BeauJangles
Lifer
Q]What I don't get is why the first shot would have been by US forces, but we were still so unprepared that we only got a handful of planes off the ground It just doesn't make sense...[/quote]
The reason America was caught so unprepared was basically because there were a series of miscommunications. The mini-sub that was the first victim of the attack, however, the information relayed by the patrol boat was not handled properly. The first wave of japanese bombers and fighters WAS detected by American radar, but the radio operator reported it the formation was assumed to be a flight of American bombers due in. After that, the Japanese were extremely effective. American fighter planes were destroyed on the ground almost immediately. Then the Japanese concentrated on Battleship ROw and systematically destroyed the Pacific fleet. Only one ship actually got under way during the attack.
Actually, not counting the loss of life, the loss of the Pacific fleet was not THAT horrible for the Americans. None of the carriers were there, only battleships 1/2 of which were scheduled to be decomissioned in the coming months. The 200 planes they destroyed at Pearl Harbor and the Phillipines were all antiquated anyway. The fleet the Japanese sunk at Pearl Harbor was antiquated, not ready or capable of fighting in the coming war. There were very few surface to surface battles of any signifcance during the war, and in the end the sinking of the Pacific Fleet only encouraged American manufactering and engineering to kick into high gear and build and design the new ships of the war.
The loss of life was much more damaging to America then the loss of the battleships of the Pacific Fleet.
Lastly, I can't believe Roosevelt actually knew about the attack. If he did and wanted to use the attack to draw america into the war he would have surely either warned Pearl Harbor or moved men away. The public would have been just as angered if only 200 men had died. It's for this reason i find it hard to believe he knew anything about it.
The reason America was caught so unprepared was basically because there were a series of miscommunications. The mini-sub that was the first victim of the attack, however, the information relayed by the patrol boat was not handled properly. The first wave of japanese bombers and fighters WAS detected by American radar, but the radio operator reported it the formation was assumed to be a flight of American bombers due in. After that, the Japanese were extremely effective. American fighter planes were destroyed on the ground almost immediately. Then the Japanese concentrated on Battleship ROw and systematically destroyed the Pacific fleet. Only one ship actually got under way during the attack.
Actually, not counting the loss of life, the loss of the Pacific fleet was not THAT horrible for the Americans. None of the carriers were there, only battleships 1/2 of which were scheduled to be decomissioned in the coming months. The 200 planes they destroyed at Pearl Harbor and the Phillipines were all antiquated anyway. The fleet the Japanese sunk at Pearl Harbor was antiquated, not ready or capable of fighting in the coming war. There were very few surface to surface battles of any signifcance during the war, and in the end the sinking of the Pacific Fleet only encouraged American manufactering and engineering to kick into high gear and build and design the new ships of the war.
The loss of life was much more damaging to America then the loss of the battleships of the Pacific Fleet.
Lastly, I can't believe Roosevelt actually knew about the attack. If he did and wanted to use the attack to draw america into the war he would have surely either warned Pearl Harbor or moved men away. The public would have been just as angered if only 200 men had died. It's for this reason i find it hard to believe he knew anything about it.
