how bad was the attack on pearl harbor

In all, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were likewise destroyed. Most important, 2,403 sailors, soldiers and civilians were killed and about 1,000 people were wounded.

Full Answer

What was unusual about the attack on Pearl Harbor?

Two attacking Japanese planes can be seen: one over USS Neosho and one over the Naval Yard. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, just before 08:00, on Sunday, December 7, 1941.

What is the main reason for the attack on Pearl Harbor?

Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor? Tensions Began During the Great Depression. Before the Pearl Harbor attack, tensions between Japan and the United States had been mounting for the better part of a decade. The U.S. Was Trying to Stop Japan's Global Expansion. ... Destroying the Base at Pearl Harbor Would Mean Japan Controlled the Pacific. ...

Why did Japan bomb Pearl Harbor?

Japan’s goal was to destroy the US Pacific Fleet and crush the will of the American people. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in hopes that it would destroy the US Pacific Fleet and weaken the resolve of the American people. They hoped that the defeat at Pearl Harbor would be so devastating, that Americans would immediately give up.

Was the attack on Pearl Harbor really a surprise?

” (At Dawn We Slept, Prange 30) The tragic attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 has many events connected to it that lead people to believe that it was no surprise to the United States government.

How bad was the destruction at Pearl Harbor?

In just over an hour, the Japanese destroyed more than 180 aircraft and destroyed or damaged more than a dozen ships. More than 2,400 U.S. military members and civilians were killed. Learn more in this infographic. Find out where else Japan struck in the days following December 7, 1941.

How long did the attack on Pearl Harbor last?

one hour and 15 minutesThe Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor began at 7:55 that morning. The entire attack took only one hour and 15 minutes. Captain Mitsuo Fuchida sent the code message, “Tora, Tora, Tora,” to the Japanese fleet after flying over Oahu to indicate the Americans had been caught by surprise.

Was the attack on Pearl Harbor a mistake?

According to a 2016 article by retired U.S. Navy Commander Alan D. Zimm, Japanese Captain Mitsuo Fuchida, who led the aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, made a critical mistake by firing two flares, which signaled to his aviators that they had not caught the Americans by surprise.

How did people feel about the attack on Pearl Harbor?

For American citizens, Pearl Harbor represented “A Day Which Will Live in Infamy.” For citizens of Japan, Pearl Harbor represented the success of a justified military retaliation. Civilians from both nations were naturally predisposed to sympathize with their individual country's interpretation of the event.

Could Pearl Harbor have been prevented?

The truth is that it is unlikely. Military leaders don't allow such attacks to happen because it is impossible to control the outcome. What if the attack was early and the carriers were sunk, what if the oil facilities were destroyed or what if the Japanese invaded and occupied Hawaii.

Who did the US attack 3 days after Pearl Harbor?

The following day, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed the United States, and the U.S. Congress declared war against Japan. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

What was Hitler's reaction to Pearl Harbor?

When informed in his headquarters on the evening of Dec. 7 of the strike and the damage suffered by US forces, he was “delighted,” according to British historian Ian Kershaw. “We can't lose the war at all. We now have an ally which has never been conquered in 3,000 years,” a jubilant Hitler said, as recounted in Mr.

Did Japan regret Pearl Harbor?

Abe's Pearl Harbor speech has been well received in Japan, where most people expressed the opinion that it struck the right balance of regret that the Pacific war occurred, but offered no apologies. Julian Ryall reports.

Did Japan ever apologize for Pearl Harbor?

Emperor Hirohito let it be known to General MacArthur that he was prepared to apologize formally to General MacArthur for Japan's actions during World War II—including an apology for the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.

What do the Japanese think of Pearl Harbor?

In Japan, 55 percent said that Japan should apologize for the raid on Pearl Harbor that occurred 50 years ago today, compared with 40 percent of Americans who said Japan should apologize.

Did Japan warn the US about Pearl Harbor?

7. Some Japanese wanted to warn American officials before the attack, but one man decided to stand in the way. “Many of the Japanese wanted to give Americans a little warning,” Nelson said.

Why did Japan bomb the US?

To blunt that response, Japan decided to attack the U.S Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, hoping that the U.S would negotiate peace. The attack at Pearl Harbor was a huge gamble, but one which did not pay off. Though Japan took its objectives in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, the U.S did not respond as expected.

How many died in Pearl Harbour attack?

