When was the war at Pearl Harbor? Pearl Harbor

If you look at where Pearl Harbor is on the world map, it’s hard to believe that this paradise of the Hawaiian Islands became a real hell one Sunday morning. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor using the troops of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, who was assisted by midget submarines delivered to the site by submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This date remains in the memory of the American people as a reminder of the horrors of a war that must not be repeated.

US Navy military exercises

The US Pacific Fleet, which was located at the Pearl Harbor military base, was considered one of the strongest fleets in the world. The military base was perfectly protected from attacks from sea and air. To test combat readiness, the Americans conducted large-scale military exercises.

In 1932, during the exercises, the American Admiral Yarmouth (commander of the “offensive” forces) behaved untypically, and instead of unleashing the full power of the naval squadron entrusted to him on the Pearl Harbor military base, he decided to attack only with the help of two fast aircraft carriers (which appeared in the fleet not so long ago). Having approached the target at a distance of 40 miles, the admiral sent 152 aircraft into battle. The attacking air forces brilliantly coped with the combat mission, conditionally destroying all aircraft at the enemy base.

Despite the complete defeat of the defenders, the US military command believed that in a real battle the aircraft carriers would be destroyed and most of the aircraft would be shot down, since the real results of the battle would differ significantly from the simulated attacks. The exercises of 1937 and 1938, as a result of which carrier-based aircraft again completely defeated the mock enemy, did not prove anything to the American military.

The thing is that battleships were considered the main force in the 1930s; attacking these powerful warships was considered a deliberately failed idea if the enemy did not have the same class of warships. All major world powers believed that the success of a war at sea depended on a single meeting of the navies of the two powers. Victory was guaranteed to be won by the side whose number of battleships exceeded its opponent. Although aircraft carriers played an important role in navies, their task was only to support battleships. The American military command was skeptical about the results of the exercises.

On November 11, 1940, a battle took place between the English aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and the Italian battle fleet. Contrary to expectations, an attack by aircraft from a single aircraft carrier was able to destroy one Italian battleship and put two others out of action. The battle in the harbor of Taranto was considered by the American military to be luck and the result of the irresponsible attitude of the Italian military towards the battle.

Prerequisites for preparing the attack on Pearl Harbor

It is still unknown exactly why Japan decided to attack Pearl Harbor. The prerequisites for this were already evident in 1927. This year, the future Chief of Staff of the 1st Carrier Fleet, Kusaka Ryunosuke, who had just graduated from a specialized naval staff college and was at that time a captain of the second rank, began developing plans to attack the US naval base at Pearl Harbor.

Shortly after graduating from college, he was appointed to teach an aviation course to 10 important government officials, among whom was Nagano Osami (admiral and future marshal of the Imperial Japanese Navy). It was during this course that Kusaka Ryunosuke wrote a document stating that if a general battle with the American fleet did not take place, since it refused to go to the open sea, it would be necessary to urgently seize the initiative and strike at Pearl Harbor. This operation can only be carried out by aviation.

This document was published in only 30 copies and secretly distributed to the command staff. Most likely, he came to the attention of Admiral Yamamoto, after which he formed a plan in his head to attack Japan on Pearl Harbor. The results of the naval exercises forced the Japanese to take a different look at the use of aircraft carriers, and the battle in Taranto harbor convinced them of their idea.

Although Admiral Yamamoto did not approve of Japan's entry into World War II (he especially did not like the conclusion of the Tripartite Pact), as a professional military man, he did everything necessary to prepare the Japanese fleet for future hostilities. In particular, he increased the number of aircraft carriers and carried out the attack plan on Pearl Harbor.

It should be understood that Admiral Yamamoto could not have carried out the plan to attack Pearl Harbor on his own. When the situation between Japan and the United States became so tense that war became almost inevitable, Yamamoto turned to Rear Admiral Kaijiro Onishi, who commanded the 11th Air Force, for help. Kaijiro had at his disposal only Zero fighters and G3M and G4M torpedo bombers, which due to insufficient range could not participate in this operation. Onishi advised the distressed Yamamoto to contact his deputy, Minoru Genda.

Why was Genda chosen? This man, in addition to being an ace pilot (his combat fighter unit was nicknamed “Genda magicians”), had an excellent sense of tactics. In addition, he was considered the best specialist in Japan in the combat use of aircraft carriers. Genda carefully studied all the possibilities of attacking the US Pacific Fleet at the Pearl Harbor base and calculated how much material and human resources would be needed. To successfully carry out the operation, according to Genda, 6 heavy aircraft carriers were needed. It was necessary to place only the best pilots on all planes, and the operation itself had to be carried out in the strictest secrecy to ensure complete surprise.

Detailed study of the combat operation

The development of the plan for the attack on Pearl Harbor was entrusted to one of the main officers of the United Fleet, Kuroshima Kameto. This officer was distinguished by his eccentricity and originality. When he “created”, he locked himself in his cabin for several days, stripped naked and sat on the table in this form, fumigating the entire room with incense. It was this strange man who developed the entire tactical plan for an attack on a US military base, taking into account all possible nuances.

The finished detailed plan was submitted to the naval general headquarters for trial, where it unexpectedly met with strong distrust and opposition. Many officers, not believing the effectiveness of aircraft carriers, believed that as a result of this operation they could all die. In addition, some were distrustful of such a large-scale operation, in which too much depended on various factors:

The surprise factor could fail, and the aircraft carriers would be shot on the approach to the base;
The number of ships at the base was unknown, as was their readiness for surprise combat;
The state of the military base's air defenses was also unknown;
Weather conditions could also interfere with the military operation.

Admiral Yamamoto fiercely defended his plan, as he was a very gambler, ready to put everything he had on the line. When the General Staff was ready to abandon the risky operation, Admiral Yamamoto threatened to resign. Due to the fact that Admiral Yamamoto was a highly respected person, his departure would be a disaster, so the Chief of the General Naval Staff, Nagano, had no choice but to accept Yamamoto’s plan. Admiral Nagumo also doubted success. To convince him, Yamamoto stated that he was ready to personally lead troops into battle if Admiral Nagumo was afraid. In order not to “lose face,” Nagumo was forced to agree.

Why did Japan go to war with the USA?

Many still do not understand how Japan entered into a war with such a powerful power as the United States of America. This was due to several reasons:

In 1937, Japan began a war with China, which was an economically backward country. For 3 years, Japanese troops advanced to the border of Indochina, which led to an escalation of the conflict with England and the United States;
In 1940, Japan concluded the Tripartite Pact, which was a military alliance between three countries (Germany, Italy and Japan), which greatly influenced the deterioration of relations with the United States;
In July 1941, when Japanese troops invaded Indochina, the United States, Holland and Great Britain imposed an embargo on oil exports to Japan.

