“Kumbukirani Pearl Harbor!”
UNALI m’maŵa wokongola wa tsiku la Sande pa chisumbu cha Oahu. Adeline, msungwana wa gredi 6 wa ku Japani wokhala ku Hawaii anali pabwalo pa nyumba yawo ku Honolulu. Iye anawona ndege zikuuluka ndi utsi ukutuluka kuchokera ku Pearl Harbor. Kodi anali maseŵera ena oyeseza nkhondo?
Anthu a ku Oahu anazoloŵera kwambiri zochita za asirikali ndi kuwombera mfuti koyeseza kwakuti William S. Pye, Wachiŵiri kwa Mkulu Wankhondo wa Gulu Lankhondo la United States la ku Pacific anasuzumira pazenera la chipinda chake ndikuuza mkazi wake kuti: “Zikuwoneka zachilendo kuti Ankhondo angamayeseze kuponya chandamale pa Sande m’maŵa.” M’maŵa wa Sande limenelo unali pa December 7, 1941.
Pamene anamva ndege zikuyandikira, mnyamata wazaka 13 zakubadwa anasuzumira pazenera. Iye anauza atate ŵake, amene anali kazembe wankhondo wa pa Malo Oyang’anira Gulu Lankhondo Lamlengalenga pa Kaneohe kuti: “Atate, ndegezo ziri ndi mizera yozungulira yofiira.” Kuwonekera kwa chozungulira chofiiracho, dzuŵa lomawala, pa ndege za Gulu Lankhondo Lachifumu la Japani, kunali kokwanira kufotokoza zomwe zinali kuchitika—kuukira kodzidzimutsa!
Mkulu Wankhondo H. E. Kimmel, kazembe wankhondo Gulu Lankhondo la United States la ku Pacific pa Pearl Harbor, analandira lipoti la kuukirako pa lamya. Nkhope yake “inasintha ndi mantha” pamene anaima mothedwa nzeru, akuyang’ana ndege za adanizo zikuuluka ngati mavu pamene zinali kuphulitsa zombo zake. “Ndinadziŵa panthaŵi yomweyo,” iye anasimba motero, “kuti chinthu choipitsitsa chinali kuchitika, kuti uku sikunali kuukira wamba kwa ndege zoŵerengeka zosokera. M’mwamba munadzaza ndege za adani.”
“Tora, Tora, Tora”
Mphindi zoŵerengeka kuphulika kwa torpedo ndi kuphulika kwamabomba kusanathetse bata la Pearl Harbor, nduna yomwe inakwera ndege yoponya mabomba ya ku Japani inawona chisumbu cha Oahu chikuwonekera. Inalingalira kuti: “Chisumbuchi nchamtendere chosafunikira kuukiridwa.”
Komabe, kudukanadukana kwa mitambo kunapangitsa Kazembe Mitsuo Fuchida, mtsogoleri wagulu lamlengalenga loukiralo, kulingalira mosiyana kotheratu. Iye analingalira kuti: “Mulungu ayenera kukhala nafe. Liyenera kukhala dzanja la Mulungu limene lachotsa mitambo pa Pearl Harbor.”
Pa 7:49 a.m., Fuchida anapereka chizindikiro chakuukira chakuti, “To, To, To,” kutanthauza “Ukirani!” m’Chijapanizi. Ali ndichidaliro chakuti magulu ankhondo a Amereka anadzidzimutsidwa kotheratu, anapereka lamulo lakumveketsa uthengawo m’mawu otchuka akuti “Tora, Tora, Tora” (“Nyalugwe, Nyalugwe, Nyalugwe”)—kusonyeza kuti kuukira kodzidzimutsako kunachitidwa.
Kuukira Kodzidzimutsa Kukwaniritsidwa
Kodi ndimotani mmene gulu lankhondo lalikulu choterolo lophatikizapo zombo zonyamula ndege zisanu ndi chimodzi linafikira pamtunda wa makilomita 370 kuchokera ku Oahu ndikupanga kuukira koyamba ndi ndege 183, zomwe zinazemba lukanelukane wa ziŵiya zofufuzira ndege zotchedwa radar ndikudzetsa tsoka loterolo pa Gulu Lankhondo la United States la ku Pacific? Choyamba, gulu lankhondo la Japani linadzera kumpoto mosasamala kanthu za nyanja yowinduka ya nthaŵi yachisanu. Alonda a United States anali ofooka kwambiri kumpoto kwa Pearl Harbor. Ndipo ndege zophwatalala pamwamba pake za ku Japani sizinachite phokoso lomvedwa ndi wailesi.
