O attack on pearl harbor it was the first act of aggression suffered by the United States in the context of World War II. Taking place on December 7, 1941, it was organized by the Japanese Navy, and its planning was carried out by Admiral Yamamoto. The attack on this American base resulted in the beginning of the conflict between the United States and Japan, which became known as Pacific War.
Japan and the United States before the attack
The attack on Pearl Harbor, which took place in the context of Second World War, was responsible for the entry of the United States into the war. There was no interest on the part of the American population in participating in this conflict, unlike Japan, who had been waiting for years for a direct confrontation with the United States and, since 1937, was at war with the China.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Japan manifested a strong nationalist wave which defended ideals of exaltation to national values, in addition to a desire imperialist to expand their possessions and interests to neighboring nations in Asia.
During this period, several political groups in Japan advocated the formation of a strong army to dominate the people they considered “inferior” (such as the Chinese) and form Japanese colonies in these locations. The United States did not welcome these territorial expansion projects and thus acted against Japanese interests in these regions. Because of this, a number of Japanese intellectuals began to defend the idea of a direct war against the Americans.
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attack was planned by the admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, and its objective was the complete destruction of the American fleet that was stationed at the naval base of pearl harbor, in Hawaii. Even as part of the attack project, Yamamoto was not in favor of the conflict against the United States, for he believed that Japan did not have the resources necessary for a war against the North Americans.
Weeks before the Japanese offensive, the United States had plenty of evidence that a Japanese attack could happen anytime, however, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the American naval fleet was totally caught. unprepared. The Japanese used submarines and more than 400 planes in this attack, which resulted in great destruction for the American fleet: several battleships (combat ships) sank, others were badly damaged and more than 2400 marines died, and many more were left. injured.
Despite resulting in great destruction, the Japanese attack failed to completely wipe out the American fleet and also failed to destroy important fuel stocks. A day after the attack, the United States declared war on Japan, and the nation was mobilized against the newly emerging enemy.
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