The Attack On Pearl Harbor - Case Study Example

The US did not want to suffer unavoidable consequences as witnessed in World War I, for example, loss of human lives, and the destruction of property among other negative effects.1 The history leading to the Pearl Harbor attack began as early as 1931. As the rest of the world was trying to recover from World War I, Japan cast its eyes on the natural resources available in Southeast Asia. As a result, most countries like US avoided getting involved with superficial conflicts with other countries; hence, they let them pursue their objectives provided they did not directly interfere with them.

Therefore, the US was unprepared for the Pearl Harbor attack because they did not expect interference from the Japanese. They believed that all the countries observed their choice not to gear up for the next World War. Therefore, when Japan chose to attack Pear Harbor, US had no choice but to disregard their isolationist policies and get involved in the World War II. . The Japanese, therefore, planned their attack in a way that the US would least expect it. This allowed them to wipe out most of the US entire naval base.

Their plan proved successful because they were able to catch the US unaware.1 The Japanese carried out the attack in three different phases; however, only the first two attacks caused severe damage to the US’ Naval base at Pearl Harbor. The first wave consisted of 183 fighter planes equipped with general purpose and armor piercing bombs. Their main objective was to destroy all the high value targets, especially the US aircrafts, which when deployed would have made it difficult for the Japanese fleet to accomplish their goals.

The second phase consisted of 171 planes, and their main priority was to complete the unfinished tasks of the first attackers. The Japanese also deployed submarines, which had the responsibility of launching torpedoes that would destroy the US battleships. The intention of the final attack was to cripple the entire US naval base entirely by causing irreversible destructions.2 Both the Americans and the Japanese learnt various valuable lessons from the attack on Pearl Harbor. Firstly, the Americans learnt to stay prepared at all times.

the fact that the rest of the world was experiencing a volatile situation warranted the US to stay on its toes at all times. In addition, the US realized that it cannot turn a cold shoulder towards issues guaranteed to affect the safety of the entire world. The isolationist policies put in place proved to be insufficient especially when others did not acknowledge or respect them, as shown by Japan’s interference at Pearl Harbor. On the other hand, the Japanese learnt not to underestimate the US.

1 In conclusion, the attack