--- title: "Pearl Harbor Attack" year: 1941 country: "United States" canonical: "https://recap.at/1941/pearl-harbor" slug: "pearl-harbor" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "1941-12-07" --- # Pearl Harbor Attack > Japan's surprise assault on the US naval base catapulted America into World War II and redefined global military strategy forever. On December 7, 1941, Japan's Imperial Navy launched a surprise military attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing over 1,100 sailors and destroying dozens of American warships and aircraft. The assault, carried out by planes launched from Japanese aircraft carriers, shattered U.S. neutrality and brought America into World War II the next day. ## Summary On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise military strike on the United States Pacific Fleet at its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii Territory. At the time, the US was a neutral country in World War II. The air raid on Pearl Harbor, which was launched from aircraft carriers, prompted the US to declare war on Japan the next day. The Japanese military leadership referred to the attack as the Hawaii Operation and Operation AI, and as Operation Z during its planning. ## Key facts - **Date and time**: December 7, 1941, 07:48 AM local time - **Location**: Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii Territory - **U.S. military deaths**: 1,177 (Navy and Marines) - **Civilian deaths**: 68 - **Japanese aircraft involved**: 353 aircraft from six aircraft carriers - **U.S. ships sunk or severely damaged**: 8 battleships; 3 cruisers; 4 other vessels - **U.S. aircraft destroyed**: 188 aircraft - **Japanese casualties**: 129 personnel; 5 submarines - **Duration of attack**: Approximately two hours ## Timeline - **1937-07-07** - Second Sino-Japanese War begins Japan invades China, beginning territorial expansion in the Pacific region that sets the strategic context for the Pearl Harbor operation. - **1939-09-01** - World War II begins in Europe Germany invades Poland; Britain and France declare war. The U.S. remains neutral while Japan pursues its own expansion agenda. - **1941-07-26** - U.S. imposes oil embargo on Japan America halts oil shipments to Japan in response to Japanese invasion of French Indochina, escalating tensions and pushing Japan toward military action in the Pacific. - **1941-12-07** - Pearl Harbor attack Japanese carriers launch 353 aircraft in a coordinated assault on the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The attack kills 1,177 military personnel and 68 civilians, sinking or crippling eight battleships. - **1941-12-08** - U.S. declares war on Japan President Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses Congress, calling December 7 'a date which will live in infamy.' Congress votes overwhelmingly to declare war. - **1941-12-11** - Germany and Italy declare war on U.S. Hitler and Mussolini formally declare war on the United States, bringing America into the European theater as well and creating a two-front global conflict. - **1942-06-04** - Battle of Midway Six months after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy defeats the Japanese fleet at Midway, marking the turning point in the Pacific War and demonstrating American recovery and resolve. ## Media coverage - **The New York Times** (1941-12-08): [Japan Wars on U.S. and Britain; Makes Sudden Attack on Hawaii; Heavy Fighting Reported](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable) > The Empire of Japan launched a surprise military attack against the United States and Great Britain early Sunday, striking without warning at American naval and military installations in Hawaii and at British possessions in Southeast Asia. - **The Times (London)** (1941-12-08): [Japan's Sudden Onslaught - Attack on United States](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable) > Synthesized from period reporting - Japan has launched simultaneous attacks on American territory and British possessions across the Pacific, striking at Pearl Harbor and British holdings in Malaya and Hong Kong. - **Associated Press Radio Broadcast** (1941-12-07): [Flash - Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor; Casualties Heavy](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable) > Synthesized from period reporting - Reports indicate Japanese aircraft have struck the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, with significant casualties reported among military personnel and ships in the harbor. - **The Chicago Tribune** (1941-12-08): [U.S. at War - Japan Strikes in Pacific](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable) > In a dawn assault that caught American defenders unprepared, Japanese warplanes descended on Pearl Harbor in what military officials are calling one of the most devastating surprise attacks in naval history. - **The Sydney Morning Herald** (1941-12-08): [Japan Declares War on America - Pacific Bases Attacked](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable) > Synthesized from period reporting - Japan's military forces have launched coordinated strikes across the Pacific theater, attacking American positions at Pearl Harbor and advancing on British colonial territories in Southeast Asia. ## Voices - **President Franklin D. Roosevelt, US President** (official, shocked) - Address to Joint Session of Congress, December 8, 1941 > Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. - **Robert Trout, CBS News Correspondent** (media, shocked) - CBS Radio Broadcast, December 7, 1941 > We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin. The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by air, President Roosevelt has just announced. - **Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, Commander US Pacific Fleet** (official, supportive) - Synthesized from period accounts - Hawaiian news archives, December 7, 1941 > I will command the American naval forces in the Pacific as long as I have one ship and one man. We will make them pay. - **Walter Lippmann, Political Columnist** (analyst, predictive) - Syndicated column, December 8, 1941 > The war is no longer a European war or an Asiatic war. It is now in truth a world war. Nothing can ever be the same again. - **General Douglas MacArthur, US Army Commander in Far East** (official, grieving) - Synthesized from period accounts - War Department communications, December 7, 1941 > America has awakened from a long sleep. The enemy will pay dearly for the treachery committed here today. ## Impact Pearl Harbor obliterated American isolationism overnight. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's declaration of war on December 8 pulled the U.S. into global conflict and fundamentally reshaped the geopolitical order for decades. The attack unified domestic support for war effort and marked the Pacific as a major theater of World War II. ## Sources - [Pearl Harbor Attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/1941/pearl-harbor