A row of battleships (“Battleship Row” are concrete piles to which heavy ships were moored side to side) at Pearl Harbor. From left to right: USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee (damaged) and USS Arizona (sunk).
The attack of Pearl Harbor (Pearl Bay) or, according to Japanese sources, the Hawaiian operation is a sudden combined attack by Japanese carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier formation of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo and Japanese midget submarines, delivered to the site of the attack by submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on the American military. naval and air bases located in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, which occurred on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. As a result of the attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base, the United States was forced to declare war on Japan and enter World War II. The attack was a preventive measure against the United States, aimed at eliminating the American navy, gaining air supremacy in the Pacific region and subsequent military operations against Burma, Thailand, and the US's western possessions in the Pacific Ocean. The attack consisted of two air raids involving 353 aircraft from 6 Japanese aircraft carriers. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the main reason the United States entered World War II. Because of the attack, especially its nature, public opinion in America changed dramatically from an isolationist position in the mid-1930s to direct participation in the war effort. On December 8, 1941, US President Franklin Roosevelt spoke at a joint meeting of both houses of Congress. The President demanded that from December 7, from “a day that will go down in history as a symbol of shame,” to declare war on Japan. Congress adopted a corresponding resolution.
A model of the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor, built in Japan in 1941 during the planning of the attack on the base. The arrangement of the ship models extremely accurately reproduces their real place in the “line of battleships.”
Background
After the First World War, the Pacific Ocean became an arena of contradictions between two strong maritime states - the USA and Japan. The United States, rapidly rising to the position of the leading world power, sought to establish control over this strategically important region. Japan, which was experiencing serious difficulties in providing strategic materials and considered itself deprived of colonies in Southeast Asia, was striving for the same goal. The contradictions inevitably had to result in a military conflict, but this was prevented by the isolationist and anti-war sentiments that dominated American public opinion. These moods could only be destroyed by a strong psychological shock, which did not take long to arrive. The introduction of economic sanctions against Japan by the United States, which included an embargo on the supply of petroleum products, made war inevitable. Japan was faced with a choice - to suffocate under the economic blockade or die with honor, trying to obtain the resources it needed in battle. The top Japanese generals understood that for an unconditional victory over the United States it was necessary to defeat the American Pacific Fleet, land troops on the west coast of the United States and fight to Washington, which, given the ratio of the economic and military potentials of the two countries, was completely unrealistic. Forced to enter the war under pressure from the political elite, they relied on the only chance they had - with one powerful blow, inflicting unacceptable damage on the United States and forcing them to sign peace on terms favorable to Japan.
Pearl Harbor before the attack
The main events of December 7, 1941 unfolded around Fr. Ford Island, a small island in the center of the East Loch of Pearl Harbor. There was a naval airfield on the island, and there were ship moorings around it. Off the southeastern shore of the island. Ford is located so-called “Battleship Row” - 6 pairs of massive concrete piles designed for mooring heavy ships. The battleship is moored simultaneously to two piles. A second ship can moor alongside it.
View of Pearl Harbor and a row of battleships during the Japanese attack
By December 7, there were 93 ships and support vessels in Pearl Harbor. Among them are 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 5 submarines, 9 minelayers and 10 minesweepers of the US Navy. The air force consisted of 394 aircraft, and air defense was provided by 294 anti-aircraft guns. The base garrison numbered 42,959 people. Ships in the harbor and planes at the airfield were crowded together, making them a convenient target for attack. The base's air defense was not ready to repel attacks. Most of the anti-aircraft guns were not manned, and their ammunition was kept under lock and key.
Japanese aircraft carriers are heading for Pearl Harbor. The photo shows the flight deck of the Zuikaku aircraft carrier in its bow, twin installations of universal 127-mm type 89 guns. The Kaga aircraft carrier (closer) and the Akagi aircraft carrier (further) are visible ahead. The differences between the aircraft carriers of the 1st Division are clearly visible; the Akagi has a superstructure located on the port side.
Story
To attack Pearl Harbor, the Japanese command allocated an aircraft carrier force under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, consisting of 23 ships and 8 tankers. The formation consisted of a Strike Group consisting of six aircraft carriers: Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, Shokaku, Soryu and Zuikaku (1st, 2nd and 5th aircraft carrier divisions), Group cover (2nd detachment of the 3rd battleship division), two heavy cruisers (8th cruiser division), one light cruiser and nine destroyers (1st destroyer squadron), an advance detachment consisting of three submarines and a supply detachment of eight tankers. (Futida M., Okumiya M. The Battle of Midway Atoll. Translated from English. M., 1958. P. 52.) The aviation group of the formation consisted of a total of 353 aircraft.
The operation, which was carefully planned and prepared, was led by the commander of the combined Japanese fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Particular importance was attached to achieving surprise in the attack. On November 22, 1941, the task force gathered in the strictest secrecy in Hitokappu Bay (Kuril Islands) and from here, observing radio silence, headed for Pearl Harbor on November 26. The transition took place along the longest (6300 km) route, characterized by frequent stormy weather, but least visited by ships. For camouflage purposes, a false radio exchange was made, which simulated the presence of all large Japanese ships in the Inland Sea of Japan. (Soviet military encyclopedia. T.6. P. 295.)
Briefing on the deck of the aircraft carrier Kaga before the attack on Pearl Harbor
However, for the American government, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was not so unexpected. The Americans deciphered the Japanese codes and read all Japanese messages for several months. The warning about the inevitability of war was sent on time - November 27, 1941. The Americans received a clear warning about Pearl Harbor at the last moment, on the morning of December 7, but the instruction about the need to increase vigilance, sent via commercial lines, reached Pearl Harbor only 22 minutes before the Japanese attack began, and was transmitted to the messengers only at 10:45 minutes when it was all over. (See: History of the War in the Pacific. T.Z.M., 1958. P. 264; Second World War: Two Views. P. 465.)
In the predawn darkness of December 7, Vice Admiral Nagumo's aircraft carriers reached the aircraft lifting point and were 200 miles from Pearl Harbor. On the night of December 7, 2 Japanese destroyers fired on the island. Midway, and 5 Japanese midget submarines launched at Pearl Harbor began operating. Two of them were destroyed by American patrol forces.
At 6.00 on December 7, 183 aircraft of the first wave took off from aircraft carriers and headed for the target. There were 49 attack aircraft - type "97" bombers, each of which carried an 800-kilogram armor-piercing bomb, 40 attack aircraft-torpedo bombers with a torpedo suspended under the fuselage, 51 dive bombers of the "99" type, each carrying a 250-kilogram bomb. The covering force consisted of three groups of fighters, numbering a total of 43 aircraft. (Futida M., Okumiya M., op. cit. p. 54.)
The first aircraft is ready to take off from the aircraft carrier Shokaku at Pearl Harbor
The skies over Pearl Harbor were clear. At 7:55 am, Japanese planes attacked all large ships and aircraft at the airfield. There was not a single American fighter in the air, and not a single gun flash on the ground. As a result of the Japanese attack, which lasted about an hour, 3 battleships were sunk and a large number of aircraft were destroyed. Having finished bombing, the bombers headed for their aircraft carriers. The Japanese lost 9 aircraft.
