Pearl Harbor

Surprise attack responsible for bringing the United States into World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan on December 7, 1941, was famously described by U.S. president Franklin Delano Roosevelt as a [Page 573]“date which will live in infamy.” The slogans “RememberPearl Harbor!” or “Remember December 7th” became central to U.S. propaganda as the United States entered the war more than two years after it had begun in Europe.

The battleships USS West Virginia (foreground) and USS Tennessee sit low in the water and burn after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The West Virginia sank after the attack, and more than 100 of her officers and men were killed. Five crewmen aboard the Tennessee were killed, but the ship survived the attack, was repaired, and saw active duty in the Pacific during World War II.

Corbis.

United States–Japanese relations had been deteriorating as Japan expanded its empire into China in the years before the outbreak of war in Europe. As the ally of Nazi Germany, Japan felt confident enough to seize French Indochina and threaten Britain's Pacific colonies, as well. The United States responded with an oil and steel embargo against Japan. The positioning of ships in Pearl Harbor, closer to Japan than to the west coast of the United States, was also a deliberate action to draw Japan's attention to the United States and its power.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese embassy in Washington, DC, received the final part of a 14-part message from Tokyo, stating that diplomatic relations with the United States were going to be ended. The message was decoded by U.S. code breakers. Tokyo further directed its embassy to deliver the message to the White House at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. However, the military in Pearl Harbor, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, were advised too late of the Japanese message, and the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor at 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time. Although the message was meant to be delivered just before the attack, it was in fact delivered well after the attack had begun, adding to U.S. outrage.

Approximately 100 U.S. battleships, destroyers, cruisers, and support ships were present in Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack. The nearby U.S. Army airfield, Hickam Field, was attacked simultaneously, and 18 bombers, fighters, and attack bombers were destroyed or damaged without having a chance to take off. More than 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, and more than 2,400 Americans were killed. Japanese losses were comparatively minimal—a total of 29 Japanese aircraft were shot down, and possibly 100 Japanese pilots perished.

The attack on Pearl Harbor consisted of two strikes, the second of which completed the mission. The Japanese had considered a third strike, as well, which would have been devastating and greatly delayed the ability of the U.S. Navy to recover. However, Japanese admiral Chuichi Nagumo decided against this third strike, and at 1:00 p.m. Hawaii time, the Japanese planes returned home.

The purpose of the attack on Pearl Harbor was to strike a crippling blow to U.S. naval power in the Pacific. However, one of the primary objectives—to sink U.S. aircraft carriers—was not accomplished, because none were present at the time of the attack. As the war continued, the importance of aircraft carriers (rather than battleships) to naval warfare became increasingly apparent.

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