Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbour: The Planning, Execution, and Impact
Why Japan Planned the Attack
By the late 1930s, Japan’s imperial ambitions had grown significantly. The empire sought to establish dominance in Asia and the Pacific under the banner of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, which aimed to expel Western colonial powers and secure resources for Japan’s expanding economy and military. However, Japan's expansion into Manchuria (1931) and China (1937) provoked economic sanctions from the United States, Britain, and other Western powers.
The United States’ oil embargo in 1941 was particularly crippling. Japan relied heavily on imported oil to fuel its military and industrial operations, and the embargo threatened to bring its war machine to a halt. Facing this crisis, Japan’s leaders believed they had two options: withdraw from their imperial conquests or secure the resources they needed by force. Japan chose the latter, targeting Southeast Asia’s resource-rich colonies. However, this plan risked a direct confrontation with the United States, whose Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor posed a significant threat to Japan’s ambitions.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was intended to neutralize the U.S. naval threat, allowing Japan to seize territories in Southeast Asia without interference. Japanese leaders hoped the strike would be so devastating that the United States would sue for peace rather than engage in a prolonged war.
Planning the Attack
The mastermind behind the attack was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander-in-chief of Japan's Combined Fleet. Yamamoto was a reluctant architect of war with the United States, knowing that Japan could not sustain a long conflict against America’s industrial power. However, he believed a swift, decisive blow could give Japan the upper hand in the early stages of the war.
Strategic Planning
The plan, codenamed Operation Z, was meticulously crafted. Japan’s naval forces would launch a surprise attack using aircraft carriers, targeting the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack aimed to destroy battleships, aircraft carriers, and other key vessels, as well as cripple American air power stationed on Oahu. This would give Japan free rein in the Pacific for months, allowing it to consolidate its territorial gains.
Key Players
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto: The strategic planner and overall commander of the attack.
Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo: Commander of the First Air Fleet, responsible for executing the attack.
Commander Mitsuo Fuchida: The lead pilot who coordinated the aerial assault.
Lieutenant Commander Minoru Genda: The chief planner who developed the detailed strategy for the attack.
The attack involved six aircraft carriers—Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku, and Zuikaku—and over 400 aircraft. Japan’s forces trained extensively, practicing torpedo bombing in shallow waters to adapt to Pearl Harbor’s conditions. The fleet sailed in strict radio silence across the Pacific to maintain the element of surprise.
The Attack on Pearl Harbour
Pre-Dawn: The Approach
3:42 AM:
A U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Ward, spots a Japanese midget submarine attempting to infiltrate Pearl Harbor. The destroyer opens fire, sinking the submarine—the first shots fired in what would become a day of infamy. However, this warning goes largely unheeded.
16:10 AM:
The first wave of Japanese aircraft, launched from six aircraft carriers approximately 230 miles north of Oahu, begins its approach. The fleet consists of 183 planes, including bombers, torpedo bombers, and fighters.
First Wave: The Assault Begins
7:55AM
first wave reaches Pearl Harbour. Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, leading the attack, signals "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!), indicating that surprise has been achieved.The first bombs strike Wheeler Field, a U.S. Army Air Corps base, destroying planes on the ground to prevent an aerial counterattack.
Simultaneously, torpedo bombers descend on Battleship Row, targeting the moored vessels
The USS West Virginia and USS California are struck and begin sinking, while the USS Nevada attempts to escape the harbour but is heavily damaged and forced to ground itself to avoid blocking the channel.
A rescue boat retrieves a seaman Sinking of USS California
from the burning USS West Virginia
The USS Arizona is hit by an 800-kilogram armour-piercing bomb that penetrates the ship’s deck and detonates in its forward ammunition magazine. The explosion is catastrophic, ripping the battleship in half and causing a massive fireball visible for miles. Over 1,100 sailors aboard are killed instantly, many of them trapped below decks.
USS Arizona
8:10AM:
The USS Oklahoma is hit by multiple torpedoes and capsizes, trapping over 400 sailors inside. Rescue efforts begin but are hampered by ongoing attacks and limited resources.
USS Maryland & USS Oklahoma capsized
Second Wave: Continued Destruction
8:40AM:
The second wave of 171 Japanese aircraft arrives, targeting additional airfields and military installations Field, Bellows Field, and Ford Island suffer extensive damage, with dozens of planes destroyed. Ships already crippled from the first wave are bombarded further, compounding the devastation.
Airmen at Hickam Field watch as bombs explode. The Hickam Field airbase was heavily targeted during the attack, and Japanese bombers sought to prevent counter-attacks from US forces by disabling American planes on the ground
9:00AM :
The USS Shaw, a destroyer, is struck in the forward section, causing an explosion that sends debris flying into the harbour. Fires rage uncontrollably across the fleet
Smoke and flames rise from the USS Shaw.