Destroyed Naval Air Station at Pearl Harbor
The second wave of aircraft (167 aircraft) took off from the aircraft carriers at 7:15 am. In the second wave there were 54 attack bombers of the 97 type, 78 dive bombers of the 99 type and 35 fighter jets, which covered the actions of the bombers. The second strike by Japanese planes met stronger American resistance. By 8.00 the planes returned to the aircraft carriers. Of all the aircraft that took part in the air raid, the Japanese lost 29 (9 fighters, 15 dive bombers and 5 torpedo bombers). Manpower losses amounted to a total of 55 officers and men. In addition, the Americans sank one submarine and 5 midget submarines, whose actions turned out to be ineffective.
The abandonment of the battleship Nevada inside the harbor during the attack on Pearl Harbor. On this day, she became the only American battleship that managed to get underway and tried to leave the bay. However, due to the threat of sinking by the Japanese in the fairway, the Nevada was ordered to beach. In total, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, the battleship Nevada was hit by 1 aerial torpedo and 2-3 aerial bombs, after which it ran aground.
Japanese aviation
In total, three types of aircraft were based on the Japanese aircraft carriers that participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, widely known by the code names given to them in the American Navy: Zero fighters, Kate torpedo bombers and Val dive bombers. Brief characteristics of these aircraft are given in the table: 
Japanese A6M Zero fighters before taking off to attack the American base at Pearl Harbor on the deck of the aircraft carrier Akagi. The photo was taken a few minutes before departure.
Aircraft of the first wave
Group numbers are conditional for designation on diagrams.
Aircraft of the second wave 
Group numbers are conditional for designation on diagrams.
Results
As a result of the Japanese airborne attack on Pearl Harbor, the strategic goal of preventing the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese operations in the south was largely achieved. 4 American battleships were sunk and 4 more were badly damaged. 10 other warships were sunk or disabled; 349 American aircraft destroyed or damaged; among the killed or wounded Americans - 3,581 military, 103 civilian. (The Second World War: Two Views. P. 466.)
The Japanese victory could have been even more significant. They failed to cause the slightest harm to the enemy aircraft carriers. All 4 American aircraft carriers were absent from Pearl Harbor: 3 of them went to sea, one was being repaired in California. The Japanese made no attempt to destroy the huge American oil reserves in Hawaii, which in fact were almost equal to the entire Japanese reserves. The Japanese formation, with the exception of the ships that were part of a specially organized formation, which consisted of the 2nd division of aircraft carriers, the 8th division of cruisers and 2 destroyers, headed for the inland Sea of Japan. On December 23, it arrived at the anchorage near the island. Hasira.
Thus, by 10 a.m. on December 7, the American fleet in the Pacific actually ceased to exist. If at the beginning of the war the ratio of the combat power of the American and Japanese fleets was equal to 10: 7.5 (History of the War in the Pacific. T.Z. P. 266), now the ratio in large ships has changed in favor of the Japanese naval forces. On the very first day of hostilities, the Japanese gained supremacy at sea and gained the opportunity to conduct extensive offensive operations in the Philippines, Malaya and the Dutch Indies.
The defeat of the American Pacific Fleet, based at Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, remains one of the most painful topics in the history of the United States today.
A large-scale attack by Japanese forces led to the destruction of 4 American battleships, three cruisers, three destroyers, and about 250 aircraft; more than 2,400 American military personnel were killed.
The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred without a declaration of war; the American fleet was completely unprepared to repel it, which led to a serious defeat.
US President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 a day “that will go down in history as a symbol of shame” and demanded that Congress declare war on Japan. This demand was immediately fulfilled.
Throughout the war, Americans were dominated by the idea of “revenge for Pearl Harbor.” They took revenge on both those who were directly responsible for the attack and those who were completely uninvolved in it. Even the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was seen by some as revenge for the humiliation of December 7, 1941.
Eliminate the admiral
Among those whom the American Avengers personally hunted, number one was the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet of the Empire of Japan during World War II. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.
In April 1943, American intelligence, during Operation Magic, was able to intercept and decipher information about plans regarding Admiral Yamamoto's travels. This made it possible to prepare a special operation to eliminate the Japanese commander-in-chief.
The green light for this action was given personally by US President Roosevelt, who asked Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox"get Yamamoto."
Paradoxically, the man who became “target number one” for the Americans was one of the most vehement and consistent opponents of the war with the United States.
In 1904, a graduate of the Japanese Naval Academy found himself in the thick of the Russo-Japanese War. In the Battle of Tsushima, which was victorious for the Japanese, Yamamoto was wounded, losing two fingers of his left hand. The injury did not affect his desire to continue military service, however, it may have formed a negative attitude towards military conflicts in general.
"White Crow" among the militarists
Yamamoto believed that all conflicts must be resolved at the negotiating table. After studying in Japan, he attended Harvard and then served as naval attaché at the Japanese Embassy in the United States.
He took part in the second London Naval Conference in 1930 with the rank of rear admiral and in the 1934 London Naval Conference with the rank of vice admiral.
While militaristic sentiments were gaining strength in Japan, Yamamoto remained a “black sheep” - he was opposed to the invasion of Manchuria, the war with China, and had an extremely negative attitude towards the conclusion of an allied pact between Nazi Germany and fascist Japan.
Yamamoto's position extremely irritated supporters of the war, who began to openly threaten him.
“To die for the Emperor and for the Motherland is the highest honor for a military man. Flowers rise in a field where a hard, brave battle took place. And even under the threat of death, the fighter will be forever faithful to the Emperor and his land. The life and death of one person means nothing. The Empire is above all... They can destroy my body, but they will never be able to conquer my will,” Yamamoto responded to all threats.
Isoroku Yamamato, 1934. Photo: Public Domain
In 1939, he was appointed to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the United Fleet. This appointment was connected with the desire to remove Yamamoto from Tokyo, where the nationalists almost openly threatened him with death.
The commander-in-chief of the Japanese fleet foresaw the outcome of the war
When the decision about the upcoming war with the United States was actually made in 1941, many believed that Admiral Yamamoto would lose his position, but this did not happen.
His opponents knew that the admiral was faithful to his oath and, despite his views, would carry out the orders received. In addition, Yamamoto had very high authority in the navy.
Yamamoto actually carried out the order he received, developing a plan for the attack on Pearl Harbor. At the same time, the admiral foresaw how further events would develop.
“I will move forward uncontrollably for half or a whole year, but I absolutely cannot guarantee the second or third year,” the admiral said when asked about military prospects.
According to Yamamoto, in order to defeat the United States, the Japanese army “needs to march all the way to Washington and sign America’s surrender at the White House.” “I doubt that our politicians (who talk about the Japanese-American war with such carelessness) are confident in victory and are ready to make the necessary sacrifices,” said the Japanese admiral.
Yamamoto's prediction was completely justified. After the first months of a successful offensive, Japanese forces lost the initiative and their position in the war began to rapidly deteriorate. Despite this, the Commander-in-Chief of the United Fleet continued to try to rectify the situation. He didn’t really believe in success, but he did his duty.
