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Wednesday, 7 December 2011

A day of infamy

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. This led to the declaration of war against Japan and the other Axis powers, and effectively guaranteed that eventually the Axis would lose.



This anniversary serves to remind us all – yet again – of the sacrifices made by previous generations to ensure that our future was a better one.

6 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. 123,

    Thanks for adding that detail; I was merely trying to keep things simple.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  3. Infamy...meh...not more than when Israhell attacked without provocation all of its neighbors in 1967 or when the US and UK unprovokedly invaded Irak in 2003...

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  4. Krull,

    Not my words but a mis-quote from FDR ... 'Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.'

    All the best,

    Bob

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  5. Bob,

    Infamous certainly, and incredibly stupid. I love the last line in Tora Tora Tora (and I realize it may not be historically accurate): learning that Japan's declaration of war was not delivered until after the attack had taken place, Yamamoto remarked, "I'm afraid all we have done is awaken a slumbering giant, and filled him with a terrible resolve." Earlier he had warned Tojo that in the event of war with the U.S., he could "run wild" in the Pacific for six months, but after that...
    He was right on both counts.

    Best regards,

    Chris

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  6. Chris,

    I totally agree with you. Had the Navy faction been in control of the Japanese Government events might have gone differently ... although I do think that war between Japan and the USA was inevitable.

    'Tora, Tora, Tora' is one of my favourite war films because of the attention to detail and the difference in styles between the Japanese and American sections of the film; the latter helps the watcher to understand the different cultures of the two countries.

    All the best,

    Bob

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