It was this last point that was the last straw in the aggravation of relations between Japan and the United States. Japan's oil fuel reserves would last for 3 years, after which the powers with oil fields could demand any price for oil, so the Japanese command decided to seize the oil fields of Southeast Asia. Naturally, the United States did not like this decision, so the Japanese command was faced with two options for possible events:

Capture oil fields and give battle to the American fleet on the high seas (which was quite problematic, since the forces of the American fleet were significantly superior to the Japanese fleet);
First, defeat the enemy’s navy (through a surprise attack), and then concentrate forces on the occupation.

As you might guess, the second option turned out to be preferable.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

The Japanese military unit left the Kure base between November 10 and 18, 1941. On November 22, the combat formation was in Hitokappu Bay, in the Kuril Islands area. All the necessary equipment was loaded onto the warships, including canvas covers for guns and barrels of fuel for aircraft. The people who were given a full set of winter uniforms were not forgotten either.

On November 26, the ships set off for the collection point. They all took different routes so as not to attract suspicion. It was at the gathering point that it was to be decided whether war with the United States would begin or not.

On December 1, Japan decided to start a war with the United States, which was announced to Admiral Nagumo, who commanded the entire operation, the very next day. The attack on Pearl Harbor was scheduled for December 7, which was transmitted in a coded order that read "Ascend Mount Niitaka."

In addition to aircraft carriers, about 30 different submarines took part in the combat operation, 16 of which were powerful submarines with a long range. 11 submarines each carried 1 seaplane, and 5 carried small submarines.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, combat aircraft began to take off from aircraft carriers that were 230 miles from the Hawaiian Islands. Each plane took off with precise synchronization relative to the pitching of the aircraft carriers.

First wave of attack on Pearl Harbor

The first combat wave, which went to bomb the US naval base, included:

40 Nakajima B5N2 torpedo bombers, whose torpedoes (especially for attacks in shallow water) were equipped with wooden stabilizers;
49 aircraft of the same type, which carried huge 800 kg bombs - deeply modernized and converted battleship shells;
51 aircraft of the Aichi D3A1 type (dive bomber), each of which carried a bomb weighing 250 kg;
43 Mitsubishi A6M2 fighters, whose task was to cover the bombers.

Perhaps the US Navy could have prepared for an attack in advance if it had promptly responded to the discovery of one of the Japanese mini-submarines. At 3:42 a.m., one of the US minesweepers noticed the periscope of a submarine that was located near the entrance to the harbor. The information was transmitted to the destroyer USS Aaron Ward, which unsuccessfully searched for her for 3 hours. At 6 o'clock this or another submarine was discovered by the Catalina flying boat, and already at 6-45 the destroyer sank it. 10 minutes after the destruction of the submarine, the destroyer transmitted a message to the duty officer, which reached him only at 7-12.

The approach of Japanese planes was noticed at 7-02 by a radar station. Privates Joseph Lockard and George Elliott, who were operators of the radar station, reported this to duty officer Joseph MacDonald, who in turn reported this information to Lieutenant K. Tyler. Knowing that B-17 bombers were about to arrive at the Pearl Harbor military base, the lieutenant reassured those on duty, saying that there was no cause for concern. The radio station, which pilots often used as a bearing, also spoke about this. That is why numerous danger signals were ignored.

The commander of the Akagi air group, Futida, in the memoirs he wrote after the war, rather inaccurately describes the signal for the attack. Although he gave it at 7:49, it was a repeated signal. The first signal, sent at 7:40, was a black flare, which was not noticed by Lieutenant Commander Itaya, leading the group of fighters. The second signal was noticed by the dive bomber commander, who immediately launched an attack.

Despite the suddenness of the attack, military musicians on the battleship USS Nevada performed the US national anthem at exactly 8:00, while bombs rained down from all sides. The musicians only lost their rhythm a little once, when one of the bombs almost hit the battleship.

Since the Japanese understood the danger enemy aircraft carriers posed, they were the main target of their attacks. But since the American aircraft carriers were not at the base during the attack, Japanese aircraft focused their attention on the battleships, since they were a fairly important target.

The most important Japanese aircraft that participated in this operation were undoubtedly torpedo bombers. 16 aircraft, due to the absence of aircraft carriers at the base, were left without a specific target and were forced to attack targets at their own discretion, which introduced a certain amount of confusion into a clearly planned attack.

The first targets to be attacked were:

Light cruiser USS Raleigh;
The old battleship USS Utah, which was mistaken for an aircraft carrier;
Light cruiser Detroit.

While the attack was underway, Captain Commander Vincent Murphy discussed details of the report from the destroyer USS Aaron Ward (which sank the Japanese submarine) with Admiral Kimmel. The arriving liaison informed the commander that the attack on Pearl Harbor was not an exercise, which Vincent immediately informed the admiral about. Kimmel, in turn, conveyed this news to all parts of the navy that were at military bases and on the high seas.

Rear Admiral W. Furlong, who was on board the minelayer USS Oglala during the Japanese attack, saw enemy planes in the sky, immediately realized that this was an enemy raid and signaled all ships to leave the bay. At that moment, a Japanese torpedo passed directly under the keel of the USS Oglala, which miraculously escaped damage. It would seem that the minelayer was lucky, but the torpedo, hitting the side of the cruiser USS Helena, damaged the starboard side of the USS Oglala with an explosion, causing the ship to sink to the bottom.

The huge battleship Arizona was sunk in 10 minutes, without having time to fire a single shot. 1,177 sailors went to the bottom with him. In total, 18 ships of the American navy were disabled:

Three battleships were sunk;
One ran aground;
One turned over;
The rest received significant damage.

In addition to warships, targets for Japanese aircraft were:

The airfield, which was located on Ford Island;
Hickam Air Force Base;
Wheeler Air Force Base;
Seaplane base.

Japanese fighters began destroying American B-17 aircraft, which were nicknamed the “Flying Fortress.”

Heavy aircraft on the ground were an excellent target that was unable to fight back. After the destruction of the B-17, the American carrier-based Dontless bombers became the target of the Japanese fighters.

Second wave of attack on Pearl Harbor

The second wave of Japanese air attack consisted of 167 aircraft. There were no more torpedo bombers in the second wave, since the second attack was only the final stage.

It was during the second Japanese attack that American pilots were able to provide at least some resistance to Japanese aircraft. Haleiv airfield was able to organize two combat sorties consisting of 5 aircraft. These flights occurred from 8-15 to 10-00. As a result of combat missions, American pilots were able to shoot down 7 Japanese aircraft, losing only one of their own. This is an indication that US combat aircraft were significantly superior to Japanese ones.

