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Pearl Harbour

Pearl Harbor

On the 17th day of December in 1941a terrible . The attack on Pearl Harbor has quite easily become one of the most investigated, documented, and dissected actions in American military history. Almost all of these investigations struggle to pin down the reasoning for Japan's success on that dreadful day (http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/fag66-7.htm). To this day there is yet no answer, and the only undisputed fact is perhaps the commendable courage of the defending American troops. The effects of World War II were felt worldwide with the United States being no exception. Though we were already in the war, by only giving aid, the attack on Pearl Harbor made the war more personal. America was no longer simply lending a helping hand, it now had its own land to protect.

To have a better understanding of the attack on Pearl Harbor, one must review the events that led up to it. Before World War II, Japan had many problems to deal with. Because of the countries geographical location, it was greatly lacking in raw materials and had to rely on products, mainly oil, to come from outside sources. However difficult, Japan still managed to build a successful empire, a good industrial foundation, and a strong army and navy. Japan's largest program arose when the military became very involved in the government. On and off battling with China eventually lead to a full-blown war known as the Sino-Japanese War. This war is known as one of the bloodiest wars in history and continued four years after the attack on Pearl Harbor(http://web.tampabay.rr.com/mspust/pearlharbor.html).

World War II was beginning in 1939, with Germany launching a string of attacks over in Europe such as Poland and France and included bombings in England. "Many of the European nations that Germany now controlled had control over important colonial empires such as the East Indies and Singapore in Southeast Asia. These Southeast Asian countries contained many of the natural...