Casualties For Pearl Harbor

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The commander of the carrier group had decided to attack on Sunday morning because he knew that the officers slept late at Pearl Harbor. He had been running with no lights and in radio silence in heavy seas. Before sunup he launched 152 planes from his carriers.

About an hour later, they appeared in the sunny skies over Pearl Harbor, dropping 20 tons of bombs on the airfields and anchored ships while the fighter planes strafed the airfields destroying the planes on the ground. Not a single fighter got off the ground to defend against the attackers.

Twenty-four hours later, the carriers had still not been located by the defenders. It was a rout for the attackers. The defenders later tried to claim that they had hit 45 of the attacking planes with anti-aircraft fire, which they had not.

In typical government fashion, a report was filed on the incident stating: "...it is doubtful if air attacks can be launched against Oahu in the face of strong defensive aviation without subjecting the attacking carriers to the danger of material damage and consequent great losses in the attack air force."

Japanese agents apparently didn't agree with the navy report and forwarded a report of their own to Tokyo regarding Admiral Harry Ervin Yarnell's February 7, 1932 attack. Nine years later, the Japanese proved that an air attack could be launched against Oahu with real bombs (instead of flour sacks), real torpedoes and bullets. Yarnell had shown the way, but was ignored because the Navy was dominated by battleship admirals.

If you don't remember spending much time studying about Admiral Yarnell, don't feel left out, I don't remember any mention of him either. The first mention I ever saw of him was in a book called Pearl Harbor: The Story of The Secret War by George Morgenstern.

If you went to school recently, surely your civics or political science class would have spent quite a bit of time studying Operation Northwoods , but in case the details are a little murky here's a brief thumbnail outline.

Difference Between Pearl Harbor and 9/11 | Difference Between ...

Pearl Harbor vs 9/11

The United States of America was dragged into World War II when the military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was bombed by Japanese military forces. The Japanese were already at war with China and several Southeast Asian countries.

It was war, the enemy was obvious and known, and it was very clear where to counterattack. Although there were a few civilians killed in the attack, most of the casualties were soldiers. The Japanese people were united in their support for the decision of their leader, the Emperor of Japan.

The Japanese people were the first to resort to the use of suicide planes to attack the enemy. The attack on Pearl Harbor happened on December 7, 1941. A few months short of its 60th anniversary, on September 11, 2001 (9/11); the United States of America was again attacked by members of the al-Queda Muslim extremist organization. They hijacked four commercial planes and used them as bombs when they maneuvered them to hit the World Trade Center twin towers and the Pentagon. Unlike the Pearl Harbor attack, most of the casualties were civilians. It was a terrorist attack that killed almost 3,000 people.

While there might be several Muslim leaders who support their leader Osama Bin Laden and their cause, they were not very vocal about it. The people who carried out the attack came from different countries with their religion and extremist beliefs as their common denominator. This enemy of the USA is not as big as Japan nor is it supported by an army, but it is a very cunning and treacherous enemy hiding behind their religion to get personal gain, satisfaction, and a sense of power. Unlike the war against Japan, the war against al-Queda is expected to last longer and even after the death of its leader terrorist activities will continue.

Although the American people supported its war against terrorism, it took so long to resolve that they found it taxing not only on the taxpayers’ part but also on the soldiers and their families. It has a more negative effect on everyone than Pearl Harbor did. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, people in the USA were not as afraid as they are after the 9/11 attack. Most Americans felt unsafe even in their homes because nobody knows when or where they will attack again.

Pearl Harbor Casualties, Military and Civilian Plus Casualties and Survivors of the U. S. S. Arizona

Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941

World War II 101: The TextVook

The American Experience in World War II: Pearl Harbor in history and memory

The Medical Department of the United States Army in World War II.