Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941, is a tragic date that many Americans remember and will never forget, it is a dark chapter in today’s history. President Franklin Roosevelt said it is “a date which will live in infamy”. The events of that day still have many of us questioning “Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor”?
On that fatal morning of December 7th, the Japanese military took the United States Naval base of Pearl Harbor by surprise. Japan knew many service members would be off base and at church since it was a Sunday, which would enable an easier attack with so many service members gone. Just before 8 a.m. Japan hit Pearl Harbor with more than 350 imperial Japanese aircraft and submarines. The shocking attack against the island of Oahu lasted nearly 110 minutes.
The attack came in two different waves. Within the first 11 minutes, the Japanese military had destroyed the majority of the United States fighter planes, which were lined up on the airfields in hopes of preventing a sabotage attack. They also sent out torpedo planes which inflicted damage onto the ships, during the first wave. Japan dropped 200 torpedo bombs equipped with aerial torpedoes that were designed to work in shallow waters. The torpedo bombs first targeted …show more content…
Japan also had a need for all natural resources for things like oil, minerals, iron and steel, along with the expansion of Asia and the Pacific. The summer of 1940, President Roosevelt moved the United States Pacific Fleet from their home port in San Diego, California to Pearl Harbor located in Hawaii. It was a risky move because Japan wanted to extend into the Pacific. President Roosevelt’s meaning behind the move was to demonstrate the power behind the naval military that the United States had in the Pacific region. With Japan trying to become the strongest military force, this was a good way to shut them
On that fatal morning of December 7th, the Japanese military took the United States Naval base of Pearl Harbor by surprise. Japan knew many service members would be off base and at church since it was a Sunday, which would enable an easier attack with so many service members gone. Just before 8 a.m. Japan hit Pearl Harbor with more than 350 imperial Japanese aircraft and submarines. The shocking attack against the island of Oahu lasted nearly 110 minutes.
The attack came in two different waves. Within the first 11 minutes, the Japanese military had destroyed the majority of the United States fighter planes, which were lined up on the airfields in hopes of preventing a sabotage attack. They also sent out torpedo planes which inflicted damage onto the ships, during the first wave. Japan dropped 200 torpedo bombs equipped with aerial torpedoes that were designed to work in shallow waters. The torpedo bombs first targeted …show more content…
Japan also had a need for all natural resources for things like oil, minerals, iron and steel, along with the expansion of Asia and the Pacific. The summer of 1940, President Roosevelt moved the United States Pacific Fleet from their home port in San Diego, California to Pearl Harbor located in Hawaii. It was a risky move because Japan wanted to extend into the Pacific. President Roosevelt’s meaning behind the move was to demonstrate the power behind the naval military that the United States had in the Pacific region. With Japan trying to become the strongest military force, this was a good way to shut them