Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japan launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
December 07, 1941
A Quiet Sunday Morning
At 7:48 AM Hawaiian time on December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft launched from six aircraft carriers appeared over the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Within two hours they had sunk or damaged eight battleships, destroyed 188 aircraft, and killed 2,403 Americans. The United States had not yet entered World War II. By the next afternoon, Congress had declared war on Japan. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.
Why Japan Attacked
Japan had been expanding aggressively through Asia and the Pacific. The US had responded with an oil embargo that threatened to cripple Japan's military. Japanese military planners calculated that a surprise strike could destroy the US Pacific Fleet before it could interfere with their planned expansion into Southeast Asia. They expected to negotiate a settlement from a position of strength. Instead, the attack unified American public opinion overnight — isolationism collapsed in a single Sunday morning.
What Went Wrong for Japan
The attack missed the US aircraft carriers, which were at sea that day. Within six months, American carriers won the decisive Battle of Midway, sinking four Japanese carriers and ending Japan's offensive capability. The industrial might of the US — once mobilized — proved overwhelming. The war ended less than four years after Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 "a date which will live in infamy."