M.R.

When you think of World War II, you probably think of Hitler and the Nazis and the concentration camps. You probably have heard of Pearl Harbor, when the Japanese attacked the American fleet off the coast of Hawaii. But did you know that that attack was the reason we entered the war, and not Hitler? Did you know that the Pearl Harbor attack was possibly one of the most famous cases of underestimating the enemy?

The war in Europe between Hitler and the Allies had been going on for two years, and so far the United States was determined to let Europe fight it out for themselves. Japan, meanwhile, had taken advantage of Europe's preoccupation with the war to expand. They needed raw materials that they couldn't get in their own country so they took over the Dutch East Indies and Indochina. The United States was not pleased, and decided to limit the goods they would send to Japan.

For some time, the U.S. government viewed Japan as a mere fly in the ointment, bothersome, but not crucial. But General Tojo was a smart Japanese man, and decided to mask his preparations for war with the U.S. by sending over a group of men who were to hammer out a peace plan. All the while, he was planning for the upcoming attack on Pearl Harbor.

The President and his men went about setting out terms for peace. They sent a ten-point demand to Tokyo, which included an unconditional demand that they leave China immediately. Japan sent back their response, but they sent the response in parts. On December 6, 1941, they sent the first thirteen parts, stating that the final part would be received on the morning of December 7. U.S. intelligence decoded the answer to the fateful part on the sixth of December, and when President Roosevelt saw it, he said, "This means war!" Messages were immediately sent to alert all the military bases in the Pacific, but it was too late.

It was 7:55 in the morning on Sunday, December 7, 1941 that the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred, even as the ambassador from Japan was in Washington talking about peace. Squadrons of Japanese planes caught the fleet at Pearl Harbor totally by surprise! In little more than an hour, they crippled the Pacific fleet, sinking eight battleships and killing more than twenty-four hundred American sailors. The Japanese plan had been a good one. The one fault in their plan was that the aircraft carriers were not in the harbor when the attack occurred. Luckily, they had been moved for exercises. The very next day, Congress declared war on Japan. That was how the United States really got involved in World War II. Americans had faith in their navy, and thought that Japan would never be crazy enough to start a war with the vaunted U.S. Pacific Naval fleet. All the while, Japan was hiding its plans for a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor behind peace talks. As a result of their misjudgment of Japanese resolve, the U.S. suffered a tragic and tremendous loss. However, Japan, too misjudged the magnitude of U.S. response. With the support of the entire country now overwhelmingly behind the war effort, the U.S. turned the tide of the war both in Europe and Japan, and in 1945, the Allies were victorious both in Europe and Japan!

Jericho misjudged Israel's God and thought that her walls would protect against the wrath of God. Nothing can save from God's punishment except being saved. "We hall be saved from wrath through Him." Romans 5: 9

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