Pearl Harbor
Chapter 12
“A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”
7 December, 1941
The Imperial Japanese Navy was already at sea when December 1941 began, and on 2 December the code phrase “Climb Mount Niitaka” was received, instructing them to proceed with their attack. Six of the Emperor’s aircraft carriers were present in the force sailing eastward, with a total of 408 aircraft. Their mission would represent the last major escalation of the Second World War, representing the point when the conflict reached maturity, and exceeding the Great War in scope.
An aerial view of the US Pacific Fleet anchorage at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
The target of the Japanese force was Pearl Harbor, a military base on the Hawaiian island of Oahu that served as the main anchorage of the US Pacific Fleet. The US fleet had been rebased there in 1940 as Japanese aggression mounted in the Pacific, along with buildups of US forces on other Pacific islands as well. Starved of American oil, the Japanese planned to move southward, and believing that this would draw American intervention, decided to incapacitate the US forces in the Pacific as quickly as possible. The plan, put forward by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, involved a strike on the base at Pearl Harbor with aircraft from the Combined Fleet’s carriers, taking a cue from the successful British raid on the Italian fleet at Taranto earlier in the war.
The crew of the USS Ward stand with the gun where they fired the first American shots of the war
Yamamoto’s fleet had departed Japanese waters on 10 November, and on 2 December it received the code phrase “Climb Mount Niitaka”, instructing them to proceed with the plan. This began with the launch of five small, two man midget submarines at 0100 on 7 December from positions ten miles from Pearl Harbor. One was spotted by an American ship two hours later, but was not intercepted. Another was spotted and engaged by the destroyer USS Ward, which sunk the small ship with gunfire, making what was to be considered the first American shots of the Second World War. Even as the Ward’s reports reached headquarters in the harbor, the first signs of the incoming aerial attack were made by a US Army radar station at Opana Point, which reported several incoming contacts. These were reported to headquarters as well, but the officer in command, assuming that these were a scheduled flight of B17 bombers inbound from the mainland, told them to disregard.
A Japanese A6M2 Zero fighter takes off from the carrier Akagi
IJN Photo
The first wave of Japanese aircraft consisted of 98 B5N “Kate” torpedo bombers, 48 D3A “Val” dive bombers and 41 A6M “Zero” fighters, launched from the fleet carriers Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, Shokaku, Soryo and Hiryu, which were positioned with their escorts to the north of the island of Oahu. Several US aircraft were engaged and destroyed by the approaching Japanese force, with garbled distress calls being picked up by ground control as they approached. At 0753 Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, the commander the Japanese air attack force, signaled the phrase “to ra, to ra, to ra”, indicating that complete surprise had been achieved.
Sailors cheer as a B5N Kate torpedo bomber takes from from the carrier Shokaku
IJN Photo
Two minutes later, at 0755, the first bombs are dropped on their targets as the attack begins, and the message is flashed from the Naval Air Station on Ford Island:
“AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL”
The crews had been setting about their Sunday morning routine, including preparing for worship services on deck. On the battleship USS Nevada, the colors were to be hoisted with full accompaniment by the ship’s band. Even as the first torpedoes began to hit the ships, the band started the Star Spangled Banner and the flag was raised over the ship at exactly 0800, as the general quarters alarm blared.
Bombs hit the Naval Air Station at Ford Island
USN Photo
As the warships were hit, the bombers and fighters attacked Wheeler Army Air Field along with NAS Ford Island and Hickam field. The fields, crowded with parked aircraft lined up wingtip to wingtip to deter saboteurs, were easy targets. Only a handful of Americans planes were able to take off, with most destroyed on the ground.
Japanese torpedoes head for Battleship Row
IJN Photo
On Battleship Row eight vessels were moored: the USS California, USS Maryland and USS Oklahoma, USS Tennessee and USS West Virginia, USS Arizona, and the USS Nevada. All of these would be hit by the initial Japanese attack.
USS California began to fire at the enemy aircraft with two 5 inch guns and four .50 caliber machine guns at 0803, but the supply of ready ammunition for these guns, as well as the ammunition for all other weapons, remained under lock and key. This severely hampered the ship’s response, and at 0805 two torpedoes hit the ship. As the ship had been ready for an inspection before the attack began, all of the internal bulkheads were open, and this caused the flooding to quickly overtake damage control teams. The ship began to take on a list, and attempts at counterflooding were only partially successful. By the time the Captain made it aboard at 0845 the ship was heavily damaged, and a Japanese armor-piercing bomb soon started a large fire below decks, leaving the stricken ship to lose power and sink at her moorings.