Of the 2,403 Americans killed, 2,008 were sailors; 218 were soldiers; 109 were Marines; and 68 were civilians, according to a National World War II Museum Pearl Harbor fact sheet. Of the aircraft destroyed, 92 were Navy and 77 were Army Air Corps. Two battleships were destroyed, and six were damaged.

How many died in Pearl Harbor vs 911?

How does the Pearl Harbor attack compare with 9/11? In comparison to the 2,403 dead at Pearl harbor, the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, led to 2,977 deaths, according to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

How many Pearl Harbor survivors are left?

As we prepare to enter 2022, the total number of Pearl Harbor survivors is estimated to be less than 1,500 — the youngest of whom would be 97. Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, only 240,000 were still alive in 2021, only 25,000 in California, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

How many people survived Pearl Harbor?

Those with vivid memories of the attack on Dec. 7, 1941, are dwindling in number rapidly. There may be as few as 1,000 military survivors of Pearl Harbor left nationwide, according to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?

By mid-1941 the United States had severed all economic relations with Japan and was providing material and financial support to China. Japan had be...

How long did the Pearl Harbor attack last?

The first Japanese dive-bomber appeared over Pearl Harbor at 7:55 AM (local time) on December 7, 1941. Over the next half hour, Pearl Harbor’s airf...

Was the Pearl Harbor attack successful?

In the short term, the American naval presence in the Pacific was severely weakened. However, the Japanese had largely ignored the harbour’s infras...

Did the Pearl Harbor attack signal the beginning of World War II for the United States?

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor marked the beginning of the Pacific war for the U.S., but it did not necessarily mean that the U.S. had become...

What is Pearl Harbor like today?

Pearl Harbor is a U.S. Navy base on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Adjacent to the harbour is Hickam A...

What was the Pearl Harbor attack?

Pearl Harbor attack, (December 7, 1941), surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island , Hawaii, by the Japanese that precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II. The strike climaxed a decade of worsening relations between ...

What time did the Japanese dive bomb Pearl Harbor?

The first Japanese dive-bomber appeared over Pearl Harbor at 7:55 AM. Over the next half hour, Pearl Harbor’s airfields and docked ships were subjected to a merciless assault with bombs, guns, and torpedoes. A second wave struck at 8:50 AM, and the Japanese withdrew shortly after 9:00 AM. In just over an hour, the Japanese destroyed 180 aircraft ...

How many ships did Japan destroy in the Pacific War?

A second wave struck at 8:50 AM, and the Japanese withdrew shortly after 9:00 AM. In just over an hour, the Japanese destroyed 180 aircraft and destroyed or damaged more than a dozen ships. Pacific War: From Pearl Harbor to Midway. Find out where else Japan struck in the days following December 7, 1941.

Where is Pearl Harbor?

Pearl Harbor is a U.S. Navy base on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Adjacent to the harbour is Hickam Air Force Base, and the two installations were merged in 2010 to become Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. The USS Arizona remains where it sank on December 7, 1941, and it is preserved as ...

What happened between June 1940 and December 1941?

Between June 1940 and the fateful crisis of December 1941, the tension constantly mounted. In July 1941, by which time the Japanese had occupied all of Indochina and had entered into an alliance with the Axis powers ( Germany and Italy ), the U.S. government severed all commercial and financial relations with Japan.

What was the prelude to the war?

In the late 1930s, American foreign policy in the Pacific hinged on support for China, and aggression against China by Japan therefore necessarily would bring Japan into conflict with the United States.

What happened to Japan in 1941?

Japan had been at war with China since 1937, and the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 ensured that the Soviets were no longer a threat to the Japanese on the Asian mainland. The Japanese believed that once the U.S. Pacific Fleet was neutralized, all of Southeast Asia would be open for conquest.

What happened after Pearl Harbor?

After the Pearl Harbor attack, and for the first time during years of discussion and debate, the American people were united in their determination to go to war.

How many ships were destroyed in the Pearl Harbor attack?

In all, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were likewise destroyed. Most important, 2,403 sailors, soldiers and civilians were killed and about 1,000 people were wounded.

How many sailors were on the USS Oklahoma?

Next, torpedoes pierced the shell of the battleship USS Oklahoma. With 400 sailors aboard, the Oklahoma lost her balance, rolled onto her side and slipped underwater. Less than two hours later, the surprise attack was over, and every battleship in Pearl Harbor— USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Utah, USS Maryland, ...

