Carrier Attack On Pearl Harbor example essay topic

PEARL HARBORByChris Woods English IV 2nd Period Mrs. MantoothMay 1st, 2001 Pearl HarborI. Events before the bombingA. Reasons for Japans Expansion 1. The Japanese were severely lacking in raw materials 2. The Japanese wanted to build an empire 3.

Japan thought that it must build up its armies to compete with the Western PowersII. Preparations A. The Japanese made up a 8 point plan 1. Surprise was crucial 2. American aircraft carriers there should be the primary targets 3. U.S. aircraft there must be destroyed to prevent aerial opposition 4.

All Japanese aircraft carriers available should be used 5. All types of bombing should be used in the attack 6. A strong fighter element should be included in the attack for air cover for the fleet 7. Refueling at sea would be necessary 8.

A daylight attack promised best results, especially in the sunrise hoursB. The necessary troops were trained and ships were readiedC. Peace talks came to a halt. The AttackA. The attack was carrier based. The attack consisted of about 300 planes C. The attack started at 7: 55 a.m.

IV. Aftermaths of the attack A. American losses 1.19 ships were damaged or sunk 2.2,403 people were killed 3. Germany and Italy declared war on AmericaV. ConclusionA. The war was stopped by the atom-bombing of Hiroshima and NagasakiB. The President was aware of Japan's plans to attackC.

The attack was allowed to bring Japan into the war Pearl HarborI. Surprise was crucial 2. The AttackA. The attack consisted of about 300 planes E. The attack started at 7: 55 a.m. IV.

ConclusionA. The attack was allowed to bring Japan into the war EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE BOMBING Before entering World War II, Japan had many other problems to deal with. It had begun to rely more and more for raw materials (especially oil) from outside sources because their land was so lacking in these. Despite these difficulties, Japan began to build a successful empire with a solid industrial foundation and a good army and navy. The military became highly involved in the government, and this began to get them into trouble. In the early 1930's, the Japanese Army had many small battles with the Chinese in Manchuria.

The Japanese Army won a series of battles, and Manchuria became a part of the Japanese Empire. In 1937, the conflicts began again with the Chinese in the area near Beijing's Marco Polo Bridge. Whether or not these conflicts began inadvertently or whether they were planned is unknown. These led to a full-scale war known as the second Sino-Japanese War. This was one of the bloodiest wars in world history and continued until the final defeat of Japan in 1945.

In 1939, World War II was beginning with a string of victories by German forces. Germany's success included defeats of Poland and France along with bombings of England. Many of the European nations that Germany now controlled had control over important colonial empires such as the East Indies and Singapore in Southeast Asia. These Southeast Asian countries contained many of the natural resources that Japan so desperately needed. Now that these countries were worried about matters over in Europe, Japan felt that it could seize some of them. At the same time in the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to halt the expansion of Germany and Japan, but many others in the government wanted to leave the situation alone.

The United States began to supply materials to the countries at war with Germany and Japan, but it wanted to remain neutral to prevent and overseas war. Meanwhile, Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the Axis Alliance in September of 1940. Japan was becoming desperate for more natural resources. In July of 1941, Japan made the decision to secure access to the abundance of the much-needed resources in Southeast Asia. It was afraid that it could not defeat the larger and stronger Western powers. It needed to build up its armies in order to stay in the war.

It also had to worry, though about the United States' reaction to their plans to seize Southeast Asia. Japan began their seizure with southern Indochina. The United States was in strict opposition to Japan's plans, and began their reaction with an embargo on the shipment of oil to Japan. Oil was necessary to keep Japan's technology and military progressing. Without it, Japan's industrial and military forces would come to a stop in only a short time. Japan's government viewed the oil embargo as an act of war.

Throughout the next few months of 1941, the United States tried to come to some kind of resolve with Japan to settle their differences. Japan wanted the United States to lift the oil embargo and allow them to attempt a takeover of China. The United States refused to lift the embargo until Japan would back off of their aggression with China. Neither country would budge on their demands, and war seemed to be inescapable. The United States regarded Japan's adamant refusal to budge on their stance as a sign of hostility.