9:30 AM:
The second wave concludes, and Japanese planes retreat to their carriers. The attack lasts less than two hours but leaves Pearl Harbour in ruins.
Immediate Aftermath
By the time the attack ends, 21 U.S. ships are damaged or destroyed, including 8 battleships. Over 300 aircraft are destroyed or incapacitated. The human toll is staggering: 2,403 Americans are killed, including 1,177 aboard the USS Arizona, and 1,178 are wounded.
The USS Arizona: A Floating Tomb
The USS Arizona was the most tragic loss of the day. After being struck by a single bomb that ignited its forward magazine, the battleship exploded with such force that it sank within minutes. Of the 1,512 crew members aboard the Arizona that morning, 1,177 perished, including the ship’s captain, Franklin Van Valkenburgh. Many of the sailors were trapped below deck, unable to escape the inferno or the rapidly flooding compartments.
Despite rescue efforts, the intensity of the fire and the speed of the sinking made saving those trapped nearly impossible. The Arizona remains submerged in Pearl Harbor, serving as a solemn memorial to the lives lost. To this day, oil from the ship, referred to as the "tears of the Arizona," continues to seep from the wreckage.
Timeline After the Attack
10:00 AM:
Emergency crews begin battling fires and rescuing survivors from damaged ships and airfields. The devastation overwhelms medical facilities, with makeshift triage centers set up across the base.
1:00 PM:
Reports of the attack reach Washington, D.C. President Franklin D. Roosevelt begins drafting his address to Congress, calling for a declaration of war against Japan.
December 8, 1941:
President Roosevelt delivers his famous "Day of Infamy" speech to Congress. The United States formally declares war on Japan, marking its entry into World War II.
December 11, 1941:
Germany and Italy, honouring their alliance with Japan, declare war on the United States, transforming the conflict into a truly global war
The Toll of Pearl Harbour
Lives Lost:
A total of 2,403 Americans died during the attack, including 68 civilians.1,177 sailors died on the USS Arizona, making it the single greatest loss of life on any ship that day. Over 400 sailors died aboard the USS Oklahoma, many of them trapped as the ship capsizedWounded:1,178 Americans were injured, many suffering severe burns and injuries from explosions. Equipment and Ships:21 ships were damaged or destroyed, including 8 battleships.188 aircraft were destroyed, and 159 were damaged.
Eyewitness Accounts
The attack was a traumatic and chaotic experience for those at Pearl Harbour. Survivors recalled the eerie calm before the onslaught, followed by the deafening roar of planes and the explosions that shook the harbour.
Seaman First Class Donald Stratton, a survivor of the USS Arizona, described the horror of the ship’s destruction:
"I saw men on fire, diving overboard to escape the flames. The water was coated with oil, and those who jumped into it were ignited. It was a scene of unimaginable devastation."
Army Air Corps pilot George Welch, stationed at Wheeler Field, managed to get his fighter plane airborne despite the chaos. He engaged Japanese aircraft and became one of the first American pilots to shoot down enemy planes during the attack.
Local residents of Honolulu also witnessed the bombing. Mary Naiden, a schoolteacher, recalled:
"The sound of explosions woke us. We climbed onto the roof and saw planes diving low, black smoke rising in the distance. It was terrifying, and we didn’t know what was happening."
Aftermath and Consequences
The attack on Pearl Harbor achieved Japan’s immediate objective of crippling the U.S. Pacific Fleet, but it also galvanized American resolve. On December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed Congress, calling December 7 "a date which will live in infamy," and the United States declared war on Japan. Four days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, bringing America fully into World War II.
Japan’s failure to destroy U.S. aircraft carriers, which were not in port during the attack, proved critical in the long term. Moreover, the attack united Americans, transforming public opinion from isolationism to a determination to defeat the Axis Powers. The devastating blow Japan had intended to neutralize the U.S. instead became the catalyst for its eventual defeat.
Legacy of the Attack
The attack on Pearl Harbour remains a symbol of both the devastation of war and the resilience of the American spirit. The surprise assault galvanized the United States, uniting a once-divided nation in its determination to defeat the Axis Powers. Today, the USS Arizona Memorial, constructed over the sunken remains of the battleship, stands as a tribute to those who lost their lives and a reminder of the sacrifices made during World War II. Eye-witness testimonies, preserved through oral histories, continue to bring the events of that fateful day to life for future generations, ensuring that the lessons of Pearl Harbour are never forgotten.
The attack left over 2,400 Americans dead, including military personnel and civilians, and more than 1,100 wounded. The USS Arizona alone accounted for nearly half the casualties, with over 1,100 sailors trapped aboard as it sank. Additionally, over 300 American aircraft were destroyed or damaged.
Isoroku Yamamoto Admiral Chuichi Nagumo Commander Mitsuo Fuchida Lt, Minoru Genda
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)