Beyond the obvious signs of Japan’s increasing aggression,various specific war warnings had been sent by Washington to military commanders in the Pacific for some days before Dec. 7.
On Dec. 4, Roosevelt received a 26-page memo marked “Confidential” from the Office of Naval Intelligence detailing Japanese espionage efforts.
Japanese forces also struck the Philippines, Wake Island, Guam, Malaya, Thailand and Midway that day. The Japanese actions also crippled British naval strength in the Pacific.
This day was among the darkest of the Pacific war.
The first significant U.S. offensive did not come until February 1942, when the Pacific fleet began attacks on the Gilbert and Marshall islands.
Douglas MacArthur, in command of the Army garrison in the Philippines, sent Roosevelt a telegram pleading for naval assistance, but the requests went unanswered.
MYTHS of WWII
Myths about Pearl harbor
The Royal Air Force
1. The U.S. government had no knowledge of a potential Japanese attack before Dec. 7.
2. On Dec. 7, Japan attacked only Pearl Harbor.
1. It is true that Britain was producing more planes per month than Germany at the time of the Battle of Britain, but the notion that the victory of the Royal Air Force was the product of vastly greater numbers than the German air force’s is preposterous since those vastly greater numbers did not exist.
2.Carrots Help You See in the Dark
The Royal Air Force were able to repel the German fighters in part because of the development of a new, secret radar technology. But to keep that under wraps, the Ministry provided another reason for their success: carrots.
Whether or not the Germans bought it, the British public generally believed that eating carrots would help them see better during the citywide blackouts. Advertisements with the slogan “Carrots keep you healthy and help you see in the blackout” appeared everywhere.
3. The U.S. military responded quickly and decisively.
American soldiers were afraid of NOTHING
Winston Churchill Was the Universally Beloved Leader of the Good Guys
- Captain America : Illustration of the perfect soldier
- The Longest Day : American Soldiers were untouchable
Even if Churchill was a good war leader, he had some behaviors that led to his electoral defeat in 1945 :
- wish to keep fighting until the enemy's extermination
- foolish projects
- Harsh criticism against his political opponents
- opposition to India's independence
Invincible ? Almost !!