Hunters and prey
In February 1943, Japan was defeated at the Battle of Guadalcanal, resulting in the final loss of strategic initiative in the war.
Admiral Yamamoto, realizing that after this failure the soldiers and officers were in a difficult psychological state, decided to personally inspect the troops of the South Pacific. The inspection took place in April 1943, and American intelligence officers managed to intercept information about it.
The Americans learned that on the morning of April 18, Yamamoto would fly from Rabaul to Ballalae airfield, which is located on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands.
The 339th Fighter Squadron, 347th Fighter Group, 13th Air Force, was chosen to carry out the interception, as their P-38 Lightnings had sufficient range. The American pilots were notified that they would be intercepting a "significant senior officer" but were not informed of the name of their target.
The Japanese did not know that information about the commander-in-chief's movements was available to the enemy, but they feared for his safety. Admiral Yamamoto was offered to cancel the flight, but he flatly refused. Taking a seat next to the pilot in the Betty bomber, the admiral set off on a 319-mile flight right on schedule.
19 P-38s specially equipped with additional fuel tanks were to fly from Guadalcanal Island to intercept the plane carrying the admiral. In reality, 18 were able to take off, then another one returned to base due to a breakdown, and two more fell into the sea. The remainder flew at low altitude and maintained radio silence for almost the entire 430-mile flight to avoid detection.
Isoroku Yamamato, 1940. Photo: Public Domain
"Killers" attack
Initially, the detachment of American aircraft was divided into a “killer group” and a “cover group.” It was assumed that the first of them would include four aircraft, the pilots of which must destroy Admiral Yamamoto’s plane at any cost, while the rest would engage in battle with Japanese covering fighters.
The “group of killers” included Lt. Thomas Lanphier, Lt. Rex Barber, Lt. Joe Moore and Lt. Jim McLanagan. However, Moore did not take off due to damage, and McLanagan returned back due to problems with the fuel supply system. Lieutenants Besby Holmes and Ray Hine were urgently transferred to the “killers”, who, however, were inferior to Moore and McLanagan in skill.
At about 9:30 Tokyo time, American and Japanese planes met in the skies over Bougainville Island. The Japanese group included two Betty bombers (Admiral Yamamoto himself flew on one, the officers accompanying him on the other) and six Zero cover fighters. The main group of P-38s engaged the Japanese fighters in combat, while the "killers" were ordered to attack the bombers. But a technical malfunction was discovered on Holmes' plane, and he and Hine left the battle. As a result, two bombers attacked - Thomas Lanphier and Rex Barber.
They completed their task - the first Betty crashed into the jungle, the second made an emergency landing on the water. The Americans did not have the opportunity to finish off the grounded plane, since it was necessary to return to base due to an extreme shortage of fuel.
The Americans did not suffer any casualties directly during the attack, but upon returning to base they were intercepted by Japanese fighters. During this attack, the plane of the would-be “killer” was shot down Ray Hine, who died.
Award posthumously
There were three survivors in the Betty bomber that landed on the water. One of them turned out to be Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki, who will become a propagandist of the “kamikaze war”. In August 1945, the admiral himself became a suicide pilot, dying during an attack on American ships in the Okinawa area.
The plane carrying Admiral Yamamoto crashed into the jungle. Rescue squad under the command of the army engineer Lieutenant Hamasuna got to the crash site the next day. None of those who flew in this bomber survived. Admiral Yamamoto's body was found under a tree, strapped to his seat. The hand of the deceased clutched the handle of a katana - the admiral died, as befits a true warrior, with a weapon in his hands. An examination showed that Yamamoto died before he fell to the ground, from bullet wounds received when the plane was fired upon.
The admiral's remains were cremated, taken to Japan and buried with honors. Posthumously, Isoroku Yamamoto was awarded the title of "Admiral of the Fleet", as well as Japan's highest award - the Order of the Chrysanthemum.
Isoroku Yamamato's grave in Tokyo. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
The “skin” of the murdered admiral was shared for more than half a century
The operation to eliminate Admiral Yamamoto made an extremely difficult impression on the Japanese military. It was believed that the admiral, despite all his negative attitude towards the war, was almost the only one who could effectively fight the Americans. His death was a heavy blow to Japan and boosted morale in the US Army.
Participants in Operation Revenge received awards, but a conflict arose between Thomas Lanphier and Rex Barber that lasted for three decades. Each of their pilots insisted that it was he who ended Admiral Yamamoto.
Only in 1975, one of the Japanese pilots who were part of the cover group described the exact picture of what was happening, after which it became known for sure that the “Betty” on which the admiral was flying was shot down by Rex Barber.
However, the dispute continued after this, and only in 2003, after examining the wreckage of a downed bomber for traces of hits, the destruction of Admiral Yamamoto was indisputably attributed to Barber. True, the pilot himself did not live to see this - he died in 2001 at the age of 84.
30. ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR
I fired him from office because he showed no respect for the authority of the President. Just because. I didn’t kick him out because he’s a stupid son of a bitch, although that’s true, but among the generals it’s not considered a vice at all. Otherwise, half, if not three-quarters of our generals would have ended up in prison.
President Tarry Truman on the removal of General MacArthur from command of American forces in Korea
The date of the attack on Pearl Harbor was not chosen by chance. In a report to the Emperor, Admiral Nagano (Chief of the General Staff of the Navy) explained: “We will gain additional advantages by starting operations on Sunday, the American rest day, when a relatively large number of warships are concentrated in the port of Pearl Harbor.”
Nagano also told the emperor: “We believe that the most favorable time will be approximately the twentieth day of the lunar cycle, when the moon shines in the sky from midnight to sunrise.” After consulting the lunar calendar, Japanese military leaders found that Sunday, December 7, 1941, fell on the nineteenth day of the lunar cycle, and decided that this was exactly what was needed.
An unprecedentedly powerful carrier strike force of six ships under the command of Admiral Nagumo was accompanied by two high-speed battleships, three cruisers, nine destroyers, three submarines and eight tankers, which were to replenish fuel supplies on warships en route. Braving winter storms, the Japanese chose a northern route away from the main shipping routes, avoiding areas they knew were being patrolled by air. The weather, considering the time of year and latitude, was very favorable. Transferring fuel - a task that would have been very difficult in a storm with strong seas - was carried out in calm weather under the cover of fog. Even in the final stages of the operation, the weather favored the Japanese. When the first wave of planes approached Pearl Harbor, the clouds parted at the most favorable moment, so that everyone became convinced that the operation was guaranteed by the grace of the gods.
The Japanese expected their ships to be discovered and attacked. Yamamoto warned his men that they would likely have to fight their way back to their original positions. They were amazed to find that the Americans were completely unprepared for the attack and offered virtually no resistance.
