New Delhi: The United States was initially not a part of World War II. But then, the attack on Pearl Harbor changed everything. It altered the course of the war completely and its outcome, and proved to be extremely damaging for Japan, since it was the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service which launched the surprise military strike at Pearl Harbor in the US. The attack took place on December 7, 1941, and then US President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously labelled it as “a date which will live in infamy”.
Pearl Harbor: Why did Japan attack the US?
Before the attack, the Empire of Japan had been negotiating with the US for months over the future of the Pacific. Japan demanded to end its sanctions against it, stop helping China in its war against Japan and allow it to access the resources of the Dutch East Indies.
Japan predicted a negative response and in November 1941, sent out its naval attack groups before receiving a note stating that the US wanted Japan to withdraw from French Indochina and China. Japan did not want the US Pacific Fleet to interfere with its military actions in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of different nations. Japan attacked the U.S.-held Philippines, Wake Island, Guam and Malaya, Hong Kong and Singapore which were controlled by the UK.
Pearl Harbor attack: Japan ends the neutrality of the US
On the morning of December 7, 1941, 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor which was a US Naval base. It was a Sunday morning, and hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base. They destroyed or damaged almost 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. The attack killed 2,393 Americans and wounded 1,178 others and it was the deadliest event ever in Hawaii. In US history, it was also the deadliest foreign attack until the September 11 attacks of 2001.
The effects of the Pearl Harbor attack
As has been mentioned, the Pearl Harbor attack changed the course of World War II. The US, which was a neutral side till then, entered the war on December 8. Three days later, Japan’s allies Germany and Italy declared war against the United States. The US entered the war full-fledged, and as we know, it ended the war by dropping two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What would have happened if Japan had not goaded the US into entering the war? We can only wonder.
The Pearl Harbor attack changed the course of World War II. The US, which was a neutral side till then, entered the war on December 8 and it ended the war by dropping two atomic bombs. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
