Today we had a class discussion on Pearl Harbor-
- It occurred on a Sunday (December 7, 1941) , hoping that the men would be more relaxed and not on high alert
- The aircraft carriers, which were the main target of the attack, were out at sea on the day of the attack.
- The Japanese had planned 3 assaults but only carried out two of them.
- Only 28 Japanese planes were shot down and only 5 subs were sunk.
- They came in two waves. The first wave came at 7:50 and the second wave came in an hour after the first. They did not carry out a third because they were afraid of a counter attack by US forces.
- The Japanese commander shouted "Toro! Toro! Toro!" meaning Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! This was to alert the other Japanese that they had caught the US by surprise, which was essential to carrying out their plans.
- The United States declared war on Japan the next day, when Roosevelt gave his famous "Day of Infamy" speech.
- Approximately 2,500 casualties
- There is a conspiracy theory US official had knowledge of the attack, and allowed it to happen in order to sway public opinion about entering the war.
- The mastermind behind the attack was Admiral Yamamoto. Even though he planned the attack, he did not agree with carrying it out.
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