Unlike the Western powers, Japan recognized the importance of intelligence. The spies provided the Japanese command with detailed diagrams of Pearl Harbor's piers and schedules for the arrival and departure of American battleships. Of particular importance when planning the operation was the fact that on weekends the American fleet, as a rule, was in the harbor. However, nothing contributed more to the success of the Japanese raid than the lack of long-range aerial reconnaissance by the Americans. During the investigation into the causes of the disaster, the excuse was put forward that there were only 36 combat-ready aircraft available, thus conducting a full-fledged all-round reconnaissance was impossible. First, the Navy could have asked the Army for aircraft, but interdepartmental rivalries prevented this. Secondly, in any case, it was generally believed that the attack, if it was to take place at all, was to be expected from the north, so at least the available reconnaissance aircraft could be concentrated in this sector.
On December 3, the codebreakers read a message sent from Tokyo to the Japanese Embassy in Washington, ordering the codebreakers to destroy all encryptors and encryption tables with the exception of one machine and one set. The Assistant Secretary of State, having reviewed this document, said that "the chances of avoiding war have decreased from one in a thousand to one in a million." President Roosevelt was of the same opinion. “When do you think this will start?” - he asked the assistant for naval affairs, who showed him this interception. But Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, saw no signs of impending war. The fleet continued to live according to peacetime laws. Even despite the successful operation at Taranto, American admirals continued to stubbornly cling to the assumption that a torpedo dropped from an aircraft required depths of at least 100 feet to be effective. Kimmel banned the installation of anti-torpedo nets in the area of the piers, saying that it would interfere with the movement of ships.
It seems that the generals and admirals agreed on one thing: there should be no concessions to the looming threat of war. On the day before the Japanese attack, Rear Admiral Leary, who was inspecting the light cruiser Phoenix, specially put on white gloves to check for dust. Only after the end of the inspection the team was released ashore. However, in practical terms, the ship turned out to be completely unprepared for battle: when the attack began the next morning, it was necessary to cut the locks off the doors of the cruise chamber and tear down the awnings over the anti-aircraft guns in order to clear the field of activity for them. In addition, it turned out that many anti-aircraft shell fuses were unreliable: unexploded shells “rained down onto the shore.”
Officers who demanded that their subordinates prepare for war instead of a peaceful routine were extremely unpopular. The senior officer (first deputy commander) of the cruiser Indianapolis, who kept the ship in “combat readiness number two,” that is, with its guns uncovered, ready for battle, and ammunition prepared, listened to complaints from his wife: “The wives of all the officers of the cruiser ask me: “ What is Indianapolis doing? Are you going to fight alone? Their husbands are hardly at home, and they are very upset about it.” After the attack, when the senior officer’s fears were confirmed, the captain said: “Another week and the crew would have thrown us overboard.”
Long ago, back in 1921, Air Corps General "Billy" Mitchell carried out a demonstration bombing of old battleships, showing that aircraft were capable of sinking large warships. This did not please either the large steel corporations that built these mighty ships, which formed the basis of the fleets of all the world's leading powers, or the battleship-loving admirals who stood at the head of these fleets. The sinking of the leviathans was explained by the fact that Mitchell had violated the restrictions placed on him by those who were determined to ensure the failure of his demonstration at any cost. Despite some lessons from the first year of the war in Europe, the striking power of bomber aircraft was soon forgotten. Even Yamamoto had to fight back in Japan with skeptics who doubted the possibility of destroying large warships with air strikes.
Conspiracy theory
The chaos and confusion that led to the disaster gave rise to hundreds of far-fetched theories. Through his domestic policies, Roosevelt made fierce enemies who were willing to believe the worst about him. There are plenty of books and articles about what happened, sometimes from the pens of high-ranking American officials. Many baselessly claim that President Roosevelt deliberately provoked Japan by contributing to the disaster at Pearl Harbor. To prove their point, they cite misinterpreted and distorted reports of US-Japanese negotiations, claiming that the President had an inkling of the impending attack.
The most comprehensive work on what happened is a 3,500-page work by Gordon W. Prange, the result of 37 years of research. In it, the author rightly rejects all such fictions. How can one accept that Roosevelt was willing to sacrifice the Pacific Fleet - the most important weapon of the impending armed conflict - in order to justify a declaration of war?
The most absurd theories are those accusing Churchill of plotting to drag the United States into the war. The British Prime Minister allegedly knew about the impending attack on Pearl Harbor, but did nothing to prevent it. One recent book claims that the British read messages sent by Admiral Nagumo's strike force, but Churchill kept the results of the interceptions secret from the United States. In fact, the Americans could read Japanese codes themselves, but Nagumo was so determined to maintain radio silence that the operator keys were physically removed from all transmitters.
No one knew better than Winston Churchill how vulnerable the British colonial possessions were. For two years, Britain drained troops stationed in Southeast Asia to continue the fight against the German war machine. She survived 1941 solely thanks to the ongoing support of Roosevelt and the help of the American fleet in the Atlantic. If there was one thing Churchill wanted to avoid, the first on that list was the Japanese invasion of Malaya and Burma (the inevitable consequence of which would be the diversion of United States military forces to the Pacific theater).
But the Pearl Harbor disaster was marked by a huge number of mistakes and short-sighted stupidity. Prange's work rejects the idea of placing all the blame for what happened on any specific people.
“A huge stain of shame lies on all of America, from the President to the Fourteenth Naval District and the Department of Hawaii. There are no Pearl Harbor scapegoats.”
On the morning of the attack, Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, the pilot chosen by Genda to lead the strike force, woke up at 5 o'clock. At breakfast they told him: “Honolulu is sleeping.” When asked how this was known, the officer on duty replied that they were broadcasting calm music on the radio.
Having carried out the last refueling of the ships, Nagumo conveyed a message from Yamamoto to the personnel of the strike force. Following Admiral Togo, who based his 1905 address to the navy on Nelson's famous order before the Battle of Trafalgar, Yamamoto declared: “The rise and fall of the empire depends on the outcome of this battle. Let everyone do their duty."
The carrier armada took up its initial positions 235 miles north of the target at 6 a.m. on December 7, 1941. Vice Admiral Nagumo was on board the aircraft carrier Akagi. The wind fluttered the historical “Z” flag raised on the mast, which was on Togo’s flagship during the Battle of Tsushima in 1905, which ended in a crushing defeat for the Russian fleet.
Two of Nagumo's aircraft carriers, Shokaku and Zuikaku, were completely new, and their pilots had no combat experience. They had to provide support for the actions of the main forces. The first to take off were the Aiti E13 A (“Jake”) flying boats. They had to make sure that there were no enemy ships in the path of the strike armada. Then all aircraft carriers turned to the east, against the wind, and increased speed to 24 knots. Their decks rose upward at an angle of 10 degrees. Fuchida subsequently said that under normal conditions, “not a single plane would have been allowed to take off... Every plane that took off was greeted with loud shouts.” The flagship, Kara, Soryu and Hiryu launched the first wave into the air. Most of the pilots refused to take parachutes, saying that if the plane was seriously damaged, they would “turn it into a bomb” - at the cost of their lives they would direct it at the enemy.
