Pearl Harbor

You may be thinking about the famous speech by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt before the US Congress on December 8, 1941, following the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (and the Philippines) the previous day.

Pearl Harbor

He called it "a day of infamy".

He also said that a state of war existed between Japan and the US and that congress should not hesitate in officially declaring war between the US and Japan.

Since they wanted control of the entire Pacific and lost the war, I would suggest that they did not succeed. Prior to and during the war their leaders were telling the Japanese people that they would deliver a war to the United States that we would not be able to endure because of what they perceived to be our genetic inferiority.

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Actually it was the American victory at the Battle of Midway. It shifted the momentum permanently to the US. the Japanese were forced onto the defensive for the rest of he war.

Pearl Harbor was important because it was the site at which Japanese naval action brought the US into World War 2. Despite Japanese efforts to ensure that war was declared 30 minutes in advance of the surprise attack, communications in Washington DC between diplomats were delayed and the attack came before war was declared. This enraged the US population and ensured a war to "unconditional surrender."

The United States dropped an atom bomb on Hiroshima, a major Japanese city. This did not result in surrender. So the United States dropped a second atom bomb on Nagasaki, another major Japanese city. This was finally enough to force the Japanese into surrendering.

He was exceptionally well-read and informed about a variety of topics. As a teenager, he wrote an extraordinarily thorough book about the natural history of birds. He went on to graduate from Harvard.

Unlike Germany & Italy, Japan destroyed nearly all of it's WW2 documents prior to their surrendering in September 1945. What was captured, was studied, preserved, or dumped into the ocean (airplanes, tanks, artillery, machine guns, rifles, swords, pistols, helmets, etc.). The Japanese built the super battleship Yamato under total secrecy, anyone caught photographing the warship or talking about it, faced execution. The Japanese were a very secretive people; the allies didn't know the size of Yamato's guns (18 inch) until they discovered the dry dock it was built in, after the war. So it can only be estimated that Japan lost approximately 50,000 airplanes during WW2.

The United States Congress declared war on Japan, and later Germany, after Roosevelt made his famous speech; "a day which will live unto infamy..." then World War II officially began for the US.

The Japanese attack on the US Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki RB

Military nurses were very much involved in the turmoil at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, working under tremendous pressure during the aftermath of the morning's raids. The Japanese attack left 2,235 servicemen and 68 civilians dead. Eighty-two Army nurses were serving at three Army Medical Facilities in Hawaii that infamous December morning. Hundreds of casualties suffering from burns and shock were treated by Army and Navy nurses working side-by-side with civilian nurses and doctors. Nurses at Schofield Hospital and Hickam Field faced similar overwhelming numbers of wounded personnel. The Chief Nurse at Hickam Field, 1st Lt. Annie G. Fox, was the first of many Army nurses to receive a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

It's because Japan thought they could beat us. Japan conquered a large part of Asia and the Pacific to secure the nature resources and land which their country lacks. By pushing western interests out of the region, they could secure their empire and join the ranks of world super powers. Considering things like general Yamamoto's plan to attack the Panama canal, the Japanese were an extremely formidable side to face.

The Navy and Army bases at or near Pearl Harbor were bombed and machine-gunned by the Imperial Japanese Navy in a surprise attack on December 7, 1941.

Roosevelt was trying to get the Japanese to leave China. By stationing our fleet in Pearl Harbor he was threatening the Japanese. Roosevelt hoped the Japanese would recognize the threat (they did) and along with our restrictions of sales to Iron and scrap steel, plus oil, they would be willing to leave China. The Japanese felt if they could destroy our battleships (considered the main warship of any navy) we would be unable to influence the Japanese because we would no longer have any way of reaching Japan. The Japanese were strongly motivated by the large anti-war movement in America at that time. They felt by destroying our fleet the Anti-war movement would take control of the nation and Japan would be free to do what they wanted in China.

I'm not certain of a monetary amount that Pearl Harbor cost, but there were alot of military vehicles destroyed. 5 of 8 battleships at Pearl Harbor were sunk, sinking, or totally damaged. All were at least damaged 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers, and a seaplane tender were severely damaged 96 army aircraft and 92 navy aircraft were destroyed and 159 more damaged Also, over 2,400 men were killed and more than 2,000 wounded. I'm sorry I couldn't provide a monetary amount (I'm guessing you were looking for one), but I'm not sure if anyone has that information. I hope that helped to show the magnitude of the attack.

In the attack on December 7, 1941, the Japanese carrier planes sank 6 ships, 4 of them battleships: the Arizona, California, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.

A fifth battleship, USS Nevada, was beached to prevent its blocking the ship channel. Three battleships were damaged. Seven other US warships were also severely damaged.

Of the battleships, only Arizona was not refloated. Oklahoma was raised, but cannibalized and scrapped (it sank at sea in 1947 while enroute to the US).

With Japanese planes flying in from out of nowhere and dropping bombs. Michael Montagne In my opinion the attack on Pearl Harbor began with a US Crusier sinkin a small Japanese sub at the entrance of the Harbor. This notice of a Japanese sub being so close came to late to Pearl Harbor commanders that we were not able to be prepared for the devastating air attack that was on its way. Submitted by Mark Webb St. Louis, Missouri

The Philippines are southeast of Hong Kong.

ost of our pacific fleet was destroyed and we were unable to rescue the men in the philipenes ,Guam, and wake island

The short term also included the American people getting behind Roosevelt and the war effort as the declared war upon Japan (Not Germany, a few days later however they were involved in European affairs).

This led to important historical dates like Yalta, battle of Mid way and Hiroshma and nagasaki.

Politcaily before America was not intrested in entering the Second World War because it was seen to be a European affair and they did not wish to see the same amount of damage done to them as they had sustained in the first world war. However after Pearl Harbour (The first terriost attack on American soil) The people got behind the war and America changed its foreign policy to an open one that gave them later on the nickname of police of the world.

Economically America gave Britain industrial support as at this point the United states of America were producing a destroyer boat a day which is an amazing feat. They were also producing loads of food and essential resources. America was taking a lot of the finaccial burden of the war off Britain at this point as they had already been fighting for a couple of years and were finding it tough to support the war effort.

Fact: Britain only in the last few years have finished paying the Americans loans back for the Tanks and other resources lent to them during the war.

There is a saying that America came into this war Late and came out rich which is stateming the point that America became the Super power it is from this point in History.

divided Berlin into four zones of occupation.

Most New Zealand army & naval units that were mobilized between September 1939 and December 1941 were sent to Europe & Egypt to fight the Germans & Italians. Then when the war in the Pacific started in December 1941, it became necessary for the US military (at the request of the British) to assume responsibility for the defense of New Zealand & Australia. The Australian military was in a similar situation. American troops were also in New Zealand for training, prior to combat. The 2nd New Zealand Division under the command of General Freyberg was sent to the Italian front where they participated in the attack on Monte Cassino. General Freyberg was the local commander who requested the Allies bomb the Abbey of Monte Cassino so they could capture that massive hill. This request was forwarded up through the command and approved by the 15th Army Group. Some say this was a political decision that was made in order to appease the New Zealand troops.