Pearl Harbor, photo courtesy of lefatima
For most of my life, I thought the only country the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941, was my own, the United States of America.
In my defense, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was an enormous event for the United States. Within the short period of ninety minutes, 2403 Americans were killed and all the battleships in the US Pacific Fleet were either damaged or sunk, along with 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers, a training ship, a minelayer, and 188 airplanes.
A day later, as a result of the attack, we declared war on the Empire of Japan, and at the same time we went from supporting the British clandestinely to active support. On December 11, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States and we reciprocated.
Andy Cromarty and his best friend before the siege of Monte Cassino
For Americans, everything changed as a result of that attack. We were at war. For me, our entry into World War Two meant that my dad would be in a tent in Italy when I was born.
Our president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, famously declared December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy”. Until I researched the topic for my novel, I assumed he was speaking only of the attack on Pearl Harbor. But in his December 8th speech to Congress, which was carried to the American people on the radio, he also mentioned the Japanese attacks on the Philippines, American Midway, Wake and Guam Islands, British Hong Kong and Malaya.
All those places, with the exception of Midway Island, lie west of the International Date Line, so even though they were attacked at the same time as Pearl Harbor, it was already December 8th there.
In order to take full advantage of the element of surprise, the Japanese struck all these locations at the same time. Besides the countries and islands mentioned in Roosevelt’s speech, the Japanese also attacked Thailand and the International Settlements in China which they’d previously spared, including those in Shanghai, Tientsin, Hankow, and Kulangsu.
Gulangyu, China
You may never have heard of Kulangsu (now known as Gulangyu), but it was the place that interested me because my late husband was born there. Also, it’s the setting for my novel, Tiger Tail Soup.
When the Japanese landed on Kulangsu on December 8, there was no resistance. They already controlled the surrounding territory. Here’s how a missionary, Dr. Theodore V. Oltman, described the action:
At 4 A.M. Monday morning, December 8, 1941 armed Japanese Marines crossed the narrow harbor from Amoy and landed in the International Settlement of Kulangsu. With the aid of Consular police and Formosan interpreters (they) began to round up all American and European Nationals. They proceeded, first to the American and British Consulates and the residences of the Netherlands Indies and Hongkong Shanghai Bank officials where they arrested the foreign staffs at the point of bayonet or pistol end. Before day break a large number of other Americans and Europeans were similarly routed out of their house by armed Marines and Japanese Consular Police, and as the day wore on, all Americans and Europeans except two or three overlooked or exempted for reasons of health were rounded up. All of these Individuals except the Consuls were taken to a large building — an empty Japanese hospital — the neutrals were registered and released, to return to their homes.
And that was that. The Japanese were in total control of Kulangsu.
At the end of that fateful day, the Japanese command must have been pleased with all they’d accomplished. Only one problem: the American aircraft carriers hadn’t been in Pearl Harbor.
And furthermore … if I can give my personal non-historian point of view … the Japanese bit off more than they could chew. It couldn’t be that easy to conquer and hold onto such a large portion of the world, especially when you make enemies with such actions as the Nanking Massacre and the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Nicki, it is always a shock to read how many were killed in Pearl Harbour – such a massive sad loss of life. It’s interesting to learn about their other attacks and your mention of Shanghai brings to mind a book I read last year about a Jewish refugee who had sought refuge there just last the Japanese were taking over the place more seriously. Initially, there had been a joint running of the area, surprisingly. Just as in your brilliant book ‘Tiger Tail Soup’, books like this bring history and a whole new era and new places totally alive in dramatic and engaging novels.
I can’t pretend to be a serious student of history. I spend more time reading fiction. But I’m always delighted when I come upon intriguing facts and stories about times and places I thought I knew. My late husband knew much more about Asia than I did, so I always enjoyed hearing what he had to say. This past year, I’ve begun to realize how little I know about the history of Central Europe. In the end of year lists, I found a fiction book by a Ukrainian author that I ordered. I hope it will be good.
Interesting information. They were far more coordinated than we thought.
Yes. The Japanese did have a good plan, but it was way too ambitious. Not to mention cruel to everyone involved.
Thank you for this informative post. All these years I hadn’t been aware of the other attacks and losses initiated by the Japanese.
