The day of Pearl Harbor what were other American targets?

Answer 1

Clark Field, the main Army Air Force base in the Philippines, on Luzon Island. MacArthur was commanding in the Philippines, and had several hours knowledge of the Japanese attack on Hawaii. Yet Japanese attack aircraft, flying from Formosa, still found MacArthur's aircraft incredibly easy targets, parked, still lined up down the middle of the runways in anti-sabotage positions. Almost all of US air power in the Philippines was knocked out in the first few minutes. MacArthur certainly had had time to disperse his aircraft to outlying auxiliary fields, and to order his B-17 heavy bombers to reposition on Mindanao Island to the south, out of Japanese range, had this occurred to him. The attack on Clark Field was a preliminary to a massive invasion of more than one hundred thousand Japanese troops, which came about three days later. This force outnumbered MacArthur's American-Filipino command. MacArthur eventually was forced to order a withdrawal into the Bataan Peninsula, but neglected to order food dumps moved there when he did. On reaching Bataan the troops immediately went on half-rations, later quarter rations, then even less. After about four months they were starved into surrender.

MacArthur had code-breaking equipment and his own decryption specialists not given to the commanders in Hawaii. Yet he was caught unawares too, even with hours of notice of the Japanese commencement of hostilities by attacking Hawaii. Yet the commanders, Army and Navy, in Hawaii were crucified; when MacArthur was ordered out of the Philippines (leaving his men behind) he was given the Medal of Honor.

Within a few days of the attack on Pearl Harbor the Japanese also attacked Wake Island. They attempted a landing, but were repulsed by the Marine Defense Battalion there. They came back about two weeks later, and this time captured the island.

The main Japanese goal in early December, 1941, was to seize the oil fields of the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). The Japanese attacked the Philippines because they thought the US would go to war with them over grabbing this Dutch Colony, and wanted to knock out any local potential for interference. They attacked Hawaii to cripple the US Fleet, to get a few more months of breathing room to consolidate their conquests.