USS California takes on a list after taking Japanese torpedo hits
USN Photo
The next two ships were moored side by side, the USS Maryland and USS Oklahoma. Protected by Oklahoma, Maryland would take some damage from bombs but remained afloat, with her gunners returning fire, eventually getting all of her anti-aircraft batteries into action. Oklahoma, moored outboard, was in direct line for torpedo attacks. One of the first ships hit, Japanese torpedoes impacted at 0753, with two hitting almost the same spot amidships. Another hit at 0800, and by now the listing ship was hemorrhaging fuel. Her crew attempted to man the guns, but the situation below decks was so bad that the keys to the ammunition lockers could not be retrieved from the armory. More torpedoes struck the battleship as her list increased, and by 0810 the Oklahoma had capsized, leaving many sailors trapped within the ship.
The USS Oklahoma after capsizing
USN Photo
Aft of Maryland was the USS Tennessee, and like the Maryland she was shielded from torpedoes by due to the USS West Virginia moored alongside her. At 0800 the first of the ship’s anti-aircraft batteries began to return fire, as the engineers below decks attempted to being up steam pressure to comply with an order to sortie. This proved futile, however, as the adjacent ships sunk, effectively trapping the battleship at her moorings. As fire spread across the water from the nearby ships’ ruptured fuel tanks, bombs hit the ship, damaging her main battery turrets and starting internal fires, which necessitated flooding the magazines to prevent an explosion.
The Stars and Strips still flies over the partially sunken stern of the USS West Virginia
USN Photo
In the opening moves of the attack the USS West Virginia was hit by Japanese torpedoes, eventually scoring seven hits on the battleship. Bombs also started internal fires and destroyed the battleship’s seaplanes. Large holes were opened in the hull by the torpedoes, with one even allowing another torpedo to enter the hull before detonating. Rapid response from damage control parties prevented the ship from capsizing like the Oklahoma ahead of her, but the damage was extensive. Bomb hits on the neighboring Tennessee sent deadly shrapnel across the bridge of the West Virginia, killing her captain. Eventually, the ship sank upright in the sea of burning oil from the surrounding ships.
In one notable episode of the attack, Doris Miller, a black mess steward, not trained in the use of weapon commandeered a .50 caliber AA machine gun and engaged the Japanese.
The USS Arizona explodes after taking a hit to her forward magazine
USN Photo
Next in line was the USS Arizona, moored alongside the repair ship USS Vestal. This battleship was targeted by ten Kate torpedo bombers carrying armor piercing bombs, with four scoring direct hits. One of these, impacting at 0806, penetrated the deck between the forward main battery turrets, penetrating into the forward magazine before detonating. Within seconds a monstrous explosion emanated from the magazine, with witnesses reporting that the bow section was blown off and the ship raised out of the water momentarily. The shattered battleship quickly settled into the harbor, completely engulfed in flames.
The USS Nevada attempts to break out of the harbor
USN Photo
The last ship moored on battleship row was the USS Nevada, which was alone and already had a boiler running. This meant that even though she took a torpedo hit at 0810, she was not disabled. Damage control crews managed to control the flooding, and by 0840 the battleship was underway, attempting to sortie out to sea and escape the harbor. As she made for the harbor entrance the second wave of Japanese bombers attacked, swarming her and attempting to sink her to block part of the harbor entrance. Soon a fuel tank was breached, spreading fires throughout the ship, but in a stroke of luck, the magazines were empty. Nevada had been changing over to a new type of projectile, and while these had been loaded the new powder charges had not, preventing a magazine explosion. As the ship began to take on water, the beached off of Hospital Point in order to prevent blocking the harbor and to facilitate repair.
Smoke shrouds Battleship Row
US National Archives
Two more battleships were also present in Pearl Harbor that day; the USS Pennsylvania and the USS Utah. Pennsylvania was in drydock for a refit, but despite this some of her anti-aircraft batteries were firing within minutes. The drydock absorbed several torpedo hits, and at 0830 bombers targeted her, but a civilian crane operator, George Walters, used the boom of his crane to direct the ship’s guns and shield the ship from low flying aircraft until he was wounded by a Japanese bomb.
The last of the battleships, the USS Utah, was actually a stripped down training vessel, equipped only with a handful of anti-aircraft guns to train crews, as well as covered with thick wooden planks to absorb hits by aircrews on practice runs. Despite this, she was targeted by Japanese torpedo bombers, scoring two hits and quickly capsizing the ship.
Smoke and the puffs of anti-aircraft fire fill the skies over the harbor
USN Photo
Several other ships were also hit. The cruisers USS Helena, USS Raleigh and USS Honolulu were all hit, along with the destroyers USS Cassin, USS Downs, USS Heim and USS Shaw. Five support ships were also damaged or sunk in the harbor. This constituted the bulk of the US Pacific Fleet’s combat strength, although the carriers were not at the base due to essentially chance. In addition, as mentioned before, the Japanese had also struck at the various US Army and Navy airfields around Oahu.
