America Joins the War - F.D.R. president
- 1939 - stopped shipments of arms to warring nations - later allowed "cash and carry" - by the end of 1940 British almost out of money
- March 11,1941 Lend Lease bill passed - next 4 years the U.S. sent the Allies more the $50 billion in war materials - armaments
- began to build the army - Draft Law - Sept. 16, 1940
- women also served - eventually in almost every theater of war - clerks, cooks, mechanics, drivers, nurses
- America very pro China - one reason was that many missionaries (Old China Hands) were related to people in politics ( *** Roosevelt's cousin was one). These people talked about how wonderful China was and were able to convince the government - at one point the American government censored anything written that was good about Japan
Japan
- undeclared war between Japan and China began in 1937
- 1938 - U.S. gave China $25 million credit - stopped exporting aircraft to Japan
- 1940 - Japan occupied Indochina - U.S. stopped shipping gasoline, iron, steel and rubber - froze Japans assets
- 1941 - stopped shipping crude oil
- when the crude oil is stopped Japan decides to conquer oil wells south of them - they believed if they did this the U.S. would attack them -Yamamoto disagreed (he had lived in the U.S. and taken classes at Harvard) but he was out voted so he planned the attack
Turning the Tide
On Dec. 7,1941 the Japanese attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
It was planned by Isoroku Yamamoto b. 1884
- ***he had lost 2 fingers in the war with Russia - if it had been 3 fingers he would have been out of the navy
- He was against attacking the U.S - he felt they would eventually lose because the U.S. was too strong
- High command believed in one big battle (this would dominate their strategy during the whole war) after winning the Battle of Tsushima Strait against the Russians - May 27,1905
Japan - Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo led the attack
Japan - 6 carriers - Kaga (Increased Joy), Adagi (Red Castle), Hiryu (Flying Dragon), Soryu (Green Dragon), Zuikaku (Happy Crane), Shokaku (Soaring Crane)
Sent out planes when 230 miles from Pearl - 1st wave 183 planes
- used the Zero
- *** Named for the last 2 digits of the Japanese year 2600 (1940) when the plane went into production - fuselage markings "OO"
- *** In the mid 1930's Howard Hughes designed a plane he said was the fastest in the sky. He flew from California to New Jersey at an average speed of 332 mph. U.S. Army turned it down so he sold it to the Japanese. This is the plane that became the Zero
As the planes approach Pearl Harbor they are mistaken for some expected Flying Fortresses (B-17's - these planes later showed up in the middle of the battle low on gas and not armed)
Sighted at Pearl Harbor about 0750
Sank the Arizona - 1117 died along with Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd - total crew of 1511 - Arizona's Length 812 1/2' beam 106 3/4'
Depth of water rarely more than 35' (Japanese had to develop special torpedoes for the shallow water)
0715 second wave launched - 170 planes - hit at 8:40 - Ford Island, Wheeler and Hickham Field and the flying boat station a Kaneohe
Also launched 5 midget subs (ineffective - killed or captured)
American losses - 2,403 killed - 1,178 wounded
Japanese losses - 29 planes - 55 airmen - 5 midget subs
(A good description to read to the class is Pearl Harbor (p. 547) in Eyewitness to History)
Also bombed: Philippines, Hong Kong, Wake Island, Malaya, Guam, Midway
Dec. 8, 1941 - U.S. declared war against Japan
- One voted against - Jeannette Rankin - House of Representatives from Montana - she justified her vote with "a good democracy" does not vote unanimously for war - she was a pacifist - she was not reelected
Dec. 11, 1941 - Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. then Congress declared war on them
Senior Commander - Pearl Harbor
- Admiral Husband E. Kimmel (1882 - 1968)
- Lt. General Walter C. Short ( 1880 - 1949)
- Dismissed for "errors of judgment"
- *** Nimitz had been offered this command but turned it down - he anticipated what happened to these 2 men
The aircraft carriers were not in port and they were what held the Japanese back
- Enterprise
- Hornet
- Yorktown
After this the U.S. will assist both the British and the Soviets. This will allow these countries to wage a more credible war effort
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