Results of the attack on Pearl Harbor

Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor was not so much a daring raid as a necessary measure, since Japan's fuel resources were under threat. Despite all the efforts of politicians and diplomats, the oil embargo issue could not be resolved peacefully, so the command of the Japanese army was forced to launch a surprise attack on the American naval base.

This operation was planned by excellent Japanese naval specialists, who took into account every detail with Japanese scrupulousness. Japan's best aviators were selected to take part in the attack.

The main objectives that Japan set for itself when planning the attack on Pearl Harbor were:

Completely destroy the American navy so that it does not interfere with the seizure of oil fields;
Demoralize the spirit of the American people.

If the first task was partially completed, then the second one came true exactly the opposite. The entire war with Japan took place under the slogan “Remember Pearl Harbor.”

Since the American aircraft carriers survived, they were able to turn the tide of the Battle of Midway, after which the Japanese fleet lost 4 aircraft carriers and about 250 aircraft, forever losing the ability to operate without coastal artillery cover.

Due to the excessive caution of Admiral Nagumo, who did not strike at the base’s infrastructure, the docks and oil storage facilities remained intact. Continuing the offensive in this direction could have consolidated the success, but the Japanese command decided to transfer aircraft to southeast Asia, hastening to seize rich oil fields.

Pearl Harbor Memorial

The Pearl Harbor Memorials consist of two large complexes:

USS Arizona Memorial;
USS Missouri Memorial.

The Arizona Memorial is located above the site of the sinking of the battleship of the same name. Since its construction in 1962, more than a million people have visited this memorial. There is a tradition in the United States according to which every president of this country must visit this memorial at least once.

The second Missouri Memorial is located aboard the decommissioned battleship Missouri, which is a museum ship. It was on this warship that the Japanese surrender was signed in 1945.

The attack on the Pearl Harbor military base killed approximately 2,500 people. This operation did not bring Japan a complete victory over the American navy, but showed the superiority of aircraft carriers over battleships.

Before the attack
Air attack
United States plans
Pearl Harbor today
Video

Pearl Harbor (other name "Pearl Harbor" - "Pearl Harbor") appears to be a US naval base. Just as it was 75 years ago, this facility is a major fleet in the Pacific. The Japanese army carried out the attack, in the final events of World War II. The location of the base is on the territory of the Hawaiian archipelago, namely on the island of Oahu.

The attack occurred on the morning of December 7, 1941, and led to the United States' entry into World War II.
The purpose of the attack was to eliminate the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with the hostilities of World War II.
Around eight in the morning local time, the Japanese Air Force began launching air strikes.
Eight battleships were damaged, four were sunk, and six of them were returned to service and continued to fight in the war.
The Japanese also damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. 188 American aircraft were destroyed; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 were wounded.
Japanese losses amounted to: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines were destroyed. 64 military personnel were dead. One Japanese sailor, Sakamaki, Kazuo, was captured.
The attack caused a deep shock to the Americans, and led to the nation's entry into the war.
The next day, December 8, the United States announced military action against Japan.

Objectives of the attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack was based on several main targets. First, the Japanese intended to destroy important American fleet units, thereby preventing the Pacific Fleet from interfering. Japan planned to expand its sphere of influence in Southeast Asia.
And US intervention was unacceptable. Secondly, the Japanese planned to gain time to strengthen and increase their own air force. Thirdly, battleships were the most powerful ships of that time.

Before the attack

A couple of months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Soviet intelligence officer, Richard Sorge, conveyed to the leadership that Pearl Harbor would be attacked a couple of months later.
American sources claimed that information from Moscow was transferred to the American leadership. Recently, documents were declassified that spoke of a meeting between the German envoy Thomsen and the American businessman Lovell. The meeting took place in November 1941. The German envoy reported an impending attack from Japan. Thomsen knew about Lovell's connection with the American government. The information was transferred to W. Donovan, as one of the heads of US intelligence. When the information was transmitted to the president, there were still three weeks before the attack. On the eve of the attack, American intelligence intercepted information about the attack. Of course, there was no direct mention of an attack, but everything pointed precisely to this. However, despite warnings for many weeks, the American government did not transmit any warning messages to Hawaii.
The strange thing is that no concerns were conveyed to where the US Pacific Fleet base was located.

Air attack

On November 26, 1941, the Imperial Air Force headed from a base on the Kuril Islands towards the Pearl Harbor naval base. This happened after the United States sent the Hull note to Japan. In this document, the United States demanded that Japan withdraw its troops from a number of Asian territories (Indochina and China). Japan took this document as an ultimatum.
December 7 was the date of the Japanese army's attack on Pearl Bay. The attack was planned in two stages. The first air raid was supposed to be the main attack and destroy the Air Force. The second wave was supposed to destroy the fleet itself.
The Japanese had six aircraft carriers with 441 (according to other sources more than 350) aircraft on board. The aircraft carriers were accompanied by 2 battleships, 2 heavy and 1 light cruisers, as well as 11 destroyers. The United States Army was taken by surprise. Everything that happened lasted about an hour and a half. The strikes were carried out on airfields (in accordance with the plan) on the island of Oahu. Also, the ships located in the “Pearl Harbor” were the first to suffer. The US lost 4 battleships, 2 destroyers and 1 minelayer.
More than 180 aircraft were destroyed, almost 160 (according to other sources, slightly less than 130) were seriously damaged. Attacks from submarines were unsuccessful. The submarine fleet was destroyed.
The attack provided the basis for the United States to enter military conflict with the Empire of Japan. Roosevelt signed a document that narrated the official declaration of war against the Japanese aggressor. Now Germany and Italy have reported the outbreak of military action against the states. The result of the attack on the US naval base was the basis for America's entry into the global military conflict.
Seven Japanese planes were shot down by Lieutenants Welch and Tylor. After the first wave of bombing, the Japanese Air Force lost 9 aircraft, and after the second air raid on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese lost 20 aircraft. More than 70 aircraft were damaged, but the defects did not prevent the aircraft from returning to aircraft carriers. At 9:45 the remnants of the Japanese aircraft returned, having completed their task.
For about another half hour, the Japanese bomber circled over the destroyed naval base. Since all Pearl Harbor aircraft were destroyed at the beginning of the operation, no one could eliminate the enemy aircraft. Since two Japanese Air Force fighters lagged behind their own, and without a navigation system, they could not fly away on their own. The remaining bomber escorted the lagging fighters to the base.
One of the Japanese aircraft had to land on one of the islands. The pilot was recognized as a prisoner. With the help of a Japanese man who lived among the local population, he managed to take possession of a revolver and a double-barreled shotgun. This weapon turned out to be the only one on the entire island, and the prisoner turned into a power grabber. And yet, a day later, in a skirmish with the indigenous inhabitants, the invader was destroyed. His accomplice shot himself.
One of the officers who was at Pearl Harbor said that there was no panic in the army. The soldiers were very scared, but this did not lead to chaos. After the Japanese aircraft withdrew, confusion continued, which gave rise to many rumors, for example, about the Japanese poisoning the water source. People who drank from it were actually hospitalized. There were also rumors about the warlike attitude of the Japanese living in the Hawaiian Islands. Rumors spoke of an uprising. The USSR was not spared and “true” information appeared about the attack on Tokyo by the Soviet army.
One of the American bombers attacked its own cruiser. But by luck, the cruiser was not damaged. The command undertook a reconnaissance operation to find Japanese ships near the Hawaiian Islands. A message was transmitted to Pearl Harbor that their own fighters would be landing at the base. Despite this, five aircraft were destroyed. The pilot of one of the fighters jumped out with a parachute and was shot.
Japanese aviation, having renewed its strength, was eager to fight. They argued that it was necessary to carry out additional strikes on important ground targets. The management ordered to go back.
American historians agree that the Japanese made a huge mistake for themselves by not destroying oil reserves and the remnants of the United States Pacific Fleet.

