Pearl Harbor remembered

Tribune, Dispatch, Sentinel, December 7-9, 2006
by Michael J. Owen
U.S. Navy Journalist (Ret.)

Town Supervisor Peter McMahon addresses the crowd on the service and sacrifice of veterans who died on Dec 7, 1941, from a surprise Japanese attack, and to also remember all that are still serving in harm’s way today. (photo by Michael J. Owen, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

“Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan,” stated President Franklin D. Roosevelt in an emotional address to the Congress after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, 65 years ago this week.

Prior to his speech, war news was spilling out that fateful day from radios, street taverns, barber shops and homes across the nation. Many popular Sunday afternoon entertainment programs were interrupted. The news sent a shockwave across the nation and influenced many Americans to join the armed forces and unified the nation behind the president.

Without Warning

At dawn on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, without warning, Japanese forces attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet center in the Hawaiian Islands and other military targets. Their goal was to cripple the American fleet so that Japan could capture the Philippines and Indo-China and gain access to raw materials needed to maintain its global military and economic power. This included feeding the war that Japan started against China in the 1930s.

With great aerial striking power from the sea, Japanese planes struck at 7:53 a.m. Additionally, Pearl Harbor was not on high alert. Based on available intelligence, senior commanders believed that no such attack was imminent. Therefore, aircraft were left parked wingtip to wingtip, anti-aircraft guns were unmanned and many ammunition boxes were locked in peacetime mode. There were no torpedo nets protecting the fleet anchorage, and since it was Sunday morning, many military personnel were at leisure ashore or sleeping in late aboard ship.

As the first Japanese assault wave hit the area, the battle cry was sounded: “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!). Oahu’s island inhabitants were taken completely by surprise. The first attack wave struck airfields and battleships while the second wave hit smaller ships and facilities. The air raid lasted until 9:45 a.m. Eight battleships were damaged, with five sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels were also lost, along with 188 aircraft. The Japanese lost 27 planes and five midget submarines, which tried to penetrate the harbor and launch torpedoes.

3 Carriers Not in Port

Fortunately, the prime targets, three U.S. Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers -- the Lexington, Enterprise and Saratoga -- were not in port that morning and escaped damage. Also saved were the base fuel tanks. After the smoke cleared, 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians were dead, with 1,178 wounded. This included 1,104 men aboard the battleship USS Arizona, killed after a 1,760-pound air bomb penetrated the forward magazine, causing massive explosions and sending her to the bottom in nine minutes.

Almost immediately, Japanese forces sliced through much of the American forces in the Philippines and rolled ashore in Malaysia and other parts of the Pacific.

Spheres of Influence

Japan also wanted to expand her empire over Australia, New Zealand and India, creating the so-called “Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere.” The prevailing belief within Japan was that eventually, with the then-expected German defeat of Great Britain and Soviet Russia, America’s non-involvement in Europe’s war, and Japan’s control of the Pacific – world power would stabilize into three major spheres of influence. Japan would control East, Southeast, and South Asia and the entire Pacific Ocean. The combined powers of Germany and Italy would control Great Britain, all of Europe, Western and central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The United States would control North and South America.

For the next few months, American and Allied forces suffered until a turning point in the war after decisive victories in the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway. The memory of the “sneak attack” on Pearl Harbor fueled America’s determination and industrial strength to fight on in the Pacific, and defeat the German and Italian allies, preventing future threats to world peace. The attack also shocked and enraged a previously divided America on whether to enter the war, paving way for a level of unity that has hardly been seen again until the recent terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on 9-11 in 2001.

The now famous “Day of Infamy” speech that echoed through the hearts and minds of Americans everywhere in 1941 still serves as a constant reminder to maintain our military strength and honor our veterans. The Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, attack and those who fought and died in Pearl Harbor was remembered in worldwide ceremonies, including here in Western New York on Thursday.