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1.Introduction
60 years ago, at the 7th of December 1941, it was the worst day, the forces of the United States ever experienced, when more than 350 Japanese bombers destroyed a big part of the American pacific Navy in the port of Pearl Harbour
This assault led America into the second world war.
Within two hours 2009 sailors, 109 marines and at least 68 civilians were killed.
From the 394 aeroplanes 188 were destroyed and 159 damaged.
The Japanese lost less than 100 pilots and only 29 aeroplanes.
All in all more than 24 Americans died for one Japanese pilot.
Seven of eight battle ships were given away or seriously damaged. The flight defensive was nearly total destroyed.
The important aircraft carriers escaped this terrible Japanese attack undamaged, because they were located outside the harbour on the ocean.
Later on these aircraft carriers decided the second world war
America recovered fast from this attack due to the fact that the base for submarines, the dockyard and most of all the oil tanks were not attacked.
2.The battle
The Japanese Battleship-Group under the order of admiral Chuichi Nagumo starts at the 26. of November 1941 from the Kurilles Islands in the north-east of Japan.
During the following ten days, aircraft carriers, battleships, battle-cruiser, sub marines, convoy ships and tankers run apart the normal trade routes over the pacific ocean.
In order not to get discovered, Nagumos navy approaches in the shadow of an approaching storm close to the American Island in the Pacific.
In the protection of fog and rain and also with absolute radio silence one of the biggest armadas of the history reaches at the 7th of December in the dawn their target, about 370 kilometers northern of the Hawaiien island Oahu.
The ships carriing more than 350 aeroplanes, under them torpedo and dive bomber besides small agile planes - called zeros.
The Japanese attacked Oahu in two waves, where the first started at 7.00 o\'clock in the morning.
The commander of the first casel Mitsuo Futschida was afraid of flying to far, cause of bad weather. However the clouds opened and they find their target.
At 7.50, commander Futschida orders the forming of the attack formation, at 7.55 the assault starts.
The Japanese dive-bomber and hunter are bombarding the
6 airports: Ford island , Kannohe, Ewa, Hickam, Bellows and Wheeler.
Some seconds later the first battle-cruiser were seriosly damaged.
3 minutes after this attack, the message to the whole US-navy came through the radio systems:
At 10 minutes after eight, a bomb explodes in the front ammunition store of the Arizona, a very big battle ship.
Immediately more than 1100 men of the 1500 men crew dies.
Within 30 seconds a big part of the pacific navy was destroyed.
At 8.50 the second attack wave follows.
167 aeroplanes are flying under the order of korvet captain Schigekasu-Schimasaki.
This time the air defence offers more resistance, nevertheless the 3 ships Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Shaw were destroyed.
3. The film
Now I will tell you some thing about the film, which has just recently started in the German Cinemas`s:
Pearl harbour is the most ambitious community project of the:
- successful producer Jerry Bruckheimer (nur noch 60 sekunden, Armagedon, der staatsfeind number 1)
- stardirector michael bay (armagedon, the rock) and
- the prize script author randall walace (bravehart)
The 140 million dollar film about the military assault of the Japanese is the most extra ordinary production ever since.
Filmed at original scenes on the hawaii islands over and under water, on military bases and aircraft carriers, at 106 film days.
The most air crafts and ships were original rebuilt.
Only for the big attack scene 700 dynamite poles, 7.500 meter safety fuse and 16.000 litre petrol were used.
14 planes were at the same time in the air.
The special effects, the real as well as the computer animations worked on excel all, what you could see in the cinema so far.
4. The stars
Now I will give you some more details of the actors
a. Kate Beckinsale, she plays the attractive and courageous nurse evelyn stewart.
The british actress surprised at both sides of the atlantic with her impressing performances, her film debut she had in kenneth branagh\'s shakespeare comedy
b. Josh Hartnett, he is the young pilot Danny Walker.
Within brief time the still unknown face established as the most successful newcomer of Hollywood.
Hartnett gave his film debut 1998 in Helloween: H20
After this success he played in , and the black comedy
c. Benjamin Gaza Affleck, the most popular youngstar hollwood\'s plays the leading man of the pilot rafe McCawley.
The break through he had as actor of the worker chuckie in the surprising hit
Together with matt damon Affleck wrote the script and was prized for this with a golden globe and an oscar.
Furthermore he plays in successfulfilms like and .
He had his film debut 1992 in the pupil drama
5. The story of the film
The film tells a love story, which plays in front of the background of the assault of the Japanese at the US base pearl harbour at the 7th December 1941.
The two young Americans Rafe McCawly and Danny Walker are best friends since their childhood.
Their passion for the flying leads both as pilots to the US army.
At the examination, Rafe gets to know the attractive nurse Evelyn Stewart. - Immediately he fall in love.
But Evelyn is not sure , if he takes it really serious.
Their love just starts, when their friendship gets a difficult test.
Rafe is leaving to to Europe to fight in the eagle squadron, a part of the British air force, against the German Nazis.
So he leaves not only his best friend, but also his big love behind in America.
While Rafe risks his life in England, Evelyn and Danny were displaced to the military base Pearl Harbour on Hawaii.
The paradisiac life has an end, when the message comes, that Rafe, the frind of both has died in the war.
Their sorrow brings Evelyn and Danny together. They fall in love.
But Rafe is still alive, seriously injured he survived the crash with his plane. Only his love to Evelyn held him alive.
One day he stays for the surprised Evelyn.
So the once best friends become rivals.
But before they can find a way out of their situation, the Japanese attack the Pearl Harbour.
Now the two friends fight no more for their love, but for their live.
6. Conclusion
This incident of Japan attacked America was leading America into the second world war what stormed up to this time between the parties Germany, Japan and Russia, France and England.
The historians are still not sure about the reasons of Americas parliament and especially of President Roosevelt during these days.
Did Roosevelt know about the upcomming attack from Japan ???
Could America have had avoid this assault?
Some historians believe so. They think, America was locking for a reason to enter into the war.
Fact is, that America joined the war after the incident and finally the outcome of the second world war has changed.
America and the alliance won the war . Amatica became the world-power and police number one.
We will never experience the real reasons.
Thank you for listening.
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