They too realized that war was inevitable. They responded to this potential war with Japan by adding to the military forces stationed in the Pacific. General Douglas MacArthur and his ground forces in the Philippines began to organize into a formidable army. The B-17 was just arriving at many air force bases throughout the country, and was a great confidence to MacArthur upon its arrival. MacArthur became so confident in his forces stationed in the Philippines that on December 5, 1941, he said, 'Nothing would please me better than if they would give me three months and then attack here. ' The most powerful and most crucial part of American defense in the Pacific Ocean was that of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Usually, this fleet was stationed somewhere along the West Coast of the United States, and made a training cruise to Hawaii each year. With war looming, the U.S. Pacific Fleet was moved to the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. This was the perfect location for the American forces in the Pacific because of its location, halfway between the United States West Coast and the Japanese military bases in the Marshall Islands. The Pacific Fleet first arrived at Pearl Harbor naval base on April 2, 1940, and was scheduled to return to the United States mainland around May 9, 1940. This plan was drastically changed because of the increasing activity of Italy in Europe and Japan's attempt at expansion in Southeast Asia. President Roosevelt felt that the presence of the Pacific Fleet in Hawaii would stop any Japanese attempt at a strike on the United States.

Admiral James O. Richardson of the Pacific Fleet was in full opposition to the long stay at Pearl Harbor. He felt that the facilities were inadequate to maintain the ships or crews. Admiral Harold R. Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, was the one who originally made the decision to extend the crew's stay in Hawaii; and, in spite of Admiral Richardson's complaints, he maintained that the Pacific Fleet must stay there to keep the Japanese from entering the East Indies. Richardson felt that the Japanese would realize the military disadvantages of being stationed at Pearl Harbor, and would be quick to act on the situation. All of Richardson's objections, in meetings with both the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and the President, got him nothing but a dismissal shortly thereafter.

On November 12, 1940, British torpedo bombers launched an attack on the Taranto harbor in Italy severely crippling the Italian Fleet. This sent worry into United States government officials who were afraid that the same thing could happen to Pearl Harbor. On November 22, Admiral Stark suggested to Richardson the idea of placing anti-torpedo nets in Pearl Harbor. Richardson replied that they were neither necessary nor practical. On February 1, 1941, Richardson was officially replaced by Admiral Husband E. Kimmel. Kimmel also did not like the idea of his fleet at Pearl Harbor; but, after seeing what had happened to Richardson, he was very quiet about his objections.

The Pacific Fleet was to be used as a defensive measure to direct Japan's attention away from Southeast Asia by: (a) capturing the Caroline and Marshall Islands, (b) disrupting Japanese trade routes, and (c) defending Guam, Hawaii, and the United States mainland. Kimmel was supposed to prepare his fleet for war with Japan. Admiral Iso roku Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of Japan's Combined Fleet, had to be careful of his country's position in the Pacific. If he concentrated his forces too much in the pacific islands, then the mainland would be more susceptible to attack from Europe and even the United States. Yamamoto devised a plan that involved an opening blow to the United States Pacific Fleet at the same time as their offensive against British, American, and Dutch forces in Southeast Asia. He planned to cripple the United States while he quickly conquered much of Southeast Asia and gathered their natural resources.

He hoped that his attack against the Pacific Fleet would demoralize the American forces and get them to sign a peace settlement allowing Japan to remain as the power in the Pacific. A month after the British attack on Taranto harbor, Yamamoto decided that if war with the United States were unavoidable he would launch a carrier attack on Pearl Harbor. In January of 1941, Yamamoto first began to commit to this strategy by planning out his attack and showing it to other Japanese officials. Yamamoto developed the following eight guidelines for the attack: (1) surprise was crucial, (2) American aircraft carriers there should be the primary targets, (3) U.S. aircraft there must be destroyed to prevent aerial opposition, (4) all Japanese aircraft carriers available should be used, (5) all types of bombing should be used in the attack, (6) a strong fighter element should be included in the attack for air cover for the fleet, (7) refueling at sea would be necessary, and (8) a daylight attack promised best results, especially in the sunrise hours. Many of Japan's Navy General Staff was in opposition to Yamamoto's plan, but they continued to prepare for the attack. All of the necessary training was given to troops, and all of the fighters and submarines were prepared...