The first wave consisted of 183 vehicles. First, 43 A6M2 Zero fighters took off from the decks of aircraft carriers, quickly gaining altitude to cover the takeoff of the remaining aircraft from the air. Then 51 Aichi DZA4 (Val) dive bombers took off, then 49 Nakajima B5N2 (Kate) bombers and, finally, another 40 of the same machines equipped with the main weapon - torpedoes. Two planes never made it to Pearl Harbor: one Keith suffered an engine failure, and one Zero crashed on takeoff. All aircraft (181) took off in 15 minutes; During the exercise, this could not be accomplished in less than 20 minutes.
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
First raid. Starts at 7.40 am, duration 30 minutes
40 torpedo bombers
49 bombers
51 dive bombers
43 fighters
9 aircraft shot down
Second raid. Starts at 8.50 am, duration 65 minutes
54 bombers
78 dive bombers
35 fighters
20 aircraft shot down
The numbers on the diagram indicate (from northwest to southeast in each group of ships):
1. Minelayers “Ramsey”, “Gamble”, “Montgomery”
2. Minelayers “Trever”, “Breeze”, “Zane”, “Perry”, “Wasmouth”
3. Destroyers "Monaghan", "Farragut", "Dale", "Aylwin"
4. Destroyers "Henley", "Patterson", "Ralph Talbot"
5. Destroyers Selfridge, Keyes, Tucker, Reid, Coningham; messenger ship "Whitney"
6. Destroyers “Phelps”, “Maedonow”, “Worden”, “Dewey”, “Hull”; messenger ship "Dobbin"
7. Submarines “Narwhal”, “Dolphin”, “Toytog”; aircraft "Thornton", "Halbert"
8. Destroyers Jarvis and Mugford (between Argonne and Sacramento)
9. Destroyer "Cummings"; minelayers “Preble”, “Tracy”, “Pruitt”, “Sicard”; destroyer "Schley"; minesweeper "Greb"
10. Minesweepers “Bobolink”, “Vaireo”, “Terki”, “Rail”, “Tern”
The remaining ships, not shown in the diagram, were anchored in Western Bay. Also, the diagram does not show boats, tugs and auxiliary vessels.
The plan provided that if the effect of complete surprise was achieved, the Keiths would be the first to strike, but if the enemy offered serious resistance, the attack would be led by dive bombers. The signal should have been given just before approaching the target by Commander Fuchida.
Flying over thick clouds, Fuchida himself heard the “calm music” of American radio stations and used the signal from the commercial radio station KGMB in Honolulu to reach the target. The station did not normally broadcast this early in the morning, but the Air Force paid it to broadcast music throughout the night so that B-17 bombers heading to the Hawaiian Islands could tune their direction finders to the signal. Some warned that this was very bad for reasons of secrecy, since everyone knew when planes from the mainland flew to Hawaii.
At half past six in the morning, a naval aviation PBI flying boat discovered a small Japanese submarine at the entrance to the port and, dropping depth charges, sank it. At 6.45 in the morning, the operator of a land radar station saw a dot on the screen - it was one of the Japanese flying boats sent for reconnaissance. This long-range radar detection station for air targets SCR-270 in the town of Opa-na looked through exactly the sector of the ocean where the Japanese fleet was located. The radar operators did not attach much importance to the incident, but after a few minutes the screen lit up with numerous dots indicating the approach of a large group of aircraft.
On weekdays, radar operators worked around the clock, but on weekends, the shift ended at seven o'clock in the morning, after which the radars were turned off. On that fateful day, the car taking the soldiers to breakfast was delayed. Operator Joseph Lockard's testimony:
“At 7.02 Elliott, crouching in front of the screen, suddenly exclaimed: “What is this?” “Let me take a look,” I said. There was a huge glowing spot on the screen; I've never seen anything like this!
When we first discovered them, they were, I think, 155 miles away. Now I’m no longer sure of these figures, but I remember for sure that the planes were approaching us strictly from the north... At first we decided that there was some kind of equipment failure, so we ran a series of tests... All devices were functioning properly, so we began to determine the coordinates of the target. Then someone suggested that we contact our superiors by phone. [The telephone operator, after a long search, connected the operators to Lieutenant Kermit Tyler.] We were told: “Everything is in order. B-17s are due to arrive from the States; True, they have gone very far off course.”
We tracked the target for a while, then called headquarters again. Lieutenant Tyler told us not to worry.
We were flying the planes, but when they were about 20 miles from the island, they disappeared from the radar screen due to interference caused by the signal reflected from the mountain ridge."
At 7:40 a.m., Fuchida, flying along the coast of Oahu, fired a flare. This was the signal for the bombers to turn in to attack Haleiwa and Wheeler airfields and Schofield Barracks. However, the escort fighters did not see this missile, so Fuchida was forced to launch a second one. Two missiles were a signal that it was not possible to take the defense by surprise. Therefore, the planes began to act according to a backup plan. Instead of a successive strike first by torpedo bombers and then by bombers, the formation of Japanese aircraft collapsed and a free hunt began.
A 550-pound bomb hit the barracks at Hickham airfield and exploded in the mess hall, killing soldiers eating breakfast there. Japanese pilots, unopposed, flew at very low altitudes. Some planes with fixed landing gear cut telegraph wires with them. American soldiers on the ground retained for the rest of their lives nightmarish memories of pilots looking at them from the cockpits of low-level aircraft. The Japanese attack on Hickham airfield coincided with the approach of B-17 bombers, some of which were shot down during landing. The rest, turning towards Bellows airfield, ran into Japanese fighters. American bombers were unable to repel their attacks, since all machine guns had been removed and mothballed. The American planes stationed at the airfields made excellent targets. By order of the commander of the ground forces, they stood wing to wing - as he explained, to prevent sabotage.
Looking around the inner roadstead, Fuchida saw battleships crowding around Ford Island. At 7.49 he sent a conditional message notifying the fleet of the start of the attack. All history textbooks contain this war cry: “Torah! Torah! Torah!" (“Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!”).
In fact, the radios installed on Japanese aircraft were very primitive. Messages were transmitted not by radiotelephone, but using Morse code.
Lieutenant Commander Tadakazu Yoshioka, who was on the Akagi, was in charge of communications, and he chose two different, easily recognizable signals for the message. Fuchida was to announce the start of the attack by transmitting a dot-dot-dash-dot-dot (“to”) signal, followed by a dot-dot-dot (“ra” signal if the enemy was surprised) ). For greater reliability, the signals should have been transmitted three times. Yoshioka subsequently admitted that he had no intention of turning the two syllables of tora into the word “tora,” Japanese for “tiger.” Be that as it may, the radio operator of Fuchida’s plane transmitted the agreed signal.
Pearl Harbor, located on the south coast of Oahu, is an intricate, winding harbor ideal for a naval base. In the middle of the open water is Ford Island, around which there are numerous piers, including the “battleship row”, where large ships were moored two at a time.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, flags were raised on the battleships peacefully moored at the berths. On the Nevada, when the first Japanese planes rushed towards it, the orchestra played the American anthem. The belief “this is simply impossible here” was so deeply rooted in everyone’s minds that most American sailors refused to believe their own ears and eyes. Many people have only heard the music of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The Arizona helmsman says:
“But then bombs started falling, deafening explosions were heard and - boom! - one of them hit the bow of our battleship. I said to someone standing nearby: “It seems that someone will get the first number. They hit the ship!” I still continued to believe that these were exercises, but too close to a combat situation, since the battleship was damaged.”
