Learnt before → Chapter 5 → Japan attacked Pearl Harbour in 1941.
- was devastating attack → ended in near total success → for Japanese.
- US intelligence → failed to warn US forces + Japanese planes from aircraft carriers → achieved almost complete surprise against American forces.
- Attack lasted around 90 minutes, killed over 2000 American Personnel.
- US lost 18 ships → including 5 battleships
3 days after Pearl Harbour → Japanese forces sank → most powerful British battleships → in Pacific Region, prince of wales, and repulse.
In long run → Pearl Harbour → did not prove to be as decisive → as Japanese thought.
- US was able to recover quickly → within few months + retaliate against Japan
- Outrage over surprise attack - allowed US President Roosevelt → to rally the country
- US → now probably more united + organised → than it had ever been → to declare war on Japan
Country’s huge resources → directed towards war. → US shipyards → quickly constructed new ships → esp. aircraft carriers.
- also produced → large number of superior carrier based aircraft
Also some comfort for US navy → as its aircraft carriers → were not at pearl harbour during attack
- Japan → also made massive error: failed to hunt down + destroy the carriers → which US continued to use throughout 1942.
- Meant that Japan → did not gain control of Pacific as they had hoped.
Japanese made many other errors → prevented them from capitalising on their initial successes.