Pearl Harbor (other name "Pearl Harbor" - "Pearl Harbor") appears to be a US naval base. Just like 75 years ago, this object is a large flotilla in the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese Army carried out the attack, in the final events of World War II. The location of the base, on the territory of the Hawaiian archipelago, namely on the island of Oahu.
Targets of the attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack was based on several main objectives. First, the Japanese intended to destroy important American fleet units, thus preventing the Pacific Fleet from intervening. Japan planned to expand its sphere of influence in Southeast Asia. 
And US intervention was unacceptable. Secondly, the Japanese planned to buy time to strengthen and increase their own air force. Thirdly, battleships were the most powerful ships of that time.
Before the attack
Even a couple of months before the bombing of the Pearl Harbor, a Soviet intelligence officer, Richard Sorge, conveyed to the leadership that Pearl Harbor would be attacked a couple of months later. 
American sources claimed that information from Moscow was passed on to the American leadership. Documents have recently been declassified that spoke of a meeting between German envoy Thomsen and American businessman Lovell. The meeting took place in November 1941. The German envoy announced an impending Japanese attack. Thomsen was aware of Lovell's connection to the American government. Information was transferred to W. Donovan, as one of the leaders of US intelligence. By the time the information was passed on to the president, there were still three weeks before the attack. On the eve of the attack, American intelligence intercepted information about the attack. Of course, it was not directly said about the attack, but everything pointed to that. However, despite warnings for many more weeks, the US government did not send any warning messages to Hawaii. 
Strangely, no concerns were conveyed to where the US Pacific Fleet base was located.
Air attack
More than 180 aircraft were destroyed, almost 160 (according to other sources a little less than 130) were heavily damaged. Attacks from the submarines were unsuccessful. The submarine fleet was destroyed.
For about half an hour, the Japanese bomber circled over the destroyed naval base. Since all of Pearl Harbor's aircraft were destroyed at the beginning of the operation, no one could eliminate the enemy aircraft. Since, two Japanese Air Force fighters lagged behind their own, and without a navigation system, they could not fly away on their own. The remaining bomber escorted the stragglers back to base.
United States plans
Pearl Harbor. The losses of the fleet were not strong.
The Japanese to this day continue to claim about the provocation, but they have no direct evidence. Also, they cannot say with certainty how much the Americans knew about the planned operation.
Also, the mystery associated with the attack on the "Pearl Harbor" is that the United Kingdom of Great Britain knew a lot of secret information regarding Japan's plans, but did not begin to provide it to the leadership of the United States.
Thus, the leadership of both the United Kingdom and the United States came under fire. Both leaders sought to drag the United States into the war.
Pearl Harbor today
Today, Pearl Harbor remains the most powerful fleet. In addition to military purposes, the "Pearl Harbor" also has the function of a museum. On one of the ships from the Second World War, you can meet tourists. It is noted that this ship is in full combat readiness and in case of a military threat, it is ready to defend the homeland.
Pearl Harbor is a US naval base in the central Pacific Ocean on about. Oahu, where the main forces of the American Pacific Fleet were located. With the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japan unleashed the war in the Pacific. The fighting in the Pearl Harbor area was an integral part of the Hawaiian operation of the Japanese naval forces (Operation Pearl Harbor - Aleutian Islands).
The idea of this operation was to covertly approach and deliver a sudden massive strike by aviation of the aviation association on American ships, coastal installations and aircraft at Pearl Harbor. Simultaneously with the actions of aviation, it was planned to use three ultra-small submarines delivered to the combat area on submarines - mothers. They received the task of penetrating Pearl Harbor Bay the night before the air strike and attacking the battleships with torpedoes. (Soviet military encyclopedia. T.6. M., 1978. S. 295-296.) For a distracting strike, two destroyers from the aircraft carrier formation were tasked with shelling the air base on about. Midway.
By December 7, there were 93 ships and support vessels at Pearl Harbor. Among them are 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 5 submarines, 9 minelayers and 10 US Navy minesweepers. The air force consisted of 394 aircraft, air defense was provided by 294 anti-aircraft guns. The garrison of the base consisted of 42,959 people (ibid.).
The ships in the harbor and the planes at the airfield were crowded, they were a convenient target for attack. The air defense of the base was not ready to repel attacks. Most of the anti-aircraft guns were not manned, the ammunition was under lock and key. (World War II. Two views. M., 1995. S. 466.)
To attack Pearl Harbor, the Japanese command allocated an aircraft carrier formation under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, consisting of 23 ships and 8 tankers. The connection consisted of a strike group, which consisted of six aircraft carriers (1st, 2nd and 5th divisions of aircraft carriers), a cover group (2nd detachment of the 3rd division of battleships), two heavy cruisers (8th division of cruisers) , one light cruiser and nine destroyers (1st Destroyer Squadron), a Vanguard Detachment of three submarines and a Supply Detachment of eight tankers. (Futida M., Okumiya M. Battle at Midway Atoll. Lane from English. M., 1958. S. 52.) The aviation group of the compound consisted of a total of 353 aircraft.
The operation, which was carefully planned and prepared, was led by the commander of the combined Japanese fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Particular importance was attached to achieving surprise attacks. On November 22, 1941, the task force gathered in the strictest secrecy in Hitokappu Bay (Kuril Islands) and from here, observing radio silence, on November 26 headed for Pearl Harbor. The transition took place along the longest (6300 km) route, which was distinguished by frequent stormy weather, but the least visited by ships. In order to disguise, a false radio exchange was made, which simulated the presence of all large Japanese ships in the Inland Sea of Japan. (Soviet military encyclopedia. V.6. S. 295.)
