Historical significance

This battle has had history-altering consequences. It only had a small strategic military effect due to the failure of the Japanese Navy to sink U.S. aircraft carriers, but even if the air carriers had been sunk, it may not have helped Japan in the long term. The attack firmly drew the United States and its massive industrial and service economy into World War II, and the US sent huge numbers of soldiers and and a great amount of weapons and supplies to help the Allies fight Germany, Italy, and Japan, contributing to the utter defeat of the Axis powers by 1945.

The United Kingdom 's Prime Minister Winston Churchill, on hearing that the attack on Pearl Harbor had finally drawn the United States into the war, wrote: "Being saturated and satiated with emotion and sensation, I went to bed and slept the sleep of the saved and thankful." [15] The Allied victory in this war and the subsequent U.S. emergence as a dominant world power have shaped international politics ever since.

In terms of military history, the attack on Pearl Harbor marked the emergence of the aircraft carrier as the center of naval power, replacing the battleship as the keystone of the fleet. However, it was not until later battles in the war, such as the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, that this breakthrough became apparent to the world's naval powers.

Cultural references

The attacks on Pearl Harbor were depicted in the American films Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and Pearl Harbor (2001)

Recipients of the Medal of Honor

* Awarded posthumously.

    * Mervyn S. Bennion *

    * John William Finn

    * Francis C. Flaherty *

    * Samuel G. Fuqua

    * Edwin J. Hill *

    * Herbert C. Jones *

    * Isaac C. Kidd *

    * Jackson C. Pharris

    * Thomas J. Reeves *

    * Donald K. Ross

    * Robert R. Scott *

    * Peter Tomich *

    * Franklin van Valkenburgh *

    * James R. Ward *

    * Cassin Young

See also

    * Attacks on North America during World War II

    * Day of Deceit: The Truth about FDR and Pearl Harbor (book)

    * Pearl Harbor advance-knowledge debate

    * List of United States Navy losses in World War II