Komabe, chipangizo chotchedwa radar chinali kulonda chisumbu chomwe chinali chandamalecho kufufuza ndege yomayandikira iriyonse. Pafupifupi 7 koloko m’maŵa wokaikitsa umenewo, asirikali aŵiri omwe anali pantchito pa Opana Mobile Radar Station pa chisumbu cha Oahu anawona kung’anima kwakukulu kwambiri pa chipangizo chotchedwa oscilloscope, kuimira “mwinamwake [ndege] zoposa 50.” Koma pamene anadziŵitsa Malo Olandirira Chidziŵitso, anauzidwa kuti asadere nkhaŵa. Nduna yomwe inali ku Malo Olandirira Chidziŵitso inaganiza kuti linali gulu la ndege zoponya mabomba za ku Amereka za B-17 zomwe zinali kuyembekezeredwa kufika kuchokera kumtunda.
Chikhalirechobe, kodi boma la United States silinayembekezere kuti padzakhala kuukira? Boma la Japani lidatumiza uthenga wa mbali 14 kwa nthumwi zake ku Washington, D.C., kukapereka kwa Cordell Hull, mlembi waboma, pa 1:00 p.m. penipeni molingana ndi Nthaŵi ya Kum’maŵa pa December 7, 1941. Tsikulo likanakhala m’maŵa wa December 7 ku Pearl Harbor. Uthengawo unali ndi ndemanga yakuti Japani akathetsa kukambitsirana ndi United States pa nkhani zofunika zandale. Pokhala litatsekereza uthengawo, boma la United States linazindikira kuwopsa kwa mkhalidwewo. Usiku wotsatizana ndi tsiku lofunikalo, Franklin D. Roosevelt, yemwe panthaŵiyo anali prezidenti wa United States, analandira mbali 13 zoyambirira za chikalata chotsekerezedwacho. Pamene anauŵerenga, ananena kuti, “Iyi ndi nkhondo.”
Ngakhale kuti nduna za United States zinazindikira kuti kachitidwe kankhalwe ka Japani kanayandikira, The New Encyclopædia Britannica ikunena kuti: “Izo sizinadziŵe nthaŵi kapena malo amene kakachitikira.” Zambiri zinaganiza kuti kakachitikira kwinakwake ku Far East, mwinamwake ku Thailand.
Kukumana kwa pa 1:00 p.m. kunachedwetsedwa chifukwa chakuti alembi a pa ofesi ya kazembe woimira dziko la Japani anachedwa kulemba uthengawo m’Chingelezi. Pamene kazembe wa Japani anatumiza chikalatacho kwa Hull, inali 2:20 p.m. ku Washington. Panthaŵiyo, Pearl Harbor nkuti akuphulitsidwa ndipo akuwopsezedwa ndi kuukira kwachiŵiri. Nkhani ya kuukirako inali itamfika kale Hull. Iye sanazilandire bwino konse nthumwizo kwakuti sanazipatse pokhala; anaŵerenga chikalatacho ndikuziuza kutuluka.
