What happened?
On the morning of December 7th, 1941, 7:48 A.M, the imperial Japanese
Navy conducted a surprise military strike against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Despite the surprise attack, many acted quickly. Within minutes of the attack, several gunners had reached their guns, but it was too late to stop the damage that had already been done.
Why did Japan attack?
The Japanese Empire sought out to conquer all of Southeast Asia but the
U.S acted as a barrier to prevent them from doing so, so Japan’s leaders intended to neutralize the U.S Pacific Fleet.
Emperor Hirohito
How did they attack?
American losses vs. Japanese losses
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2,403 Americans killed.
1,178 wounded.
188 U.S. aircraft lost.
3 Cruisers damaged.
3 Destroyers damaged.
All 8 U.S Navy battleships were damaged, with 4 being sunked.
USS Arizona, one of the eight battleships, suffered the most casualties after being destroyed to a total loss of 1,177 dead.
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55 Japanese airmen killed.
9 submariners killed.
1 Japanese pilot captured.
29 planes lost.
74 planes damaged.
5 midget submarines lost.
Kazuo Sakamaki captured.
The Aftermath
When things seemed to have ended, the Japanese suffered a total of 64 confirmed casualties and still managed to cripple the U.S Pacific Fleet. U.
S fears of a continuing Japanese attack lead to the declaration of Martial law in Hawaii over the next three years.
Present day
December 7 is known as Pearl