However, for the American government, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was not so unexpected. The Americans deciphered the Japanese codes and read all Japanese messages for several months. The warning about the inevitability of war was sent on time - November 27, 1941. The Americans received a clear warning about Pearl Harbor at the last moment, on the morning of December 7, but the order to increase vigilance, sent through a commercial line, reached Pearl Harbor only 22 minutes before the start of the Japanese attack, and was transferred to the liaison only at 10 hours 45 minutes when it was all over. (See: History of the Pacific War. T.Z. M., 1958. S. 264; World War II: Two Views. S. 465.)
In the pre-dawn darkness of December 7, Vice Admiral Nagumo's aircraft carriers reached the lift point and were 200 miles from Pearl Harbor. On the night of December 7, 2 Japanese destroyers fired on about. Midway, and at Pearl Harbor, launched 5 Japanese midget submarines began to operate. Two of them were destroyed by American patrol forces.
At 0600 on December 7, 183 aircraft of the first wave took off from the aircraft carriers and headed for the target. There were 49 attack aircraft - bombers of the "97" type, each of which carried an 800-kilogram armor-piercing bomb, 40 attack aircraft-torpedo bombers with a torpedo suspended under the fuselage, 51 dive bombers of the "99" type, each with a 250-kilogram bomb. The covering force consisted of three groups of fighters, numbering a total of 43 vehicles. (Futida M., Okumiya M., op. cit. p. 54.)
The sky over Pearl Harbor was clear. At 7:55 a.m., Japanese aircraft attacked all large ships and aircraft at the airfield. There was not a single American fighter in the air, and not a single gun flare on the ground. As a result of the Japanese attack, which lasted about an hour, 3 battleships were sunk and a large number of aircraft were destroyed. Having finished bombing, the bombers headed for their aircraft carriers. The Japanese lost 9 aircraft.
Aircraft of the second wave (170 aircraft) took off from aircraft carriers at 07:15. In the second wave, there were 54 attack aircraft-bombers of the "97" type, 80 dive bombers "99" and 36 destroyers, which covered the actions of the bombers. The second attack by Japanese aircraft met stronger resistance from the Americans. By 0800, the planes returned to the aircraft carriers. Of all the aircraft involved in the air raid, the Japanese lost 29 (9 fighters, 15 dive bombers and 5 torpedo bombers). Losses in manpower amounted to a total of 55 officers and enlisted men. In addition, the Americans sank one submarine and 5 midget submarines, which proved to be ineffective.
As a result of the Japanese air assault on Pearl Harbor, the strategic goal of preventing the US Pacific Fleet from interfering in Japanese operations in the south was largely achieved. 4 American battleships were sunk, 4 more heavily damaged. 10 other warships were sunk or disabled; 349 American aircraft destroyed or damaged; among the killed or wounded Americans - 3581 military, 103 civilians. (Second World War: Two Views. S. 466.)
The Japanese victory could have been even more significant. They failed to cause the slightest harm to enemy aircraft carriers. All 4 American aircraft carriers were absent at Pearl Harbor: 3 of them went to sea, one was being repaired in California. The Japanese made no attempt to destroy the huge American oil reserves in Hawaii, which in fact were almost equal to all of the Japanese reserves. The Japanese formation, with the exception of the ships included in a specially organized formation, which consisted of the 2nd division of aircraft carriers, the 8th division of cruisers and 2 destroyers, headed for the inland Sea of Japan. December 23, it arrived at the anchorage at about. Hasira.
Thus, by 10 a.m. on December 7, the American fleet in the Pacific had virtually ceased to exist. If by the beginning of the war the ratio of the combat power of the American and Japanese fleets was 10: 7.5 (History of the Pacific War. T.Z. S. 266), now the ratio in large ships has changed in favor of the Japanese naval forces. On the very first day of hostilities, the Japanese won dominance at sea and were able to carry out extensive offensive operations in the Philippines, Malaya and the Dutch Indies.
Used materials from the book: "One Hundred Great Battles", M. "Veche", 2002
1. History of the war in the Pacific: In the 5th vol. / Ed. ed. Usami Seijiro. - T.Z. - M., 1958.
2. History of the Second World War. 1939-1945: In the 12th vol. / Ed. count A.A. Grechko (chief editor) - V.4. - M., 1975.
3. Campaigns of the Pacific War: Materials on the study of the strategic bombing of the aircraft of the United States. - M., 1956.
4. Soviet military encyclopedia: In the 8th vol. / Ch. ed. comis. N.V. Ogarkov (prev.) and others - M., 1978. - V.6. - S. 294-295.
5. What happened at Pearl Harbor. Documents about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. -M., 1961.
Beginning of World War II(chronological table)
If you look at where Pearl Harbor is located on the world map, it's hard to believe that this paradise of the Hawaiian Islands became a real hell on one Sunday morning. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor using the troops of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, assisted by midget submarines delivered to the attack site by Imperial Japanese Navy submarines. This date has remained in the memory of the American people as a reminder of the horrors of a war that must not be repeated.
The US Pacific Fleet, which was located at the military base of Pearl Harbor, was considered one of the strongest fleets in the world. The military base was perfectly protected from attacks from the sea and air. To test combat readiness, the Americans conducted large-scale military exercises.
