7 December 1941 (2)
On Formosa, the Japanese planes of the 11th Air Fleet were grounded by fog and were unable make their scheduled attack on Luzon. 1257 hours – Guam was bombed by the Japanese navy bombers from Saipan. The Marine barracks were destroyed and the USS “Penguin” was sunk.
1300 hours – 36 Japanese bombers left Roi in the Marshall Islands and strafed Wake Island. Lacking radar, the fighter planes recently delivered by the “Enterprise” had only 15 seconds warning; 7 of them were destroyed on the ground. Twelve Marines and 6 civilians of the Pan Am Hotel were killed. A Marine survivor said, “The pilots in every one of those planes was grinning wildly. Every one wiggled his wings to signify Banzai.” The Pan Am flying boat, “Philippine Clipper”, escaped with 23 bullet holes in her as she carried 70 airline personnel and the wounded from the island. Pilot Capt. Hamilton radioed back that an enemy cruiser with destroyers was headed toward Wake. 1400 hours – Hong Kong was attacked by 35 enemy bombers. MGen. C.M. Maltby knew Britain would not defend the possession, but he was ordered to “hold out as long as possible.” 1500 hours – With the fog lifted on Formosa, Luzon was attacked by 32 Japanese Army bombers and 192 of their Navy’s 11th Air Fleet took off to follow through. 1730 hours – a radar operator at Iba Field, Luzon spotted the Japanese squadron approaching and transmitted the data to Clark Field, but the teletype operator was literally out to lunch. In a series of mistakes, MacArthur had erred in underrating his enemy. 2200 hours – Counterattacks at Kota Bharu failed. This prompted the Australian commander to request permission to evacuate his remaining planes 150 miles south. Ground personnel and civilians left the town as the surviving Indian troops stayed to make a final stand. Also on this date, but the hour unknown, the US cargo ship “Cynthia Olson” loaded with lumber for Hawaii was torpedoed by the enemy submarine I-26 and sunk in the Pacific, 1200 miles west of Seattle, with the loss of 35 men.
On that first night, as the world turned into another day, a darkness, never before known, fell over the Pacific culminating 24 hours of unmitigated disaster. Only the British Prime Minister went to bed content, “So, we have won after all. Being saturated and satiated with emotion and sensation, I went to bed and slept the sleep of the sound and thankful”_____Winston Churchill
Click on any image to enlarge.
##############################################################################################
Political Cartoons of the times_________
###############################################################################################
Personal Note……
It has been a while since I’ve given the veterans and volunteers of Little Rock, Arkansas a renewed Shout Out!! I sincerely hope you are all enjoying this web site – this includes you too, Tom DeGrom! I have spies out there and I want to hear that you are all doing well! ###############################################################################################Farewell Salutes –
Harry Alsman Sr. – LeClaire, IA; US Navy, Korea
Richard Bolt – Wellington, NZ; RNZ Air Force, Air Marshal, Chief of Defense Staff (Ret.)
James Chase – Chatman, MA; US Army, HQ Company, 11th A/B (Ret. 20 years)
Robert DePledge – Invermere, BC, Can; RC Army
Everett (Pat) Emmick – Loxahatchee, FL; US Army, Vietnam, Bronze Star
Eugene Knobbe – Boynton Beach, FL; US Army, Korea
Andrew Manchester Sr. – No. Branford, CT; US Army Air Corps. WWII, B-17 top turret gunner, 15th & 8th Army, ETO, No. Africa
Leonard Pilarski – Nesconset, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, F Co/511th Reg.
Charles Roberts, Jr. – Kansas City, MO; USMC, BrigGeneral, Korea & Vietnam, Purple Heart
Harry Stamos – Hendersonville, NC; US Army, WWII, Signal Corps, ETO
##############################################################################################
THANK YOU FOR THE CORRECTION, ALLEN.
##############################################################################################
Posted on August 11, 2014, in WWII and tagged Army, Burma, family history, History, Japan, Malaya, Marines, Military, Navy, Philippines, Shanghai. Bookmark the permalink. 66 Comments.
The events that made my father. That my father taught me. That I’ve taught my sons. Sometimes, memory brings pain. But as my father taught now two more generations, we survive. And know why.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A well planned and formidable attack
Hard to imagine that the US militarys intelligence had no report of impending attack.
Emu
LikeLike
Isn’t it though – (there’s no emoticon for a tongue-in-cheek). 🙄
LikeLike
Someone who lived in Hawaii told me that many people (who lived farther away) saw the smoke rising from Pearl Harbor and thought the Navy was running some sort of military drill. Didn’t realize until later that the island had been attacked.
LikeLike
You are quite right, Mary. At first many of the reports start out that way. Obviously, the Army and Navy bases had their training sessions and people became accustom to hearing and seeing war-like activity. Thank you for stopping by.
