X..Air raid pearl harbor..this is no drill..X

[Xenophon]

In the early morning hours of December 7th 1941, the sleepy US possesion of Oahu was attacked by the aircraft of 6 large carries belonging to the Japanese empire.

Catching the US forces unprepared the Japanese managed to destoy 2 US Battleships (Arizona & Oklahoma) and damage 5 of the remaining 6 in the harbor.

In addition a 188 US aircraft were destoryed and 2,402 US personel lost their lives, with 1,282 wounded, a large part of this members of USS Arizona.

After the war the US dedicated the hulk of the Arizona a memorial to those lost on her, and a plaque now reads that 'she will fly her country's flag forvere, as proudly as she did on the morning of December 7h 1941'.

Arizona, BB 39 as she looked on December 6th, 1941.

An airial view of her memorial:

 

[Xenophon]

The attack plan for Peral harbor was based on two previous factors, a US excersize in the late 20s showed that the place was vulnerable, and in 1940 the Britsih attacked the Italains at Taranto with slow torpedo planes wrecking three italian BBs.

The leader of the combined Japanese fleet, isoruko Yamamoto was well aware of both incedents and based his attack plans on these events.

 

[Xenophon]

The plan called for 6 aircraft carries (Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, Soryu, Shokaku, Zuikaku) to sail from a base in the Kurile islands north of Japan and sail accross the pacific on a northern course to avoid traffic, and strike at dawn on a sunday for maximum surprise.

IJN Akagi

IJN Kaga

IJN Hiryu

IJN Soryu

IJN Shokaku

IJN Zuikaku

 

[Xenophon]

Of the 6 Pearl harbor BB survivors, they would have their revenge in the war, they would help destroy the Japanese navy at leyte Gulf, and several would be in Toyyo bay for Japan's surrender in 1945.

USS California burning and sinking at pearl

Rebuilt USS California won 7 battle stars in the Pacific war (a battlestar is issued for each major battle)

 

[Xenophon]

USS West Virginia awash

Rebuilt USS West Virgina earned 5 battle stars, Marines stormed ashore on both Iwo Jima & okinawa under her guns

 

[Xenophon]

The USS Tennesse (Inboard of West Virginia) gives off heavy smoke from several hits

Rebuilt Tennesse (Navy unit commendation, 10 battle stars) bombards Okinawa

 

[Xenophon]

USS Maryland stands too besides the Oklahoma

Rebuilt USS Maryland (7 battlestars) at full steam

 

[Xenophon]

USS Nevada was the only US battleshup to get underway during the attack, but she had to be beached before she could get to sea.

Rebulit USS Nevada earned 7 battlestars, and was also present at teh Normandy landings of D-day, the only US BB to be bart of Pearl Harbor, Normandy and Okinawa.

 

[Xenophon]

The USS Pennsylvania was in #1 drydock and was the least damaged of the battleships at pearl that morning.

The rebuilt Uss Pennsylvania earned a unit citation and 8 battlestars in WWII

 

[Xenophon]

Husband J Kimmel was the commander of the US pacific fleet.

He and army commander walter short were blamed for the surprise attack, despite the fact that the government withheld vital intelligenec of Japanese intentions.

On May 25, 1999, the United States Senate passed a resolution exonerating Kimmel and Short in a 52 to 47 vote. The resolution stated they had performed their duties “competently and professionally” and that the Japanese attacks were “not a result of dereliction of duty.” "They were denied vital intelligence that was available in Washington," said Senator William V. Roth Jr. (R-DE), noting that they had been made scapegoats by the Pentagon. Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC) called Kimmel and Short "the two final victims of Pearl Harbor."

Neither Clinton, GW Bush nor Obama has confirmed that senate vote.

Husband Kimmel

Walter Short

 

[Xenophon]

The Japanese sea commander was Admiral Nagumo, a cautious officer, who would win the first battle of the war and ultimate lose the war with it, because of his failure to destory the US fuel oil tanks and repair facilities at pearl.

He would later lose at Midway, and disgraced would ask for one last command which turned out to be Saipan. He shot himself in the head rather then surrender that hopeless command.

 

[Xenophon]

The main strike aircraft of Japan was the Nakajime B5N 'Kate' Torpedo bomber, a moden and accurate attack plane.

 

[Xenophon]

Japan's dive bomber, which sank more allied ships then any other type, was the old fashioned looked Aichi 'Val' D3A

 

[Xenophon]

Although caught by surprise, a few US interceptors managed to get airborne and shot down at least 6 of the enemy attack planes.

 

[Xenophon]

The US Navy would have its revenge for the attack, all 6 Japanese carries would be sunk (4 at Midway alone) during the war.

The man who lead the attack, Minoru Genda survived the war, rejoined the rebuilt Japanese military in 1954 and later was a politician before dying in 1989.

 

[del]

USS Nevada was the only US battleshup to get underway during the attack, but she had to be beached before she could get to sea.

Rebulit USS Nevada earned 7 battlestars, and was also present at teh Normandy landings of D-day, the only US BB to be bart of Pearl Harbor, Normandy and Okinawa.

her skipper beached the nevada rather than take the chance that she would block the main channel into pearl harbor. he made the right call, imo.

 

[Xenophon]

Absolutely, had Neveda gone down in the sound she would have blocked teh harbor for months.

 

[dilloduck]

Thanks Xen----good stuff

 

[del]

Absolutely, had Neveda gone down in the sound she would have blocked teh harbor for months.

if nogumo had been a warrior like yamamoto, japan may have beaten us.
he didn't have the stones to mount a third wave and destroy the fuel and ammo dumps that the pacific fleet relied upon.

 

[Samson]

Please accept my apologies for butting in here with a couple of topical things.

1. I lived at Tripler Army Hospital's family housing (in the mountains overlooking Pearl Harbor) while the movie, Tora! Tora! Tora! was being filmed (late 1969). Zeros would fly over us kids while we were playing "Army" and we'd savagely shoot at them with our little plastic weaponry.

If you ever happen to see the movie, a B-17 Flying Fortress’s actual crash landing during filming, a result of a jammed landing gear, was filmed and used in the final cut.

2. Recently I saw the film Gabriel Over the White House and was ABSOLUTLY ASTONISHED, when, the President's character had dive-bombers destroy two US battle ships as an example of the Ridiculous Military Spending in The World. His point was that instead of building expensive-but-vulnerable war machines, nations should cooperate to better the lives of their citizens. The Japanese Representative signs this agreement, then the US president signs the agreement and dies.

THE MOVIE WAS MADE IN 1933!!!