The attacks came in two waves, the first bombing the battleships and carriers, the second targeted airfields and hangars. Both waves had three attacker groups that bombed and destroyed the base at different locations simultaneously. The first wave focused on destroying the battleships such as USS Arizona which was hit with 4 armor-piercing torpedoes that led to the explosion of the ship, killing 1,177 soldiers and crew members that were on board. As the harbor was being bombed by Group 1, the other two groups were targeting Ford Island, and multiple airfields, Wheeler, Hickam, Barber’s Point, and Kaneohe. The first wave consisted of 183 Japanese aircrafts bombing the islands, the second wave was only 171 planes but still bringing the same amount of damage. The sneak attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 American servicemen and wounded another 1,178. All of the Americans that were killed were non-combatant since there was no state of war, and resulted in Japanese killing civilians. On the mainland Japanese-Americans, including U.S. citizens and immigrants, were being removed from their homes and placed in Internment camps and some were even deported back to Japan. Over 110,00 Japanese-Americans were transferred to camps all over the United States. Later President Roosevelt gave the famous speech that December 7,1941, is the day that will live in Infamy, assuring American citizens that this attack will not go unpunished.
Pearl Harbor
On the morning of December 7, 1941, ‘The day that will live in Infamy’, the military base at Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese forces. Japan was a growing superpower taking over each of the Pacific Islands under their control, causing them to alert the U.S. government of how close they were coming to the U.S. military bases. Before the attack, Japanese government was warned that if they did not stop the U.S. will place an oil embargo and destroy the economy. The Japanese completely ignored the warning, blaming their reason for attack as being under pressure, and launched the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
On June 4, the Japanese attacked first, bombing the U.S base and damaging most of the U.S. aircrafts and carriers. Later the U.S. answered with an attack, planes taking off from USS Hornet, and bombing the Japanese aircraft carriers. U.S armed forces under the command of Commander Chester W. Nimitz were ordered to hide their ships beyond the horizon where the Japanese attackers could not identify and see them, once the Japanese reached the island, Nimitz led his ships into a sneak attack on the enemy’s forces and almost completely destroyed their fleet.U.S. torpedoed the Japanese forces, which has taken a life of a very brave Marine aviator Major Lofton R. Henderson after he led his Dauntless squadron into battle. All throughout June 4-5 the planes off Yorktown had been scouting for Japanese ships and detected Hiruy, a Japanese battleship. 24 bombers took off at Yorktown and headed toward Hiruy, and Yorktown was in service again. Once the planes were off the carrier, Yorktown was under the attack from 10 Kates and 6 Zekes that came from the Japanese ship. A little later after the attack on Yorktown, the battle ship was abandoned and the crew evacuated the vessel that was under heavy fire from the Japanese. Battle of Midway was a success toward the U.S. because it was one of the first battles that they have won against the Japanese forces and have put a stop to their militaristic take over in the Pacific. Once the U.S. realized that Japan was able to be stopped it brought a whole new level of confidence to the superpower that was able to beat the Japanese again and again.
Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway was the first time U.S. has won against the Japanese forces. The battle took place on the Midway Island in the Pacific, June 4-5 in 1942. Battle of Midway was a big deal due to the location of the islands that were the last stop before the Japanese forces could reach U.S soil, or the Islands of Hawaii.
The Allies were under the control of Omar Bradley and Gen. Dwight Eisenhower that said that “this invasion is a crusade, and we will not accept anything but a full victory.” The D-Day invasion was supported by more than 5,00 ships and 13,000 aircrafts, as well as thousands of foot soldiers. These soldiers traveled on a LCVP Landing craft that had a backdoor that was lowered once they landed on the beach and the soldiers stormed out. The first three lines of soldier that came out were shot instantly and the remaining troops had to use the bodies of their ‘brothers’ as body shields. Casualties reached about 2,000 men, those were only subjected to the fire from above, by the late morning of the day that the attack had started only about 600 men made it to the top of hill and into the Nazi hideouts. By then it was easier to fight them off as the German’s were close to running out of ammunition and more and more allied troops were descending on them. One of the reasons this attack was possible was caused by senior officer George S. Patton and his paper army. The reason behind was to distract the Axis powers and make them believe that this was the actual invasion, but the Germans were met with blow-up tanks and paper soldiers. Patton was the diversion that the Allied forces need in order to successfully execute D-Day. Once the beaches were secured by the Allied forces many of the German soldier were captured, some were killed and others became prisoners. The Allies were now able to remove the Nazi’s from Paris, and clean out France from any German presence. In the end without the invasion of Normandy, the defeat of Nazism would not have been as successful as it was.
D-Day
The invasion that had taken place on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, that had taken over 160,00 Allied troops. The 50-mile stretch of this French border was occupied by the Nazi’s that were fortified on top of the small hill, firing heavy down at the allied troops.