Another member of the Arizona's crew, Don Stratton, a sailor first class, shared his impressions fifty years after the incident in a special issue of Life magazine:
“We received a hit on the starboard side, and immediately the ammunition and aviation kerosene caught fire. There was a terrible explosion, and a fireball shot up 400 feet into the air. Of the 50 or 60 people who were at the post with me, I think only six survived. 60 percent of my skin was burned. The Vestal, an auxiliary ship moored nearby, threw a line at us and we walked over it on our hands, 45 feet above the surface of the water.”
To penetrate the thick armored decks of battleships, the Japanese used 16-inch shells converted into 1,760-pound cumulative bombs. One such bomb pierced the deck of the Arizona in the area of the main caliber turret number two and hit the cruise chamber, which contained over a million pounds of explosives. A terrible explosion followed, throwing the huge ship 20 feet above the surface of the water, after which the battleship broke in two and quickly sank at a depth of 40 feet.
Admiral Kimmel ran out onto the lawn of his house, pulling on his white jacket as he walked. From there the “battleship row” was clearly visible. His neighbor (the wife of Captain Earl, the chief of staff of the fleet) saw that Kimmel's face was as white as his jacket. Kimmel recalled: “The sky was full of enemy planes.” Before his eyes, the Arizona jumped above the water, crashed down and disappeared from sight.
It seems they hit “Oklahoma,” Mrs. Earl noted.
Yes, I see,” Kimmel responded.
Provided that the aircraft descended to a very low altitude, the wooden horizontal rudders installed on Japanese torpedoes ensured that the torpedo dived only to a depth of 35 feet, and then, without getting stuck in the bottom mud, it floated to combat depth and rushed to the target. (In May 1991, during the clearing of the bottom, one such torpedo was raised to the surface. Currently, its tail section with improved horizontal rudders is on display at the Arizona Memorial.)
One sailor on the upper deck of the West Virginia calmly watched the dive bombers approaching their target. He was so sure that this was a training exercise that he moved to the other side to look at the torpedoes dropped into the water.
“We saw three planes flying very low above the surface of the water drop torpedoes. My friend, patting me on the shoulder, said: “When they hit the ship, we will only hear a soft knock.” And suddenly there was a hellish roar, and a wall of water, like a wave in a force twelve storm, rolled across the deck and washed us to the opposite side. Our ship was hit by six more torpedoes. The Tennessee was hit by a bomb. Our captain's insides were torn out by a huge fragment. We carried him down, and he gave orders until his death.”
Oklahoma was hit by seven torpedoes. She was struck first by Second Lieutenant Jin'ichi Goto, who claimed that he was flying approximately 60 feet above the surface of the water. "The anti-aircraft fire was very heavy," Goto recalled on the fiftieth anniversary of the attack. Seeing a column of water raised by the explosion, he exclaimed: “Atarimasita!” - “I got it!”
The fuel oil leaking from the California's tanks caught fire, and soon the entire port was filled with black smoke. "Oklahoma" lay on board and sank. One of her crew, George DeLong, was in the aft helm compartment, located third floor below deck level, a crypt-like space that would normally be avoided by claustrophobics. Delong took his place at the alarm signal, then the command was heard: “Close the watertight bulkheads!” - and its compartment was tightly sealed from the outside. DeLong and seven of his comrades remained inside.
Almost immediately after this, torpedo explosions thundered, and the huge battleship began to lie on its side. “All the cutlery and other items fell off the table onto the floor.” The lights went out and the ship continued to capsize. “I realized that now my head is where my legs were just recently. When the ship finally stopped spinning and we were able to let go of what we were holding on to, we realized that it had turned upside down.”
Water began to seep into the ventilation system openings. The sailors, using the means at hand, tried to plug up all the cracks as tightly as possible, but the water continued to rise. When she had already risen to her chest, the sailors began to knock on the hull with a wrench, giving an SOS signal using Morse code. After some time, a hole was made in the sheathing using pneumatic drills, and DeLong was saved. He was 19 years old at the time, and he was destined to remain alive and tell about what happened to him fifty years later. Most of his comrades died.
By 0825, six battleships had been sunk, sinking, or seriously damaged. The first air raid lasted about thirty minutes. The second wave, consisting of 167 aircraft, arrived at 8.40. Bombers struck first, then dive bombers, and fighters came last. By this time, the number of American anti-aircraft guns entering the battle had increased significantly, and they managed to shoot down three fighters.
One young naval reserve midshipman who was delivering documents to Pacific Fleet headquarters that morning remembers the incident as if it were just yesterday:
“On that fateful morning, I had to go into the office of Admiral Husband Kimmel several times. He was a lean, middle-aged man, very hot-tempered. He looked nothing like the actors who played him in the films. Far from calm and collected, the real Admiral Kimmel cursed and screamed every time he read the terrible reports of sinking and exploding battleships, destroyed aircraft on airfields and bombed barracks that I delivered to him. He became flushed and excited. I don’t blame him for taking out all his anger on me, since I only brought bad news that day.”
Kimmel had every reason to be angry. He received this position by going over the heads of other naval commanders, after his predecessor as commander of the Pacific Fleet strongly opposed the transfer of the main base from San Diego to Pearl Harbor. Kimmel now knew that all the anger would be directed at him—and the commander of the ground forces stationed in Hawaii—and he would undoubtedly be removed from office.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred at a time when there were no American aircraft carriers at the base. The Sara Toga was sent to California for repairs and maintenance. The Enterprise, which was transporting aircraft to the Marine Corps base on Wake Atoll, was supposed to anchor thirty minutes before the attack began, but was delayed while replenishing fuel supplies. SBD-2 aircraft taken off from an aircraft carrier. The Dauntless, bound for Ford Island, encountered the first wave of Japanese bombers. The naval pilots thought that they were facing ground aircraft from the UAF airfield, a Marine Corps Air Force base, but then their planes came under fire from anti-aircraft guns and were attacked by Japanese fighters. However, even now the American pilots could not believe that the war had begun. Midshipman Manuel Gonzalez shouted on the radio: “Please don’t shoot! This is board six-b-three. This is an American plane!”, but it was shot down by a Zero. Of the sixteen Dauntless, five vehicles were hit. Some were shot down by Japanese fighters, the rest by American anti-aircraft gunners. The Enterprise, turning to the west, headed away from the island and returned only after dark. But even by that time the sky had not yet become safe. A naval hospital orderly recalls:
“It was already getting dark when four low-flying planes appeared over the strait, heading for the piers. Almost all naval anti-aircraft guns opened fire on them. The saddest thing is that it turned out that these were American planes from the aircraft carrier Enterprise. Three planes were shot down, and the pilot of the fourth was taken to our hospital with numerous injuries. In total, the hospital could accommodate about 300 patients. By midnight we already had 960 wounded. And on the street, like stacks of firewood, 313 dead were stacked.”
