The Attack on Pearl Harbor

On the morning of December 7, 1941, The Japanese Imperial Navy carried out one of the most brutal acts of violence against the United States. The goal for the Japanese was to destroy the United States' Naval and Air Force fleet at the base in Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. They knew that if they did this, it would make the United States weak and allow them to capture the Dutch East Indies and Malaya. They also hoped that the attack would weaken American morale so much that they would sign a peace treaty with Japan. During the entire planning process, the mission was referred to as "Operation Z." There were two waves to the attack. The first wave was designed to attack ground targets, such as parked airplanes. The first wave of Japanese planes carried torpedoes, and other ammunition to destroy primary targets such as aircraft carriers. The second wave of airplanes attacked aircraft carriers first, cruisers second, and battleships third. There were a total of 353 Japanese airplanes involved in the attack. They were signaled to attack with the code word "torah, torah, torah." By the time the United States knew what was going on, it was to late. The Naval ships were already on fire, as well as most of the planes. The planes that they were able to get into the air, were surrounded by Japanese planes. Men who were stationed on the Naval ships were trapped inside. The Japanese were successful in making their attack a surprise. By the time the attack was over, all eight United States Navy battleships were damaged with four of them sunk, three cruisers and three destroyers were either sunk or damaged, 188 airplanes were destroyed, 2,403 Americans were killed, with another 1,178 wounded. Luckily for the United States, important base installations such as the power station, and shipyard were unharmed. The Japanese only lost 29 airplanes, with 64 men killed. The Attack on Pearl Harbor is one of the most brutal attacks on the United States. After the events of December 7th, the United States decided to enter World War II. In the years following the attack, 15 Medals of Honor were issued, along with 51 Navy Crosses, 53 Silver Stars, four Navy and Marine Corps medals, one Distinguished Flying Cross, four Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, and three Bronze Star Medals. Even though the attack was a surprise, the United States military still fought bravely and did what they could to prevent the attack from being worse then it was. The Attack on Pearl Harbor has gone down as one of the most infamous days in history, as well as one of the saddest parts of our history.

Map of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor as it appears today.

Stay tuned for more blog posts about tales from Tennessee and beyond. Be sure to check out the Moore Historical Consulting section of the blog. This Christmas there is no better gift, then that of heritage management.