Happy Pearl Harbor Day.

[eskimo2]

Originally posted by K98k
I was watching the discovery channel the other day when they were explaining what actually happened to the Arizona December 7th.  Not sure who had said it on the program, but it went along the lines like this, there are almost a thousand men inside that ship, they never knew what hit them, who hit them, or why.

never thought about that before.

Some of them actually survived for days (or was it weeks?).  They couldnt be rescued, but they knew they were still down there alive.

eskimo

[Shiva]

Originally posted by davidpt40
Heres an interesting tidbit- U.S. radar operators actually watched the first wave of Japanese aircraft on radar.  However, they thought it was a flight of B17s.

Not true. They reported the radard contact up their chain of command, and were told by their superiors that a flight of B-17s were due in that morning, so the contact had to be them. Yet another prize example of military intelligence in action.

[davidpt40]

Usually the simplest answer is the right one.  Who could have guessed in 1941 that some blips on a radar screen were actually a huge force of Japanese dive bombers, and not a *scheduled* flight of B17s that were supposed to be landing?

*Now for the rest of the story*

The blips on the radar screen were approaching from the wrong direction that the B17 flight was supposed to follow.  This is one of the reasons the radar operators reported it.  However, its more probable that the B17 flight could have gotten off course rather than a somewhat neutral nation sending a huge taskforce to destroy your navy.

[ccvi]

If there had been no radio station at pearl habor the japanese would not have found their target. If they could find it, why should well trained american B17s fail?

[Squire]

"If there had been no radio station at pearl habor the japanese would not have found their target"

...Yes, the Hawaiin islands are so very tough to find. Thats how ocean going navies found them in the 18th century too, they ughh, followed the radio signals...

I guess a map of Oahu wouldnt have done it for them eh? with a compass?

I guess the IJN followed the american radio signals to find Gualdacanal too...otherwise, they would have flown to California?

Duh...