In the early morning hours of December 7th, 1941, a fleet of Japanese aircraft carriers and supporting vessels steamed toward Hawaii and launched a sneak attack on the US Naval Station at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, home to the US Navy's Pacific Fleet.
Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, initially opposed to military action against America, had planned the attack with the intent of preemptively crippling the United State's ability to counter Japanese invasions in British Malaya and The Duch East Indies. Both resource-rich territories were critical to the Japanese war effort, and they feared that the United States would enter the war when the allied territories were invaded. The Japanese feared a military conflict with America, and the attack on Pearl Harbor was a desperately bold attempt to avoid that conflict.
Before the Pearl Harbor attack, America had largely stayed out of the war. After the loss of over 100 thousand American lives in World War I, there was no appetite to send American soldiers to die in another European war. The Neutrality Act made it challenging for America even to support allied war efforts. That would all change on December 7th, 1941. The devastating attack, designed to keep America out of the war, had the opposite effect. The date did indeed live in infamy, and the attack on Pearl Harbor became a pivotal moment in American and world history.
On this Day of Infamy, we honor the lives lost at Pearl Harbor.
— U.S. Army (@USArmy) December 7, 2024
83 years later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s powerful words still echo the courage and sacrifice of Dec. 7, 1941.
🔊 Turn on your sound to honor them. pic.twitter.com/CJXyla3F2M
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Today, we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor and those lost on that tragic day.
The timeline of events that would change the world.
3:42 am: The USS Condor reports sighting a submarine periscope near the entrance to Pearl Harbor.
6:10 am: Nearly 200 planes take off from Japanese aircraft carriers 275 miles north of Oahu.
6:45 am: The destroyer USS Ward fires on and sinks an unidentified submarine near the entrance to Pearl harbor. Firing the first shots by the United States in WWII.
6:53 am: The captain of the Ward radios headquarters reports the submarine's sinking. Command considered the encounter an isolated incident, and no further action was taken.
7:02 am: A radar operator sights a large formation of unidentified aircraft approaching Oahu and reports the sighting to his superiors.
7:20 am: An army lieutenant mistakenly believes the aircraft the radar operator reported are US B-17 bombers scheduled to arrive at Pearl Harbor that day and disregards the report. Again, no further action is taken.
7:55 am: The attack on Pearl Harbor begins.
8:10 am: The USS Arizona explodes.
8:17 am: The destroyer USS Helm sinks another submarine at the entrance to Pearl Harbor.
8:54 am: A second wave of attacks begins. 170 Japanese planes descended on Pearl Harbor.
9:30 am: The USS Shaw explodes in dry dock.
10:00 am: The attack is over. 2,404 Americans lay dead, 1,177 on the USS Arizona alone.
The USS Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah were lost in the battle.
Ships, including the USS Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Maryland, California, and West Virginia, were repaired and returned to service.
The USS West Virginia was the only ship attacked at Pearl Harbor, present at the formal surrender of Japan on September 2nd, 1945.
For one hour and 15 minutes on December 7, 1941 a Japanese strike force of 365 aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor… if you are blessed enough to have any members of your family who served in that war, or any war for that matter, now is as good a time as ever to thank them. #Infamy pic.twitter.com/L0ZJVxhCQy
— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) December 7, 2024
America would officially declare war the next day.
15 naval personnel were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the attack, and 51 others were awarded the Navy Cross.
A generation of young Americans would be called upon to save the world. The Greatest Generation answered that call.
Here is a sole Navy diver covered in oil
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) December 7, 2024
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, 83 years ago today, he dove down again and again to save as many of his fellow sailors as possible at severe risk to his own life
These were the Americans who won the 2nd World War pic.twitter.com/lMbbGP4bcr
Covered in oil, a diver continues to work among the wreckages after the attack at Pearl Harbor. May we never forget those who pushed their bodies to the limit to save as many as they could.#PearlHarbor pic.twitter.com/qgPXH0gj3N
— GORUCK (@GORUCK) December 7, 2024
Today in 1941, 353 Japanese warplanes strike the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at #PearlHarbor, Hawaii. The raiders sink four battleships, damage 15 other vessels and kill nearly 2,500 Americans. President Roosevelt will famously call December 7 "a date which will live in infamy." pic.twitter.com/SkmGJq7pNK
— Military History Now (@MilHistNow) December 7, 2024
President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the creation of the USS Arizona Memorial in 1958. Designed by architect Alfred Preis, It was officially dedicated in 1962.
To the memory of the gallant men here entombed and their shipmates who gave their lives on this day 83 years ago in action... #PearlHarbor #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/ZsAvjJLryh
— Janine Stange (@THEANTHEMGIRL) December 7, 2024
The flag above the memorial is flown at half-staff on December 7th each year to honor those lost during the attack.
In accordance with Public Law 103-308, the American flag is to be flown at half-staff dawn to dusk on Saturday, Dec. 7, in honor of National #PearlHarborRemembranceDay.#PearlHarbor #PearlHarbor83 #PearlHarborDay pic.twitter.com/xeCZqr0fs1
— The American Legion (@AmericanLegion) December 6, 2024
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor drew America into WWII. They did wake a sleeping giant. Japan and the Axis Powers would be defeated, and America would emerge as a Superpower on the world stage.
83 years ago, our Pacific Fleet faced devastation at Pearl Harbor, but the courage of our Sailors and civilians turned tragedy into resolve. Today, we honor their sacrifice and bravery, a legacy woven into the fabric of our Navy’s history. #PearlHarborRemembranceDay #NeverForget… pic.twitter.com/QpufmuTAJz
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) December 7, 2024
2,404 people lost their lives in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Today, we remember their sacrifice and honor their memory.
Lest We Forget.
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