In 1932, during the exercises, the American Admiral Yarmuth (commander of the "offensive") behaved atypically, and instead of bringing down the entire power of the naval squadron entrusted to him at the Pearl Harbor military base, he decided to attack only with the help of two fast aircraft carriers (which not so long ago appeared in the fleet). Approaching the target at a distance of 40 miles, the admiral sent 152 aircraft into battle. The air forces of the attackers brilliantly coped with the combat mission, conditionally destroying all aircraft at the enemy base.
Despite the complete defeat of the defenders, the US military command considered that in a real battle, aircraft carriers would be destroyed, and most aircraft would be shot down, since the real results of the battle would differ significantly from conditional attacks. The exercises of 1937 and 1938, as a result of which carrier-based aircraft again completely defeated the mock enemy, proved nothing to the American military.
The thing is that in the 30s battleships were considered the main force, attacking these powerful warships was considered a deliberately failed idea if the enemy did not have the same class of warships. All major world powers believed that the success of the war at sea depended on a single meeting of the navies of the two powers. The victory was guaranteed to be won by the side whose number of battleships exceeded the opponent. Although aircraft carriers played an important role in fleets, their task was only auxiliary support for battleships. The US military command was skeptical about the results of the exercises.
On November 11, 1940, a battle took place between the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and the Italian battle fleet. Contrary to expectations, an attack by aircraft from a single aircraft carrier was able to destroy one Italian battleship and disable two others. The battle in the harbor of Taranto was recognized by the American military as luck and the result of an irresponsible attitude towards the battle of the Italian military.
It is still not known exactly why Japan decided to attack Pearl Harbor. The prerequisites for this were outlined already in 1927. This year, the future chief of staff of the 1st Carrier Fleet, Kusaka Ryunosuke, who had just graduated from the Specialized Naval Staff College and was then a captain of the second rank, began to develop plans to attack the US naval base at Pearl Harbor.
Shortly after graduating from college, he was appointed to teach an aviation course for 10 important people of the state, among whom was Nagano Osami (admiral and future marshal of the Japanese Imperial Navy). It was during this course that Kusaka Ryunosuke wrote a document stating that if the general battle with the American fleet did not take place, since it refused to go to the open sea, it would be urgent to seize the initiative and strike at Pearl Harbor. This operation can be carried out only by aviation forces.
This document was published in only 30 copies and secretly sent to the commanding staff. Most likely, he caught the eye of Admiral Yamamoto, after which a plan was formed in his head to attack Japan on Pearl Harbor. The results of the naval exercises made the Japanese take a different look at the use of aircraft carriers, and the battle in the harbor of Taranto convinced them of their idea.
Although Admiral Yamamoto did not approve of Japan's entry into World War II (he especially disliked the conclusion of the Tripartite Pact), as a professional military man, he did everything necessary to prepare the Japanese fleet for future hostilities. In particular, he increased the number of aircraft carriers and implemented a plan to attack Pearl Harbor.
It should be understood that Admiral Yamamoto could not have carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor on his own. When the situation between Japan and the United States escalated to such an extent that war became almost inevitable, Yamamoto turned to Rear Admiral Kaijiro Onishi, who commanded the 11th Air Fleet, for help. Kaijiro had only Zero fighters and G3M and G4M torpedo bombers at his disposal, which, due to insufficient range, could not participate in this operation. Onishi advised the distressed Yamamoto to contact his deputy, Minoru Ganda.
Why was Genda chosen? This man, in addition to being an ace pilot (his combat fighter unit was nicknamed "Genda's conjurers"), had an excellent flair for tactics. In addition, he was considered the best specialist in Japan in the combat use of aircraft carriers. Genda carefully studied all the possibilities of attacking the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and calculated how much material and human resources would be needed. To successfully carry out the operation, according to Genda, 6 heavy aircraft carriers were needed. It was required to put only the best pilots on all planes, and the operation itself should be carried out in the strictest secrecy to ensure complete surprise.
The development of the plan for the attack on Pearl Harbor was entrusted to one of the chief officers of the Combined Fleet, Kuroshima Kameto. This officer was distinguished by eccentricity and originality. When he “created”, he locked himself in his cabin for several days, stripped naked and sat on the table in this form, fumigating the entire room with incense. It was this strange man who developed the entire tactical plan for attacking the US military base, taking into account all possible nuances.
The finished detailed plan was submitted for trial to the Naval General Staff, where it unexpectedly met with the strongest distrust and opposition. Many officers, not believing in the effectiveness of the aircraft carriers, believed that as a result of this operation, they could all die. In addition, some were distrustful of such a large-scale operation, in which too much depended on various factors:
Admiral Yamamoto fiercely defended his plan, as he was a very gambler, ready to put everything he had on the line. When the general staff was ready to abandon the risky operation, Admiral Yamamoto threatened to resign. Due to the fact that Admiral Yamamoto was a highly respected person, his departure would have been a disaster, so the chief of the general naval staff of Nagano had no choice but to accept Yamamoto's plan. Admiral Nagumo was also doubtful of success. To convince him, Yamamoto declared that he was ready to personally lead troops into battle if Admiral Nagumo was afraid. In order not to "lose face", Nagumo was forced to agree.
Many still do not understand how Japan entered the war with such a powerful power as the United States of America. Several reasons contributed to this:
It was the last point that was the last straw in the aggravation of relations between Japan and the United States. Japan's oil fuel reserves would be enough for 3 years, after which the powers with oil fields could demand any price for oil, so the Japanese command decided to seize the oil fields of Southeast Asia. Naturally, the United States did not like this decision, so the Japanese command had two options for possible events:
As you might guess, the second option turned out to be preferable.