United States plans

Based on the fact that the American government was warned about a possible attack, we can conclude that the United States was thus carrying out its plans.
There is an opinion that the United States specifically used Japan for the purpose of entering the military struggle. The United States should not have initiated accession. Roosevelt considered Germany a threat to both the world in general and the United States in particular.
Therefore, it was necessary to fight Nazi Germany through military means. Uniting with the Soviet Union could ensure victory over Hitler.
But American society had a different attitude.
Even though the war had been going on for two years, Germany had conquered half of Europe and attacked the Soviet Union, the Americans were against joining the war. The country's leadership had to push the people to change their minds.
If America is attacked, there will be no choice but to retaliate.
Knowing about Japan's plans, the US leadership sent a document (Hull Note) to the Japanese government.
Regarding its content (meaning), both sides still have opposing opinions.
Japanese historians claim that the document had the nature of an ultimatum. The United States has made an impossible demand.
In addition to leaving territories, America demanded withdrawal from the alliance with Germany and Italy. Therefore, the Japanese side accepted Hull's note as unwillingness on the part of the United States to continue negotiations.
Based on the theory of planning by the United States to enter the war through a third-party attack, Hull's note became precisely the catalyst for the start of a military conflict.
In fact, this can be considered a provocation.
A Japanese historian who subscribes to the idea of provocation argues that Japan had no other choice. He considers the change in American opinion regarding the involvement of the US Army in the war to be confirmation of his theory.
This opinion can be considered true, but the opinion of the people could not help but change after such an attack and great human losses. Another important thing here is that, having confirmation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the American government did not take any action. There is still debate about the surprise of the military attack.
There is an additional fact in favor of the opinion of Japanese historians. The surprising and unusual coincidence was as follows.
Japanese aviation was supposed to eliminate the North American flotilla. But it was on this day that the aircraft carriers that were planned to be liquidated were absent from the military base

Pearl Harbor. The fleet's losses were not heavy.

The Japanese continue to claim provocation to this day, but they have no direct evidence. They also cannot say with certainty how much the Americans knew about the planned operation.

Also a mystery associated with the attack on Pearl Harbor is that the United Kingdom of Great Britain knew a lot of secret information regarding Japan's plans, but did not provide it to the leadership of the United States.

Thus, the leadership of both the United Kingdom and the United States faced accusations. Both leaders sought to drag the United States into the war.

Pearl Harbor today
To date, Pearl Harbor remains the most powerful fleet. In addition to military purposes, Pearl Harbor also serves as a museum. You can meet tourists on one of the sea ships from the Second World War. It is noted that this ship is in full combat readiness and in the event of a military threat, it is ready to defend the homeland.

Pearl Harbor - translated from English as "Pearl Harbor" - is the romantic name of the current American naval harbor in the state of Hawaii.

It was the attack on her on December 7, 1941 at 7:55 a.m. that was the reason for her entry into the United States.

Attack on Pearl Harbor Naval Base

On an early December Sunday morning in 1941, Pearl Harbor was relatively sparsely populated - some of the soldiers were on leave, and a minimal contingent remained on the base. Nobody expected the attack. Radars detected Japanese attack aircraft flying towards the base. But they were mistaken for friendly aircraft returning from maneuvers. That same morning, an American destroyer discovered a Japanese submarine that was trying to penetrate the Harbor.

The Japanese counted on the surprise of the attack and their expectations were fully justified. About an hour after the attack, the entire US Pacific fleet was reduced to virtually scrap metal.

This unexpected attack shocked both the US government and ordinary Americans. On December 8, the US President addressed the nation in which he said that the date December 7, 1941 will remain a shameful page in the history of America. The President called on Congress to declare war on Japan. So, in one fell swoop, the Japanese changed the position of the majority of American citizens about the role of their country in world events from isolationist to military-patriotic.

Japan's preparations for this attack began long ago - about six months before the upcoming events. The choice of this particular base was not accidental. Japan needed dominance in the Pacific Ocean. It needed natural resources, especially oil, to expand its influence in the region. The American fleet was perceived as an obstacle to access to the oil fields in Java.

Japanese invasion

The Japanese successfully invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937. Japan's antipathy towards America has been brewing for a long time. The US occupation of the Philippines during the Spanish-American War and America's refusal to recognize Japanese authority in occupied China angered Japan. So that the Americans would not interfere with Japan’s further aggressive plans, the imperial troops decided to launch a pre-emptive strike to defeat.

Pearl Harbor is located on the south coast of the island of Oahu. At that time, the size of the naval base was approximately 22,000 acres. The command of the fleet was carried out by Admiral E. Kimmel, who, as a result of these events, was demoted and resigned. And then, over the following years, he repeatedly testified about the Japanese attack. As a result, at first he was cleared of all charges for what had happened, but then they decided that he, as a senior manager, did not show the necessary insight and did not organize patrols of the base.

The admiral's defense also included the fact that effective cryptography and successful cryptanalysis were too undeveloped. Cryptanalysis was underfunded and its role was underestimated. Specialists in this field were ordered to focus on Japanese diplomatic traffic rather than naval traffic. If the focus in this area had shifted to a military theme, the Americans would not have suffered such horrific losses.

