The Attack On Pearl Harbor - 1164 Words

The Attack on Pearl Harbor December 7th, 1941, will forever be remembered by Americans as a day of terror, sacrifice, and patriotism. It is a day that has, and will, forever change the course of American history. On this day, the Japanese navy performed a surprise air attack on the American naval base Pearl Harbor, inciting the United States of America to officially become involved in World War II. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was a momentous moment in America’s history. World War II started when the German Nazis invaded Poland in a conquest for power and world domination. This led to a series of events resulting in a war between the â€Å"Allied Powers† (mainly Russia, Great Britain, and eventually America) against the â€Å"Axis Powers† (mainly†¦show more content†¦prohibited the export of steel, scrap iron, and aviation fuel to Japan. When Japan started invading their neighbors, the U.S. demanded they withdraw, but would have settled for an agreement of not taking any more land, because they were opposed to becoming over-involved. Japan secretly set November 29, 1941, apart as the last day they would accept any settlement with America without war. The Japanese were devising a plan for invading and conquering the Pacific, and they saw their biggest threat being the American naval base, Pearl Harbor. Therefore, they devised the plan â€Å"Operation Hawaii†. The Japanese predicted the U.S. would declare war following the attack, but the Japanese grossly underestimated the power and impact America would bring into the war (â€Å"Attack†). It was a Sunday morning at the Pacific Fleet headquarters in Oahu, Hawaii. Everything seemed natural, until the radar showed a large group of aircraft speeding toward Pearl Harbor (â€Å"America Goes†). Some people showed concern, while their superiors assumed them to just be American planes that were scheduled to return that day. Across the world in Washington DC, the U.S. military had broken the Japanes e code, informing them that the Japanese intended to perform a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that day. This information was crucial, but it was too late (â€Å"Attack†). A few minutes before 8 AM, six aircraft carriers holding 200 planes closed in on their target, but this was just the first wave