83rd Anniversary of attack on Pearl Harbor.
 

It is 83 years today that the Military forces of Imperial Japan attacked the U.S Naval forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack catapulted the U.S into World War Two. This event gave the U.K, Australia and other Countries A full partner in Opposition to the Axis Forces. Sweeping Europe and the far East. Men and Women stood shoulder to shoulder on the Battlefields, Oceans and factories and other places to help win World War Two. It was perhaps for this reason that this Generation has been called the greatest Generation and for good reason.

This conflict also saw the personal growth and individual contributions of a number of Individuals. The pilots of the Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes of the battle of Britain that fought to preserve England. The P-51 Mustang Pilots of the Red Tails-Tuskeegee Airman, the evacuation of Dunkirk by common people and hero's and Individuals such as Doris Miller. Doris was a mess attendant 2nd class on board the Battleship West Virginia when it was hit with the first of seven Torpedos. Doris, without any training manned an Anti-aircraft gun and brought down between 6-7 aircraft although Doris was only credited with one.

Doris then took care of his wounded crew members including the ship's Captain Mervyn Bennion. Doris was awarded the Navy Cross by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. In fact, the actions of Doris Miller warranted the award of the Medal Of Honor. Doris was the first African American so honored.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Miller

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~ In Remembrance of the contributions and sacrifices of the many. ~

Well said a lot of people don't know that the UK declared war on Japan before the US did

Don't forget the US did a oil embargo and gas embargo on Japan before the Pearl harbor attack.

I wasn't surprised Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. There were tensions going on for a few months before the attack.
I also read that there is a big fuel depot on Pearl Harbor. It remained intact. If the Japanese actually bombed that fuel depot. It would have huger impact.

yes, survival of the fuel depots and repair shops and absence of US aircraft carriers had great impact.

If i remember correctly. The Japanese planned a third attack. but it was called off?

There were two attack waves on Pearl Harbor if i remember.

These guys are great and dispel the myths built about the Pacific war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1fIuC1pp-Q&t=294s

Hi Budda, I agree, Bill and Seth and their many guests present outstanding podcasts/videos. In particular the American/Aussie Marine Dave :) what a great guy.

They've inspired me to dig deeper into that period and postwar as well. The poor civilians get dragged along to war, and suffer the consequences.

Dave has the strangest accent mixing the US south and Australia, but he does offer some great insight as regards the Guadalcanal battle sights and walks them on his own YouTube channel showing them as they are today. The videos are pretty rough but I'm never going there so it's the best I can get. The biggest thing I've taken away from his walks are just how small the battlesights are when you consider the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of casualties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad8NZb-XTF8

What if Japan never attacked Pearl Harbor? Interesting question to investigate and no, I haven't watched the video yet.

First thoughts? Japan would have had to isolate the US in the Philippines to secure Dutch oil conquests and suppress the British interests as well. I don't see that as changing the outcome, but without Pearl Harbor, the isolationists would have delayed the inevitable involvement of the US and led to many thousands of casualties beyond what happened.

And, I don't think MacArthur would have acted any smarter than the mess he caused historically defending the Philippines and Manila by ignoring established doctrine, but he may not have escaped, and then who knows what the rest of the Southwest Pacific Theater war would end up being.

Its easy to judge now.

But you have to look what was happening DURING that time.
I think the attack on Pearl Harbor was a logical thing to do for the Japanese.
The Japanese weren't stupid. They knew they were potential waking up a sleeping giant. But i think they took the perfect opportunity to give a full blow to the Fleet in Hawaii. They maybe thought the American moral would drop so low and would be shocked. for example

''okay lets don't bother with the Japs anymore, they mean problems''

The Japanese just wanted control over the pacific. And wanted to deal a blow to the Americans, saying ''this is ours, don't come''.
The Japanese never had plans to invade or conquer the US. Its also impossible, keep in mind that the Japanese also knew the US was kinda getting involved in the European theater of war, (helping the UK)

Its very simple. The Japanese wanted control over the Pasific. They knew a war would start sooner or later with the US. So they said to themselves
''Lets get this perfect opportunity to destroy the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, we won't have a second chance to do this''

I'm going to disagree. The IJN possibly, and likely, knew the capabilities of the US Navy then and in the near future, and both sides were perfectly aware of who their likely adversary was in the Pacific, but the IJA was a different animal and was driving the political future of Japan flush with military success against China and their apparent power. I don't think the IJA took the US as a serious threat to their conquest of Asia or expected the US to get involved when the going got tough, nor would they heed any advice from the IJN to the contrary. The IJA and IJN were serious adversaries with a long history.