- Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor was one of the greatest gambles in military history. Rare, expertly-restored footage recounts the extraordinary event.
- 30 Japanese ships carrying 408 airplanes head to Pearl Harbor. The entire plan is based on surprise. 16,000 men travelling 4000 miles, across the Pacific Ocean. The men didn't know who they were attacking. There was radio silence and no ship dumped garbage in the ocean, to mask their route. The plan had a 50% chance of success and failure was suicide.
In 1905, Japan wins against Imperial Russia after 18 months of war. Japan was a serious military power from then on. Japan teams with Britain to defeat Germany in China. They were one of the 5 countries invited to the Paris peace conference. They ask for freer immigration to Western countries, but are denied and go home angry. US then bans all non-whites from America and Japanese are included in the list. In the great depression, Japan's economy takes a huge hit and becomes even more resentful. A far right thinking takes over the military and then civilian offices. Hideki Tojo is a military General who seizes power from the Parliamentary democracy. Tojo brings a hard line thinking into Japan and has a military solution to every problem. Too much of Asia was in Western hands. Dutch in Indonesia, French in SEA, British in Singapore, Malaya and HK, US in Philippines. Tojo believed Asia should be for Asians. Each of these territories also has natural resources that Japan needed for its own prosperity.
In 1931 Tojo invades Chinese Manchuria. The West decides to help China against Japan and Japan finds this as hypocrisy as West had grabbed land all over Asia. In 1937, Japan moves further into China. Japanese army kills thousands and systematically rapes the women on Nanking. By 1939, Europe had to deal with Hitler. Churchill was urging Americans to come into the war since 1940. But WW II was so far a European war and US citizens were not bothered yet. Franklin Roosevelt upholds the wishes of his people. But he also provides raw materials and war materials to Allies. He begins to flood the British with aid. He runs convoys in the Atlantic to try and get the Germans to fire the first shot.
To deter Japan from invading the colonies of defeated western powers, Roosevelt moves his Pacific fleet to Hawai and keeps it there. Admiral Richardson disagrees with the decision and is removed from command. The fleet was not ready according to Richardson. Pearl Harbor was thought to be impregnable and the US navy starts having fun and lets their guard down. The harbor is 45 feet deep and is considered too shallow for torpedoes dropped from planes. Admiral Kimmel takes charge. He starts the task of training the fleet. Meanwhile Japan joins Hitler and Mussolini in an historic pact to support each other's imperial efforts. But Admiral Yamamoto feels the pact will bring Japan to war against the US. Yamamoto had served 2 tours of the US and knew of its industrial might.
when France falls, Japan invades French occupied Vietnam. Roosevelt can declare war on Japan, but imposes harsh sanctions, suspending all exports including oil. Japan got 80% of its oil from US. US wants to rein in Japanese ambitions. Japan has no oil, but Indonesia has lots of it, and is occupied by the Dutch. Japan decides to strike at US first, as Japan saw US as a consumerist power, under attack from fascists in Europe. So, they thought US would perhaps leave Asia alone. Yamamoto is forced to agree, and decides to strike Pearl Harbor, instead of the Philippines (enroute to Indonesia). His plan is take out the US Pacific fleet on the first day of war. But it was an audacious plan. Hawai was 3000 miles away, 12 days to get there. They could be easily spotted. They would need to refuel at sea, repeatedly. And the whole thing had to be kept secret. Chances are 50-50
12 days before the attack, US has broken through Japanese communications code. It is clear Japan is preparing for war. Japan plans to use 6 carriers, with 450 planes to attack Pearl Harbor. Washington informs Kimmel that the US are planning to attack, but fails to mention where. Kimmel assumes that his fleet will have to support whenever the Japanese attack. Kimmel decides to face the Japanese at sea. Hawai had a large Japanese population, which it used to gather intelligence to meticulously plan the attack. 4 days before the attack, Jap embassies in US destroy their code machines and correspondence. The message is also sent to Kimmel, who interprets that Japanese are fearing an attack from the US.
7th Dec 1941, Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. A US radar unit on Oahu picks up the Jap planes, but the HQ tells them that its probably Navy planes. The 1st wave had 183 planes. At 7:53 am, the planes reach Oahu, and the Japanese have achieved complete surprise against all odds. They destroy the airfields first. All planes were bunched nicely on the runways and all anti aircraft ammunition was locked away to protect it from saboteurs. The Japanese had a wooden appendage to the torpedoes, so it could work in the shallow pearl harbor waters. The fleet is attacked next. One of the bombs hits the forward magazine of USS Arizona. The explosion lifts the ship out of the water and 1100 sailors are killed.
Kimmel had received word that a Japanese midget submarine was destroyed just outside of Pearl Harbor 30 mins before the attack. US fired the first shot, but Kimmel failed to prepare for the attack. By 9:45 am the attack is over. US lose 328 aircraft, 19 ships destroyed, 2403 sailors dead. By total chance the 3 US carriers were not in Pearl Harbor that morning. Within 24 hrs, Japan attacks HK, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Eventually, within weeks, they capture Indonesia. Yamamoto fell into a depression knowing that the Pearl attack missed the carriers. US public prepares for war. Churchill knew that Allies would prevail with US in the war. Roosevelt declares war on Japan. Germany declares war on the US. Roosevelt attacks Tokyo with 2 carriers, in the Dolittle raid. In 3 months, half the ships thought to be destroyed in the attack are put back into service. All but 3 are fully repaired.
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