Peral Harbor

December 7th 1941, at 7:55 AM, marked the infamous Japanese strike on the bulk of the American military strength in the Pacific. Japanese carrier based planes and submarines unexpectedly attacked the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. This premeditated attack would come as a shock to American forces who barely had any time at all to ready themselves for a proper defense. Japanese training for the attack had started nearly 5 months prior. A Japanese attack force was mobilized and left for Pearl Harbor in late November. This strike force consisted of 6 aircraft carriers supported by 2 battleships and a multitude of other warships. The first wave of planes were launched from Japanese aircraft carriers at 6:10 AM on December 7th. The first signs of this attack came when the Army’s Opana Mobile Radar Station, in Oahu, spotted a swarm of approximately 50 planes heading toward Hawaii. This information was then forwarded to an operations center at Fort Shafter where the lieutenant concluded that it was a flight of US Fortress Bombers and told the radar operators not to worry. However, a decoded Japanese message revealed that Japanese/American negotiations had subsided which meant that war could soon become a reality. Unfortunately, this message was sent via slow commercial telegram and never reached the commander of Hawaii’s US Army forces in time. The strike begins. At 7:40 AM the planes from the first wave take off from the Japanese aircraft carriers and prepare themselves for engagement. This first wave consists of 49 high altitude bombers, 51 dive bombers, 40 torpedo planes and 43 fighter jets.

Nine minutes later Japanese Air attack commander Mitsuo Fuchida surveys Pearl Harbor and immediately orders his Japanese forces to launch their surprise attack. At 7:55 AM the Japanese strike Pearl Harbor, which officially marks Japan’s grand entrance into World War II. Japans coordinated attack begins as dive bombers strike Wheeler Field destroying most American Warplanes situated there. Soon after, Japanese bombers strike a series of battleships including the U.S.S Arizona, Oklahoma, Utah, California, West Virginia and Nevada. The Arizona is hit the hardest and a torpedo that explodes under the stern carries a thousand of its crew to their death. Other battleships like that U.S.S Nevada fought back but the Japanese attack was to concentrated and the Nevada sank along with the California and West Virginia.

At 1:00 PM the Japanese strike force headed home. Japan's departure marked the end of a day of hell for the Americans. The Americans had suffered 2403 deaths and two-thirds