The Japanese military formation left the Kure base between November 10 and 18, 1941. On November 22, the combat unit was in Hitokappu Bay, in the Kuril Islands region. All the necessary equipment was loaded onto warships, including canvas covers for guns, barrels of fuel for aircraft. The people who were given a complete set of winter uniforms were not forgotten either.
On November 26, the ships set off for the assembly point. They all took different routes so as not to attract suspicion. It was at the assembly point that it was to be decided whether the war with the United States would begin or not.
On December 1, Japan decided to start a war with the United States, about which Admiral Nagumo, who commanded the entire operation, was informed the very next day. The attack on Pearl Harbor was scheduled for December 7, which was transmitted in a coded order that sounded like "Climb Mount Niitaka."
In addition to aircraft carriers, about 30 different submarines participated in the combat operation, 16 of which were powerful submarines with a large radius of action. 11 submarines howled 1 seaplane each, and 5 carried small submarines.
At 6 o'clock in the morning, combat aircraft began to rise from aircraft carriers that were 230 miles from the Hawaiian Islands. Each plane took off with precise synchronization relative to the pitching of aircraft carriers.
The first combat wave that went to bomb the US naval base included:
Perhaps the forces of the American fleet could have prepared for the attack in advance if they had reacted quickly to the discovery of one of the Japanese mini-submarines. As early as 03:42, one of the US minesweepers noticed the periscope of a submarine, which was located near the entrance to the harbor. The information was relayed to the destroyer USS Aaron Ward, which unsuccessfully searched for it for 3 hours. At 6 o'clock this or another submarine was discovered by the Catalina flying boat, and already at 6-45 the destroyer sank it. 10 minutes after the destruction of the submarine, the destroyer transmitted a message to the duty officer, who got to him only at 7-12.
The approach of Japanese aircraft was seen at 7-02 by the radar station. Privates Joseph Locard and George Elliott, who were the operators of the radar station, reported this to the duty officer Joseph MacDonald, who in turn reported this information to Lieutenant C. Tyler. Knowing that B-17 bombers were due to arrive at the Pearl Harbor military base, the lieutenant reassured the officers on duty, saying that there was no reason for concern. The same was said by the radio station, which the pilots often used as a bearing. That is why numerous danger signals were ignored.
The commander of the Akagi air group, Fuchida, in his memoirs, which he wrote after the war, describes the signal for attack rather inaccurately. Although he filed it at 7-49, but it was a second signal. The first signal, given at 0740, was a black flare, which was not noticed by Lieutenant Commander Itaya leading the fighter group. The second signal was noticed by the dive commander, who immediately launched an attack.
Despite the suddenness of the attack, military musicians on the battleship USS Nevada played the US national anthem at exactly 8:00 a.m., bombs falling from all sides. The musicians only once lost their rhythm a little, when one of the bombs almost hit the battleship.
Since the Japanese understood the danger posed by enemy aircraft carriers, they were the main target of their attacks. But since the American carriers were absent from the base during the attack, the Japanese aircraft turned their attention to the battleships, since they were an important enough target.
The most important Japanese aircraft that participated in this operation, of course, were torpedo bombers. 16 aircraft, due to the absence of aircraft carriers on the base, were left without a specific target and were forced to attack targets at their discretion, which brought some confusion to a well-planned attack.
The first targets to be attacked were:
While the attack was underway, Captain Commander Vincent Murphy discussed the details of the report from the USS Aaron Ward (which had sunk a Japanese submarine) with Admiral Kimmel. The liaison arrived and informed the commander that the attack on Pearl Harbor was not an exercise, which Vincent immediately informed the admiral. Kimmel, in turn, conveyed this news to all parts of the navy that were on military bases and on the high seas.
Rear Admiral W. Furlong, who during the Japanese attack was on board the USS Oglala mine layer, saw enemy aircraft in the sky, immediately realized that this was an enemy raid and gave a signal to all ships to leave the bay. At that moment, a Japanese torpedo passed directly under the keel of the USS Oglala, which miraculously escaped damage. It would seem that the minelayer was lucky, but the torpedo, hitting the side of the USS Helena cruiser, damaged the starboard side of the USS Oglala with an explosion, causing the ship to sink to the bottom.
The huge battleship "Arizona" was sunk in 10 minutes, not having time to fire a single shot. Together with him, 1177 sailors went to the bottom. In total, 18 ships of the US Navy were disabled:
In addition to warships, the targets for Japanese aviation were:
Japanese fighters took up the destruction of American B-17 aircraft, which were nicknamed the "Flying Fortress".
Heavy planes on the ground were an excellent target, which was unable to fight back. After the destruction of the B-17, the American Dontless carrier-based bombers became the target of the Japanese fighters.
The second wave of attack by Japanese aviation consisted of 167 aircraft. There were no more torpedo bombers in the second wave, since the second attack was only the final stage.
It was during the second Japanese attack that American pilots were able to provide at least some resistance to Japanese aviation. Haleyv airfield was able to organize two sorties, consisting of 5 aircraft. These flights took place from 8-15 to 10-00. As a result of sorties, American pilots were able to shoot down 7 Japanese aircraft, losing only one of their own. This is an indication that US combat aircraft were vastly superior to those of Japan.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was not so much a daring raid as a necessary measure, since Japan's fuel resources were under threat. Despite all the efforts of politicians and diplomats, the issue of the oil embargo could not be resolved peacefully, so the command of the Japanese army was forced to launch a surprise attack on the base of the American navy.