Smoke rises amid the B17s at Hickam Field
US Library of Congress
The largest US Army Air Force base was Hickam Field, located just south of the naval base at Pearl Harbor. The attack began with strafing runs by A6M Zero fighters, followed by strikes from D3A Val dive bombers, initially targeting the large B17 bombers that had been brought in to reinforce the local air defense earlier in the year. The barracks were also hit and set ablaze, and in the two waves of the attack the bombers destroyed almost half of the aircraft based there, and inflicted heavy casualties as well as infrastructure damage.
A wrecked USAAF P40 fighter at Bellows Field
US Army Photo
The Japanese also struck the Army Air Force base at Wheeler Field further inland, which was the main USAAF fighter base on Oahu. The base had a complement of P40B fighters, which were parked in the open as the Japanese planes came in to attack the base. The hangers were bombed by more Vals, as the aircraft on the tarmac blazed. Four fighters were able to get airborne and engage the Japanese, joined by a handful of others from around the island, to take the fight to the vastly outnumbering enemy force.
Soldiers, Sailors and Marines take position to defend NAS Ford Island
USN Photo
Other Japanese aircraft attacked the US Marine Corps Air Station at Ewa, where they destroyed all of the aircraft based there, and the Army Air Force base at Bellows Field was also hit. The US Naval Air Station at Ford Island in the center of the harbor was also attacked as the warships moored all around it were. Its hangars were damaged, and several seaplanes were destroyed as well.
Japanese D3A Val dive bombers as seen from a USAAF B17 bomber over Hawaii
US Air Force Photo
In addition to all of these, their were also twelve USAAF B17 bombers incoming from California, as mentioned earlier, which had confused the officers who received the radar contact reports of the incoming Japanese aircraft. These bombers, known as Flying Fortresses due to their heavy defensive armament, were in this case actually unarmed, as their ammunition had been left on the mainland to save weight and improve fuel economy on the long flight. At first they bombers confused the incoming fighters as friendlies until they were fired upon and began to take evasive action. One was shot down, and all others were able to make landings in the chaos, albeit with damage.
A D3A Val takes fire over Pearl Harbor
Despite the complete surprise achieved by the Japanese, and the difficulty encountered in obtaining munitions, the Americans were able to mount resistance to the attack, both from ground fire and a handful of fighters that were able to take off. 29 Japanese aircraft were lost to American fire during the attack, and a further 74 arrived back at their carriers with damage. 55 Japanese airmen were killed during the attack. In one incident, Shigenori Nishikaichi crashed his damaged Zero fighter on the island of Niihau, where he was placed under guard by locals with a local Japanese family that had agreed to host him. They attempted to escape with the pilot, but the pilot was eventually killed by the locals after attempting to take them hostage. The event would have serious repercussions for Japanese-Americans across the country, stoking existing fears and xenophobia to lead to one of the most infamous policies of the American government during the conflict.
A Japanese midget submarine beached on Oahu after the attack
USN Photo
Of the five midget submarines launched toward the harbor, their effect was negligible. As mentioned before, one had been sighted and engaged by the destroyer USS Ward, which resulted in the loss of the craft. Another had been sunk by depth charges before firing its torpedoes.
Two had entered the harbor, one firing its torpedoes at USS St. Louis before being lost in the harbor, while another fired its torpedoes at the destroyer USS Monaghan before being sunk by the destroyer’s fire.
A final submarine had launched with a broken gyrocompass and eventually ended up beached, with its one surviving crewman becoming the first Japanese prisoner of war captured by the Americans, while his craft was toured around the United States to raise money for the war effort.
The wreck of a US Army Air Force B17 bomber at Hickham Field
US Army Photo
As the Japanese planes retreated to their carriers clouds of black smoke obscured the harbor. The attack had been devastating, with the entire US battlefleet sunk or disabled along with a number of other ships. In addition, the airfields around the island were littered with destroyed aircraft. In total, almost 200 aircraft had been destroyed, with more than 150 damaged, almost 90% of the US air strength in Hawaii. Bases were cluttered with wrecked equipment and bomb craters, placing much of it out of action for the foreseeable future.
The twisted wreck of the USS Arizona burns
USN Photo
Most notable was the human toll: 2,335 were killed, with almost half aboard the USS Arizona. More than 1,000 were wounded, and many civilians were also wounded or killed. Several civilian firefighters were killed responding to the attacks on Hickam Field, becoming the only civilian firefighters to receive the Purple Heart.
People gather outside the White House awating news of a declaration of War
USN Photo
Word of the attack was broadcast via radio across the United States, stoking outrage and grief that was exacerbated as newspapers showed images of the burning warships in the harbor. Anti-war sentiment in the country almost immediately evaporated, replaced with a desire to avenge the attack. Large numbers of people began to enlist in the US Armed Forces, and the next day President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave one of the most famous speeches in American history as he requested a declaration of war from the US Congress. The measure was passed unanimously in the Senate, and with only one vote in opposition in the House of Representatives. The United States was now at war.