Infamy! Pearl Harbor Remembered
INFAMY
“December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in INFAMY” – President Roosevelt
This week we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor that threw the United States of America headfirst into World War II. Wars and rumors of war – A war was raging in Europe, as the German Blitzkrieg swept their opponents from the battlefield. By 1941, all that remained to challenge Germany in Europe was Great Britain. Germany, believing that destiny was on their side, had opened a second front by attacking Russia. The USA, technically neutral concerning the war in Europe, poured money and resources into Great Britain, a key ally.
The winds of war had been blowing for some time in the Pacific as well. Japan was on the march and had expanded their control in Asia through brutal conquests of their neighbors. The USA, concerned about their holdings in the Pacific, as well as the possibility of Japan threatening allies in the region, cut off fuel shipments to Japan. Japan, feeling that war with the USA was inevitable, looked to cripple America’s powerful Pacific Navy, consolidate their holdings in Asia, and then sue for Peace before America could recover.
On the morning of Sunday, December 7th, 1941, the Japanese fleet, using planes from its aircraft carriers and mini-submarines, attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Just before 8 a.m., hundreds of Japanese planes made a surprise raid on Pearl Harbor and other military installations on Oahu. Admiral Husband Edward Kimmel, Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet and the ranking United States naval officer in Pearl Harbor, sent a hurried dispatch to all major navy commands and fleet units, it said: AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL.
The entire attack only took an hour and 15 minutes. The Japanese had planned on giving the USA a declaration of war before the attack began so they would not violate the Hague Convention of 1907, but the message was delayed and the Japanese emissary did not deliver the message until the attack was underway. During the attack 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, were damaged or destroyed, as well as more than 300 aircraft. The Japanese lost 29 aircraft and 5 mini-submarines in the attack. One Japanese pilot was taken prisoner, and 129 Japanese were killed.
Only one of the Japanese naval ships that took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor survived until the end of the war. The US Navy took possession of the Ushio at Yokosuka Naval Base when Japan surrendered. Admiral Yamamoto, who had hoped to cripple the US Navy by destroying or damaging her aircraft carriers and battleships, feared that the attack had not been successful. Too much of the fleet survived and with the industrial capability of the USA, he feared the USA would quickly recover. The USA did recover, and even faster than Yamamoto thought possible. After only six months, the US Navy dealt a decisive blow to Japan by sinking four of their aircraft carriers at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. This victory allowed the USA to start the long difficult task of defeating the Japanese, one island at a time, eventually obtaining the surrender of the Japanese Empire in August 1945.
The official death toll of the attack on Pearl Harbor was 2,403, including 2,008 Sailors, 109 Marines, 218 Soldiers, and 68 civilians. An additional 1,178 were wounded. Half of the dead were assigned to the Battleship Arizona which remains sunken in Pearl Harbor with its crew onboard. A United States flag flies above the sunken ship, which serves as a memorial to all Americans who died in the attack. This solemn place calls to the heart of the warrior, bringing with it an ache for their sacrifice, and a longing to pick up the battle for them. No moment in the history of the United States casts a longer shadow than Pearl Harbor. It is our patriotic duty to remember their sacrifice and remain vigilant so that an attack of this scale can never happen again. May they, and all those who have fallen in battle find peace.
