Midway, the Battle That Ultimately Doomed Japan in WWII By: John King Could a loss at Midway have cost America the Pacific, and led to WWII ending in a different way? The Battle of Midway is know as the turning point of the war in the Pacific. It turned the tables and put the United States into an offensive position. Midway was one, if not the, most important battle of World War II because of the background,strategies, battle tactics, and most importantly the outcome and effects of this battle. “Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” These words were spoken the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. The bombing of Pearl Harbor cost more than 2,000 lives and nearly destroyed 20 naval vessels. Eight of these ships happened to be battleships, but luckily no aircraft carriers were in the area. On December 8, the day after Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt gave his address to the nation. He ended this address with, “I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire,” thus beginning the United States role in WWII. Four months and eleven days after Pearl Harbor, the United States attacked the Japanese mainland with long range bombers. This ... ... middle of paper ... ...st would have been devastating to the U.S. Work Cited “1942 Battle of Midway.” Youtube. 4 April 2013. Transcript. 20th Century Battlefields. 5 February 2014. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRT4bRmFR40> Trueman, Chris. “Battle of Midway.” “Battle of Midway.” 2014. The History Channel website. Feb 6 2014, 9:34 http://www.history.com/topics/battle-of-midway Eidenmuller, Michael. “ Franklin Delano Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation ”Great Speeches for Better Speaking.” 4 June 2008. American Rhetoric. 6 February 2014 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrpearlharbor.htm "The Battle of Midway, 1942" 2001. EyeWitness to History. 6 February 2014. < www.eyewitnesstohistory.com>
The Battle of Pearl Harbor was one of the most atrocious events that happened in U.S. history. On December 7, 1941, Japan made a surprise aerial attack on the United States naval base and airfields at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than two thousand Americans died and a thousand two hundred were wounded. Eighteen ships were badly damaged, including five battleships. The next day, President Franklin Roosevelt with the support of the Congress, declared war on Japan. It led United States’ official involvement in World War II. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor because of a deteriorating relationship with the U. S. The “New World Order”, expansion and resources, and economic sanctions were factors that conducted to another disaster on the Second World War.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was one of the most atrocious attacks to have ever happened on American soil, starting with disagreement on the Potsdam declaration. Japan’s greed for more land and industrial materials led the Japanese to make a plan to keep the United States out of the war, which consisted the use of kamikaze pilots and bombs to destroy our aircraft carriers and boats in an attempt to control the Pacific. While leaving the drowning, and dead bodies of thousands of American seamen and battleships at the bottom of the sea, seemed to be a good idea to the Japanese; America joined World War II and introduced the first nuclear weapons as reprisal for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Had the Japanese agreed to an unconditional surrender and end to militarism during the agreement on the Potsdam declaration, the introduction to nuclear weapons and the death count wouldn’t have been so high and devastating on both the American and Japanese sides.
On June 4th, a legendary battle took pace over the pacific sea. The battle of midway was the turning for America in World War 2. The air attacks of Japan and America would continue for many days. America won the battle and took out half of Japans carriers. It battle was a great victory for America, considering the fact that japan had much greater forces. This battle was the start of America taking control of the war over the pacific. This battle took place six months after japans first strike a Pearl Harbor. Many histories say this was the greatest air battle of all time. America not only proved that numbers didn’t matter, but showed that only leaders with clear eyes and soldiers with heart can win a battle of any size.
On the day of the attack, Japan succeeded with their plan of “surprise.” The United States had “ no defenses and many of their guns were not loaded” (Keegan 255). Although they saw many aircrafts approaching through the radar that was installed at the harbor, the Americans thought nothing of it (Keegan 254). Because of the unexpected Japanese move, the United States suffered greatly on December 7, 1941; Japan successfully sank and damaged 18 US ships, 8 battleships, and 180 planes. In addition, thousands of innocent Americans lost their lives that day, and many homes were completely destroyed. Once Yamamoto heard the results of the attack, he was thrilled; Japan successfully carried out their long scheduled attack (Axelrod 152). However, his joy soon ended as on December 8, the day after the bombing, when Roosevelt declared war against Japan (Axelrod 149).
It’s a beautiful sunny morning, on a tropical island that everyone would love to take a vacation at. It’s approximately 6:00 am, December 7, 1941, when a first group of 181 kamikaze planes attacked; targeting key naval bases stationed at Hawaii; a sustained crippling of U.S. naval forces for about 6 months. The death toll was 2,500. Out of the 9 battleships, 8 were heavily damaged by the assault on Pearl Harbor and out of the 8, three were unrepairable, USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and the USS Utah. 160 aircrafts were put out of commission, and nearly 130 were heavily damaged. This was the first incident in which there was an act of war, committed on U.S. soil, outside of the American Revolution and the Civil War. The world was at war, and the U.S. remained neutral until now. Before the attack, the U.S. was in great debate whether to enter the war or to stay out of it. The act of war forced the U.S. into the War and triggered a controversial debate in whether to retaliate against Japan with the use of nuclear arms.
