described the Pearl Harbor attack as “a date which will live in infamy.” He then asked Congress to declare war on Japan, and Congress did so later that day. The United States had officially entered World War II.
How many casualties were there in the Pearl Harbor attack?
There were more than 2,400 Americans killed and 1,200 wounded in the Pearl Harbor attack. The majority of the casualties occurred on the USS Arizona, where 1,177 sailors and Marines were killed. More than half of those killed at Pearl Harbor were still in their teens or twenties. There were also 68 civilians killed and 35 wounded in the attack.
The Winners of World War 2
The Allies, led by the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, emerged victorious from World War II. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 60 million people, making it the deadliest conflict in human history.
Yesterday, December 7th, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
– President Franklin D. Roosevelt
The most famous quote from this attack was from then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said the following day, December 8, 1941: “Yesterday, December 7th, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
5 little known facts about the attack, FDR and the war
– The Pearl Harbor attack was meticulously planned by Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.
– The Pearl Harbor attack was originally scheduled for November 26th but was postponed due to bad weather.
– There were many warning signs of the impending Pearl Harbor attack that were not acted upon by American officials.
– Just hours after the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan also invaded British Hong Kong.
– The United States declared war on Japan on December 8th, 1941. Roosevelt gave his famous “Infamy Speech” to a Joint Session of Congress that day, asking for a declaration of war. Congress voted unanimously in favor of war with Japan. Pearl Harbor was the catalyst for the United States’ entry into World War II.
