Pearl Harbor

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Recommended: Causes, course and Consequences of World War II

Pearl Harbor

I. Events before the bombing

A. Reasons for Japans Expansion

1. The Japanese were severely lacking in raw materials

2. The Japanese wanted to build an empire

3. Japan thought that it must build up its armies to compete with the Western Powers

II. Preparations

A. The Japanese made up a 8 point plan

1. Surprise was crucial

2. American aircraft carriers there should be the primary targets

3. U.S. aircraft there must be destroyed to prevent aerial opposition

4. All Japanese aircraft carriers available should be used

5. All types of bombing should be used in the attack

6. A strong fighter element should be included in the attack for air cover for the fleet

7. Refueling at sea would be necessary

8. A daylight attack promised best results, especially in the sunrise hours

B. The necessary troops were trained and ships were readied

C. Peace talks came to a halt

III. The Attack

A. The attack was carrier based

B. The attack consisted of about 300 planes

C. The attack started at 7:55 a.m.

IV. Aftermaths of the attack

A. American losses

1. 19 ships were damaged or sunk

2. 2,403 people were killed

3. Germany and Italy declared war on America

V. Conclusion

A. The war was stopped by the atom-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

B. The President was aware of Japan’s plans to attack

C. The attack was allowed to bring Japan into the war

Pearl Harbor

I. Events before the bombing

A. Reasons for Japans Expansion

1. The Japanese were severely lacking in raw materials

2. The Japanese wanted to build an empire

3. Japan thought that it must build up its armies to com...

... middle of paper ...

...d first. The plan was to anger Japan and thus to drag America into the greatest war of her existence.

Yet even with this “Terrible Truth” I am inclined to forgive. I sympathize with President Roosevelt and the dilemma he faced. “He was forced to find circuitous means to persuade an isolationist America to join in a fight for freedom…It is easier to take a critical view of this policy a half century after the event than to fully understand fully what went on in Roosevelt’s mind in the year prior to Pearl Harbor.

Work Cited

(April 10,2001).December 7,1941. [World Wide Web]. Available: URL=http://www.execpc.com/~dschaaf/overview.html

(April 20,2001).Historychannel. [World Wide Web]. Available: URL=http://www.historychannel.com/per1/print_book.pl?ID=35502

(April 10,2001).The History Place. [World Wide Web]. Available: URL=http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/pearl.htm

Louis L. Snyder. “Pearl Harbor.” Academic American Encyclopedia 1989 ed.

Stackman, Michael, Target: Pearl Harbor. Honolulu: University of Hawaii

Press, 1990

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