What was the Japanese plan for the USS Arizona?

USS Arizona. The Japanese plan was simple: Destroy the Pacific Fleet. That way, the Americans would not be able to fight back as Japan’s armed forces spread across the South Pacific. On December 7, after months of planning and practice, the Japanese launched their attack.

Why was the United States unhappy with Japan?

The United States was particularly unhappy with Japan’s increasingly belligerent attitude toward China. The Japanese government believed that the only way to solve its economic and demographic problems was to expand into its neighbor’s territory and take over its import market.

Where was Pearl Harbor in 1941?

America Enters World War II. Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. Just before 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval ...

Who was the President of the United States when Pearl Harbor was attacked?

President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress on December 8, the day after the crushing attack on Pearl Harbor. “Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”.

Blunders and Critical Errors During the Pearl Harbor Attack

W hile most historians consider the surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy on December 7, 1941 to be almost perfect, there were some serious errors by the Japanese that allowed America to get back in action months after the attack.

Choice of commander

The choice of Admiral Chuichi Nagumo to lead such a risky and audacious attack was at the outset questionable. Although Nagumo was very senior within the ranks of the Japanese Navy, as an expert in destroyer and torpedo tactics, he was only vaguely familiar with naval aviation.

Use of midget subs

While most people remember the attack at Pearl Harbor to be an aviation event, the Japanese Navy dispatched five of their new secret weapons: 78 foot mini-submarines with a crew of two carrying two torpedoes. The midget subs were able to operate in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor where a conventional submarine could not venture.

Missed the fuel depot, dry docks, and submarine base

The two waves of Japanese fighters effectively neutralized the US Army’s response by destroying most of the American fighter interceptors on the ground at Hickam and other airfields. The Japanese dive bombers, level bombers and torpedo bombers all were effective in damaging and sinking the US battleships lined up along battleship row.

Underestimated the speed of the US response

The Japanese carrier pilots were surprised by the almost immediate and increasingly ferocious US response once the attack was underway. One pilot stated that “I was shocked at how quickly the American gunners were ready for the attack. It seemed like the American gunners had ammunition ready to go, unlike the Japanese Navy”.

No third wave attack

Nagumo had no plans to launch a third wave to destroy undamaged facilities. Senior aviators Lt. Genda and Fuchida having witnessed the entire attack, implored Nagumo to reconsider. This wave could bomb the dry-docks, submarine facility and oil tank farm missed in the original attack.

Who warned about the attack on Pearl Harbor?

In the months before the attack, Admiral James Richardson warned about moving the whole fleet to Pearl Harbor, saying there were "vulnerabilities" that would leave it open to attack, according to the Pearl Harbor Visitors Bureau. He was ignored and replaced. He wasn't the only one.

How many Americans died in the Pearl Harbor attack?

Because the day that would live in infamy was completely unexpected, 2,403 Americans were killed and another 1,178 were wounded. But all that death gets even worse when you find out more details of the notorious World War II attack. The Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor was an all-in gamble with a ton of moving parts that should have been just about ...

What time is Pearl Harbor 2021?

By Kathy Benjamin / May 2, 2019 11:25 am EDT / Updated: June 13, 2021 12:13 am EDT. The most disturbing part of Pearl Harbor for most people will be the number of casualties and the fact it caught everyone in the government and military off-guard. Because the day that would live in infamy was completely unexpected, ...

How many gallons of oil were spilled in Pearl Harbor?

There are over 700 "documented areas of contamination," many of which date back to World War II. Over the years, 5 million gallons of fuel spilled into Pearl Harbor, making it half the size of the infamous Exxon Valdez spill. The resulting oil plume is the size of 15 football fields.

What was the significance of Sunday morning in Pearl Harbor?

Japan had done their research, and they knew that Sunday morning meant a whole lot of soldiers would be at church off-base, not ready to defend their ships at a moment's notice. ( A Gallup poll from 1940 found only about 4 out of 10 Americans attended church every week, but that would still be enough for a significant advantage for the Japanese.) This also increased the chances the attack would stay a surprise until the last minute. Religion was quite literally used against Pearl Harbor as a weakness.

Why was religion used in Pearl Harbor?

Religion was quite literally used against Pearl Harbor as a weakness. Even those in the military who didn't attend church weren't necessarily going to be ready to fight on a "quiet Sunday morning.". Attacking on the weekend meant lots of people were also sleeping in and relaxing.