THE BOMBING BEGINS There were peace talks occurring up until about November 27, 1941. At that time, negotiations had come to a halt. The United States put its troops on alert. On December 6, 1941, President Roosevelt made an appeal for peace to the Emperor of Japan. Not until late that day did the U.S. decode thirteen parts of a fourteen-part message that presented the possibility of a Japanese attack. Approximately 9 a.m.

(Washington time) on December 7, 1941, the last part of the fourteen part message was decoded stating a severance of ties with the United States. An hour later, a message from Japan was decoded as instructing the Japanese embassy to deliver the fourteen-part message at 1 p.m. (Washington time). The U.S., upon receiving this message sent a commercial telegraph to Pearl Harbor because radio communication had been down.

At 6 a.m. (Hawaiian time) on December 7, 1941, the first Japanese attack fleet of 183 planes took off from aircraft carriers 230 miles north of Oahu. At 7: 02 a. m., two Army operators at a radar station on Oahu's north shore picked up Japanese fighters approaching on radar. They contacted a junior officer who disregarded their sighting, thinking that it was B-17 bombers from the United States West Coast. The first Japanese bomb was dropped at 7: 55 a.m. on Wheeler Field, eight miles from Pearl Harbor. The crews at Pearl Harbor were on the decks of their ships for morning colors and the singing of The Star-Spangled Banner.

Even though the band was interrupted in their song by Japanese plane gunfire, the crews did not move until the last note was sung. The telegraph from Washington had been too late. It arrived at headquarters in Oahu around noon (Hawaiian time), four long hours after the first bombs were dropped. AFTERMATHS OF THE BOMBING Of the approximately 100 U.S. Navy ships present in the harbor that day, eight battleships were damaged with five sunk. Eleven smaller ships including cruisers and destroyers were also badly damaged.

Among those killed were 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians. The wounded included 1,178 people. The U.S.S. Arizona was dealt the worst blow of the attack. A 1,760-pound bomb struck it, and the ammunition on board exploded killing 1,177 servicemen. Today, there is a memorial spanning the sunken remains of the Arizona dedicated to the memory of all those lost in the bombing. News of the attack was a shock to the entire nation.

The bombing rallied the United States behind the President in declaring war on Japan. On December 11, Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S., bringing about a global conflict. The United States would later drop two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing Japan to complete surrender on August 14, 1945. THE TERRIBLE TRUTH Pearl Harbor was not an accident, a failure of intelligence, or even a brilliant Japanese military coup. It was a result of a carefully laid plan by the highest levels of our government to bring the United States into World War II. Pearl Harbor was the only way to bring America out of Isolation.

There was an ample amount of information warning the U.S. about the oncoming attack. Investigators have uncovered an eight-step program devised by the Navy. Also there are cable after cable of decryption's which prove that a Japanese spy on the island transmitted information-including a map of bombing targets-beginning on August 21, and that government intelligence know all about it. Information also reveals that Admiral Kimmel was prevented from conducting a routine training exercise, which would have discovered the on coming Japanese Fleet. And contrary to previous claims, evidence shows that the Japanese did not maintain radio silence as it approached Hawaii. Its many coded cables were intercepted and decoded by American cryptographers in Stations on Hawaii and Seattle.

The evidence warning FDR about the attack is overwhelming. Of course it was also understood by the highest levels of leadership that the isolationist American public would not support a declaration of war unless we were attacked first. The plan was to anger Japan and thus to drag America into the greatest war of her existence. Yet even with this "Terrible Truth" I am inclined to forgive. I sympathize with President Roosevelt and the dilemma he faced. "He was forced to find circuitous means to persuade an isolationist America to join in a fight for freedom...

It is easier to take a critical view of this policy a half century after the event than to fully understand fully what went on in Roosevelt's mind in the year prior to Pearl Harbor. Work Cited (April 10, 2001). December 7, 1941. [World Wide Web].

Available: URL = web (April 20, 2001). History channel. [World Wide Web]. Available: URL = web book. pl? ID = 35502 (April 10, 2001). The History Place.

[World Wide Web]. Available: URL = web Louis L. Snyder. "Pearl Harbor". Academic American Encyclopedia 1989 ed. Stack man, Michael, Target: Pearl Harbor. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990.