This operation was planned by excellent Japanese naval specialists, who provided for every detail with Japanese scrupulousness. The best aviators in Japan were selected to participate in the attack.
The main tasks that Japan set for itself when planning the attack on Pearl Harbor were:
If the first task was partially completed, then the second came true exactly the opposite. The entire war with Japan was held under the slogan "Remember Pearl Harbor".
Since the American aircraft carriers survived, they were able to turn the tide of the Battle of Midway, after which the Japanese fleet lost 4 aircraft carriers and about 250 aircraft, forever losing the ability to operate without coastal artillery cover.
Due to the excessive caution of Admiral Nagumo, who did not strike at the infrastructure of the base, the docks and oil storage facilities remained intact. Continuing the offensive in this direction, it was possible to consolidate the success, but the Japanese command decided to transfer aircraft to the southeast of Asia, in a hurry to seize rich oil fields.
The Pearl Harbor Memorials consist of two large complexes:
The Arizona Memorial is located above the site of the death of the battleship of the same name. Since its construction in 1962, more than a million people have been able to visit this memorial. In the United States, there is a tradition that every president of this country must visit this memorial at least once.
The second Missouri memorial is located aboard the decommissioned battleship Missouri, which is a museum ship. It was on this warship that the surrender of Japan was signed in 1945.
The attack on the Pearl Harbor military base claimed the lives of about 2,500 people. This operation did not bring Japan a complete victory over the American navy, but showed the superiority of aircraft carriers over battleships.
Pearl Harbor is the largest US naval base in the Pacific, located on the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands.
During World War II, on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was suddenly attacked by the Japanese army, destroying most of the American Pacific Fleet within two hours. This elaborate attack by Japanese naval forces became known as the 1941 Hawaiian operation.
The Hawaiian operation was carried out by an aircraft carrier strike group under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, consisting of 33 ships, including six heavy aircraft carriers (with 420 aircraft on board), two battleships, three cruisers, 11 destroyers, three submarines and eight tankers and a formation of 27 submarines with five midget submarines on board. The overall command of the forces was carried out by the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.
The American Pacific Fleet, under the command of Admiral Husband Kimmel, located at the naval base of Pearl Harbor, consisted of 93 ships, including nine battleships (one training), eight cruisers, 29 destroyers, five submarines, nine destroyers and minelayers, 10 minesweepers. There were 390 aircraft at the airfields of Oahu, including 167 naval aviation aircraft.
The air defense of the base consisted of 188 anti-aircraft guns, more than 100 machine gun installations and five radar stations. The garrison under General William Short numbered 42,959 men.
Japan began preparations for the operation in January 1941 with the strictest secrecy. Even Japan's allies, Germany and Italy, did not know about its goals and date. The route of passage of the ships practically excluded a meeting with merchant and fishing vessels and was outside the range of American patrol aircraft. During the transition, radio silence was strictly observed, at the same time, radio exchange was carried out in the Inland Sea of Japan using the call signs of those ships that were heading to the Hawaiian Islands in order to disorient the enemy.
On the evening of December 6, Japanese submarines took up their starting positions on the nearest approaches to the island of Oahu and at 2300 hours began launching midget submarines. On December 7, a Japanese aircraft carrier formation entered the area located at a distance of 275 miles (about 450 km) north of the island.
It was Sunday. Part of the personnel of the American ships was on the shore. The entrance to the harbor of Pearl Harbor was not closed by booms (floating) barriers, and there was also no anti-torpedo net barrier for battleships. The disposition of the ships did not change for a long time. Aircraft at the airfields were crowded, on the approaches to the Hawaiian Islands, aerial reconnaissance was carried out only sporadically.
The Japanese General Staff, on the contrary, had comprehensive data on the disposition of American ships and the state of the base's defenses.
On December 7, at 0615 Hawaiian time, 40 torpedo bombers, 49 bombers, 51 dive bombers and 43 fighters took off from Japanese aircraft carriers. The raid on the base began at 07:55. At 0915 hours, the second group of aircraft (54 bombers, 78 dive bombers, 35 fighters) struck. The entire raid on the base lasted 2 hours and 5 minutes.
Four battleships, a cruiser, two destroyers, several support vessels and 188 aircraft were destroyed. Four battleships, three light cruisers, a destroyer, two support vessels and over 100 aircraft were damaged. American losses in manpower amounted to 3,581 people.
The Japanese lost 29 aircraft and six submarines (of which five were midgets), over 70 aircraft were damaged.
As a result of the Hawaiian operation and the subsequent Philippine and Malayan operations of 1941-1942. Japan won dominance at sea and gained freedom of action in the Pacific Ocean.
With a surprise attack on an American military base, Japan unleashed a war against the United States. On December 8, the USA, Great Britain, Canada and a number of other countries declared war on Japan.
The success of the Hawaiian operation was due to the careful preparation of the Japanese command for the operation, the precise organization of the covert passage of ships, and the suddenness of the strike. The American command made miscalculations in organizing the defense of the main base of the fleet and assessing the situation as a whole.
The operation showed the high combat capabilities of aircraft carriers, midget submarines did not justify themselves.
US President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 "a day of indelible shame." The slogan "Remember Pearl Harbor" became the leading slogan in the American war against Japan.
After 1945, the naval base of Pearl Harbor was reconstructed and again began to serve as the main base of the US Pacific Fleet.