“ Yesterday, December 7,1941- a date which will live in infamy- the United States was suddenly and deliberately attacked by Naval and Air Forces of the Empire of Japan.” - President Franklin D. Roosevelt. On December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor got attacked, why did they get attacked, who led the attacks, and how did the United States respond. Japan made a bad decision attacking the U.S. because the united States is going to come back and hurt them worse then they hurt us.
At almost eight o’clock in the morning in the island of Oahu, Hawaii the day of Infamy began. December 7th, 1941 was one of the most devastating attacks on American soil. The day of Infamy, or more commonly known as Pearl Harbor, was an attack on American soil from the Imperial Army. This attack was the final burst of the tension that had been built up between the United States and Japan. To understand the tragic attack it is important to understand the events leading up to it. The United States unrest with Japan started in 1937 through the invasion of Manchuria which began the Second Sino-Japanese War. Japan launched a full scale invasion of the Republic of China. The tension between Franklin D Roosevelt and Japan was initiated with
“Early on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing more than 2,400 Americans. They destroyed or heavily damaged eight battleships, three cruisers, three destroyers, and almost two hundred airplanes (Henretta, p.732).” That day caught America off guard and by surprise. Nobody expected someone to attack us on our own soil. It is one thing to attack our Soldiers throughout the world, but to come to our country was a brazen act that almost certainly demanded
...shijima, a Japanese commander, initiated a huge assault to back up his threat that resulted in nearly 5,000 Japanese casualties and stalemates. Kamikazes continued to pound the U.S. Navy causing them to question a potential victory. All war was in turmoil, but miraculously the Marines began to gradually crack away at the powerful Japanese defense. Before too long the Japanese were becoming desperate as the U.S. began to win. The victory on Okinawa left Japan devastated, and their military weak and tired. The battle of Okinawa cost the Americans greatly, but the “never give up” attitude that they all possessed helped them overcome all the odds against them and come out victorious. Without the unbelievable determination, superior strength, and relentless aggressiveness of the United States Marines in World War II, the United States could have very well lost the war.
December 17th, 1941 was a day that will forever “live in infamy”, as it was the date of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a US naval base in Hawaii. After two waves of attacks on Pearl Harbor, more than two thousand American soldiers and sailors, and another one thousand were wounded. The Japanese destroyed about twenty American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. It has commonly been wondered whether this attack could’ve been prevented, and after much examination, it is clear that this attack could’ve never occurred. In his “Day of Infamy speech”, Roosevelt himself said, “It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago.” There were many causes for the attack on Pearl Harbor, stemming from bad relations between Japan and the United States. Prior to the attack, the United States treated Japan disrespectfully in many ways, creating tension and discomfort between the two countries. Countless warnings and clues were interpreted of an upcoming attack, but were not taken as serious of a threat as they were, and weren’t sent to any naval bases. On the day of the assault, no one was prepared to defend themselves or fight. There were many events that provoked Japan to attack Pearl Harbor, and the whole event could have been prevented, if it hadn’t been for many actions of the US.
That he was wanting to attack Japan, but he did not have a good reason to attack. It has been said that this attack had been brewing for years, according to Bruce Robinson writer of BBC.co.uk. The Japanese grew stronger while the United States faced the Great Depression. Some say that the attack on Pearl Harbor was operated by a group of “crypto-communist” or a group of people who favor or support communism (bbc.co.uk). Roosevelt wanted Japan to be seen as the provoker of the war (bbc.co.uk). The day after the attack, Congress approved Roosevelt’s declaration of war (bbc.co.uk).
December 7, 1941 was a date that lived in infamy; it was a date that 2,400 Americans lost their lives needlessly. Several military ships were destroyed and millions of dollars in military equipment was lost. It was a date that this great nation still to this date has not forgotten. No one could have imagined something so horrific happening on American soil that day. The United States of America at that time was a neutral party in the war at that time. This attack caused a turning tide in the war. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s decisions that day could be said to be one of the most critical moments in presidential history. The first 24 hours from the attack that day were crucial and President Roosevelt responded with calm, deliberate, and decisive decisions that day. The United States declared war on the Empire of Japan and joined the fight in Europe against Nazi Germany and the Axis Alliance. The America people rallied with a vengeance and united to defend its self.
On December 7, 1941, in an unexpected and sudden move, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, drawing the United States into the world war that the US had insofar remained neutral. On December 8, just hours after the attack, the United States of America declared war on the Empire of Japan.
Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th, 1941 at approximately 7:55 am by the Japanese. The day after Pearl Harbor was bombed President Roosevelt spoke the words, “ a date which will live in infamy” he was discussing the day that Pearl Harbor was bombed. Around the world during this time, people were taking in the impacts of WWll. Japan also allied with Italy and Germany, all three countries were greedy for expansion, but Japan wanted oil as well, and the American Naval fleet was in the way. Japan attacked Pearl harbor because they felt that the Americans were standing in the way of their treasures and world expansion.
On December 7, 1941, just before 8 am, Japanese fighter planes attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii. This was a surprise attack on the American military. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the final piece that led the United States into World War II.