-
Japanese Naval Fleets begin the Journey to Hawaii
The main ships and aircraft carriers make their way to Hawaii. Washington spots them, and gives General Short and Admiral Kimmel a war-warning. -
Period: to
Pearl Harbor
-
Negotiations failed
Admiral Kimmel and General Short are notified that negotiations between Japan and the US failed, and they should be prepared for anything. Kimmel was ordered to deliver aircraft to Wake and Midway. This worried some people because it meant sending valuable aircraft away, but Kimmel still did it. -
Last Date
Hideki Tojo, the prime minister at the time in Japan, decided this would be the last date that Japan would accept a settlement from the US. The US failed to meet expectations, and Tojo gave the go ahead for war. -
President Roosevelt's Peace Appeal
In an attempt to keep the US from becoming a part of the war, Roosevelt sent Japan a Final Peace Appeal. It went unanswered by Japan. -
US Codebreakers
The US decoded a message by the Japanese that states that Sunday morning is some kind of deadline. The message is sent to Washington and shown the the President, but the message is not delivered to Pearl Harbor until after the attack began. -
First Wave Arrives
The first wave arrived near O'ahu around 8 a.m. It consisted of battleships and aircraft carriers. Men aboard US ships were extremely unprepared. They awoke to sounds of bombs and alarms. -
Second Wave
The second wave consisted of more aircraft carriers and cruisers. This wave was split into 3 seperate groups. One went to Kane'Ohe, the other two went to Pearl Harbor, from different directions. 2,386 Americans died, 1,139 were wounded, and 18 ships were sunk. The USS Arizonas explosion caused nearly half of the deaths. -
Declaration of War
President Roosevelt officially declares war against Japan. Britain joins in, too. US citizens everywhere were outraged, and wanted to help defend the nation. Young men began enrolling nto armed forces. -
Germany and Italy side with Japan
As the US expected, Germany and Italy side with Japan and declare war on the US. If they had not, it would have been difficult for Roosevelt to declare war on Germany until the war with Japan was over. Germany sent over U-boats to the US, which the US was very unprepared for. -
General Short and Admiral Kimmel are relieved of their commands
Some people blamed these two men for the US men being so unprepared for the Pearl Harbor attack. However, others says that they tried to be prepared, yet were not given necessary supplies o protect themselves. When they were relieved of their commands, it sent the world into a debate if they were the ones to be blamed or not.