The Devastating Effects Of Japan's Attack On Pearl Harbor

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On December 7, 1941, the Japanese lead a deadly aerial attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, an attack that upset not only America, but dozens of other countries in the world. At 7:55am, Japanese fighter planes began an attack that they had spent months planning. Lasting only eleven minutes, this bombing managed to destroy two American battleships and severely damage others. The attack consisted of many different components including the reason for it, the planning, the actual attack, and the direct aftermath of it. Pearl Harbor was a bombing that devastated America and ultimately pushed them to join the second world war because they were so upset with Japan and wanted to prove to the world that they could fight back.
The attack
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Since they thought this, the United States believed the best thing to do was to freeze Japanese assets. However, the US government did not realize just how upset this would make Japan. Although it made the Japanese very angry, they didn’t retaliate immediately. The final straw was when the United States dissolved almost all commercial and financial relationships with Japan, enraging all Japanese government officials. Now Japan started to fight back, however it seemed as if their intentions were to only verbally attack the US. “Though Japan continued to negotiate with the United States up to the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, the government of Prime Minister Tōjō Hideki decided on war” (Britannica). The more the two sides debated, the more upset the Japanese became. Finally, the mounting tension reached a point of no return. “It seemed that war was all but inevitable” …show more content…
The original plan was discussed in extreme detail, but last minute changes were made, confusing the soldiers. Once they got to the island, military leaders realized many factors were not as anticipated, so they had to make some changes. “If the Americans were on the alert, the first-wave dive-bombers—which, in the original plan, were to orbit north of the harbor until the torpedo bombers finished their attack—would surge ahead and bomb Ford Island and Hickam Field to draw anti aircraft fire from the torpedo bombers”(Historynet). This backup plan was formed very shortly before the attack because only then did the military leaders realize their planes might be seen on the American’s radar. Everything needed to be adjusted and “the new plan was cemented without input from the fighter or dive-bomber leaders” (Historynet), meaning the pilots weren’t really aware what they were supposed to do. The pilots then had to adjust the plan again when they reached Pearl Harbor because things, such as the number and