133 Pearl Harbor Facts To Learn About World War Two

Did you know that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii could not destroy the entire American fleet?Although most of the American fleet was left in shambles, two of the battleships, the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri, are actively used today and are anchored at Pearl Harbor now! However, the USS Arizona, after the damage, still leaks fuel.The Pearl Harbor attack caused immense distress and several wars afterward. The attack was planned and carried out by Japan’s then-Prime Minister, Tojo Hideki, and his government on December 7, 1941, on a Sunday morning.There were three primary reasons for this attack: America’s indifference towards Japan, whereby all financial and commercial ties were cut between the two; America’s alliance with the Chinese nation; and Japan’s desire to conquer Southeast Asia, which was rich in minerals and oil.Japan had anticipated that America would try and interfere in its plan to control Southeast Asia. Therefore, to obstruct any such hindrance, they planned to attack Pearl Harbor and destroy the American fleets, thereby suppressing any counter-insurgency. However, this attack had turned out to be much more than what Hideki had expected.Pearl Harbor Day is celebrated every year on December 7 to commemorate the martyrs of the war.Continue reading to learn more intriguing facts about the Pearl Harbor attack! If you like this article, then do not forget to check out USS Arizona facts and Japanese carriers sunk at Midway to discover various facts and much more.Facts About Pearl HarborThe attack on Pearl Harbor was staged on December 7, 1941, by Japan and entirely destroyed the US Pacific fleet.Subsequently, America was led into World War II after a few days as Germany and Italy declared war on it. The Japanese surprise attack lasted nearly 110 minutes, commencing at 7:55 a.m. until 9:45 a.m. Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo led the Japanese forces who were stationed in Hawaii, approximately 230 mi (370 km) north of the island of Oahu.The Japanese planes were launched in two waves within two hours; the first at 7:55 a.m. followed by the second at 8:40 a.m.. The first wave of the Japanese fleet was huge, consisting of 353 planes, including 40 torpedo planes, 79 fighters, 103 level bombers, and 131 dive bombers, besides 65 ships, including four heavy aircraft carriers, two heavy cruisers, 35 submarines, two light cruisers, nine oilers, two battleships, and 11 destroyers that destroyed the Pacific fleet within 15 minutes of the aerial attack initiation.As the Japanese planes flew over the Hawaiian island, Mitsuo Fuchida, the Japanese commander, called out, ’tora, tora, tora!’ or ’tiger, tiger, tiger!’ This message was sent out to the Japanese navy to inform them that they had successfully taken the Americans by surprise. The first Pearl Harbor assault completely destroyed more than 40 planes while damaging even more.The American naval base was taken aback by Japan’s invasion and was able to launch only six planes to counter the deadly attack. On the contrary, the Japanese bombers perfectly targeted the ships that were anchored in the harbor and dropped atomic bombs that washed out most of the battleships within 30 minutes of the attack, during which one of the eight battleships of the US Navy, the USS Arizona, exploded. The others, namely the USS West Virginia, USS Oklahoma, USS California, and USS Utah, were severely damaged.The second wave of the Japanese attack was comparatively less successful, but it was equally devastating, leaving the rest of the battleships, namely the USS Nevada, USS Pennsylvania, and USS Shaw, in wreckage.Although the master plan of attacking the Pacific fleet had begun early in that year, the Americans fired the first shots in the attack. The crew of the Wickes-class destroyer USS Ward was alerted by the minesweeper Condor about a Japanese midget submarine that was spotted above the water near the harbor’s entrance. This led the Americans to open fire on the Japanese attackers.After inflicting heavy damage to the US fleet, the Japanese withdrew shortly after 9 a.m., ending America’s participation in World War II.Historical Facts About Pearl HarborThe primary and only motive of the Japanese Empire to declare war against the United States was to secure their attack on Southeast Asia.The United States supplied natural and industrial resources, especially oil, to the Japanese naval forces for sustenance. However, Japan had its eye on Southeast Asian countries like China that were rich in minerals and oil. On the other hand, the American foreign policy of the late 1930s hinged upon the American-Chinese alliance.Japan’s desire to exert dominance over Southeast Asian countries for resources would lead them into war with the United States; this is what led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.Early in 1931-1932, the Chinese province of Manchuria was under the control of the Tokyo government. They established a puppet state called Manchukuo, which further angered the United Front of the Chinese Nationalists and the Chinese Communist Party. On July 7, 1937, a clash broke out between Japan and the Chinese parties at Marco Polo Bridge, Beijing.At this point, the