The attack killed 2,335 service members and 68 civilians, and wounded 1,178 people. In less than two hours, 353 Japanese aircraft destroyed or damaged 19 Navy ships. They went on to hit seven other active battleships-the USS Oklahoma, USS Nevada, USS Pennsylvania, USS West Virginia, USS Maryland, USS Tennessee, and USS California-as well as a former battleship, the USS Utah, which had become a target ship.
At 8:10, they dropped a 1,760-pound bomb on the USS Arizona, causing an explosion that reportedly lifted the battleship out of the water. on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japanese bomber planes appeared over Pearl Harbor. A Fateful Day for the USS ArizonaĪt 7:55 a.m. The fact that the bombing was a surprise made it especially powerful. This played a large role in why Pearl Harbor was attacked. Though Pearl Harbor was the base of the Pacific Fleet, it was not well defended. It also did not think Japan had the firepower to inflict so much damage. did not expect an attack in Hawaii, 4,000 miles from Japan. Navy's Pacific Fleet was the only thing standing in its way. Desperate for resources, Japan aimed to conquer new territory in Southeast Asia. In 1940, Japan aligned itself with Germany and Italy. Instead of curbing Japanese expansion, as the U.S. tightened restrictions against Japan, cutting off shipments of petroleum and military supplies, as it increased aid to China. Tensions escalated on the political front as well. And after the destruction of the Chinese capital of Nanking in 1937 by the Japanese and what became known as the Nanking Massacre, American popular opinion definitively favored China. was on friendly terms with China and opposed Japan's growing militarism in Asia. and Japan had been moving toward war for years. The bombing of Pearl Harbor itself was a surprise, but the U.S. Army during World War II, and millions more joined the war efforts on the homefront. All told about 8.3 million men and women enlisted in the U.S. declared war on Japan the next day, and men and women across the country rushed to join the war effort. For millions of American families huddled around their radios, it was an unforgettable day marking the beginning of their World War II stories. naval base in Oahu, Hawaii and killed 2,403 Americans. On December 7, 1941, the surprise bombing by Japanese forces hit a major U.S. The attack on Pearl Harbor pulled the United States into World War II.