The losses were catastrophic

At dawn, 33 Japanese ships launched 360 attack aircraft. The operation was commanded by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. Subsequently, he, unlike his American colleague, Admiral Kimmel, who, justifying himself, lived long enough after Pearl Harbor, did not want to accept his defeat in the Battle of Saipan in 1944 and chose to shoot himself.

As soon as the Japanese bombers sighted the island, they split into two groups. One, at a low altitude, flew directly over the island, and the other, rounding the island over the water, flew up to the base from the south. Two hours after the start of the operation, the American base was completely destroyed - 18 ships sank or were damaged, 170 aircraft were destroyed, and 3,700 people were killed. Japanese losses were minimal.
The success of the operation was determined not only by the high secrecy of this operation, but also by the thoroughness of the preparation.

It was believed that Pearl Harbor was invulnerable to torpedoes - the area around it was too shallow at a depth of 45 feet, when a torpedo attack required all 75. But the Japanese developed special shallow torpedoes for this operation. The main targets of the Imperial forces were the aircraft carriers and battleships that were among the 92 seagoing vessels anchored in the harbor. With intelligence collected and reported by Japanese spies on Oahu and Maui, the Japanese admiralty knew the location and number of each type of vessel in the harbor. But among them were not two aircraft carriers, which at the time of the attack were a hundred miles from the base.

The tactical miscalculation of the Japanese was that they left the ship repair yards intact. Thanks to them, the active restoration of the US Pacific Fleet began. But that was later. In December 1941, the surprises for the world community and Americans in particular did not end with the attack on Pearl Harbor.

That same day, American ships were attacked on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu. In the following weeks, American bases in Hong Kong, Guam, Midway, and the Philippine Islands were attacked by Japanese bombers. The stunning success of the operations made the Japanese believe in their own invincibility. Military experts noted the accuracy, sophistication and thoughtfulness of the Japanese operation.

Fleet restoration

Oddly enough, the “shameful day” turned out to be an undoubted benefit for the US Navy: within six months, the Pacific Fleet was not only restored, but also significantly strengthened and modernized. It cost 2,000 hours underwater and over 5,000 dives. Things, documents, ammunition were recovered from the bottom, and human remains were brought to dry land. It was possible to restore all the ships except the battleship Arizona and the target ship Utah. Their hulls still rest in the bay.

More than a million Americans annually visit the sunken USS Arizona, over whose hull a memorial was built. They lay flowers, read the names of the dead sailors and watch as rainbow stains of oil slowly ooze, drop by drop, flowing from the bowels of a ship torn apart by Japanese bombs more than 70 years ago.

A row of battleships (“Battleship Row” are concrete piles to which heavy ships were moored side to side) at Pearl Harbor. From left to right: USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee (damaged) and USS Arizona (sunk).
The attack of Pearl Harbor (Pearl Bay) or, according to Japanese sources, the Hawaiian operation is a sudden combined attack by Japanese carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier formation of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo and Japanese midget submarines, delivered to the site of the attack by submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on the American military. naval and air bases located in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, occurred on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941.

As a result of the attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base, the United States was forced to declare war on Japan and enter World War II. The attack was a preventive measure against the United States, aimed at eliminating the American navy, gaining air supremacy in the Pacific region and subsequent military operations against Burma, Thailand, and the US's western possessions in the Pacific Ocean. The attack consisted of two air raids involving 353 aircraft from 6 Japanese aircraft carriers. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the main reason the United States entered World War II. Because of the attack, especially its nature, public opinion in America changed dramatically from an isolationist position in the mid-1930s to direct participation in the war effort. On December 8, 1941, US President Franklin Roosevelt spoke at a joint meeting of both houses of Congress. The President demanded that from December 7, from “a day that will go down in history as a symbol of shame,” to declare war on Japan. Congress adopted a corresponding resolution.

A model of the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor, built in Japan in 1941 during the planning of the attack on the base. The arrangement of the ship models extremely accurately reproduces their real place in the “line of battleships”.

Background

After the First World War, the Pacific Ocean became an arena of contradictions between two strong maritime states - the USA and Japan. The United States, rapidly rising to the position of the leading world power, sought to establish control over this strategically important region. Japan, which was experiencing serious difficulties in providing strategic materials and considered itself deprived of colonies in Southeast Asia, was striving for the same goal. The contradictions inevitably had to result in a military conflict, but this was prevented by the isolationist and anti-war sentiments that dominated American public opinion. These moods could only be destroyed by a strong psychological shock, which did not take long to arrive. The introduction of economic sanctions against Japan by the United States, which included an embargo on the supply of petroleum products, made war inevitable. Japan was faced with a choice - to suffocate under the economic blockade or die with honor, trying to obtain the resources it needed in battle. The top Japanese generals understood that for an unconditional victory over the United States it was necessary to defeat the American Pacific Fleet, land troops on the west coast of the United States and fight to Washington, which, given the ratio of the economic and military potentials of the two countries, was completely unrealistic. Forced to enter the war under pressure from the political elite, they relied on the only chance they had - with one powerful blow, inflicting unacceptable damage on the United States and forcing them to sign peace on terms favorable to Japan.

Pearl Harbor before the attack

The main events of December 7, 1941 unfolded around Fr. Ford Island, a small island in the center of the East Loch of Pearl Harbor. There was a naval airfield on the island, and there were ship moorings around it. Off the southeastern shore of the island. Ford is located so-called “Battleship Row” - 6 pairs of massive concrete piles designed for mooring heavy ships. The battleship is moored simultaneously to two piles. A second ship can moor alongside it.

View of Pearl Harbor and a row of battleships during the Japanese attack
By December 7, there were 93 ships and support vessels in Pearl Harbor. Among them are 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 5 submarines, 9 minelayers and 10 minesweepers of the US Navy. The air force consisted of 394 aircraft, and air defense was provided by 294 anti-aircraft guns. The base garrison numbered 42,959 people. Ships in the harbor and planes at the airfield were crowded together, making them a convenient target for attack. The base's air defense was not ready to repel attacks. Most of the anti-aircraft guns were not manned, and their ammunition was kept under lock and key.

Japanese aircraft carriers are heading for Pearl Harbor. The photo shows the flight deck of the Zuikaku aircraft carrier in its bow, twin installations of universal 127-mm type 89 guns. The Kaga aircraft carrier (closer) and the Akagi aircraft carrier (further) are visible ahead. The differences between the aircraft carriers of the 1st Division are clearly visible; the Akagi has a superstructure located on the port side.

