Facts On Pearl Harbor

Details and specifics regarding the Japanese attack

© Chad Criswell

Jul 12, 2007

As one of the most successful surprise attacks in the history of warfare, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor stands out. The facts on Pearl Harbor speak for themselves, over 2,400 people were killed during the attack, with eighteen American ships suffering damage. This may or may not seem like a dramatic amount of casualties in terms of the whole of World War Two, but consider these facts:

Precursors To The Pearl Harbor Attack:

• The United States had also annexed the Hawaiian Islands in 1898 and was a point of contention between the two countries.
• Japan was already engaged in a brutal war with China and signed a pact with Germany and Italy in order to continue funding its efforts. Japan's mindset was that in the future there would be three sphere's of influence in the world as a whole. Europe under Hitler's command, Asia under the Japanese flag, and the Americas, dominated by the United States.
• Japan feared that the United states with their huge naval force would enter the war at any time.
• A 1940 trade embargo by the United States against Japan caused significant financial problems and in part led to the final Japanese decision to launch the attack.

Facts On The Pearl Harbor Attack:

• The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor with a force of 423 planes based on three aircraft carriers. The entire fleet of thirty ships went relatively undetected throughout its journey to Hawaii.
• The entire attack lasted less than four hours and resulted in the sinking of 21 out of 96 of the ships anchored in the harbor.
• Out of nearly 400 fighter planes sitting at airbases on the island 188 were destroyed and another 159 damaged.
• An often forgotten fact is that in addition to the aerial bombings six Japanese midget submarines participated in the attack. One was sunk by the USS Ward as it attempted to sneak into the harbor just a few hours BEFORE the aerial attack started.

The Aftermath of the Japanese Attack On Pearl Harbor:

• In the four years after the attack all but three of these sunken ships were repaired, refitted, and returned to active duty.
• The Japanese had incorrectly assumed that if they could cripple the US Pacific Fleet that the country as a whole would be demoralized and significantly set the country back as they struggled to rebuild. Instead, the attack solidified the emotions of the people and led to the eventual fall of the Japanese Empire.
• The United States entered the war as a strong fighting force within just sixty days after the Pearl Harbor bombing, a far cry from the six to eighteen months expected by the Japanese.

For even more detailed facts on the Pearl Harbor attack you may want to visit the Naval Historical Center web site's Pearl Harbor FAQ or take a look at some of the great Pearl Harbor related articles written here at Suite101.

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