A memorial dedicated to the battleship Arizona, sunk by Japanese aircraft, has been opened.
(Additional
Oahu, Hawaii
Opponents
Side force commanders
Side forces
Pearl Harbor attack- a sudden combined attack by the Japanese carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier formation of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo and Japanese midget submarines delivered to the site of the attack by submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy on the American naval and air bases located in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu (Hawaiian Islands), which occurred on Sunday morning December 7, 1941.
In 1932, large-scale exercises were held in the United States, during which the defense of the Hawaiian Islands from attack from the sea and air was practiced. Contrary to the expectations of the "defenders", Admiral Yarmouth left behind the cruisers and battleships and moved to Hawaii with only two fast aircraft carriers - USS Saratoga and USS Lexington. Being 40 miles from the target, he raised 152 aircraft, which "destroyed" all aircraft at the base and won complete air supremacy. However, the chief negotiator concluded that “delivering a powerful air strike against Oahu in the face of strong air power defending the island is highly doubtful. Aircraft carriers will be hit, and attacking aircraft will suffer heavy losses. The American command was not convinced by the results of similar exercises in 1937 and 1938, when carrier-based aircraft conditionally destroyed shipyards, airfields and ships.
The fact is that in the 30s the battleship was considered the main weapon at sea (and even in the political arena). The country that had this class of ships forced even such major powers as the USA and Great Britain to reckon with it. Both in the USA and even in Japan, which was inferior to a potential enemy in battleships, the idea dominated that the fate of the war would be decided in a pitched battle, where this class was given the main role. Aircraft carriers have already appeared in the fleets of these countries, but both sides assigned them, although an important, but a secondary role. Their task was to negate the advantage of the enemy's battle fleet.November 11, 1940 aircraft from an English aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious inflicted, located in the harbor of Taranto. The result was the destruction of one and the disabling of two battleships.
It is not known exactly when the idea came to the Japanese to strike at Pearl Harbor. So, in 1927-1928, the then captain of the 2nd rank, who had just graduated from the college of the naval headquarters, Kusaka Ryunosuke, the future chief of staff of the 1st aircraft carrier fleet, began to work out an attack on the base in the Hawaiian Islands. Soon he was to lead an aviation course with a group of 10 important persons, among whom was Nagano Osami, for which he wrote a document in which he argued that the basis of the strategy for war with the United States was still a pitched battle with the entire American fleet. But if the enemy refuses to go to the open sea, Japan needs to seize the initiative, so a strike on Pearl Harbor is necessary, and it can only be carried out by air forces. This document was printed in an edition of 30 copies and, after the exclusion of direct references to America, it was sent to the command staff. It may well be that Yamamoto saw this document, and in his head the idea took on clearer forms, the results of American exercises convinced him, and the Taranto attack convinced even sworn opponents.
And although Yamamoto was against the war in general, and the conclusion of the Tripartite Pact in particular, he understood that the fate of Japan depended on how she would enter the war and how she would conduct it. Therefore, as a commander, he maximally prepared the fleet, especially the aircraft carrier, for hostilities, and when the war became inevitable, he put into practice the plan of attack of the US Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor harbor.But it should be understood that not a single Yamamoto "had a hand" in this plan. When war with the US became almost apparent, he turned to Rear Admiral Kaijiro Onishi, Chief of Staff of the 11th Air Fleet. However, he had at his disposal ground-based aircraft, mainly Zero fighters and G3M and G4M medium torpedo bombers, whose range was not enough to operate even from the Marshall Islands. Onishi advised to contact his deputy - Minor Ganda.
In addition to being an excellent fighter pilot, whose unit became widely known as "Genda's conjurers", Genda was an excellent tactician and a great specialist in the use of aircraft carriers in combat. He comprehensively studied the possibilities of attacking the fleet in the harbor and came to the conclusion that in order to destroy the US Pacific Fleet in its main base, it was necessary to use all 6 heavy aircraft carriers, select the best aviators and ensure complete secrecy to ensure surprise, on which the success of the operation largely depended.A detailed study of the plan was taken up by one of the leading officers of the headquarters of the United Fleet, Kuroshima Kameto. He was perhaps the most eccentric staff officer: as soon as he was inspired, he locked himself in his cabin, battened down the portholes and sat completely naked at the table, burned incense and smoked continuously. It was Kuroshima Kameto who developed the plan at the tactical level, taking into account the slightest nuances.
The plan was then presented to the Naval General Staff, where it met with strong opposition. This is due to the fact that the naval general staff intended to use aircraft carriers in the south, because. Few believed that the base aviation would be able to support operations to capture the southern regions as effectively. In addition, many doubted the success of the proposed attack, because much here depended on factors that the Japanese could not influence: surprise, how many ships would be in the base, etc. Here it is worth referring to the personality of the commander in chief himself - Yamamoto was known for his love of gambling, and was ready to take this risk, hoping to win. Therefore, he was unshakable, and threatened to resign. With such a formulation of the question, the chief of the naval general staff, Nagano, had to agree with Yamamoto's plan. But since Admiral Nagumo doubted success, Yamamoto said that he was ready to personally lead the aircraft carrier unit into battle if Nagumo did not decide on this operation.
