Pearl Harbor, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The attack by the Japanese Imperial Army against the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7^th, 1941 was a belligerent unprovoked declaration of war by Japan against the United States. The attack was an aerial strike from six Japanese Aircraft Carriers. It was estimated that some 353 Japanese fighter planes, torpedo bombers and conventional bombers took part in the attack. The main objective was to sink the American warships in Pearl Harbor and to destroy American aircraft on the ground at the two major airfields. Unfortunately for the Japanese, the prime targets, the American carriers, were at sea. Nevertheless they did an amazing amount of damage; sinking 19 warships and destroying 188 aircraft. Amongst these was the famous battleship USS Arizona. The sunken battleship reported 1,177 dead sailors and they went down with the ship. The site has remained untouched and has become an important war memorial.

The attack came without any formal declaration of war. At the same time, the Japanese attacked US military bases in the Philippines and carried out an incursion into the British Malaya peninsula. This ultimately resulted in the surrender of the Garrison of Singapore on February 15^th, 1942. At the time, Britain was struggling with its war against Germany in Europe and would not release troops to that theatre of operation. This left the Australians feeling abandoned and they turned to the USA for help. The defining turn of the war in the Pacific was the Battle of Midway Island where the US Navy imposed a crushing defeat on the Japanese imperial fleet. Despite a small fleet, the US demonstrated its superiority in air power and as such the air supremacy eliminated the Japanese as a future threat to the base at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands.

Events Leading up to the Attack

The possibility of war with Japan had been looming since the 1920’s. The strategic position of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was thought to be too far away from Japan for consideration of attack. Japan seemed too pre-occupied in expanding its territories in South East Asia. The High command of the Japanese Imperial Navy considered that one massive attack against Pearl Harbor would cripple the US Pacific fleet. This would then leave the Japanese Navy virtually unopposed to deal with its conquest of south East Asia where it could gain much valuable raw materials like oil, rubber, etc. This would equally allow the Japanese Army to invade countries with the support of the Navy and with little threat from the Americans. (Davenport, 2009)

The Japanese high command had become frustrated and tired with prolonged negotiations with the US Administration. The US was seen as blockage to Japan’s aspirations to expand its interests in South East Asia. They hoped to launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in order to wipe out US naval power in the Pacific. The attack took place before the Japanese Ambassador in Washington could deliver the declaration of War.

Attack strategy

The Japanese navy had built a task force around six Aircraft Carriers. The idea was to launch an air attack using stealth and surprise. They hoped that the first wave of the attack would do the lethal work in terms of ship destruction. This was the mission of the torpedo bombers. The fighter aircraft would destroy as many aircraft on the ground by attacking the two main airfields. The second wave was essentially to be a mopping up exercise, the Aircraft Carriers and Battleships being primary targets.

The six Japanese air craft carriers and their 414 planes were supported by two battleships, three cruisers, nine destroyers, eight tankers, 23 large submarines and five midget submarines. Five midget submarines were sunk or disabled, 29 aircraft were brought down and 64 Japanese were killed.

Fortunately for the Americans, their big carriers were at sea but there were six large battleships in port and the Japanese managed to sink 18 ships including five battleships. The attack was considered a success despite the missing carriers. The Japanese officers urged for a third strike to destroy supplies, torpedo and fuel tanks. The commander of the Japanese fleet decided not to undertake a third strike as he felt he had a duty to return the carrier fleet intact back to Japan. He also feared the sudden return of the American Carriers and did not wish to engage them when he had already won an important victory. The lack of following through with a third wave strike was a huge mistake for the Japanese as that would have knocked out Pearl’s infrastructure and it is estimated that it would have taken almost a year to recover the situation. (McGowan, 2007)

Aftermath

The day after the attack, President Roosevelt delivered his ‘infamy’ speech declaring war on Japan. Britain had declared war on Japan nine hours earlier because of the attack on their Singapore Garrison. On December 11^th, Italy and Germany declared war on the USA. At Pearl ninety minutes after the attack, commenced the US Navy indicated there that over 2,386 Americans had been killed, nearly 50% of these being attributed to the explosion of the USS Arizona’s forward magazine. There were also 1,282 wounded, of which 35 were civilians.

The USS Nevada after being hit many times, attempted a dash to the sea, but unfortunately this made her even more of a target. The continued bombardment forced her to be beached in fear of being sunk and blocking the Harbor entrance. The USS California faired not much better as she was hit by two bombs and received two torpedo hits. To avoid further loss of life, they abandoned ship. The USS West Virginia received several torpedo hits and was sunk. The USS Oklahoma capsized after receiving several torpedo hits. The USD Maryland remained relatively unscathed despite two bomb hits.

There were 402 aircraft stationed in Hawaii at the time of the attack, and as well as the destruction of 188 of them, an additional 159 were damaged, all but four of them being on the ground. Such was the element of surprise that only eight were able to take off and many of their pilots were killed or shot down. Other US pilots returning from separate airborne missions were killed by friendly fire in the confusion of the attack.

