On 7 December 1941, the Battle of Pearl Harbor was fought in Hawaii between the Japanese under Chuichi Nagumoe and the United States under Husband E. Kimmel during the Second World War.
Why did it happen?
In 1941, the expansion of the Japanese Empire in the Pacific and South-East Asia depended upon its ability to capture and control natural resources that the islands of Japan lacked. While Britain, France and the Netherlands were tied up with the war against Germany and Italy in Europe and North Africa, their colonial possessions South-East Asia were ripe for exploitation by the Japanese. However, the US Pacific Fleet presented a serious threat to Japanese expansion in the region as the Philippines were controlled by the United States and would present a serious threat to the Japanese flank if the Americans entered the war. The solution to this problem was formulated by Isoroku Yamamoto, who planned a surprise attack on the US fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. If the US fleet could be neutralized, then the Japanese would be provided with the much-needed time to consolidate its conquests before the United States could recover. On 26 November 1941, a Japanese fleet of 31 warships, including six aircraft carriers, sailed out of Hitokapu Bay in the Kurile Islands towards Hawaii. Commanded by Chuichi Nagumoe, the fleet observed strict radio silence to avoid detection from US codebreakers.
Who was involved?
The Japanese naval force bound for Pearl Harbor was spearheaded by 353 aircraft, comprised of 310 bombers and 43 fighters. The plan was to launch a first wave of 183 bombers from aircraft carriers situated 250 miles north of Oahu Island, while a second wave of 170 fighters and bombers would attack later in the morning. In addition, 25 bombers from the first wave would attack Wheeler Field situated in the interior of Oahu Island while 17 bombers from the second wave would attack NAS Kaneohe on the eastern shore of the island. The US forces at Pearl Harbor consisted of 90 warships and 300 aircraft. Despite picking up incoming aircraft on radar between 6am and 7.40am, the US forces were enjoying a sleepy peacetime Sunday morning when the Japanese struck.
What happened?
Between 7.55am and 8.00am, the first wave of 183 Japanese bombers arrived from the north and south to attack Pearl Harbor. The US battleship Nevada was the first to be hit by the northern wave of aircraft but managed to stay afloat, while the southern wave managed to sink the battleships California, West Arizona, Oklahoma, and Arizona anchored around Ford Island. In addition, dozens of parked US aircraft were destroyed on the ground by Japanese fighters. At 8.54am, a second wave of 170 Japanese fighters and bombers arrived from the south and west to attack the US airfields but came under heavy fire from US defenses and were only able to inflict some damage to US installations and equipment. During the second attack, the captain of the Nevada was forced to beach his ship close to the harbor exit to prevent the Nevada from sinking. At 10am, the Japanese aircraft broke off the attack and returned to their aircraft carriers out at sea. Throughout the battle, the Japanese suffered 130 killed and 29 aircraft lost while American casualties amounted to 2,403 killed, 18 warships sunk and 186 aircraft lost.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Pearl Harbor was a victory for the Japanese, albeit a hollow one. Although the Japanese had crippled the US Pacific Fleet in a space of two hours, it had failed to destroy the US aircraft carriers, which were out of port that day delivering aircraft to Midway Island. In addition, the battle forced the United States into the Second World War with President Franklin D. Roosevelt describing the attack on Pearl Harbor as “A date which will live in infamy” (Grant, 2008, p.310). Ultimately, the attack on Pearl Harbor sowed the seeds of Japan’s downfall, as the American people would fight until their overwhelming resources had achieved total victory.
Bibliography
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
Grant, R.G. Battle At Sea: 3,000 Years of Naval Warfare. New York, Dorling Kindersley, 2008.
Sommerville, Donald. The Complete Illustrated History of World War II. Wigston, Hermes House, 2012.
Swanston, Malcolm. & Swanston, Alexander. History of Air Warfare. London, Amber Books, 2019.