Many of us didn’t realize that the Japanese had a big head start. It made the Pacific Theater of WWII a very hard fight. After Pearl Harbor, we lost lots of Americans there. When we lived in Vanuatu, I tagged along with my husband on a business trip to the Solomon Islands where the decisive battle of Guadalcanal was fought. While he was at meetings, I visited tourist sights with a taxi driver. They were all battle scenes: Iron Bottom Sound, Bloody Hill, and various remnants of downed planes.
Thank you for the history lesson NIcki. I did not realize so many countries were attacked at the same time. Tiger Tail Soup was so good because it put them right in the middle of the war.
When I started writing Tiger Tail Soup, I realized I needed to do a lot of research, and much of what I needed wasn’t on the internet in English. I spent many a day at the University of Washington libraries. They have some good collections. I also found bits and pieces in old books from used book stores. I think many of us were more concerned with the European Theater of the war. I certainly was since that was where my dad fought.
As long as I can remember, Republican conspiracy theorists have insisted that FDR knew the Japanese were going to attack and sent the aircraft carriers away from Pearl Harbor for just that reason. You’d think he would have sent at least a couple battleships, too, but that fact is usually pushed aside. I thought that was one of the most ludicrous theories ever…until Alex Jones started pushing the one that the Sandy Hook shooting was a fake plot created to threaten the Second Amendment.
I don’t believe the story about FDR. And I don’t know if anyone could be worse than Alex Jones. But the conspiracy theories just keep coming. I heard two new ones today. Marjorie Taylor Green said Hershel Walker lost because they wouldn’t let her campaign with him. And Vladimir Putin said (with a drink in his hand) that the attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure were their own fault because they attacked the Crimean Bridge.
Nicki, I was not familiar with Kulangsu. What an interesting take on Pearl Harbor! And now I’m thinking of the Pearl Harbor movie I saw back in 2001.
I think I also saw the same movie about Pearl Harbor. I don’t think Kulangsu is well known, but the history books often mention Amoy (now Xiamen). In the days of sailing ships, Amoy was a major stop on the trade route, a good place to pick up tea. And the island of Kulangsu was a suburb of Amoy, the place all the foreign diplomats and businessmen lived.
I found this post fascinating Nicki…
In 1954 we lived in a pink stucco house on the edge of the river at Penghalen Chepa, near Kota Bahru, on the east coast of Malaya, and on the border of Thailand..
There was a line of machine gun bullet holes stretching horizontally along the walls of the house.
These bullet holes had been there since an hour before Pearl Harbour, when the Japanese attacked here…and having fought off the British defenders on the beach, broke through and pushed their way up the river shooting at everything and everyone..
I’ve often thought, how if we had modern communications, the story of that day could have been so different.
Most of us had no idea how coordinated the Japanese attack was. I didn’t realize it until I started writing my novel. There are so many historical events we skim over or never hear. Even today, with all our technology, the media focuses on a few interesting stories and ignores the rest. Donald Trump has been the big story for a long time. Last week the selling point for the New York Times magazine was that readers could be assured that Trump wasn’t mentioned once in it.
I think it is common to disregard certain happenings in history if they do not directly involve the own country. Pearl Harbour was a huge point in history and is also marked as the point when USA joined the war. Through this all other happenings on the very same day are being pushed to the background until they are nearly forgotten…
Although I knew about the other countries attacked by Japan, it’s true that we rarely mention them, so thank you for being more specific. It must have been hard for your mom to be alone when you were born, having her husband so far from home. Wars touch so many lives besides the men who fight.
From what I’ve been told, my mom did have a lot of trouble with anxiety. There were so many deaths in that war, and communication was not as good as it is today. I was her first child, and she was naturally kind of a nervous person. You’re so right, Evelyne. Wars touch many lives besides those of the men who fight.
Japan bit off more than it could chew.
I too thought the only country the Japanese attacked on December 7th was the United States, Nicki. Thanks for sharing this piece of history with us.
Popular history becomes simplified as the years go by. It’s interesting to go back and read some of the details.
Hi Nicki. I am 75% into TTS as I write and this is just about the point where the Japanese have invaded Kulangsu. I remember reading somewhere that after the invasion, a prescient Japanese remarked “Now we have awoken the sleeping tiger” referring to the US. (True or not, I don’t know.) And how handsome your father was.
It must be true. Someone in Japan must have felt that way. And when you read about how quickly we mobilized and how many planes we built in a short time, it must have seemed like a sleeping giant (tiger) suddenly came alive.