Despite the attacks on the ships and the airfields, several strategic facilities were left untouched, including the headquarters building, the shipyard, the fuel and torpedo stores, the power station and submarine piers. The survival of these facilities helped the rapid repair of many of the disabled ships.

Other Ramifications

It was the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii that brought the USA into the war and this merged the Sino-Japanese war into World War 2. Despite joining the allies of USA, Britain and its commonwealth members, the Chinese army continued a process of deterioration until the end of the war in 1945. In 1945 under the Cairo declaration, Japan agreed to return Manchuria, Taiwan and Pescadores to Chinese rule.

The Japanese Forces that surrendered to the Chinese Army were forced to fight for the Communists in Manchuria and became a part of the Nationalist struggle. Before the Communist Victory in 1949, up to 60,000 Japanese prisoners were still being held in mainland China. (Dower, 1999).

Where Were the Carriers?

The prime target of the Japanese Imperial Navy was the American Carriers but the three Pacific fleet carriers were not there. This changed the prime target to the Battleships.

USS Enterprise: Serving as Task Force 8 (TF8), the Enterprise along with four heavy cruisers and nine destroyers was ferrying planes to Wake Island. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the TF8 was 215 miles west of Oahu.

USS Lexington: Was working with Task Force 12 (TF12) ferrying 18 bombers to Midway – at the time of the raid they were 500 miles west of Midway.

USS Saratoga: The Carrier was in San Diego and was in the process of ferrying a load of aircraft to Pearl Harbor.

The USS Yorktown: Set sail on November 16^th, 1941 leaving the Atlantic carrier contingent in order to join the Pacific fleet.

Had the carriers been docked in Pearl Harbor, alongside what is known as Carrier Row, they would have represented perfect targets for the Japanese air force and most certainly they would have been destroyed leaving a dangerous gap in the US Pacific fleet that would have taken over a year to recover.

Japanese declaration of War

The overall commander of the attack on, had decided that the attack would take place 30 minutes after the declaration of war had been made to the US Government. Owing to some bungling by the Japanese ambassadorial staff, the message was delayed in being delivered. Hence the attack on Pearl Harbor was unprovoked and went ahead at a time Japan was not officially at war with the USA. Yamamoto was bitterly disappointed with this and stated “I fear all that all we have done is to awake a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve” (Hester, 2013).

A Flawed Strategy

Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Americans were rethinking their approach to the Pacific theatre of operations. They were moving away from the concept of patrolling the South Pacific and moving more towards a homeland defence policy protecting the Eastern seaboard of the USA, whilst maintaining clearance of the shipping lanes to Australia. Unfortunately, unknown to the Japanese, the attack on Pearl Harbor was completely unnecessary.

The Japanese focus on the battleships was a major strategic error. They believed that the final confrontation in the Pacific would be between battleships, not carriers and aircraft. Admiral Yamamoto kept his battleships in reserve for what he thought would be a final battle that ultimately did not occur.

The lack of the third wave attack was another strategic error on the part of the Japanese, as this would have meant the destruction of the US submarine pens. The US submarines subsequently proved far more lethal to the Japanese Imperial Navy than any battleship. They ultimately contributed to the destruction of the Imperial Navy by destroying shipping containing oil, raw materials and transportation of troops.

Salvage

The American Navy spent over a year salvaging vital components from the wreckage. The intrepid work of the divers and marine salvage experts had success after six months. They had managed to refloat and surface five battleships and two cruisers. These were removed to shipyards in Pearl Harbor where extensive repair programs were carried out. The divers also helped in the recovery of many armaments that were recovered and subsequently used on other ships after they had undergone repair. Regrettably, despite attempts to raise them, the three sunken battleships beyond repair for salvage. All three battleships remain where they sank.

The USS Arizona Memorial, designed by Alfred Preis, was constructed over the site of the Arizona. It attracts thousands of visitors each year who continue to honor the lives lost during the attack and observe the slow release of oil coming from the stricken ship.

Conclusion

The audacious attack on Pearl Harbor is commemorated each year on the anniversary date of December 7^th. This comprises a memorial ceremony at Pearl Harbor, and an anniversary parade of veterans and civilian survivors that takes place in Waikiki. Even though the numbers of survivors of the attack have dwindled over the years, the parade still attracts hundreds of appreciative onlookers that show their respect for those that lost their lives during the attack and their support and pride in the survivors’ bravery.

References

Davenport, J. C. (2009). The Attack on Pearl Harbor. New York: Infobase publishing.

Dower, J. W. (1999). Embracing Defeat: Japan in the wake of World War 11. New York: W.W. Norton & Co .

Hester, G. P. (2013, 3 24). December 7, 1941: The Sleeping Giant Awakens . Retrieved from Pacific Air Forces: http://www.pacaf.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123034638

McGowan, T. (2007). The Attack on Pearl Harbor. New York: Scholastic Library .