Posted on 12/07/2019 12:18:50 PM PST by SeekAndFind
When Japanese bombers appeared in the skies over Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941, the U.S. military was completely unprepared for the devastating surprise attack, which dramatically altered the course of World War II, especially in the Pacific theater. But there were several key reasons for the bombing that, in hindsight, make it seem almost inevitable.
Tensions Began During the Great Depression
Before the Pearl Harbor attack, tensions between Japan and the United States had been mounting for the better part of a decade.
The island nation of Japan, isolated from the rest of the world for much of its history, embarked on a period of aggressive expansion near the turn of the 20th century. Two successful wars, against China in 1894-95 and the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-05, fueled these ambitions, as did Japan’s successful participation in World War I (1914-18) alongside the Allies.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Japan sought to solve its economic and demographic woes by forcing its way into China, starting in 1931 with an invasion of Manchuria. When a commission appointed by the League of Nations condemned the invasion, Japan withdrew from the international organization; it would occupy Manchuria until 1945.
In July 1937, a clash at Beijing’s Marco Polo Bridge began another Sino-Japanese war. That December, after Japanese forces captured Nanjing (Nanking), the capital of the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Guomindang (Kuomintang), they proceeded to carry out six weeks of mass killings and rapes now infamous as the Nanjing Massacre.
The U.S. Was Trying to Stop Japan’s Global Expansion
In light of such atrocities, the United States began passing economic sanctions against Japan, including trade embargoes on aircraft exports, oil and scrap metal, among other key goods, and gave economic support to Guomindang forces. In September 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, the two fascist regimes then at war with the Allies.
Tokyo and Washington negotiated for months leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack, without success. While the United States hoped embargoes on oil and other key goods would lead Japan would halt its expansionism, the sanctions and other penalties actually convinced Japan to stand its ground, and stirred up the anger of its people against continued Western interference in Asian affairs.
To Japan, war with the United States had become to seem inevitable, in order to defend its status as a major world power. Because the odds were stacked against them, their only chance was the element of surprise.
Destroying the Base at Pearl Harbor Would Mean Japan Controlled the Pacific
In May 1940, the United States had made Pearl Harbor the main base for its Pacific Fleet. As Americans didn’t expect the Japanese to attack first in Hawaii, some 4,000 miles away from the Japanese mainland, the base at Pearl Harbor was left relatively undefended, making it an easy target.
Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku spent months planning an attack that aimed to destroy the Pacific Fleet and destroy morale in the U.S. Navy, so that it would not be able to fight back as Japanese forces began to advance on targets across the South Pacific.
Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor would drive the United States out of isolation and into World War II, a conflict that would end with Japan’s surrender after the devastating nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
At first, however, the Pearl Harbor attack looked like a success for Japan. Its bombers hit all eight U.S. battleships, sinking four and damaging four others, destroyed or damaged more than 300 aircraft and killed some 2,400 Americans at Pearl Harbor.
Japanese forces went on to capture a string of current and former Western colonial possessions by early 1942—including Burma (now Myanmar), British Malaya (Malaysia and Singapore), the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and the Philippines—giving them access to these islands’ plentiful natural resources, including oil and rubber.
But the Pearl Harbor attack had failed in its objective to completely destroy the Pacific Fleet. The Japanese bombers missed oil tanks, ammunition sites and repair facilities, and not a single U.S. aircraft carrier was present during the attack. In June 1942, this failure came to haunt the Japanese, as U.S. forces scored a major victory in the Battle of Midway, decisively turning the tide of war in the Pacific.
Due to the smoke from the previous attacks, such targets in harbor may have been obscured, though the ships that left to station outside the harbor would most likely been targeted instead. The Enterprise was less than 200 miles out when the attack started and given Halsey’s aggressiveness he probably would have launched an attack even with one carrier. The Japanese pilots just needed an idea that a U.S. carrier was out there nearby and it would have been sunk. The Lexington was still near Midway more than a thousand miles away and would have been safe.
You are correct. For some reason I was thinking it was just two months before.
It’s our own fault. We don’t have rulers.
Or Che Guevara.
Actually, “we” didn’t. Chennault was hired by the Chinese to put it together. Pilots who volunteered had to resign their commissions.
That’s true. He was very worried about submarines.
Have you ever talked to anyone forty or younger about either world war? I think it must have left the grade school and Junior high curricula in the late seventies and left high school in the mid to late eighties.
Oops.
I just realized that we never got around to discussing the effects of the Sino-American Cooperative Organization on the war. There was an old China Marine whom I used to do work for that had some fascinating stories about that. I believe that he died maybe five or six years ago.