LikeLike
Too meticulously orchestrated by the Japanese to have been missed completely by either Great Britian’s or our own intelligence operations. So sad.
LikeLike
Yes, very much so. Thank you for visiting.
LikeLike
Such an informative post. Like you, the more I read and learn, the more I think our govt knew more. And some things never change. You’re doing a wonderful job and a service!
LikeLike
Thank you, Linda. It means a lot to me that you approve. I repeatedly have to edit myself to keep my own feelings out of the posts, but then become afraid that they sound too dry or stoic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My father still speaks of that fateful day. He remembers it vividly. He was only a boy of six years old. Thank you so much for this.
LikeLike
That would be an event that would not be washed from anyone’s mind very easily. Give my best wishes to your father and thank you for sharing.
LikeLike
Most definitely. I call him nearly every day! 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you.
LikeLike
History through your eyes ……….. very memorable one
with regards
LikeLike
Thank you very much.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on aksharaalu – Best Collections and commented:
History through your eyes ……….. very memorable one
LikeLike
Thank you very much for re-blogging this post. There are so many well-written articles on 7 December 1941, and there would be nothing I could do to improve the coverage, so I maintained the chronological listings.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Respected sir
it is a great work
painful search and beautiful presentation both are artful works
Really it is a great job
with regards
LikeLike
I stand once again, honored.
LikeLike
You really captured the frenetic nature of that first day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Chris. I wish the 2 posts could have been back to back – poor planning on my part – completely forgot just how busy August was.
LikeLiked by 1 person
fab post.
I love old fotos.
LikeLike
Thank you for returning, I had enjoyed your site.
LikeLike
Hey there, found your blog through a friend and decided to give you a follow. Come join the fun over at http://www.thatssojacob.wordpress.com 🙂 have a great day!
LikeLike
Just came back from there Jacob and did enjoy my visit – we should be seeing more of each other – don’t you think?! (Thank you friend for me.)
LikeLike
What amazing pictures! I didn’t realize how many places the Japanese attacked and never even heard of the USS Penguin or the Cynthia Olson. I feel like I slept through history class the week we covered WW2. Guess I need to do some reading! “A nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it.” – Winston Churchill Another great post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I doubt you were sleeping in class. If your school was like mine, you were handed a number of names and dates and told to memorize them. And even in that short-hand way of teaching – everything could not be covered. I shutter to think just how much I have missed as well. So read, read and then read some more, we should never stop learning.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And to think, all of this could have been prevented. There will always be war, I fear.
LikeLike
It appears to be human nature – too bad.
LikeLike
What a perspective–the pictures. I’ve never seen those. They must have thought they hit the jackpot–complete surprise. Sigh.
LikeLike
More and more becomes declassified from the Archives – when allowed or when the understaffed departments get around to them. Glad you liked it, Jacqui.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on The ObamaCrat™.
LikeLike
I like the term mainstream historians here on this Wikipedia article…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor_advance-knowledge_conspiracy_theory
I won’t comment more about mainstream historians…
The Pearl Harbor advance-knowledge conspiracy theory is the idea that American officials had advance knowledge of Japan’s December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Ever since the Japanese attack there has been debate as to how and why the United States had been caught off guard and how much and when American officials knew of Japanese plans for an attack.[1][2]
Several writers, including journalist Robert Stinnett[3] and retired US Navy Rear Admiral Robert A. Theobald,[4] have argued that various parties high in the U.S. and British governments knew of the attack in advance and may even have let it happen or encouraged it in order to force America into war via the “back door.”[5][6] Evidence supporting this view is taken from quotations and source documents from the time[7] and the release of newer materials. However, the Pearl Harbor advance-knowledge conspiracy theory is rejected by most mainstream historians.[8][9][10]
LikeLike
No one in their right minds wants to believe that their government wanted to be attacked and allowed their men to die simply for the support of declaring war. But, I’m afraid the more I read, the more I tend to be persuaded that they did. Remember Stimson, under Hoover kept trying to get the president to feel anti-Japanese; when that didn’t work – he started on the League of Nations by putting McCloy (a friend of his) as the US representative. This plan worked so well that Japan withdrew from the League. We had the radar and the intercepts (which were kept from Kimmell and Short in Hawaii) and the reports from the Dutch about where the enemy fleet was – disregarded. The investigation committee was filled with men hand-picked by Stimson. Just a small sample, but as you said, this has been debated for over 70 years. I suppose looking back with 2014 eyes – we will all see things differently.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have made my own opinion about all this.
I share yours.
This was just a big chess game like what your other reader wrote.
The game is still going on.
It will forever I am afraid.
