Table of Contents.

Attack on Pearl Harbor, 1941.


Pearl Harbor looking from the southwest. The inlet to the "pearl" is visible at the top in the
middle. The port is located on Honolulu which is part of the Hawaii archipelago.
Photo shot in October, 1941. Coordinates: 21°22′1.54″N, 157°56′18.86″W

By 1940, World War II had begun on several fronts. By September 1940, Japan had joined the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy). Their counterpart were the Allies (Britain, France and the Soviet Union). It made the United States reconsider its positions. It was clear that sooner or later a confrontation with Japan would be inevitable. The United States was initially bound by a decision in the US Congress which meant that the country would remain neutral. Opinion polls showed that there was a clear majority opposed to US entry into the war



However, incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrats) felt compelled to support Britain in the ongoing transatlantic war. For example, considerable resources were allocated to support the merchant ships that went on convoy between England and the United States. Roosevelt's administration did not regard this interference as an act of war and thus not a violation of neutrality.

The United States had its base for the Pacific Fleet in San Diego, California. By mid-1940, Roosevelt had decided to move it to Pearl Harbor. The aim was to deter Japan from waging war in East Asia. British colonies in Southeast Asia, such as Singapore, were at risk. Another purpose was to compensate for the resources taken by the efforts on the Atlantic. The Pacific Fleet came closer to the supposed conflict zones. The United States judged that the resources in the Pacific Ocean were sufficient.

By the summer of 1940, Britain had occupied Iceland. The aim was to get a strategically important naval base in the Atlantic. In July 1941, Roosevelt decided that the United States should join the British on Iceland. They established their own naval base there. US destroyers and aircraft helped the British in the hunt for German submarines. When the position of the Germans was identified, they reported to the British, who then sent out destroyers and aircraft to fire submarine bombs. This aid was not considered by the US Government to be an act of war.

On June 22, 1941, Germany started Operation Barbarossa, i.e. the invasion of the Soviet Union. It was a major setback for Japan. The main reason for Japan's accession to the Axis Powers was its supposed backing from Germany in the planned warfare in Southeast Asia. This opportunity disappeared on June 22. Suddenly, they had the Soviet Union as a potential threat - something they did not anticipate.

In July 1941, the United States decided to cease its oil exports to Japan. Another heavy setback for Japan. The United States supplied 80% of Japan's total oil imports. The US government did not consider the embargo an act of war. Neutrality stood firm. Japan considered the possibility of buying oil from the Dutch East Indies. If the Dutch were to follow the US oil embargo, Japan would be forced to invade India to access the oil. That would mean war with Britain and probably with the United States as well. Not desirable.

In November 1941, negotiations took place in Washington between the United States and Japan. One of the issues discussed was Japan's occupation of Manchuria (1931). On November 26, 1941, the United States handed over an ultimatum to Japan. It demanded that Japan withdraw all its forces from Indochina and China, renounce all territorial rights in China, and finish its alliance treaty with the Axis Powers. Negotiations were subsequently suspended without any agreement being reached.

Following the interruption of negotiations, speculation arose within the US government as to what targets Japan might attack. The general opinion was that Thailand or any other non-US target was the most likely. There was no speculation that Pearl Harbor would be attacked.

When you summarize the above, you see that the two parties were in a situation where no one could go out with a declaration of war against the other. The United States was legally bound by neutrality. Japan knew they had no chance in a war against the United States. It would have been insane to attack the United States in this very bad strategic situation for Japan.

Roosevelt and his closest associates had realized that there would be no attack from Japan. Then the idea of ​​a fictional Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was born.


Alleged movements in the Pacific for the Japanese task force in the attack on Pearl Harbor on
December 7, 1941. The starting point was the Kuriles (Nov. 26) and the end point may have
been Yamaguchi (Dec 23). Source: Wikipedia.


The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise photographed in August 1944.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Preparations for a "Japanese" attack could begin after the suspended talks on November 26. The three aircraft carriers Enterprise, Lexington and Saratoga were ordered to take positions west of Hawaii. They "happened" to be outside Pearl Harbor during the "Japanese" attack. From these ships, American fighter planes could approach Pearl Harbor undisturbed. The official reports state that 353 Japanese planes attacked. My assessment is that 20 American planes were enough to cause the relatively limited damage that occurred. The ships that were bombed and sunk could easily be salvaged. The water in the harbor is shallow.


USS Arizona (AR - i - ZON - A).

The USS Arizona was a battleship built in 1914. It had participated in World War I. It was fired with coal. The ship was out of date and did not meet the requirements for a battleship in 1941. Arizona was sunk by American bombers. The ship was not salvaged.

The infrastructure in the port suffered limited damage. The building where the military was headquartered was not bombed.

It is estimated that 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 injured. My view is that these figures are exaggerated. It was a holiday (Sunday) on Hawaii when the attack occurred. Most of the ship's crews were on leave. Many have been killed and injured in the attack. That is true.

President Roosevelt had been working hard all week. On the morning of December 7, he had ordered that he would not be disturbed. His phone was disconnected. He would tinker with his stamp collection. At 1.45 pm the secretary of the US Navy, Frank Knox, had been reached by the information about the "Japanese" attack. He then managed to get in touch with Roosevelt over the phone. He then said, "Mr. President, it looks like the Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor," to which the President replied, "No!"

Husband E. Kimmel was commander of the US Pacific Fleet. He was on the scene on Hawaii when the attack occurred. In the aftermath, he was held responsible for the failure. He was dismissed as commander and degraded from 4-star admiral to 2-star. Of course, Kimmel had participated in the planning of the "Japanese" attack. He defended himself by saying that he only followed orders from Washington. He has received support for this attitude from a number of writers in the United States.

Kimmel was married to Dorothy Kinkaid. They had three sons.

Manning Kimmel followed in his father's footsteps and became a naval officer. He participated in World War II. He was mainly placed for service on submarines. In 1944 he was commander of the submarine USS Robalo. On July 26, they were outside the Philippines. The submarine ran into a mine and sank. The details of Kimmel's fate are unknown. However, he was presumed dead. He became 31 years old.


    
    Husband E. Kimmel, 1882 - 1968.                                                                      Dorothy Kinkaid, 1890 -1975.



                                                       Manning Kimmel, 1913 - 1944.
                                                        Exchanged.

Walter Short, (1880 - 1949), was a general in the US Army. He was responsible for the defence of the military installations on Hawaii. He was fired from his post after the attack. Like Kimmel, he referred to the fact that he only followed the orders that came from Washington. Short was degraded. He died from a heart disease in 1949. He became 69 years old.

After a long time of illness, Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. He became 63 years old.
Roosevelt was succeeded by Harry S. Truman.

Memorial:


Museum at the wreckage of the USS Arizona. V-marked.