Story

To attack Pearl Harbor, the Japanese command allocated an aircraft carrier force under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, consisting of 23 ships and 8 tankers. The formation consisted of a Strike Group consisting of six aircraft carriers: Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, Shokaku, Soryu and Zuikaku (1st, 2nd and 5th aircraft carrier divisions), Group cover (2nd detachment of the 3rd battleship division), two heavy cruisers (8th cruiser division), one light cruiser and nine destroyers (1st destroyer squadron), an advance detachment consisting of three submarines and a supply detachment of eight tankers. (Futida M., Okumiya M. The Battle of Midway Atoll. Translated from English. M., 1958. P. 52.) The aviation group of the formation consisted of a total of 353 aircraft.

The operation, which was carefully planned and prepared, was led by the commander of the combined Japanese fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Particular importance was attached to achieving surprise in the attack. On November 22, 1941, the task force gathered in the strictest secrecy in Hitokappu Bay (Kuril Islands) and from here, observing radio silence, headed for Pearl Harbor on November 26. The transition took place along the longest (6300 km) route, characterized by frequent stormy weather, but least visited by ships. For camouflage purposes, a false radio exchange was made, which simulated the presence of all large Japanese ships in the Inland Sea of Japan. (Soviet military encyclopedia. T.6. P. 295.)

Briefing on the deck of the aircraft carrier Kaga before the attack on Pearl Harbor
However, for the American government, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was not so unexpected. The Americans deciphered the Japanese codes and read all Japanese messages for several months. The warning about the inevitability of war was sent on time - November 27, 1941. The Americans received a clear warning about Pearl Harbor at the last moment, on the morning of December 7, but the instruction about the need to increase vigilance, sent via commercial lines, reached Pearl Harbor only 22 minutes before the Japanese attack began, and was transmitted to the messengers only at 10:45 minutes when it was all over. (See: History of the War in the Pacific. T.Z.M., 1958. P. 264; Second World War: Two Views. P. 465.)

In the predawn darkness of December 7, Vice Admiral Nagumo's aircraft carriers reached the aircraft lifting point and were 200 miles from Pearl Harbor. On the night of December 7, 2 Japanese destroyers fired on the island. Midway, and 5 Japanese midget submarines launched at Pearl Harbor began operating. Two of them were destroyed by American patrol forces.

At 6.00 on December 7, 183 aircraft of the first wave took off from aircraft carriers and headed for the target. There were 49 Type 97 attack bombers, each carrying an 800-kilogram armor-piercing bomb, 40 attack torpedo bombers with a torpedo suspended under the fuselage, 51 Type 99 dive bombers, each carrying a 250-kilogram bomb. The covering force consisted of three groups of fighters, numbering a total of 43 aircraft. (Futida M., Okumiya M., op. cit. p. 54.)

The first aircraft is ready to take off from the aircraft carrier Shokaku at Pearl Harbor
The skies over Pearl Harbor were clear. At 7:55 am, Japanese planes attacked all large ships and aircraft at the airfield. There was not a single American fighter in the air, and not a single gun flash on the ground. As a result of the Japanese attack, which lasted about an hour, 3 battleships were sunk and a large number of aircraft were destroyed. Having finished bombing, the bombers headed for their aircraft carriers. The Japanese lost 9 aircraft.

Destroyed Naval Air Station at Pearl Harbor
The second wave of aircraft (167 aircraft) took off from the aircraft carriers at 7:15 am. In the second wave there were 54 attack bombers of the 97 type, 78 dive bombers of the 99 type and 35 fighter jets, which covered the actions of the bombers. The second strike by Japanese planes met stronger American resistance. By 8.00 the planes returned to the aircraft carriers. Of all the aircraft that took part in the air raid, the Japanese lost 29 (9 fighters, 15 dive bombers and 5 torpedo bombers). Manpower losses amounted to a total of 55 officers and men. In addition, the Americans sank one submarine and 5 midget submarines, whose actions turned out to be ineffective.

The abandonment of the battleship Nevada inside the harbor during the attack on Pearl Harbor. On this day, she became the only American battleship that managed to get underway and tried to leave the bay. However, due to the threat of sinking by the Japanese in the fairway, the Nevada was ordered to beach. In total, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, the battleship Nevada was hit by 1 aerial torpedo and 2-3 aerial bombs, after which it ran aground.

Japanese aviation

In total, three types of aircraft were based on the Japanese aircraft carriers that participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, widely known by the code names given to them in the American Navy: Zero fighters, Kate torpedo bombers and Val dive bombers. Brief characteristics of these aircraft are given in the table:

Japanese A6M Zero fighters before taking off to attack the American base at Pearl Harbor on the deck of the aircraft carrier Akagi. The photo was taken a few minutes before departure.

Aircraft of the first wave

Group numbers are conditional, for designation on diagrams

Aircraft of the second wave

Group numbers are conditional for designation on diagrams.

Results

As a result of the Japanese airborne strike on Pearl Harbor, the strategic goal of preventing the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese operations in the south was largely achieved. 4 American battleships were sunk and 4 more were badly damaged. 10 other warships were sunk or disabled; 349 American aircraft destroyed or damaged; among the killed or wounded Americans - 3,581 military, 103 civilian. (World War II: Two Views. P. 466.)

The Japanese victory could have been even more significant. They failed to cause the slightest harm to the enemy aircraft carriers. All 4 American aircraft carriers were absent from Pearl Harbor: 3 of them went to sea, one was being repaired in California. The Japanese made no attempt to destroy the huge American oil reserves in Hawaii, which in fact were almost equal to the entire Japanese reserves. The Japanese formation, with the exception of the ships that were part of a specially organized formation, which consisted of the 2nd division of aircraft carriers, the 8th division of cruisers and 2 destroyers, headed for the inland Sea of Japan. On December 23, it arrived at the anchorage near the island. Hasira.

Thus, by 10 a.m. on December 7, the American fleet in the Pacific actually ceased to exist. If at the beginning of the war the ratio of the combat power of the American and Japanese fleets was equal to 10: 7.5 (History of the War in the Pacific. T.Z. P. 266), now the ratio in large ships has changed in favor of the Japanese naval forces. On the very first day of hostilities, the Japanese gained supremacy at sea and gained the opportunity to conduct extensive offensive operations in the Philippines, Malaya and the Dutch Indies.

Battleship California and tanker Neosho during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The battleship California sank after being hit by two torpedoes and two bombs. The team could have saved the ship, and even set sail, but abandoned it due to the threat of a fire from a flaming slick of oil leaking from other battleships. The ship landed on the ground. Has been restored. In the background is the squadron tanker Neosho, subsequently sunk by Japanese carrier-based aircraft in the battle in the Coral Sea in May 1942. Fortunately for the Americans, as a result of the fact that during the Pearl Harbor attack the Japanese pilots had warships as a clear target, the tanker was not hit. The Neosho tanks were filled to capacity with high-octane aviation gasoline...