LikeLike
Either some people refuse to see, or as in the the cases of Gen. Short and Adm. Kimmell – they were ordered not to see it. (There will be at least one post on their situations also.) But, everyone is entitled to voice their opinions – that’s what we’re supposed to be fighting for.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We should have a discussion over coffee one morning! 🙂 I won’t comment here on the “revisionist” theories as I have written about it… But I strongly believe MacArthur should have been courts-martialed after his carefree attitude which truly left his soldiers with their pants down. Instead, he was heralded.
Have you seen the recently “rediscovered” lost footage of Pearl?
Loved the other details you provided. I definitely was unaware of the Olson. And my eyes are so bad, I couldn’t make out the illustrator of the last cartoon. I do feel the embargoes left the military leaders of Japan (especially their powerful Army socially) left no alternative. War was inevitable.
Regardless, many lives were lost… and many more were to come.
LikeLike
You are not alone in your thoughts about MacArthur, it was brought up. He had been retired since 1935 and he was a lot older than most – BUT – FDR knew how well loved he was by the American public that he did not want to take a chance on losing all that Pearl Harbor support he just got. Short and Kimmell were the chosen scapegoats and I am planning 2 posts (most right out of a Toland book) in pictures about them. No, I have not seen the rediscovered footage – is it on TV? What channel? The best I can see on the cartoon, the signature reads, Cal Alley – any help?
LikeLike
The footage was on FB of all places, gpcox. I will see if I can lift it then post it back here in the comments later today?
Thanks for reading the name of the illustrator. I’m going to do a quick look into him also later today…
Its funny how my grandmother nicknamed MacArthur. Loosely (very loosely) translated, it was “hook nose”. 😀
LikeLike
I don’t do FB, no wonder I missed it. No problem with the cartoonist – I’m near-sighted.
LikeLike
Found the “rediscovered” footage: Pearl Harbor Attack Footage (1941): http://youtu.be/XeLWNadsQpE
LikeLike
MY GOD, Koji. That film is incredible. I am glad I did not try to describe the attack with words! Thank you very much for this!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m relatively sure someone has digitalized it, if only for archival purposes. I’d sure like to view it.
LikeLike
I took down the address you gave me, I sure don’t want to lose it. Digital would be clearer, but you can’t improve on the intensity of what you see. I’d like to know how the cameraman stayed so steady to take the film!
LikeLike
Very interesting…Most often we only hear what occurred at Pearl Harbor and not the “rest of the story” – Thank you
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought it only right, Chris, and you are very welcome. The people of other Pacific nations were much closer to Japan and were to have the fear of capture throughout the war, whereas the US (as far as Japan was concerned) was attacked to keep us away – they had no intentions of invading.
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Couldn’t see it” “wouldn’t see it” we can only guess. I am amazed by how many other attacks took place that we never learned about. Continuing thanks for your effort here and the good job you have done.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Dan. You make a good point, how many have I missed or remain hidden in the archives (which does not open ALL files as some are led to believe.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sacrifice a few pawns to position a rook, sacrifice a rook to position a queen …
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’ve got it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Reblogged this on A Conservative Christian Man.
LikeLike
Thank you, Paul.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Lest We Forget and commented:
December 7th, 1941… Part 2
LikeLike
Thank you for your friendship and loyalty, Pierre. Two very valuable traits.
LikeLike
Thank you for what you do. I would love to see your posts on the first page of every daily paper.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aren’t you sweet – I think the secret to my success is that even though there are many other, more professional looking web sites out there – this isn’t a job for me, I don’t make a cent off it and it truly means something to me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
If one day you get paid for doing something that truly matters to you, I would be only happy 🙂
I wish you best of luck!
LikeLike
What a disaster! A friend and I have just been listening to King George’s speech from Sept 3rd 1939 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAhFW_auT20 . We hope that we will never have to be party to anything like this in our life time. Glad to see you have Richard Bolt in the farewell salutes.
LikeLike
Thank you for commenting and reading, Ann. I’m going to have to save hearing the speech for later as I am in the middle of something at the moment – but frankly – if another world war started – I don’t think there would be very many of us left on the planet to talk about it. Thanks for the link – I WILL get to it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No hurry! It was just rather chilling to listen to and then come to read your post….sent shivers down my spine.
LikeLike
I’ll get back to you after I listen.
LikeLike
I finally listened to King George’s speech, pardon the delay. It is very moving. One can hear the heartbreak in his voice as he fears for the people of the Empire.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think he was heartbroken by it all.
LikeLike
A great summary and after your previous two posts the warning signals it was all the more amazing how the Japanese made such spectacular ‘surprise’ attacks. Churchill’s quote is very telling.
LikeLike
I agree 100%, strange that FDR’s own investigating committee couldn’t see it!
LikeLike