‘A DATE THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY’
- Details
- Category: Opinion
- Published on Wednesday, 07 December 2011 20:25
- Written by Rich St. John
December 7, 1941
Few are around today that remember and lived on this date. The tragic events in Hawaii led to our involvement in World War II both in the Pacific and European theaters. As a nation we will remember this event, 70 years ago today. There were numerous historical precedents for unannounced military action by Japan. However, the lack of any formal warning, particularly while negotiations were still apparently ongoing, led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy”.
The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese and the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor that morning..
353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers attacked the base. All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. All but two of the eight were raised, repaired and returned to service later in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruises, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,459 Americans were killed and 1,282 wounded.. Japanese losses were light: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.
The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States
Subsequent operations by the U.S. prompted Germany and Italy to declare war on the U.S. on December 11, which was reciprocated by the U.S. the same day. This began World War II, and changed the world forever.
