Gun History

[TomOfSweden]

The Japanese DID invade America - or at least they tried. That's what Pearl Harbor was all about. Their government had them so lashed into a frenzy that they didn't think they could possibly lose. It came as a real shock when we hit back so hard.

I thought Perl Harbour was pre-emptive? They knew USA was going to join the war sooner or later and they wanted to get a head start. I don't think they had any plans to invade USA. They had hardly troops to control what they already had conquered by 1942.

[Ozme52]

I thought Perl Harbour was pre-emptive? They knew USA was going to join the war sooner or later and they wanted to get a head start. I don't think they had any plans to invade USA. They had hardly troops to control what they already had conquered by 1942.

True. And Pearl Harbor was a US base on a US territory, but not a US state. No more than Guam or Puerto Rico is today. So technically, not the USA.

And whether or not one agrees with that definition of the USA... it's still not an invasion. There were no troops sent. It was strictly an attack on the US fleet. They didn't even destroy the repair facilities. (Intended for the 2nd or 3rd wave.)