Kuperekedwa mochedwa kwa chikalatacho kunawonjezera mkwiyo wa Amereka pa Japani. Ngakhale nzika zina za Japani zinaganiza kuti mkhalidwewu unasintha kuukira kwa Pearl Harbor kuchoka pa kuukira chandamale kodzidzimutsa kukhala kuukira kwachizembera. “Mawu akuti ‘KUMBUKIRANI PEARL HARBOR’ anakhala lumbiro lakuyambitsa mzimu wakumenyana mwa anthu a ku Amereka,” analemba motero Mitsuo Fuchida, kazembe wa ndege zankhondo m’kuukira koyamba. Iye anavomereza kuti: “Kuukirako kunadzetsera Japani manyazi omwe sanathe ngakhale pambuyo pakugonjetsedwa kwake m’nkhondo.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt anatcha December 7 kukhala “deti limene lidzakhala lochititsa manyazi.” Patsiku limenelo pa Pearl Harbor, zombo zankhondo zisanu ndi zitatu za United States ndi ngalaŵa zina khumi zinamizidwa kapena kuwonongedwa moipa, ndipo ndege zoposa 140 zinawonongedwa. Japani anataikiridwa ndege 29 pa ndege zankhondo ndi zina zoponya mabomba zokwanira 360 zomwe zinaukira m’kuukira kuŵiri, kuwonjezera pa masitima apansi pamadzi okhala ndi malo a munthu mmodzi asanu. Anthu oposa 2,330 a ku Amereka anafa, ndipo 1,140 anavulazidwa.
Atangomva mawu akuti “Kumbukirani Pearl Harbor!” anthu wamba a ku Amereka anagwirizana kutsutsana ndi Japani. Bukhu lakuti Pearl Harbor as History—Japanese-American Relations 1931-1941, likuti: “Pokhala ndi wotsutsa mmodzi yekha m’Nyumba ya Aphungu Oimira boma ya ku United States, chipani cha Congress (mofanana ndi anthu onse a ku Amereka) chinagwirizana ndi Prezidenti Roosevelt kutsimikiza mtima kugonjetsa mdaniyo.” Kufunafuna kulipsira kuukirako kunali chifukwa chokwanira kwambiri choyambitsira udani ndi Dziko la Dzuŵa Lomawala.
Kodi Kunali Kuukira Kodzidzimutsa Kobweretsa Mtendere Wadziko?
Kodi olamulira a Japani anapereka chifukwa chotani cha kachitidwe kawo kankhalwe? Monga momwe zingamvekeredi zachilendo, iwo anati anafuna kukhazikitsa mtendere wadziko lonse mwakugwirizanitsa ‘dziko lonse kukhala banja limodzi lalikulu,’ kapena hakkō ichiu. Iyi ndiyo inali mfuu imene inaloŵetsa nzika za Japani m’kukhetsa mwazi. Bungwe lopanga malamulo la Japani linalengeza mu 1940 kuti: “Cholinga chachikulu cha lamulo lautundu la Japani ndicho kukhazikitsa mtendere wadziko mogwirizana ndi mzimu wokwezeka wa hakkō ichiu mmene dzikoli linakhazikika, ndi kupangidwa kwa dongosolo latsopano ku Greater East Asia monga sitepe loyamba.”
Kuwonjezera pa mfuu yakuti hakkō ichiu, kumasulidwa kwa Asia ku maulamuliro Akumadzulo kunali chonulirapo china chachikulu cha zoyesayesa zankhondo za Japani. Zochititsa ziŵiri zonsezo zinalingaliridwa kukhala chifuniro cha wolamulira. Kuti akwaniritse kugonjetsa kwa dziko kumeneku, ankhondowo anatsogolera mtunduwo m’nkhondo yolimbana ndi Tchaina ndipo kenaka maulamuliro Akumadzulo, kuphatikizapo United States.
Komabe, Isoroku Yamamoto, kazembe wamkulu wa gulu lankhondo la Japani la Magulu Ankhondo Ophatikizidwa anagamulapo motsimikiza kuti panalibe njira iriyonse imene magulu ankhondo a Japani akanagonjetsera United States. Iye anawona mpata umodzi wokha wosungitsa ulamuliro wa Japani mu Asia. Gulu Lankhondo Lachifumu liyenera “kuukira mwaukali ndi kuwononga gulu lankhondo lalikulu la United States kuchiyambi kwa nkhondoyo, kotero kuti chikondwerero cha Gulu Lankhondo la United States ndi anthu ake chitheretu kufika kumlingo umene sichidzaukanso,” iye analingalira motero. Choncho lingaliro lakuukira Pearl Harbor modzidzimutsa linayamba.
[Chithunzi patsamba 4]
Pearl Harbor ikuukiridwa
[Mawu a Chithunzi]
U.S. Navy/U.S. National Archives photo