The lesson from Pearl Harbor is that a hail mary sucker punch is the most likely means of attack on a super power like the United States. We should never forget it.
R.I.P. to all the brave soldiers who gave their lives for this country (and the world) in that truly horrific day. Most of us remember 9/11 but Pearl Harbor was a highly industrialized NATION that attacked us...We got 'em back though. I love this ****ing country.
What is sad to me to is that within the next 10-15 years pretty much every single WW2 veteran will have most likely died by then. The majority of them already have. When they go, so do the stories of the greatest generation of Americans go
RIP to all the soldiers and innocent people who fell victim. I was literally JUST googling the Stealth Bomber and the fastest planes and most were fighter jets with the ability travel cross-country in less than an hour. This could be done in 50's Japan definitely regrets their move. It's great America is able to defend itself as well as it can.
Let us also not forget, that our hubris helped lead to the attack - and the attack completely changed how we've reacted to every world crisis since then. Of course our change in reaction was a combination of us being the only ones with enough gusto remaining after WWII to stand toe to toe with communism, and our "we've learned that we can't sit on the sideline" demeanour... but it is still worth noting, that we didn't really give the Japanese a choice. We basically tightened sanctions on them so much that for them to have a fighting chance as they invaded Indochina, that they had to strike. Of course, they and everyone else in the world, greatly underestimated our manufacturing capabilities - as they "woke up a sleeping giant." Their only other option to attacking would be to appease us by withdrawing from Indochina, which could have led to us loosening sanctions somewhat. However, whatever sanctions that may have been loosened by that move likely would have been short lived thanks to them aligning with Hitler and Mussolini. Basically once they made their bed with the Axis and decided to invade China, it was inevitable that we would get involved - especially when you take the Japanese's Seppuku culture into account. What is debatable is if we should have backed the Allies completely the minute they invaded China - which would have prevented an attack like Pearl Harbor from happening in the first place. Most arm-chair-generals of course believe that we should have been involved much sooner.
I always wonder how/if history would have changed had our carriers been in port instead of out to sea. Those carriers completely turned the tide of the war at Midway. Also, they didn't really bother to bomb our fuel depots which were there for the taking. One plane could have taken them all out. And, they didn't damage any of the dry docks. If they would have taken them out, all of our ships would have had to be towed back to the mainland for repair. That would have certainly bought them more time than just 6 months.
I was thinking along these lines, too. The Japanese screwed up tactically. If they had taken out the fuel depots and the dry docks, history in the last 75 years might have been significantly different. I think they believed we didn't have the stomach for a long fight and were hoping to force our hand at the negotiating table. If there's one thing countries have learned: you mess with us, we're coming after you. Horrific that nearly 1200 men were killed in the U.S.S. Arizona. Awhile back, I read a story in a news magazine or newspaper describing what Navy divers encountered when they entered the ship soon after the attack in order to retrieve classified documents. Gives me chills to this day.
FWIW, probably the most disgusted I have ever been with the internet was when the Tōhoku quake hit Japan in 2011 and killed like 16,000 people, and then I saw a compilation of a bunch of Facebook posts of people saying something to the effect of: "LOL, the Japs deserve it because Pearl Harbor." As if anyone who made the decision to attack Pearl Harbor was still alive in 2011 (some very old soldiers, yes; people giving the orders, no). As if we didn't NUKE THEM in response, killing about one hundred times the number of people they had killed at Pearl Harbor (and most of them civilians). Not saying Pearl Harbor wasn't a shitty attack, but if you're still wishing death to Japanese people who had nothing to do with it 75 years later, you deserve to be punched in the face repeatedly. That's the kind of ****ed up jingoism that America doesn't need.
It's facebook. I cringe everytime I see the things people post on there. Especially when it comes to politics. That's why I prefer CF
. I have no problem with how Japan led the attack. It was a military strike. (68 civilians) I also find no problem with how the u.s finished it with fat boy and little boy. (200,000 civilians) Just throw in the towel, Japan. ahh the ugly sides of the humanoid race. the world will never learn.
He was talking about the cringe post about the people dying in an earthquake and Pearl Harbor was mentioned because of it.
Yea. . . . it demonstrates the complete and total lack of forgiveness or the ability to get beyond anything by America . . . .with out getting extreme vengence. This country has never moved past anything without extracting extreme vengence before they even think about being peaceful but we expect . . . . no demand it from every other country Rocket River
