Key Takeaways
- An Oahu radar station detected incoming Japanese aircraft on December 7, 1941, but the warning was mistakenly dismissed.
- Japan meticulously planned a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, aiming to cripple the US Pacific Fleet.
- The attack involved two waves, resulting in catastrophic damage to Battleship Row and destruction of hundreds of US aircraft.
- President Roosevelt recognized the attack as the end of American isolationism, immediately preparing for a declaration of war.
- The Pearl Harbor offensive was part of a wider, simultaneous Japanese military campaign across the Pacific.
Deep Dive
- Two Army privates detected a large aircraft formation at 7:02 a.m. on December 7, 1941, approaching Oahu from the north.
- Lieutenant Kermit A. Tyler, the watch officer, dismissed the radar sighting, believing them to be friendly B-17s arriving from California.
- Escalating tensions between Japan and the U.S. in the 1930s, fueled by Japan's expansionism and US trade restrictions, led to Japan feeling cornered.
- Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku began planning a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by April 1941 to cripple the American Pacific Fleet, which was deemed feasible.
- Combined Fleet Top Secret Operation Order No. 2, issued November 7, 1941, solidified December 7, 1941 (US time) as the attack date.
- At 7:55 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japanese torpedo bombers initiated the attack on Battleship Row, catching many sailors off guard.
- The USS Oklahoma was hit by torpedoes at 7:56 a.m., losing power instantly, and Mess attendant Doris Miller assisted his mortally wounded captain on the USS West Virginia.
- A bomb struck the USS Arizona near turret number two, causing a massive explosion, leading to its sinking by 8:06 a.m. with 1,177 lives lost.
- The USS Arizona alone accounted for 1,177 casualties, nearly half of the day's total deaths, with approximately 900 remaining entombed within.
- By 8:08 AM, the USS Oklahoma capsized with 429 deaths, and other ships like the USS California and USS West Virginia were also hit.
- By the end of the first wave around 9 AM, U.S. aircraft on Oahu were largely destroyed, with Japan losing only 9 planes.
- At 1:40 PM Eastern Time on December 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt received confirmation of the Japanese attack, recognizing the end of American isolationism.
- Roosevelt instructed Secretary of State Cordell Hull to proceed with a planned meeting with the Japanese ambassador but reveal nothing of the attack.
- At 3 PM D.C. time, Roosevelt convened his war cabinet, and informed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill of his intention to ask Congress for a declaration of war.
- A second wave of 171 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, targeting battleships, airfields, and infrastructure, killing 49 civilians.
- Lieutenant Phil Rasmussen, flying a Curtis P-36, described engaging in chaotic dogfighting with Japanese Zeros and surviving severe damage to his aircraft.
- Upon returning to Wheeler Field, Lt. Rasmussen observed ongoing fires, exploding ammunition, and destroyed P-40s, indicating the widespread nature of the Japanese attack.
- In the aftermath, Pearl Harbor was covered in thick smoke from burning ships and oil slicks on the water, initiating immediate firefighting and salvage operations.
- The attack resulted in four battleships sunk, four severely damaged, and approximately 300 aircraft destroyed across Oahu's airfields.
- Total casualties reached 2,403 deaths (2,335 military, 68 civilian) and nearly 1,200 injured, but the survival of the three US aircraft carriers proved critical.
- Simultaneously with Pearl Harbor, Japan launched additional strikes across the Pacific, targeting Wake Island, Malaya, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
- In the Philippines, despite early warnings at 4 a.m. on December 8th, American planes at Clark Field were caught on the ground by a Japanese attack at 12:13 p.m.
- The attack on Clark Field destroyed half of the Philippines' air defenses, leading General MacArthur to state the Philippine Air Arm 'died with our battleships.'
- On the morning of December 8th, President Franklin Roosevelt refined his address to Congress, incorporating new information about attacks on Guam, the Philippines, Wake Island, and Midway.
- Before a crowded House chamber, Roosevelt famously declared, 'Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy,' detailing Japan's surprise attack.
- He informed Congress that Japan had engaged in peace talks while simultaneously planning the attack and formally requested a declaration of war, effective December 7, 1941.