Attack on Pearl Harbor—1941

Summary

This article makes the following points:

• The attack on Pearl Harbor was the idea of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who argued it would "give a fatal blow to the enemy fleet." 
• On 07 Dec 41, two U.S. Army privates at a mobile radar station on Oahu saw a large signal on their screen. 
• They called the information centre, where a lieutenant assured them it was a fleet of American B-17s. It was not.
• Japanese torpedo bombers flew into Pearl Harbor in an attack lasting only minutes. 
• An hour later, the second wave of 167 Japanese aircraft bombarded Pearl Harbour, resulting in 2,403 people killed and two battleships and 188 aircraft destroyed.
• The attack didn't cripple the U.S. Navy as the Japanese anticipated. 
• Three American aircraft carriers were absent, and their survival proved vital during the Pacific War.
• The Pearl Harbor attack also resulted in the U.S. beginning work on developing the Atom Bomb, the Manhattan Project. 
• Today, a memorial exists at Pearl Harbor to honour those who lost their lives that day. 
• The U.S. had a much bigger economy than Japan and with hard work and effort  could produce more carriers and ships of every description than could Japan.
• Not only was the US able to defeat Japan, at the same time it was instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany.
•  Within a year of the Pearl Harbour attack, the U.S. Navy destroyed the Japanese carrier fleet at the Battle of Midway. See the following Runway posts:
• "The Most Complete Naval Victory": How America Smashed Japan at Midway | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
• Groupthink Blinded Imperial Japan at the Battle of Midway | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)

References

• Dec 2016 Forbes America's Response To Pearl Harbor Serves As A Leadership Lesson For All
• Sep 2017 Japan Forward Air War, the Forgotten Part of the Pearl Harbor Story
• Dec 2017 The Conversation How the attack on Pearl Harbor shaped America’s role in the world
• Sep 2019 Britannica  Learn why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor causing the United States to join Allied forces in World War II