After all these decades he was always alert and his eyes never missed any detail.
Because the a@@hole FDR with his buddies in Rockefeller and the other “sisters” of Oil, put an embargo on the growing Japan’s oil. Dutch Shell had a great part in it— and their wells and fields were taken, right off by Japan.
It was— OIL, and it was because Britain desperately needed us to be attacked and get into the war it was losing. Strange that Hitler declared war on the US. Prior to all this he was making all kinds of entreaties and buddying up to the US— vs. the Soviets. Not so ironic the US employed the Canaris and Gehlen Nazi spy networks right after the war against the Soviets (an effective network we had no clue how to fight the Soviets in spy game).
Long passed family member was deployed on a submarine war patrol with fully loaded and authorized torpedoes on board— which left Pearl Harbor early October 1941 5 weeks before the attack- carrier escort picket and war patrol. They knew the Brits had cracked the Jap codes— all general officers in Pacific knew. The Brits withheld a lot of info,intentionally. They knew where the Jap fleet was, and when they had left, and held off telling us. All that hoorah about the long “translation” of the jap message is a lot of bull, and why it was essential for FDR to court martial Kimmel and Short— to hide what he’d done, and the disinformation that had aircraft wing to wing out in the open against “sabotage”-— criminal. Like still allowing Saudis on US air bases, when they could be trained in their own country. Has to stop.
But the main point is that “weapons free” to attack any Japanese shipping encountered (with rather broad conditions to be considered “hostile”). Then 6 hours out of Pearl, got the “this is no drill” message and spent the next 14 hours trying not to be sunk by our own destroyers and aircraft. Vivid appalling memories of the aftermath— and lifelong hated FDR for the lying socialist he was, and as he said “that ugly dyke b-—h Eleanor was a freaking commie- why would he marry such a physically ugly woman?”. Memory from back in the 60’s. A warrior— ran Filipino guerillas into small islands- Leyte Gulf and the Slot, with Aussie Coastwatcher volunteers (both of whom were discovered, and beheaded by Jap officers). Had great affection for the Filipino fighters he worked with— brave as hell, and loyal.
RE: Because the a@@hole FDR with his buddies in Rockefeller and the other “sisters” of Oil, put an embargo on the growing Japan’s oil. Dutch Shell had a great part in it— and their wells and fields were taken, right off by Japan.
In other words, it was the fault of the American government? We are the villains.
Not the “government”... the FDR perpetual machine politics, and all of his pals. He had to force the Rockefellers/Standard Oil to stop selling crucial additives to the Nazis- one small hugely important detail.
See: The Prize. This isn’t some leftist rambling— it is well researched.
One of the reasons the demonrat machine of the clintons and obamaumaos and the modern dnc can be favourably compared to the Leftist socialists of Germany. German socialism appeals to the demonrats (Left of center the Nazis were, and the Communists were further Left of them, and painted the Nazis as “right wing”. They never were, but they were supported by Krupps and Theissens and Quandts because they made labor problems of the commies... go away).
The history is quite clear on this, and one of the clever ruses the Soviets played was to create the idea that Nazis were right wing- when they were similar world socialists.
And don’t forget GHW Bush and his “New World Order” speech— that was a huge eye opener vs. Ronald Reagan.
Absolutely true— and the Comintern sent out orders from Stalin.... “support the US getting into the war”. Stalin crapped his pants the Nazis were coming for him, and made feelers to join the Allies (even as he spied the crap out of the idiot Brits whose upper crust were all commies, if they weren’t initially pro-Germany, as the Royals were. Recall the little weasel Edward who abdicated- he WAS a Nazi. He was active supporting German U Boats who re-fueled secretly in the Bahamas and took on supplies. The Floridians who had money and went back and forth to Bahamas knew this— and reported on it to the US govt. Good riddance to Eddie and the “dyke” olive oil “woman” he loved. What a weasel.
Three US Carriers were in the Pacific, not 6.
Those under 40 are really surprised when I tell them some history.
My grandfather was a chief reporter and was near the president often. He swears FDR got up and did a bit of a jig because he couldn’t contain his joy over the unfettered war declaration he was declaring.
Yes, FDR used a wheel chair but he could stand up and move around when he had a mind to.
Of course saying what he saw back then would have gotten him fired, if not worse.
This was a carrier group that left Japan in the dead of the night straight towards the Hawaiian Islands while all the U.S. attention was focused on the Jap navy in the S. China sea.
I found this article yesterday, it's well worth the time to read it.........
Maybe because you're the only one here who has read it that many times and many others have never read it at all........
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.