Definition of Pearl Harbor

Roosevelt communicated in what was called the "speech of infamy" that the United States was hit dramatically and intentionally by forces belonging to the Empire of Japan. He carried it out the day after the attack -which occurred on the morning of December 7, 1941-, presenting before the two houses of Congress, meeting in a single session.

The attack she was referring to was the one suffered by her country in Pearl Harbor (in Spanish, Puerto Perla), the main maritime base of the United States in the Ocean Pacific, an attack that would trigger a succession of events that would cause the United States of America to enter World War II on the side of the Allies.

The attack of December 7, 1941 on the American enclave of Pearl Harbor by Japanese naval air forces was an action with which the Japanese commanders sought to deal a mortal blow to the US naval power, settling a conflict that had been developing since the Japanese invasion of China.

Indeed, without doing so openly, the Americans had sided with the Chinese in various ways, including sending a

force expeditionary air force of volunteers, the famous "Flying Tigers", who were the only force capable of standing up to Japanese aviation in the skies.

Another form of support for the Chinese contenders - and that was the one that hurt Japan the most - consisted of the embargo on raw materials against the country of the rising sun.

Japan has the problem that it lacks raw materials, so it has to look for them in other countries (in part, this also motivated Japanese expansionism). By depriving it of oil, the Americans greatly hindered the progress of the imperial army in Chinese lands.

The good progress of the other axis powers in Europe was another factor that led Japan to start a war with the United States.

But why Pearl Harbor? Why Hawaii? Well, the explanation is found, by chance, in a doctrine war that the United States had long since ceased to consider, but that the Japanese army commanders (many of them educated militarily in American academies or by American professors) still had as valid: the battle definitive.

This was simple: land a blow that had to be definitive, ending the war at that time due to exhaustion of the enemy. In the Russo-Japanese War it had worked for them (the naval battle of Tsushima had been a devastating blow to the Russians, which sealed the fate of the war), and with Pearl Harbor they hoped that it would end at the time of start it.

The Japanese high command considered that the coup would discourage the Americans, whom they considered (like Hitler) cowardly. Only a few voices were heard among the Japanese high command against this plan, including that of Admiral Nagumo, who happened to be the one who had to lead the attack.

While negotiating with the Americans to get them to lift the embargo on raw materials on Japan, the Japanese were preparing for war. However, Pearl Harbor was not exactly a treacherous attack, as is commonly believed.

Is belief It is based on the fact that the declaration of war was delivered by the Japanese to the Americans once the bombing, when in fact it was scheduled to be delivered half an hour earlier, a timing that could not be followed by a mistake.

The Japanese fleet went unnoticed by the Americans despite its volume.

It consisted of six aircraft carriers (the Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, Soryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku) with their corresponding crews, mainly dive bombers. Aichi D3A (nicknamed "Val" by the allies), dive bombers / torpedo bombers Nakajima B5N "Kate", and you hunt Mitsubishi A6M, the famous "Zero", one of the most famous combat aircraft in the world. conflict.

In addition to these carriers, the fleet also included two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, eight destroyers, and several submarines and other support vessels.

The attack took the Americans completely by surprise and off guard.

Despite multiple indications that it was going to occur, and that the Americans had cracked the Japanese codes, Due to bureaucratic problems, this information did not reach the ears of those responsible for the North American naval base in the Hawaii.

Although the US radar at the base caught the Japanese planes, the operators mistook them for a group of bombers returning from a mission.

The Americans were "lucky" that their three aircraft carriers in the area were, in those days, outside the maneuvering port.

This, in turn, fueled the conspiracy theory that Roosevelt knew in advance that the attack was going to take place, and that therefore he had ordered the maneuver aircraft carriers to leave to "save" them, aware of the importance that they would have a posteriori in the development of the war.

No evidence has ever been found to support this theory, although it remains one of the recurring themes when discussing the attack.

The strike force was tasked with launching three waves of air strikes (the last would be dismissed).

At the same time, a series of midget submarines would have the mission to penetrate the harbor barriers and torpedo ships that could not touch the planes. This part of the mission was a small failure, because only one of the submarines managed to enter the port (the others were lost, even one of their crew members was the first Japanese prisoner in American hands of the war), and the one who achieved his objective did not come out well either, being sunk... charged by an American destroyer.

The first wave was devastating; It started at 7:48 AM and primed the battleships. A circumstance that we see perfectly in the example of the Arizona, which exploded, taking practically all of its equipment to the bottom of the sea. The overturned Oklahoma became another massive maritime grave.

In addition to these, various ships were also knocked out as destroyers or auxiliaries.

The second wave also spread to the airfields, destroying a good part of the air force present at the base.

During all this time, the endurance America was limited to anti-aircraft machine guns established both on land and on ships, as well as a small handful of aircraft, mainly Curtiss P40 "Warhawk".

As I have said before, the third wave was canceled by Nagumo, considering so much that the Americans were already on notice (with which they could have responded to the attack causing serious losses to the Japanese), that enough damage had already been caused, and that his strength could be in danger when entering the range of the North American heavy bombers, which gave rise to a possible counterattack.

Nagumo would later be highly criticized for this decision. Had a third wave been carried out that would have destroyed port infrastructure, the US fleet in the Pacific would probably have been much more damaged.

Once the attack was over, the balance was shocking: eighteen ships sunk, plus many others hit to such an extent that some could not return to active service until 1944.

Pearl Harbor was a hard hitting strike that stunned the Americans, but only woke up the beast; from there, and after a few months of bewilderment and defeats due to not being prepared, the United States put all its industrial and human power in the conflict, and was, together with the USSR, the force that allowed to end the powers of the Axis.

Photos: Fotolia - Keith Tarrier

Themes at Pearl Harbor