What happened on December 7th 1941?

Ten hours after the Japanese completely surprised everyone in Hawaii, they also attacked Clark Field in the Philippines, resulting in "a catastrophe almost as devastating as Pearl Harbor, " according to National Interest.

What happened to Pearl Harbor?

On December 7,1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor – the American naval base in Hawaii. Three waves of Japanese planes – fighters, bombers and torpedo planes – destroyed five of the eight American battleships (damaged other three) and sunk eleven other large ships. Of the 390 aircraft stationed on the island, as many as 198 were destroyed.

How many people did Japan lose in Pearl Harbor?

According to Nimitz, if the Pacific Fleet had gone to the sea to meet the enemy, its loss would be not 3,800 but 38,000 people.

What happened to the Japanese Empire?

What happened later is history. The Japanese Empire was destroyed when two American nuclear bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Soviet Union threw itself at its remains. All this started with a spectacular but ineffective attack on Pearl Harbor’s base.

How many aircraft did the Japanese shoot down in Pearl Harbor?

The Japanese squadron of Admiral Nagumo captured the victory with very small losses: over Pearl Harbor the Americans shot down 29 enemy aircraft and sunk 5 miniature submarines.

What was the plan of the Japanese attack on the Japanese fleet?

The plan of the attack was to completely destroy the enemy fleet ( the Japanese fleet did that 36 years ago under Tsushima against the Russians) and then in six months were going to take over British Malaysia, the Philippines, Dutch East Indies, Burma, New Guinea and even Australia.

How many people died in the Arizona attack?

Of the 390 aircraft stationed on the island, as many as 198 were destroyed. Losses in people amounted to 2403 deaths (almost half of them were sailors on the USS Arizona battleship) and 1178 were wounded.

What ships were burned during the Pearl Harbor attack?

Probably that is why, in public opinion, the myth is still circulating today that the attack on Pearl Harbor was a huge defeat for the USA, from which the Pacific Fleet could not recover anymore. US Navy burning ships during attack on Pearl Harbor; from left: USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee and USS Arizona.

What happened before Pearl Harbor?

Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the world was not at peace. On September 1, 1939, Germany’s leader, Adolph Hitler, took over the country of Poland. Germany had angered the British and French earlier by taking over Austria and Hungary. However, the attack on Poland was the breaking point. The British and French declared war on Germany, saying the takeovers had to stop. That was the beginning of World War II, which would soon spread around the world.

Why was Pearl Harbor left unguarded?

That belief led to another big mistake. Because no one believed Pearl Harbor would be attacked, it was left mostly unguarded.

What happened on December 8, 1941?

As it turned out, it was too good to be true. On December 8, 1941—the day after the attack—President Roosevelt declared war on Japan and her allies Germany and Italy.

Did the United States ever fight Japan?

It’s hard to image the United States ever fighting with Japan, but before the attack, the two countries did not trust each other. We often think of 1939 as the start of World War II. In fact, earlier events helped set the stage for war.

Did the US send soldiers to Japan?

The United States did not send soldiers to try to stop Japan. Instead, the US stopped selling the Japanese certain goods, including iron, steel, and oil, to try to force them to stop. The Japanese, however, did not change their minds. Instead, they stood even more firmly.

The European War

Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the world was anything but peaceful. On September 1, 1939, Germany’s leader, Adolph Hitler, invaded Poland. Though Germany had previously angered the British and French by annexing Austria and Hungary, this attack was the breaking point.

Tensions between the US and Japan

It’s hard to image the United States ever fighting with Japan, but before the attack, the two countries were very distrustful of one another.

Why Pearl Harbor?

Very few military officials believed that the Japanese would launch a direct attack on American soil, especially in Hawaii. The naval base and Japan were 4,000 miles apart. These days, we might not think much of that distance, but back then, it was a long, difficult flight.

Choice of Commander

Use of Midget Subs

Missed The Fuel Depot, Dry Docks, and Submarine Base

• The two waves of Japanese fighters effectively neutralized the US Army’s response by destroying most of the American fighter interceptors on the ground at Hickam and other airfields. The Japanese dive bombers, level bombers and torpedo bombers all were effective in damaging and sinking the US battleships lined up along battleship row. Interestingly...

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Underestimated The Speed of The Us Response

No Third Wave Attack