What forced Japan to go to war with such a powerful industrial country as the United States of America? In 1937, the Sino-Japanese War began. Hostilities moved south until Japanese forces established themselves in northern Indochina in September 1940. At the same time, Japan entered into a military alliance with Germany and Italy, which greatly influenced its relations with the United States. And when Japan invaded southern Indochina in July 1941, the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands dealt a devastating economic blow - an embargo on oil exports to Japan. It is not difficult to understand how important oil was for Japan: the fuel reserves of the fleet amounted to 6,450,000 tons, with the most economical use, they would be enough for 3-4 years, after which the country would have to fulfill any requirement of the aforementioned powers. Therefore, it was decided to seize the oil-rich regions of Southeast Asia. But the question arose: how would the United States react to this? It was necessary to take into account the fact that at the beginning of 1941 the Pacific Fleet was transferred to Pearl Harbor. The admirals discussed 2 options for the development of events - first, start capturing the regions of Southeast Asia, and then, when the American fleet goes to sea, destroy it in a pitched battle; or preventively destroy a potential threat, and then concentrate all forces on the occupation. The second option was chosen.
Patrol detachment (captain 1st rank K. Imaizumi):
Submarines I-19 , I-21 , I-23 .
Auxiliary ships in the Strike formation:
8 tankers and transports. Midway Atoll Neutralization Force(captain 1st rank K. Konishi):
Destroyers IJN Akebono and IJN Ushio .
The strike formation, in successive groups, left the Kure naval base and passed through the Inland Sea of Japan between November 10 and 18, 1941. On November 22, the task force gathered in Hitokappu Bay (Kuril Islands). The ships were loaded with canvas covers to protect the guns in stormy weather, aircraft carriers received thousands of barrels of fuel, and people were given warm uniforms. November 26 at - 06:00 the ships left the bay and went by different routes to the assembly point, where they were to receive final instructions, depending on whether war should be started or not. On December 1, it was decided to start a war, which was reported to Admiral Nagumo the next day: Yamamoto from the flagship stationed in the Inland Sea transmitted an encrypted order: “Climb Mount Niitaka”, which meant that the attack was scheduled for December 7 (according to local time).
There were also 30 submarines of various types operating in the Pearl Harbor area, of which 16 were long-range submarines. 11 of them carried one seaplane each, and 5 carried "dwarf" submarines.
At 00:50 on December 7, only a few hours away from the pickup point, the formation received a message that there were no American aircraft carriers in the harbor. The message, however, said that the battleships were in Pearl Harbor, and therefore Vice Admiral Nagumo and his staff decided to proceed according to plan.
At 06:00, the carriers, only 230 miles north of the Hawaiian Islands, began to raise aircraft. The takeoff of each aircraft was precisely synchronized with the roll of the aircraft carriers, which reached 15°.The first wave included: 40 Nakajima B5N2 carrier-based torpedo bombers (type "97"), armed with torpedoes, which were equipped with wooden stabilizers specifically for attacking in a shallow harbor; 49 aircraft of this type carried an 800-kg armor-piercing bomb, specially developed by deep modernization of the battleship projectile; 51 Aichi D3A1 dive bombers (type "99"), carrying a 250-kg bomb; 43 Mitsubishi A6M2 fighters (type "0").
While Japanese aircraft were approaching the islands, one of the five Japanese mini-submarines was sunk near the harbor entrance. At 0342, the commander of one of the US Navy minesweepers spotted the submarine's periscope about two miles from the harbor entrance. He reported this to the destroyer USS Aaron Ward, who unsuccessfully searched for her until this or another mini-submarine was discovered from the Catalina flying boat. The submarine tried to get into the harbor, following the repair vessel "Antares". At 06:45 USS Aaron Ward sank her with artillery fire and depth charges. At 06:54 from the destroyer board the commander of the 14th naval region was transmitted: "We attacked, fired at and dropped depth charges on a submarine cruising within our territorial waters." Due to a delay in decryption, the duty officer received this message only at 07:12. He handed it over to Admiral Blok, who ordered the destroyer USS Monaghan come out to help USS Aaron Ward.At 07:02, the approaching aircraft were detected by the radar station, and Privates Joseph Locard and George Elliott reported to the information center. Desk Officer Joseph McDonald relayed the information to 1st Lt. C. Tyler. He, in turn, calmed the privates, saying that reinforcements were coming to them. The radio station also spoke about this, transmitting music, which the pilots usually used as a bearing. The B-17 bombers were indeed about to arrive, but it was the Japanese who were spotted by the radar. Ironically, numerous signals of attack were, if not ignored, then left without due attention.
Fuchida in his memoirs is rather inaccurate in describing the signal to launch the attack. He actually fired it at 07:49, but at 07:40 he fired one black flare, which meant that the attack was proceeding according to plan (i.e., the attack was sudden). However, Lieutenant Commander Itaya, leading the fighters, did not see the signal, so Fuchida fired a second rocket, also black. She was also noticed by the dive commander, who understood this as a loss of surprise, and in this case, the dive bombers should go on the attack immediately. But the smoke from bomb hits could interfere with torpedoing, so the torpedo bombers were also forced to hurry.
Despite the explosions and the chaos that began, at exactly 08:00 on the battleship USS Nevada military musicians under the direction of conductor Auden Macmillan began to play the US anthem. They got off a little bit only once, when a bomb fell next to the ship.
The main goal of the Japanese, of course, were American aircraft carriers. But at the time of the attack, they were not in the harbor. Therefore, the pilots concentrated their efforts on battleships, since they were also a significant target.
