December 7, 1941 - Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; also attack the Philippines, Wake Island, Guam, Malaya, Thailand, Shanghai and Midway.
December 8, 1941 - U.S. and Britain declare war on Japan. US enters World War II. Japanese land near Singapore and enter Thailand.
Not fertile ground for musical offerings - though pairing with some favourite movies, books or TV series portraying those dramatic and portentious events, a melody or two do emerge.
There are several movies, books and TV series dedicated exclusively to detail of the attacks, but I prefer those which use the historic events as part of the film's background.
The bombing of Pearl Harbour is part of the From Here to Eternity story, told in novel, film and TV mini-series. The invasion of Singapore and other areas of Asia is background for Nevil Shute's wonderful novel, adapted for film and TV mini-series,
A Town Like Alice.
The Winds of War, originally a novel, then the sprawling story of World War II via a well-loved TV series, had to include events which began the USA's entry into World War II - the TV series has a memorable piece of music as its theme:
From Here to Eternity gave us:
The cricial Japanese attack scene in From Here to Eternity:
And a little background from A Town Like Alice (the TV mini-series) whose story unfolds immediately after Japanese attacks on Singapore.
I always thought it peculiar that two countries, Germany and Japan, would separately engage the world in aggressive provocation at the same time. Had it not been for Japan's attack, the USA may have sat on the sidelines until the consequence became too dire and irreversible for the entire globe.
ReplyDeleteMy father enlisted in the Navy and was immediately stationed in Hawaii for a year, then transferred to my current city for another two years. My mother joined him here shortly after he arrived and my brother was born here a year later.
Interesting astrology surrounding the months leading to the invasion. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto retrograde in the months preceding. Transiting Mars Rx formed a T-square with Sibly Sun and Saturn. Transiting Jupiter Rx was on Sibly Mars. Transiting Saturn Rx and Uranus Rx were squaring Sibly Moon, with Uranus nearing conjunction with Sibly Venus-Jupiter. There were many attempts by Britain and USA to negotiate with Japan, which obviously failed, but the astrology wasn't conducive to rationality and would indicate aggression and hostility.
A potent solar eclipse occurred September 21, 1941, 28* Virgo, very close to the N Node and right on transiting Neptune, which was trine the transiting Saturn Rx-Uranus Rx conjunction...Saturn Rx-Uranus Rx remained trine with Neptune for many months. March 16, 1942, brought a solar eclipse in Pisces at 25*, which opposed transiting Neptune Rx, sextile Saturn-Uranus. Not a good time for strategics on any side of the oceans. New Zealand and Australia declared war on Thailand at this time and here in the USA internment camps were established.
I'd like to believe none of this will ever happen again. The globe is currently in a very sorry state with a number of aggressions occurring. Hopefully, twitter-fingers won't take America into conflict, though there seems to be the potential within this country's polarized populace.
mike ~ I think revisionist historians have speculated on an answer re your first para.
ReplyDeleteWhatever went on behind closed doors back then will never be known, not for sure, I guess.
Thanks for adding some astrology.
That no such world-wide conflict can ever occur again has to be our most fervent hope, but, human nature being what it is, and collective human memory fading with each decade as it does - I am not optimistic.