![]() That was the “long fuse” of the Great Pacific War (1941-45), the long-term background to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. The very success Japan enjoyed, however, placed the island empire squarely in the sights of the other Great Powers, and generated an increasingly tense strategic rivalry with the United States for domination of the Pacific. Again and again, Japan struck quickly to win wars over larger and theoretically more powerful opponents. Japan’s rise to Great Power status was rapid, with victorious wars over China (1894-95) and Russia (1904-5), as well as successful, if subsidiary role on the side of the Allies in World War I (1914-1918). Japan’s sudden exposure to the outside world, after centuries of isolation, generated a helt-er-skelter period of transformation, a revolutionary era in which Japan threw overboard many of its oldest traditions and built itself into a technologically advanced industrial state, with modern systems of administration and government-and a powerful military. The tangled relationship between the United States and Japan began with the forced opening of Japan in the nineteenth century, courtesy of Commodore Matthew Perry and this “black ships” of his squadron. More than two years after the start of World War II, the United States had entered the conflict.Japan, the United States, and the Hawaiian Islands Three days later, Japan’s allies Germany and Italy declared war against the United States.įor the second time, Congress reciprocated, declaring war on the European powers. On December 8, Congress approved Roosevelt’s declaration of war on Japan. "As a woman," she said, "I can’t go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else." Rankin was a pacifist who had also voted against the American entrance into World War I. The Japanese had wanted to goad the United States into an agreement to lift the economic sanctions against them instead, they had pushed their adversary into a global conflict that ultimately resulted in Japan’s first occupation by a foreign power.ĭid you know? The single vote against Congress's declaration of war against Japan came from Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana. Today the sunken battleship serves as a memorial to all Americans who died in the attack.Īfter the Pearl Harbor attack, and for the first time during years of discussion and debate, the American people were united in their determination to go to war. Half of the dead at Pearl Harbor were on the USS Arizona. personnel, including sailors, soldiers and civilians. The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 U.S. Navy was able to rebound relatively quickly from the attack. Moreover, the Pearl Harbor assault had left the base’s most vital onshore facilities-oil storage depots, repair shops, shipyards and submarine docks-intact. (Some had returned to the mainland and others were delivering planes to troops on Midway and Wake Islands.) By the 1940s, battleships were no longer the most important naval vessel: Aircraft carriers were, and as it happened, all of the Pacific Fleet’s carriers were away from the base on December 7. Most importantly, more than 2,000 people died.īut the Japanese had failed to cripple the Pacific Fleet. Dry docks and airfields were likewise destroyed. ![]() In all, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. (All but USS Arizona and USS Utah were eventually salvaged and repaired.) Impact of the Pearl Harbor Attack Less than two hours later, the surprise attack was over, and every battleship in Pearl Harbor- USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Utah, USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee and USS Nevada-had sustained significant damage. With 400 sailors aboard, the Oklahoma lost her balance, rolled onto her side and slipped underwater. Next, torpedoes pierced the shell of the battleship USS Oklahoma. The ship exploded and sank with more than 1,000 men trapped inside. At 8:10, a 1,800-pound bomb smashed through the deck of the battleship USS Arizona and landed in her forward ammunition magazine. Bombs and bullets rained onto the vessels moored below. On December 7, after months of planning and practice, the Japanese launched their attack.Īt about 8 a.m., Japanese planes filled the sky over Pearl Harbor. That way, the Americans would not be able to fight back as Japan’s armed forces spread across the South Pacific. The Japanese plan was simple: Destroy the Pacific Fleet.
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