75 years ago, one of the most successful Soviet operations in World War II ended. On December 7, 1941, a Japanese squadron attacked the American fleet deployed to the Hawaiian Islands. Although the attack was incredibly successful, it actually caused Japan to lose the war. At the same time, Pearl Harbor allowed the USSR, which helped this event with all its might, to dramatically improve its military-strategic position. How and why everything happened exactly this way is in our material.

How "Snow" Covered Hawaii

Most political leaders spend a significant portion of their mental resources on gaining and maintaining power. This means that they often do not have the opportunity to receive a good, comprehensive education that allows them to independently analyze complex processes in a variety of areas. However, it is impossible to manage processes that you do not understand. Therefore, politicians critically depend on the opinions and recommendations of so-called experts - individuals who have received specialized education and are therefore able to understand what is really happening in a particular important area.

This scheme, proven over thousands of years, has one weak point. In some cases, a politician cannot understand whether an expert in his field is actually competent and whether he is manipulating the politician for his own personal purposes. If the “expert” is simply fake, there are no special problems, because he is not smart enough to pose as an expert for a long time. The second case is more complicated. A real expert who wants to “steer a little” by instilling his vision of a problem in a politician can often be smart. Sometimes - significantly smarter than the politician he advises. Management is often unable to uncover such manipulation on its own. With a significant degree of probability, it was precisely this story that led to Pearl Harbor.

In 1940, Soviet intelligence officers Vitaly Pavlov and Iskhak Akhmerov thought about how to protect the USSR from a Japanese attack at the moment when Moscow clashed with Berlin. Initially, it was their own initiative, but the authorities quickly picked it up. First, Pavel Fitin, the head of the corresponding GUGB NKVD, and then People's Commissar Beria himself became familiar with the operation plan.

Assessing its potential, they reacted quickly: “Now,” Beria strictly punished, “prepare everything you need and keep everything related to the operation in complete secret. After the operation, you, Akhmerov, and Pavel Mikhailovich [Fitin] must forget everything forever. No traces of her should remain in any affairs,” Lieutenant General Pavlov describes this situation in his memoirs. The NKVD decided to convince the American leadership that it had the necessary military and economic power to force Japan to stop its aggression in China. To do this, the United States should have put forward a demand to the empire to withdraw troops from the Asian continent.

Harold White, Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury, was chosen as a channel for processing the American elite. This man, being brilliantly educated and broad-minded (the IMF is his brainchild), had significant intellectual influence on the Secretary of the Treasury and his boss, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

In May 1941, Pavlov and Akhmerov held a meeting with White, at which they outlined their theses. On June 6 and November 17, 1941, White drew up two documents. Their contents, at the instigation of his boss Morgenthau, circulated widely in government circles, including the State Department. Ideas from there were included in Morgenthau's memorandum to State Department head Hull and President Roosevelt dated November 18 of the same year. On November 26, a text similar in content in the form of a Hull note was presented to the Japanese ambassador to the United States. In addition, since the summer of 1941, the United States stopped transporting oil to Japan. After its reserves were exhausted, not only the economy, but also the military fleet of this country were doomed.

Technically this one. In Japan before 1945, outdated views prevailed, according to which demands for the withdrawal of troops and adjustments in foreign policy were offensive to a sovereign state. The country that gave birth to Bushido and Hagakure simply could not allow another state to threaten to change course.

The Japanese government was simply unable to afford such unpopular steps. In the 19th century, acceptance of a much more modest American ultimatum ultimately led the Japanese into civil war. In 1936, a group of young officers rebelled simply because the government, in their opinion, was not pursuing the conquest of China energetically enough.

In 1932, Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated by young officers who resented his attempts to stop the Sino-Japanese War. After Hall's note, there was no longer a question for Japan whether to fight or not to fight. Emperor Hirohito had to decide whether to start a civil war by submitting to the humiliating demands of the gaijin, or start a war with the gaijin themselves. It is logical that he chose the second. Akhmerov and White won.

Japan was not only distracted from Soviet borders by a new war, but also became the subject of division between the USSR and the States in 1945. This made it possible to return South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. A pleasant bonus for the Soviet side was Hitler’s impulsive decision to stand up for Japan, declaring war on the United States on December 11, 1941. So Operation “Snow” (due to White’s surname - “white”) brought its initiators even more than they expected.

By the way, this is not White's last big deal. In 1944, with his participation in the US Treasury, the Morgenthau Plan was prepared. He envisioned the liquidation of industry in Germany. It would be made a purely agricultural country in order to eliminate danger in the future and, at the same time, leave the bulk of the German population unemployed. To prevent the revival of the Reich, it was proposed to ban foreign trade in Germany and cut down all forests.

The subsequent "accidental" leak of the plan to the press (performed by an "unknown person" in White's department) was exploited by German propaganda and did much to prevent an Allied attempt at peace negotiations with the Germans. Considering that in May 1945 Britain planned to use Wehrmacht troops in a surprise attack on Soviet troops in Europe, this precaution may not have been superfluous. Alas, for White himself, his collaboration with the NKVD subsequently cost him accusations of working for the USSR and death from a heart attack.

Treason or stupidity?

Yet it would be wrong to repeat John Coster's conclusion: "White gave us Pearl Harbor." Yes, this point of view is popular among certain circles in the United States (it was also held by the famous congressman and contemporary of the events, Hamilton Fish III). After all, it removes all questions from American diplomacy, presenting it as an innocent victim of intriguers from the Lubyanka. But persuading someone to do something they really don’t want is difficult. White's means of influence were purely intellectual - agitation rather than direct pressure.

It is difficult to say how events would have unfolded without Soviet interference in the work of the American government apparatus. The fact is that, unlike the NKVD, the US State Department at that moment was led by people who, in principle, did not understand that traditional Japan could not submit to the will of Washington at all. Therefore, of course, they could not warn the head of their country about this.

What White did out of great intelligence, other officials did out of lack of it. Dean Acheson of the State Department, abusing his official position and Roosevelt's departure, turned the freeze on Japanese accounts into a de facto oil embargo in the summer of 1941. When the president returned, there was nothing he could do. Ending the embargo would mean that he made unilateral concessions to the Japanese and lost face. Perhaps a chain of incompetent decisions by the foreign policy department would have forced Roosevelt to act in the same way without White’s notes. If White was not the main factor in shaping American policy that forced Japan to fight, then he was the “experts” who manipulated the state at their own discretion and against the will of Franklin Roosevelt.

