A date which will live in infamy

[Bugman]

Today is Pearl Harbor Day.Take a moment to remember all those who served,and especially those who gave their lives to keep us free.

 

[milagros317]

Yes, 66 years ago today the military forces of Imperial Japan attacked us without declaring war. Less than four years after that, my father was among the first occupation troops in Tokyo with General MacArthur. Let us remember all who served in World War II.

 

[Bugman]

my father was among the first occupation troops in Tokyo with General MacArthur.


As was my father Mil's.It would be something if they knew each other,or met.The odds are miniscule though.

 

[brianspencer66]

With 9/11 just a few years ago Pearl Harbor is not so much anymore somthing to me that was older people talk about. Its no longer somthing in the way way distant past or somthing that could never happen again.

 

[nylonsnfeet]

Yes indeed!!!

A SALUTE and many thanks 2 our men & women serving our country!!

 

[brahmslover]

Today is Pearl Harbor Day.Take a moment to remember all those who served,and especially those who gave their lives to keep us free.

Thanks for this important reminder of "the greatest generation". I look at what our country did in the 1940's - literally fight two wars on two different continents at the same time, and win both wars - and wonder whether we could even come close to that today. Just looking at the amount of ships, airplanes, tanks, and soldiers we put on the field, the ocean, and in the air - the deployment and logistics were immense.

My father served in WWII, although he did not serve active duty (a knee injury kept him stateside as a clerk at Ft. Monmouth). I'm also reminded of this because of my brother's father-in-law, who passed away this week. He served on Normandy and in every major European battle from that point on, including the Battle of the Bulge.

Let us never forget the generation who served during WWII - they deserve our utmost respect and admiration for what they did.

 

[jaba]

Thanks for this important reminder of "the greatest generation". I look at what our country did in the 1940's - literally fight two wars on two different continents at the same time, and win both wars - and wonder whether we could even come close to that today. Just looking at the amount of ships, airplanes, tanks, and soldiers we put on the field, the ocean, and in the air - the deployment and logistics were immense.


Let us never forget the generation who served during WWII - they deserve our utmost respect and admiration for what they did.

the above quote says it all....

hey bugman, mils....I bet your poppa's had some incredible stories..

thanks for this thread 🙂

 

[Bugman]

One thing dad told us about was standing guard around the Imperial Palace.He picked up a Samurai sword and a Japanese officers pistol in Tokyo but they were stolen on the train from San Francisco to Kansas City on his way home early in 1946. One guy he knew made it back to the states with a dismantled Nambu machine gun!

 

[Banshee]

Incorrect

Yes, 66 years ago today the military forces of Imperial Japan attacked us without declaring war. Less than four years after that, my father was among the first occupation troops in Tokyo with General MacArthur. Let us remember all who served in World War II.

They had declared war, we just hadn't decoded the message yet.

 

[Deleted member 2452]

a slight error..

They had declared war, we just hadn't decoded the message yet.

it was the japanese embassy that was late in decoding the message. by the time their embasador arrived at the white house, the attack had already happened.
extremely poor form!

steve

 

[Banshee]

True

And that may have been in part on purpose, however there appears to be no historical evidence to support they intentionally attacked without a declaration.

 

[Mastertank1]

Actually;

And that may have been in part on purpose, however there appears to be no historical evidence to support they intentionally attacked without a declaration.

All the evidence shows that the top brass of the Japanese navy, including Yamamoto who planned the Pearl Harbor attack and Nagumo who led it, were very, very upset when they learned that the Japanese diplomatic service had failed to deliver the declaration of war before the attack actually began. Their original plan was to deliver the declaration exactly thirty minutes before the attack started, knowing that it would take longer than that for the extremely poor communications between the US department of State and the US armed forces to deliver a warning. They stated that the diplomats responsible should commit seppuku in expiation of their failure, but those officials refused to do so.

Interesting side note: In Japanese schools today, they do not teach anything about the Pearl Harbor sneak attack. They demand an apology for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but refuse to apologize for Pearl Harbor or the many wartime atrocities committed by the Japanese military and many Japanese industrial firms. (These firms include many who now export large numbers of cars to the USA, including Mitsubishi, Honda and Datsun/Nissan).

 

[jaba]

All the evidence shows that the top brass of the Japanese navy, including Yamamoto who planned the Pearl Harbor attack and Nagumo who led it, were very, very upset when they learned that the Japanese diplomatic service had failed to deliver the declaration of war before the attack actually began. Their original plan was to deliver the declaration exactly thirty minutes before the attack started, knowing that it would take longer than that for the extremely poor communications between the US department of State and the US armed forces to deliver a warning. They stated that the diplomats responsible should commit seppuku in expiation of their failure, but those officials refused to do so.

hey Tank, can you direct me to a comprehensive source or link on the info you cite here? i'd like to read more on this.

thanks

 

[Banshee]

Combined Fleet Decoded

Or any other history on the Japanese Navy.

 

[Bugman]

hey Tank, can you direct me to a comprehensive source or link on the info you cite here? I'd like to read more on this.

thanks

jaba,read "At Dawn We Slept" by Gordon Prange.Its the most comprehensive account of Pearl Harbor i know of.

 

[milagros317]

They had declared war, we just hadn't decoded the message yet.

Official declarations of war were delivered in plain text and did not need to be decoded.