The main striking force was 40 torpedo bombers. Because there were no aircraft carriers, 16 aircraft were left without a main target and acted on their own, which also made some confusion in the actions of the Japanese. The light cruiser was the first to be hit by a torpedo attack. USS Raleigh(CL-7) and target ship USS Utah(an old battleship, but some pilots mistook it for an aircraft carrier). Colleague suffered next USS Raleigh, light cruiser "Detroit" (CL-8).At this time, Commander Vincent Murphy was talking on the phone with Admiral Kimmel about the report of the destroyer USS Aaron Ward. The messenger who entered the commander reported the attack on Pearl Harbor (“this is not an exercise”), after which he informed the admiral about it. Kimmel relayed the message to the commanders of the Navy, Atlantic Fleet, and Asiatic Fleet, as well as to all forces on the high seas. The message was sent at 08:00 and read: "Air raid on Pearl Harbor, this is not an exercise."
Rear Admiral W. Furlong, who was on board the mine layer USS Oglala(CM-4), seeing the aircraft over the harbor, immediately realized what was happening, and ordered a signal to be given, which flew up on the minelayer's mast at 07:55 and contained the following: "All ships leave the bay." Almost at the same time, one of the torpedoes passed under the bottom USS Oglala and exploded aboard a light cruiser USS Helena(CL-50). It would seem that the minelayer was lucky, but, ironically, from the explosion, the lining of the starboard side of the minzag was literally demolished, which is why it sank.
USS Oklahoma was moored to the battleship USS Maryland and took a powerful hit. The battleship was hit by 9 torpedoes, causing it to capsize.The battleship was attacked almost simultaneously USS West Virginia, moored to USS Tennessee. Even though he, like USS Oklahoma received 9 torpedo hits, and an additional 2 bomb hits, thanks to the efforts of 1st Lieutenant Claude V. Rickets and his first assistant, Ensign Billingsley, who counter-flooded, the battleship did not roll over, which made it possible to restore it.
At 08:06, the first torpedo hit was received by the battleship USS California. In total, the battleship received 3 torpedo and one bomb hit.
Battleship USS Nevada was the only battleship to move. Therefore, the Japanese concentrated their fire on it, hoping to flood it in the fairway and block the harbor for many months. As a result, the ship received one torpedo and 5 bomb hits. The hope of the Americans to bring the battleship to the open sea did not materialize, and it was put aground.
hospital ship USS Vestal, moored to USS Arizona, reported a torpedo hit the battleship. After the attack, the ship was examined and no traces of torpedo hits were found, but veteran Donald Stratton, who served on USS Arizona, and after the war continues to claim that there was a hit.
This battleship was attacked by bombers at 08:11, and one of the bombs blew up the bow cellars of the main caliber, which destroyed the ship.The following were attacked by bombers and fighters: the airfield on Ford Island, the US Air Force bases Hickam and Wheeler, the base of seaplanes.
Japanese fighters attacked the B-17s, which were unable to fight back. Then they attacked the "Dontlesses" (American carrier-based dive bombers) from an aircraft carrier. USS Enterprise. Several American planes were shot down after being attacked by their anti-aircraft guns.
The second echelon consisted of 167 aircraft: 54 B5N2, carrying 250-kg and 6-60-kg bombs; 78 D3A1 with 250 kg bomb; 35 A6M2 fighters. It is easy to see that there were no torpedo bombers in the second wave, because. the emphasis was on the first wave, and fighter cover was also reduced.
However, it was at this time that the American pilots were able to put up some decent resistance. Most of the aircraft were destroyed, but several pilots managed to take to the air and even shoot down some of the enemy aircraft. Between 8 h. 15 min. and 10 a.m. two sorties were made from the unattacked Haleiva airfield, in which 4 R-40 aircraft and one R-36 aircraft each participated. They shot down 7 Japanese aircraft at the cost of losing one aircraft. From Bellows Airfield until 9:50 a.m. not a single plane could take off, and the first plane took off from the Hickam airfield only at 11:27.
Among the numerous tragic and heroic episodes, there were also funny ones. This is a story about a destroyer USS Dale. Ernest Schnabel said after the war that a young boatswain named Fuller, during a respite between the first and second waves, was engaged in clearing the deck of wooden objects. He came across a crate of ice cream and decided to throw it overboard. However, he was stopped, the box was opened and the ice cream was distributed among the entire crew. If on that day someone could impartially observe the events, he would have seen the destroyer going into the canal, and the crew sitting at combat posts and eating ice cream!
Japan was forced to attack the United States, because. negotiations, despite the efforts of Japanese diplomats, did not lead to anything, and she could not afford to play for time, because. resources were very, very limited.
The attack was planned by the best specialists of the Japanese fleet, high-class aviators were trained.
Japan was waiting for the American fleet to be destroyed and the American nation to lose heart. If the first task was, though not completely, but completed, then the second was a failure. The Americans went through the entire war under the slogan: “Remember Pearl Harbor!”, And the battleship USS Arizona became for them a symbol of the "Day of Shame."
But to say that the entire American, and even the US Pacific Fleet went to the bottom, is wrong. The absence of aircraft carriers in the harbor helped America win the Battle of Midway, which is considered a watershed in the Pacific War. After him, Japan lost the opportunity to conduct major offensive operations.
Nagumo was careful not to strike at the infrastructure of the base, and even the Americans do not deny that this would have played no less, and perhaps even more, role than the destruction of the fleet. He left the oil storage facilities and docks intact.
Success could be developed. But they decided to use aircraft carriers to conquer Southeast Asia, where they had to suppress airfields and fight enemy aircraft, which were an order of magnitude inferior to the Japanese. Only the Doolittle Raid prompted them to take action, which ultimately led to Japan's defeat.