High-ranking American officials behaved so riskily because they simply knew too little about Japan. They allowed themselves in relation to her whatever they considered necessary, without fear of retribution. Tokyo was considered too weak militarily. Therefore, the likelihood that after Hall’s note the Japanese would suddenly attack did not frighten anyone. The US Secretary of Defense reflected Roosevelt’s position before Pearl Harbor in his diary: “... they will attack... they are known for surprise attacks. The only question is how can we put them in a position where they will fire the first shot, but it will not cause us much harm.”

The very posing of this question means that both Roosevelt and his military were living in a fictional world, where the greatest naval power of the time was considered something like the Spanish fleet, which had failed to protect Cuba from an American landing forty years earlier.

Inevitable defeat

Thanks to interceptions of Japanese codes, the United States had a general understanding in early December 1941 that Tokyo was planning attacks on American bases. The Japanese assumed that after them they would seize Indonesia without interference, from where they could take oil (this is what happened in 1942). However, the American military was not at all worried about this. It was believed that the Asian enemy was worse armed, worse trained, and finally, Japanese soldiers were physically smaller and weaker than American ones - this explained the smaller caliber of Japanese rifles (in fact, they were more accurate than American ones). Racism also added difficulties in an adequate assessment: that the Japanese, due to a different eye structure, are myopic, that is, unsuitable for air combat.

The reality turned out to be completely different. Mitsubishi A6M fighters were faster, lighter and therefore much more maneuverable than their American rivals. More importantly, their pilots were better trained. The army personnel were as fearless as mass armies can be, and had an unlimited supply of moral stability. No less important was the fact that the Japanese admirals, before the American ones, realized that ship-based aircraft could effectively sink battleships without even entering their fire zone.

American naval commanders were much less aware that new technologies were radically changing the nature of warfare at sea. They had aircraft carriers, but they were viewed more as a means of weakening the enemy rather than destroying them. In the 1930s, tabletop exercises twice demonstrated that the Japanese fleet could cripple the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. However, the sea wolves treated this as a staff game. In reality, they believed, naval aircraft cannot sink large ships: they will not hit, and if they do hit, their bombs will be too weak.

Because of this, what happened on December 7 was predictable for specialists, but completely unexpected for American admirals. Six Japanese aircraft carriers in two waves sent 350 aircraft to the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. Japanese pilots put 4 out of 8 American battleships to the bottom, not to mention less important ships. If there had been American aircraft carriers in the harbor that day, they would have sunk them too.

In theory, the United States had the means to repel an attack. On the island of Oahu there were more combat aircraft than the Japanese sent to it, and also a radar that ruled out a surprise attack. In practice, American fighters looked like crap compared to the Zero, and the Asian pilots were much better trained. As a result, the ratio of aircraft losses was 29 to 188 - in favor of the descendants of the samurai. The Japanese lost the vast majority of their vehicles to anti-aircraft fire. During the 90 minutes of the attack, the Americans killed 3,600 people, and their opponents - 65. Technological superiority in the form of radar did not help either. Poorly prepared and relaxed personnel decided that these were not Japanese planes, but American ones, simply flying from the continental United States (although in this case, of course, they would not fly from the north).

Japanese defeat

And yet it must be admitted: Pearl Harbor was a fatal mistake for the Land of the Rising Sun, forever depriving it of its status as a great power. To defeat the United States, it was not necessary to bomb their fleet in the harbor. Although it is already difficult for our contemporaries to imagine such a state of affairs, America in those years industrially roughly corresponded to the rest of the world. Japan was ten times weaker industrially. The island nation was physically unable to build ships and planes at the American pace. Six months later, at Midway, the United States was able to catch four Japanese aircraft carriers by surprise and the naval aviation of the two countries became equal. Washington soon gained undeniable superiority in it.

Certainly, this did not mean that Tokyo could not try to play on equal terms with the industrial colossus from across the ocean. Large numbers do not always equal victory. Alexander the Great or ISIS would never have made it into the history books if numbers were the main factor in military success. The United States also had a weak point. Their fleet was powerless without sailors. And they, unlike ships, cannot be built in a shipyard in 2-3 years. Experienced personnel are a huge value, without which even the best aircraft carrier itself means nothing at all. What happens when he is not there, we all know well from the recent events on the Admiral Kuznetsov: a tangled story with the ship’s aerofinish cables cost it a couple of planes, and the ship’s Su-33s have already been seen in photographs with Khmeimim. As we see, naval aviation without experienced personnel can quickly become ground aviation.

The Japanese had the opportunity to deprive the American fleet of personnel in one major battle. According to pre-war plans, Tokyo intended to defend against it on the high seas. It was planned to gradually weaken the Stars and Stripes Fleet through a series of torpedo attacks (Japanese compressed oxygen torpedoes were more powerful and many times longer-range than American ones), and then finish them off with aircraft carriers and battleships.

Defeat on the high seas, a kind of Tsushima 2.0, was entirely feasible. The imperial fleet had better quality material, better training of people, and most importantly, no one in Washington knew about all this. A major naval battle like Tsushima would be a real disaster for the United States. If the ships attacked at Pearl Harbor had been sunk on the high seas, not 3,600, but 40,000 personnel would have gone with them.

The abandonment of these plans was dictated by the fact that Tokyo, because of Hall’s note, considered it necessary not to defend against the United States, but to attack them first. Admiral Yamamoto, who was in charge of planning the war at sea, did not expect the war to last long. A quick strike on Pearl Harbor would have been enough to knock the American fleet out of the game for a long time, and then the Tsushima veteran considered peace with Washington possible. Here the experience of the Russian-Japanese War played a cruel joke on the Japanese. She brought them the conviction that countries inhabited by Caucasians are not inclined to fight hard and, after a series of defeats, easily give up what they demand. Had Japan stuck to the original plan, a long-term war would have followed a more favorable scenario for it.

Yes, the United States could build a dozen aircraft carriers and a dozen battleships to replace the fleet lost in the battle over deep waters. But even the first industrial power in the world would not have been able to ensure the voyage of their crews immediately after launching. And, as we already know, aircraft carriers with poorly trained crews end up with their planes being bombed from ground airfields. In the case of such Tsushima 2.0, the imperial fleet would dominate the sea for another three years. And if he wanted it, he would have captured Hawaii or even the Panama Canal. Reconquering these key points, without which the war in the Pacific cannot be won, would take a long time. It is unlikely that Roosevelt would have taken such a difficult option. Especially if the alternative would be peace with Japan - on the terms of a return to the pre-war state of affairs minus the American oil embargo.

Alexander Berezin