It was vital for the Japanese to destroy all American aircraft so that none of them could track the Japanese bombers returning to the aircraft carriers and determine the location of the fleet. Airfields were therefore the primary target, and the first raid used more aircraft to attack American airfields than to attack warships. At 9 am a second wave of Japanese planes appeared. Each pilot had his own specific mission, with the main emphasis being on bombing airfields.
The last Japanese planes turned back at approximately 9.45. On the ground, 188 American aircraft were destroyed and 159 were damaged. Fuchida lingered over the target for a long time, studying the consequences of the strike. On the way back, he found two Zeros that had gone off course and escorted them home. After the attack began, Japanese aircraft carriers moved an additional 40 miles closer to shore to assist aircraft that were running low on fuel.
Having landed, Fuchida saw refueled and armed aircraft standing on the flight deck, ready for a new flight. While the carrier force remained in place to allow damaged aircraft to find it, an exchange of views took place on the Akagi's bridge. Fuchida was not the only one pushing for a third strike. The pilots of the squadrons based on Hiryu and Soryu were also eager to return. The captain of the Kaga personally asked for permission to strike targets that, according to his pilots, remained untouched. On the other hand, the technicians could not help but notice how much more damage the Japanese planes received during the last raid. American anti-aircraft gunners woke up, their guns were ready for battle. They had to meet the next blow fully armed.
In addition, there was a possibility that the strike force would be suddenly attacked by American aircraft carriers. It seems that this consideration alone was enough to make the decision to withdraw, although in reality everything was just the opposite: the powerful formation posed a mortal danger to the surviving American ships. The overly cautious Nagumo decided that what had already been done was enough. The carrier force turned back, maintaining radio silence. Requests from two stray Japanese bombers to signal direction finders went unanswered.
The Japanese pilots were not able to act with complete impunity. The 47th Interceptor Squadron, 5th Fighter Group, having performed unsatisfactorily in target practice, was exiled to Haleiwa Airfield on the northwest coast of Oahu for additional training. Two of its pilots managed to get their P-40B fighters into the air. These pilots danced all night and then went to the barracks, where they played poker until the morning. One nice story claimed that they jumped into the cockpits of their planes in tuxedos, but, alas, recent research shows that the pilots still managed to reach their beds and were asleep when the Japanese attack began. Without receiving permission to take off and without even passing pre-flight checks, the two lieutenants took their planes into the air and headed towards the Yua airfield, where there was the highest activity of enemy aircraft. Kenneth Taylor and George Welch shot down four Keiths between them. Welch then added "Val" and "Zero" to his victories. No one can say for sure which of the two won the first American Air Force victory of the war. According to Taylor: “George and I agreed not to tell anyone who would win the first victory, so that the survivor could take credit for it.” Both pilots survived and both received awards, but Welch's nomination for the Medal of Honor was rejected because he took off without orders!
The pilot of one of the Dauntless from the Enterprise, shot down over Pearl Harbor, had the opportunity to see the scene of events while descending by parachute. He saw that the Nevada had lifted anchor and began to slowly emerge from the “battleship row.” “All her anti-aircraft guns were firing,” he recalls. Even after another heavy bomb hit the deck, exploding with a “deafening, ear-splitting roar,” the gunners did not abandon their posts. “Several people were killed, many were wounded; but only one gun stopped firing.”
The American artillerymen fought desperately. First Lieutenant Zenji Abe, one of the Japanese pilots, recalls:
“When I appeared over Kaneohe Bay, the whole sky above the clouds was covered in explosions of anti-aircraft shells. I was surprised at how dense the barrage was. The American anti-aircraft gunners reacted so quickly. A shiver ran down my spine. The entire Pearl Harbor was covered in black smoke, through which tongues of flame broke through. I concentrated, trying to find a target. Finally I decided on a large ship. As it turned out later, it was “Arizona”.
The Army radar station at Opana was turned on again at 9 a.m., just in time for operators to spot Japanese planes returning to their carriers. But no one thought to ask them what they had found, so when at 11:40 a.m. six B-17 bombers took off in search of the Japanese fleet, they headed south and, of course, found nothing.
Now, with only twenty-five Catalina flying boats and a dozen B-17s remaining unharmed, command discovered that aerial reconnaissance still feasible. Soon the flying boats were already combing the sea within a radius of 700 miles - in all directions. The Flying Fortress bombers were put on thirty-minute alert.
Meanwhile, there was a desperate struggle to save the sailors trapped in huge steel hulls. 16-year-old apprentice shipyard worker John Garcia said:
“The next morning I took my instrument and set off for the West Virginia. The battleship turned upside down. We found survivors inside... For about a month we cut off the West Virginia's superstructure to turn it back over. By the eighteenth day we managed to free approximately three hundred surviving sailors."
When asked how these people managed to stay alive, Garcia replied: “I don’t know. We were so busy that we didn't have time to ask."
The restoration of sunken battleships was a magnificent demonstration of engineering. Even before the end of the war, all of them, with the exception of three, were completely repaired and put into operation. But the United States government, with acetylene torches already tearing into the steel of the crippled battleships, continued to believe that the American public was not yet ready to learn the whole truth about what happened at Pearl Harbor.
Secretary of the Navy Colonel Frank Knox returned to New York from Hawaii with encouraging news. At a press conference, he told reporters that one battleship, the Arizona, was lost, and the other, the Oklahoma, lay on its side but could be restored. Knox assured them that the balance of power in the Pacific had not changed significantly and “the entire United States Pacific Fleet - its aircraft carriers, heavy cruisers, light cruisers, destroyers and submarines - undamaged by the raid, is at sea and looking for a meeting with the enemy."
Noticing the absence of battleships from the list of ships “seeking a meeting with the enemy,” one journalist asked whether the battleships had put to sea. Knox replied that they had left. The Times of London, reprinting Knox's statement, noted that: “The full description of the losses given by the Secretary of the Navy, on the whole, made an encouraging impression. Americans are no more afraid of the truth than the British... Only dictators are forced to keep their people in the dark.”
During this attack, unprecedented luck accompanied the Japanese in all respects. Until then, very few people realized that aircraft carriers were the decisive offensive weapons of fleets. But fate played a cruel joke on the Japanese. The attack on Pearl Harbor proved the importance of aircraft carriers, but the operation as a whole ended in complete failure. American aircraft carriers were not destroyed at the very beginning of this war, in which carrier fleets were destined to play a stellar role. The ancient battleships that sank at shallow depths in the harbor were of no value. Moreover, their loss forced American admirals to recognize the dominant role of high-speed aircraft carriers.
And, fortunately for the Allies, American aircraft carriers were excellent ships; the last of those that entered service were superior to all those available at that time in the world. The two sister ships, Yorktown and Enterprise, were built from selected materials, with attention to the smallest details. According to one expert, these were the “Cadillacs” of aircraft carriers... Fast, reaching speeds of up to 33 knots, maneuverable, stable, capable of carrying large aviation units on board, the Yorktown class aircraft carriers were equipped with reliable waterproof bulkheads, and also had good flight armor deck and engine room."
