71 Years Ago-Pearl Harbor

[bobabode]

Seventy one years ago on this date the empire of Japan bombed and strafed Pearl Harbor and other military installations on Oahu.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor

[wgrr]

"A date that will live in infamy." Japan certainly woke up a sleeping giant that day.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by wgrr

"A date that will live in infamy." Japan certainly woke up a sleeping giant that day.

Just as Admiral Yamamoto predicted.

John

[Bigerik]

Amazing what a different country America was then. If the manufacturing base then was what it is now, America would have lost the war.

[icenine]

Originally Posted by Bigerik

Amazing what a different country America was then. If the manufacturing base then was what it is now, America would have lost the war.

Maybe initially we would have been behind but as Bob Dylan says we are a Slow Train Coming. You have to remember in 1941 we were a much more rural nation than we are now. And our industry was forced to change and undergo a massive readjustment to win the war, said readjustment providing the base for the boom in middle class prosperity a decade later in the 50s. I always bet on America.

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by icenine

Maybe initially we would have been behind but as Bob Dylan says we are a Slow Train Coming. You have to remember in 1941 we were a much more rural nation than we are now. And our industry was forced to change and undergo a massive readjustment to win the war, said readjustment providing the base for the boom in middle class prosperity a decade later in the 50s. I always bet on America.

Yep. Anyone who thinks that we would have sued for peace with Tojo after the sneak attack on Pearl is not a good student of history. Maybe there is something to some of the conspiracy that we had some advance notice. Our flattops weren't in the barn at the time so I can understand that but no one has been able to find any evidence, so it will remain a mystery. We may have been just lucky.
I disagree with Erik's rash asessment that we would not have won that war with our present industrial base. It ignores the human factor in this country, IMO. We would put aside our differences and pulled down double hours to make it work. Would it take extra time? Of course. Would we negotiate after something like the Pearl Harbor attack, fuck no- period. It isn't just bravado, it's fact. People were thinking we were no big thing during the thirties with the Great Depresion kicking our asses but when somebody sucker punches us? We get mean. Just ask that f**ker Bin Laden.

As I recall from what I've read so do you guys uphill of the 49th - you pantywaist Canadian. Can't forget those Aussie's and Kiwi's, either...

[bhunter]

Originally Posted by bobabode

Yep. Anyone who thinks that we would have sued for peace with Tojo after the sneak attack on Pearl is not a good student of history. Maybe there is something to some of the conspiracy that we had some advance notice. Our flattops weren't in the barn at the time so I can understand that but no one has been able to find any evidence, so it will remain a mystery. We may have been just lucky.

My grandfather still believes that there was knowledge of the coming attack. He was in the Phillippine Islands and on shore the night before the attack. MPs came and gathered up all the off ship sailors and they promptly steamed away avoiding the impending attack on the PI. He was in the Asiatic Fleet and was in Shanghai back in 1938-9 in close proximity to the invading Japanese. It wasn't unusual for American and Japanese soldiers to be in different bars and bordellos within sight of one another. IIRC, about 3 million Chinese were killed by the Japanese since the 1931 invasion.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by bhunter

My grandfather still believes that there was knowledge of the coming attack. He was in the Phillippine Islands and on shore the night before the attack. MPs came and gathered up all the off ship sailors and they promptly steamed away avoiding the impending attack on the PI. He was in the Asiatic Fleet and was in Shanghai back in 1938-9 in close proximity to the invading Japanese. It wasn't unusual for American and Japanese soldiers to be in different bars and bordellos within sight of one another. IIRC, about 3 million Chinese were killed by the Japanese since the 1931 invasion.

The night before the invasion would have been the night of December 7th, 1941. Pearl Harbor had already been attacked. It's likely that your grandfather was evacuated on the strength of that and perhaps because American PBYs had spotted the invasion fleet headed to the Philippines.

John

[CarlV]

Originally Posted by Bigerik

Amazing what a different country America was then. If the manufacturing base then was what it is now, America would have lost the war.

Yes but a world war today on that scale would be a nuclear one of which we are indeed prepared for.


Carl

[icenine]

Most Def Bro!!!!