How did Hitler react to pearl harbor?

Question

You would think that Hitler would have been mad at the Japanese for drawing the US into the war - it would have been easier to fight GB and Russia and worry about the US later.

Did the German military collaborate with the Japanese on the attack? How close was the axis alliance as far as military planning, etc?

Answer 1

The Japanese attack was the last thing that Hitler wanted to see. He knew, through information provided by the German-American Bund, of the enormous industrial potential of the U.S. So, the last thing he wanted was war with the U.S.
The Japanese attack of December 7, 1941 was a total Japanese operation. The only major nation contribution to that effort was Howard Hughes' selling the plans for what became the Mitsubishi Zero to the Japanese. Our War Department wasn't interested in it.
The idea for the tactics of the Japanese attack came from two sources. First was the successful British attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto about a year before. Second was an exercise carried out by our Navy in 1932 which launched aircraft from the vicinity of French Frigate Shoals in the Hawaiian Islands to carry out mock attacks on our military facilities on Oahu island. A detailed analysis of that exercise was published in "Proceedings", the U.S. Navy's professional journal, in 1936. A copy of that was obtained by Commander Minoru Genda of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He is the one who developed the operation plan for the Pearl Harbor attack.
Coordinated military planning by the Axis was almost non-existent. The only combined ground operations were Italian troops reinforcing the Afrika Korps in North Africa. Oddly enough, many of those Italians who became POWs were sent to a facility in Honolulu harbor for the duration of the war.

Answer 2

It's an interesting question, but the Germans and Americans were already shooting at each other by December 1941. (The sinking of the USS Rueben James stands out as one example.)

Hitler would likely have known about the ambitions Japan had in the Far East, but was probably unaware of the details of the Pearl Harbor attack. (Very few Japanese knew those details.)

In any case, when the U.S. declared war on Japan, Hitler promptly declared war on the U.S. The timing was bad, but so was the timing of Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union.

Answer 3

I believe that Hitler wasn't mad. At the time, the US was viewed as a nation that could only build cars, not fight wars. Also, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, no treaty between Japan and Germany forced Germany to come to Japan's aid, Hitler chose to fight against the US, so he couldn't have been too upset about the attack. He regretted it later though.

Answer 4

hitler had a pact with japan, hitler was completely aware of what would happen,hitler declared war on the us,before the u.s did.on germany. there were no german trooops involved in attacking pearl harbor, but the germans and japanese did collaborate on certain things but not in the attack on russia like hitler had hoped

Answer 5

Hitler expected his Japanese allies to help him in his war with Russia. So he figured that if he supported the attack on the US, then he could count on Japanese troops to draw strength away from the fighting in eastern Europe. However, only a few months later, the Japanese signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviets. The Japanese were horrible allies. They took every scrap of help they could get, but constantly reneged on their own commitments.

Answer 6

Hitler became annoyed yet defiant. He knew that this became the fee tag that should deliver the U.S. into the conflict. the almost countless factors and production facility productiveness available to the U.S. became particularly foreboding yet his faith interior the German technologies and struggling with skill surpassed his seen actuality. Stalin would have been ecstatic. as quickly as the U.S. did enter the conflict in Europe Stalin wasted no time in calling upon them to land in France or Holland and open up a Western front. His reasons without postpone replaced from the survival of the Soviet Union to the defeat of Germany and the annexation of as lots of Europe as available. Churchill became very relieved and satisfied. He became desperate for the U.S. to pass into the conflict and keep Britain. all of us recognize at present that he did certainly recognize beforehand all with regards to the coming near attack on Pearl Harbour. The British had cracked the eastern radio codes and were listening to their communications for particularly it sluggish. curiously they have been conscious of the suitable place and time of the eastern attack approximately 2 weeks till now. Churchill became adamant that the U.S. should not be warned as a results of fact this maximum in all probability would have deterred the eastern attack from ever going on and Britain would have remained on her very own.

Answer 7

Tyler I take my hat off to you. Your question is so fascinating. I read a lot about history but not enough. I agree that Hitler must have went "Oh crap....this is so NOT good!" He must have realized as the Japanese did that a "sleeping giant has just been awakened".
Excellent question!