Tuesday, June 21, 2016

A Blast from the Past, December 7, 1941

I do not know where or when I got this picture, but I thought today was a good day to post it.
Dec 7 1941 newspaper_headlines-600x303.jpg

What a day this must have been for every adult in the United States. The shock and horror of this must have been palpable. The army and navy knew this was coming, but did not know for sure where or when it would happen. There was a plan for this eventuality called War Plan Orange which was initially conceived in 1906, but formally adopted in 1924. The plan in 1924 was obsolete by 1941 due to the rapid development of submarines and Japanese naval air strength, but parts of it were used during the war. It seems strange to me that the U.S. was so poorly prepared knowing this would happen, but during peacetime the army and navy have always been neglected and cut back in force and equipment and development.

No comments:

Post a Comment