LinkBack URL
About LinkBacksDec 7 (a date which will live in infamy) seems to have been forgotten. I haven't seen any notices as yet today.
December 7th, 2020, 05:08 PM
Dec 7 (a date which will live in infamy) seems to have been forgotten. I haven't seen any notices as yet today.
There aren't many left who actually remember it now
I would hope that it is taught in history and not ignored.Originally Posted by cssjim
It seems likely to be one of the central stories of the history of warfare for a very long time to come. It was, after all, the biggest blunder ever made by an aggressor so blinded by ambition that they failed to understand the consequences of their actions.
To attack America with their very limited capacity was profoundly idiotic, and should send a warning to all overly ambitious aggressors that repercussions should be considered before taking such drastic actions.
Japan is always reminded of this blunder every year, on December 7th.
And again on two days in early August.
They will never forget it since it cost them so many lives and fortunes, and the visitation of a "new and most cruel bomb".
With regard to waging war, Pearl Harbor for the Japanese represents the ultimate example for "The Rule of Unintended Consequences".
It is highly unlikely to be forgotten.
I think statistically the US loses were not that great, (in the context of WWII as a whole), symbolicaly it was huge. I agree that it will linger long (quite rightly) in the teaching of history but with all dates of this nature those who actually remember it are no more and it is one for the history books
I'm still here. I was a child (12) then, but I certainly remember.
To continue from last year, today is the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
One can only wonder how history would have turned out if they had not attacked, and the U.S. had delayed entry into the war.
An additional complication. U.S. was at war with Japan as a result of the attack. Germany declared war on U.S. on Dec. 11. If Germany hadn't done that, would U.S. have gotten into European war and when?
That is a good question. Hitler did not want the Japanese to attack the U.S. since he did not want to bring it into the war. He was well aware of their ability to assemble a massive military response to the global conflict.
On December 5, 1941, two days before the Japanese attack, the Red Army began their counteroffensive against the Wehrmacht, who were just outside the gates of Moscow.*
Stalin and Zhukov had called up Siberian reserves, and the Nazis were on the defensive very quickly. The Red Army ended up destroying the German offensive on Moscow and pushed them back.
Had the Japanese not attacked at Pearl Harbor, Washington may have viewed the Red Army's successful counteroffensive as evidence that the Nazis were in trouble and not such a big concern for America. We will never know, but the attack on Pearl Harbor certainly changed the nature of the war in a very dramatic fashion. Hitler's declaration of war on America left no doubt about where things would go.
It is instructive to appreciate that America had the Japanese in bad shape only six months after Pearl Harbor with a decisive naval engagement at Midway, destroying four fleet carriers and hundreds of planes with their best pilots. At that point, the writing was on the wall for the Axis powers.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Moscow
Last edited by Double Helix; December 7th, 2021 at 07:40 PM.
A mysterious and still unanswered question: why Japan decided to attack USA instead of USSR? The later was much more vulnerable and realistic target. On December 7-th German troops stood near Moscow. This blunder of Japan became crucial for the Allies victory.
The Japanese already had enough of the Russians.A mysterious and still unanswered question: why Japan decided to attack USA instead of USSR? The later was much more vulnerable and realistic target. On December 7-th German troops stood near Moscow. This blunder of Japan became crucial for the Allies victory.
The Red Army had beaten them back in 1939.*
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet...rder_conflicts
Japan's problem at the time was embargo leading to a problem with oil supply among other things. Attacking U.S. and taking over Dutch East Indies would (they hoped) solve these problems. Attacking USSR wouldn't help.A mysterious and still unanswered question: why Japan decided to attack USA instead of USSR? The later was much more vulnerable and realistic target. On December 7-th German troops stood near Moscow. This blunder of Japan became crucial for the Allies victory.
If USSR would fall relatively quickly, Japs would find a plenty of oil there. Sakhalin fields are more than enough. In any case attack on US looks suicidal.
Last edited by Stanley514; January 18th, 2022 at 07:02 AM.
In the same time Japs successfully fought back Russians in 1905 and 1918 (intervention).
Russo-Japanese War - Wikipedia
Japanese intervention in Siberia - Wikipedia
In Dec. of 1941 USSR was bleeding. It wouldn't be able to fight back Japan.
| « History is written by the winners | - » |
| Bookmarks |
Bookmarks |
