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The Japanese Attack On Pearl Harbor Brought The President, And America, Into World War Two

December 7, 2005 ⋅  E-Mail Article ⋅  Print Article ⋅ Post a comment

The December 7th 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor is considered to be one of the great defining moments in American history. The Japanese attack was a total surprise. America was unprepared for the attack. After the attack America found itself considerably weakened and abruptly brought into the Second World War as a full combatant.

The surprise attack was absolute. The Japanese planes attacked in two distinct waves; the first wave hit their target at 7:53 AM, the second wave struck at 8:55 A.M.. By 10:00A.M. the Japanese attack was completed. Within a short time five of the eight battleships at Pearl Harbor had sunk or were starting to sink, the others were also severely damaged. By 1:00 PM that afternoon the Japanese aircraft carriers that had launched the attack planes from almost 300 miles off the coast of Hawaii were steaming back to Japan.

The attack on Pearl Harbor devastated the Hawaiian Islands; there was destruction and chaos everywhere. The Pearl Harbor attack left 2,403 people dead, there were also 188 destroyed planes and a severely devastated Pacific Fleet, and we had 8 damaged or destroyed battleships by the end of the afternoon.

However, this one swift and sudden action silenced all of the debate that had divided Americans about the war issue in Europe; Americans decided immediately that we would join France and England in their fight to preserve freedom and liberty.

Many consider the resolve, and effort, displayed by Americans soon after Pearl Harbor as the greatest time in American history. Many feel some greatness has been lost recently, but many more feel we can recapture our greatness and in honor of these brave men and woman, who fought in World War Two, make our countries greatness shine even more.

Please take time to think about and consider the brave men and woman of World War two and honor their sacrifices in your daily lives today.

USA: FDR Pearl Harbor Speech, December 8, 1941

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