Chapter 9 Uncle Sam is furious

As the No. 2 figure in the United Fleet, Nagumo was a torpedo expert, and he knew very little about naval aviation.Although he served as the commander-in-chief of the First Air Fleet before, he only served for eight months. After eight months, he was immediately appointed as the commander-in-chief of the raid fleet, which was actually beyond his ability. Before the fleet set off, Nagumo said to his chief of staff: "I am under such a heavy responsibility, and I really feel powerless. At that time, I wish I had been more determined and refused to accept this position. Will this expedition be successful? I have no confidence." .”

Because he didn't know what to do, Nan Yun acted trembling all the way, always suspecting that the American submarine was following him, so that he couldn't sleep late at night, as if suffering from neurasthenia. Now that the attack has been successful, a big rock in Nan Yun's heart has also fallen to the ground, but the aircraft carrier and heavy cruiser of the Pacific Fleet are not in the port.He was worried that if his fleet stayed too long, it would be sharply counterattacked by the opponent. If you have already become an upstart, there is no need to spend extra money.Nagumo rejected Fuchida's suggestion and ordered to return.

Knowing that the Nagumo Fleet was on its way home, Yamamoto's staff started a heated debate. Like Fuchita, most of them felt that the two waves of attacks were not thorough enough, and that they should take advantage of the victory to launch a third wave of attacks to expand the results of the battle.Surprisingly, Yamamoto, who has always been vigorous and resolute, did not give Nagumo an order to attack again, but said: "Let Nagumo chief make his own decision." As for the reason for doing this, Yamamoto said: "If he wants to do it, he will do it if you don't tell him; if he doesn't want to do it, the distance is so far away, it's useless to urge him."

This is a reason that cannot be put on the table. By mistake, the U.S. Navy did not fall into the abyss of doom, even though it had already been beaten to the ground. Pearl Harbor was in a mess. Including the "Arizona", a total of four battleships were sunk, one battleship was severely damaged, half of the large warships were lost, and the loss of aircraft was as high as 70%. Before the incident, the aircraft carriers of the Pacific Fleet were on other missions and were not in the port, otherwise they would all be buried in the sea. Nagumo had estimated that his fleet was likely to lose one-third, but in fact only lost 29 aircraft and 5 pocket submarines.In addition, the capital ship did not even have a bit of paint removed, which can be described as a complete victory.Upon learning of the "good news", Tokyo immediately fell into a sea of ​​joy. Along with Beethoven's "Symphony of Destiny", the radio station repeatedly played this content: "The Imperial Navy has finally cheered up!"

In this gamble, both Tojo and Yamamoto won a lot of money.In contrast, the situation of the US government is completely different. At 1:50 p.m. on December 7, 1941, the U.S. Department of the Navy received a telegram from Kimmel: "Pearl Harbor is attacked, this is not a drill." Secretary of the Navy Knox was very surprised while pinching the telegram: "My God, how could this happen, it should be the Philippines." He hurriedly called the president, and Roosevelt was also stunned: "Impossible!" Previously, Roosevelt adopted the so-called "Europe first, then Asia" policy, focusing all his attention on the Atlantic Ocean, and the strategic aid materials from the United States were continuously shipped to the United Kingdom.At the same time, the president also very much hoped that he would not be involved in the war during his term of office. He had repeatedly reiterated in his campaign speech: "I want to swear to you again and again that I will never send your children to overseas battlefields."

To Roosevelt's surprise, the Japanese turned their faces faster than they turned a book.If the attack on Pearl Harbor is undeniable, the subsequent situation is out of his control, because the Japanese government has already made the decision for him, and the chain of "repeated speech" has been roughly broken by the opponent with a hammer. At 2:5 p.m., Special Envoy Rasu and Japanese Ambassador to the United States Yoshizaburo Nomura came to the U.S. State Department and asked to see U.S. Secretary of State Hull. Hull had spoken with Roosevelt on the phone and knew that the war had begun and that the two had come to deliver the ultimatum, but he accepted it anyway.

It’s okay not to read the ultimatum, but when I saw Hull, I was really pissed off—it seems that real life is always more bloody than drama. They have beaten people like this, and the Japanese government can still write "" on the ultimatum. Peace". After reading the ultimatum, Hull could no longer restrain his anger: "In my entire 50 years of public service, I never dreamed that there would be such a far-fetched country full of lies on earth." On that day, the programs of various radio stations in the United States were interrupted to temporarily insert the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor.Hearing this news, most people were stunned, but they didn't show any expressions of panic. On the contrary, they became more united, and even passers-by who didn't know each other on the street began to greet each other with a new kind of warmth. look at each other.

This country has always had an instinct, and if you don't touch it, isolationism may have a certain market in the country.Once it is realized that the country is facing disaster, all arguments will automatically stop, and all will give way to the path of joint counterattack. After the war broke out, the spy Yoshikawa was taken to the United States as a suspicious person.When eating in the restaurant, he saw a striking slogan printed on the menu: "Don't Forget Pearl Harbor." After eating hastily, he wanted to drink a cup of coffee, and picked up the paper bag containing sugar to look, and it was also printed on it: "Please save sugar and help the country to quantify consumption."

All the details are not deliberate, all are the spontaneous behavior of the people, and when Yoshikawa witnessed the scene on the train platform, he was even more surprised. The platform was crowded with soldiers who were about to go to the front line. After embracing and saying goodbye to their families, they stepped into the military ranks without hesitation.In the past, Yoshikawa always thought that Americans advocated individualism and lived a carefree life. They must be afraid of death and war. Unexpectedly, they would also choose to rise up when the country was in crisis. On December 8, 1941, Roosevelt delivered a speech to Congress: "Yesterday was a dark day when the United States of America was attacked suddenly and premeditated..."

Then, Roosevelt asked Congress to approve the declaration of war against Japan, and the hall burst into applause. Thirty-three minutes later, Congress passed a resolution declaring the United States and Japan in a state of war. Britain declared war on Japan two hours earlier than the United States.When he heard the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the radio, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill almost fainted with joy. It's not good for you to provoke anyone in Japan, to provoke the United States, with Uncle Sam's bullish temper, even if you play hooligans with good intentions, he will be anxious with you, let alone play despicable sneak attack tricks.Churchill excitedly shouted to the Foreign Minister: "Hey, look at what stupid things the Japanese have done. Think about it, stabbing a cowboy in the ass, what good will it do? Anyway, we will not fight alone."

Fatty Qiu also knowingly called Roosevelt: "What is Japan going to do this time?" Roosevelt gave a very loud answer: "They are attacking us in Hawaii, and we are all sitting on a boat. It will sink, and it will not sink." This is what Churchill wanted. With Roosevelt's promise, he can live a good life from now on, imagine every day, and go straight to a happy life. In the past, it was mainly because Britain wanted more from the United States. Someone asked Churchill if he would continue to maintain this attitude in the future.Churchill's answer was: "Oh, that's the way we talked to her (referring to the United States), and now that she has followed us into the bridal chamber, we should speak to her differently!" In addition to Britain and the United States, more than 20 countries including China, France, the Netherlands, and Australia declared war on Japan one after another.At the same time, Germany and Italy, which had been avoiding US intervention, had no choice but to declare war on the US when the situation was irretrievable.On one side are the Allied Powers and on the other side are the so-called Axis Powers. The two camps of good and evil will compete on a global scale. The mouse dragged the shovel, with the big head behind.Because of the success of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto was flushed with excitement, but he quickly returned to his normal state. Facing the officers and soldiers who came to congratulate him, he said worriedly: "We just awakened a sleeping giant! "