United States extended their help to the Chinese government and terminated the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation (1911) with Japan in July 1939. Thereafter, the export of war materials to Japan was restricted on orders of President Franklin Roosevelt, which led to the severe crisis of 1941 in Japan.However, Japan had been successful in occupying the whole of Indochina while signing allegiance with the Axis powers that included Germany and Italy. By this time, all the commercial and financial relations with Japan were terminated by the US government, freezing all the Japanese assets and banning the export of petroleum and other materials useful in war.The nature of the relationship between the US and Japan became extremely bitter, especially after their alliance with rival countries. Even though attempts were made to reach a mutual conclusion that would benefit both, it became evident by December of 1941 that it was impossible for the two nations to reach an agreement. As Japan made further attempts to improve its relationship with the US, the Japanese leader, Tojo Hideki, and his government planned on declaring war on the US as they wanted to suppress any kind of hindrance while they prepared to take over the Southeast Asian countries.The attack was executed on a Sunday to take them by surprise. Apart from the airfields at Hickam Field, Wheeler Field, Bellows Field, Ewa Field, Schofield Barracks, and Kaneohe Naval Air Station that were struck, the Japanese air forces did not harm the surrounding areas, including repair facilities, the submarine base, and fuel oil storage.However, the US aircraft carriers that the Japanese were supposed to target were away from the base. As a result, the Japanese launched attacks against the US and British bases in the Philippines, Guam, Midway Island, Wake Island, Malaya, and Hong Kong, emerging as the masters of the South Pacific.Facts About Post Pearl Harbor AttackThe unpreparedness and lack of accountability of the US militia were greatly criticized and directly subjected to carrying the blame and much shame.The attack on Pearl Harbor came to the knowledge of Franklin Roosevelt, the then President of the United States when he was finishing lunch in his office. The rest of the day was spent receiving updates on the surprise attack and drafting his speech to address the Congress about waging war on Japan.The US declared war on Japan the very next day, December 8, 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor and immediately put its military forces into action to reclaim its position in the global market. As America declared war against Japan, the Axis powers, Germany and Italy, sent out their declaration of war against the United States.This led to America’s entry into the global war for power. On the other hand, a commission headed by US Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts was appointed by the president to investigate the facts and probe the details of the attack. No war in history had received such varied opinions and theories as Pearl Harbor had managed to gather for itself.Many theorists, such as Robert A. Theobald, had the opinion that Roosevelt’s ‘unrelenting diplomatic pressure’ enticed Japan to initiate hostilities with a surprise attack by holding the Pacific fleet in Hawaiian waters as an invitation to that attack. However, this theory has been debunked on many occasions, alongside providing evidence for Roosevelt’s desire to postpone such clashes and hold the US forces accountable for the disaster.Facts About People Who Died In Pearl Harbor AttackThe attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians, as well as the US army.Nearly 2,343 men were killed in the attack, leaving 1,272 men gravely injured. Around 960 men could not be traced. Among the US troops, 2,335 servicemen were killed and another 1,143 were severely wounded. About 68 civilians were dead, and it left 35 men with irreparable injuries.In the case of Japan, only 65 men were killed, and one pilot was held hostage by the US army. This particular pilot, who had landed on a small island in Hawaii called Niihau, was supposed to be picked up by the designated submarine in that area, but it was breached before he could reach there.While Roosevelt was drafting and redrafting his speech to address the US crisis led by the Japanese troops, he made a slight change in his narrative - from ‘a day that will live on in world history’ to ‘a day that will live in infamy.’ This proliferated human sentiments and obtained mass participation in the act of vengeance.The extent of the disaster was unfathomable, and the Americans were all-in to avenge the deaths of their fellow martyrs, brothers, husbands, and fathers. It became a war being waged by every American household and even other neighboring countries that favored them. ‘Remember Pearl Harbor!’ was avidly used as the primary slogan by the Americans during World War Two.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 133 Pearl Harbor facts to learn about World War Two, then why not take a look at fun facts about Russia, or Cold War facts.The author of the second image is Robert Linsdell

Did you know that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii could not destroy the entire American fleet?