At Pearl Harbor, 4.5 million tons of fuel remained in oil storage facilities that were not damaged in the attack. Dry docks, warehouses with all kinds of spare parts and workshops with precision equipment were also untouched. And it was not luck: all these objects were not on the Japanese target list. Also, the submarine base at Quarry Point was not hit.
Submarines
In 1930, the strategists of the Imperial General Staff recorded their opinion that the Americans were too soft-bodied to endure the physical hardships and moral stress of a long submarine campaign. As a result, the Japanese fleet completely neglected preparations for anti-submarine warfare - and this mistake turned out to be fatal. Constantly short of a merchant fleet, Japan found itself strangled by the American submarine fleet - just as Great Britain, overwhelmed by German submarines in the Atlantic, almost suffered the same fate. Towards the end of the war, one of the most famous American submariners, Medal of Honor recipient "Red" Ramage, said:
“...we found out that we took part in the first “wolf pack” in the Pacific Ocean. We adopted the successful experience of the German “wolf packs” operating in the Atlantic... More and more attacks were carried out at night from the surface.”
The vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean and the fanatical resilience of the Japanese became the reason for their ruthless attitude towards drowning people. Ramage adds:
Although the Japanese underestimated the threat from the American submarine fleet, they valued their own submarines very highly. Huge amounts of money and effort were spent on creating such underwater monsters as STO boats - a class with a displacement of 6,500 tons. Submarines equipped with aircraft became widespread. Many Japanese admirals were confident that it would be submarines, not aircraft carriers, that would have the decisive say in the attack on Pearl Harbor. A total of 28 Japanese submarines and five midget boats took part in the operation, without achieving any success.
Japanese submarines constantly fought against enemy warships. They always had to confront the most powerful ships of the American fleet. But the contribution of submarines to the war was determined by their use against the weak: they were supposed to torpedo tankers and transport ships.
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75 years ago Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft and submarines attacked the American military base at Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. TASS recalls how defeat became the foundation for victory.
Treacherous and without a declaration of war
The attack on Pearl Harbor began at 7:55 a.m. Hawaiian time. After receiving the order from Tokyo, more than 300 aircraft took off from the aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, Soryu, Zuikaku and Shokaku. In addition, mini-submarines took part in the attack. The Japanese took the American military by surprise: a third of the personnel were resting on the shore. For two hours, imperial naval aviation methodically destroyed the ships and planes in the harbor that did not even have time to take off from the airfields.
The degree of confusion of the Americans is evidenced by a panicked radiogram from the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Husband Kimmel, which was transmitted to “all forces on the high seas.” The message read: "The air raid on Pearl Harbor is not a training exercise. I repeat, this is not a training exercise."
The death of the battleship Arizona became a symbol of terrible carnage and chaos. The dropped bomb pierced the deck and hit the bow powder magazine. The ship's ammunition was stored here, which was instantly detonated. Of the approximately 1,400 crew, 1,177 sailors were killed. In total, the Americans lost 2,395 people killed. Four battleships, a cruiser, two destroyers, several auxiliary ships and 188 aircraft were destroyed. Another 10 ships and over 150 aircraft were damaged. Japanese losses were incomparably smaller: 64 people died and 29 aircraft were shot down.
The very next day after the attack, US President Franklin Roosevelt delivered a “war message to the nation” in Congress. War was declared on Japan.
Yesterday, on a day forever marked by infamy, the United States of America was unexpectedly and deliberately attacked by the Japanese Navy, said Roosevelt. — An hour after Japanese air squadrons began to bombard Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleagues conveyed to the Secretary of State a formal response to a recent American message. And although this response contained a statement that the continuation of ongoing diplomatic negotiations seemed futile, there was no threat or hint of war or armed attack!
"A Very American Story"
The word “Pearl Harbor” has since become a household word for Americans; it means a heavy, cruel and at the same time completely unexpected defeat, followed by a feeling of deepest confusion and helplessness. The defeat of a favorite baseball team is a “sports Pearl Harbor,” while the bankruptcy of a company is a “financial Pearl Harbor.” The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were first called by the French philosopher Paul Virilio “the new Pearl Harbor,” and then this became a commonplace in the American press and journalism.
But the philosophy and mythology of Pearl Harbor necessarily has a second part: after defeat, the hero gathers his strength and begins to restore justice - takes revenge on his offenders.
This is a very American story, we really believe in it, I believe in it too,” said Oscar-winning documentary director Michael Moore during one of his public lectures. - That the “bad man” won, but this is temporary, while we feel bad, but then we will definitely give him a kick... This happened before, and Pearl Harbor is just about this.
[Hover over the dots to see targets hit by Japanese pilots on the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor]
After the attack on Hawaii, the Americans acted extremely harshly. And perhaps they acted most harshly within the country. In 1941–1942, 120 thousand Japanese living on the west coast of the United States were placed in special camps. The authorities doubted their loyalty. In official documents, the camps were called “relocation centers,” but they were often also called “concentration centers.” General John Lesesny DeWitt, who led the “movements,” was not particularly shy in his expressions. At congressional hearings, he said that "a Jap is always a Jap" and that "American citizenship does not mean loyalty; we must always show concern for the Japanese until they are wiped off the face of the earth."
Operation Revenge
In April 1942, the American Air Force, in retaliation for Pearl Harbor, organized a special raid: 16 tactical bombers, taking off from the American aircraft carrier Hornet, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, bombed Tokyo. The Dolittle Raid marked the first time in the history of military aviation that land-based bombers took off from the short deck of an aircraft carrier. From a purely military point of view, the raid is dubious and ineffective, but it has a tremendous political and propaganda effect. For the first time, bombs fell on the capital of the Japanese Empire, which had previously been considered completely inaccessible to enemy aircraft. Just two years later, the MGM film company made a feature film about the raid, “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo,” which was a huge success.
In early 1943, American naval intelligence carried out an operation codenamed "Revenge". The goal is to eliminate the commander-in-chief of the Japanese fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who planned and carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor. The plot is like an adventure film. They are trying to follow Yamamoto, trying to intercept his radio communications. The Americans have access to the admiral's flight schedule. A real hunt begins for him. Eventually, US Air Force pilot Lieutenant Rex Barber shoots down the admiral's plane.
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are sometimes also called unjustifiably cruel revenge for Pearl Harbor. When Barack Obama took part in laying flowers at the memorial to the victims of the bombing in Hiroshima in May of this year, then-presidential hopeful Donald Trump did not approve of this and wrote on his Twitter microblog: “Has President Obama ever discussed a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor?” during a visit to Japan? Thousands of Americans died then."
Tears of the Battleship Arizona
Today, December 7, is no longer a “day of shame,” as Roosevelt said, but National Day of Remembrance. It was celebrated before, but Barack Obama, who was criticized by Trump for insufficient patriotism, assigned a special official status to it by decree. The former military base has been turned into a memorial: veterans and active-duty military come here every year. Tourists from Japan also come. The battleship Arizona, which was sunk during the attack in 1941, was not raised. A concrete structure has been erected above the ship's hull; the deck lies literally a few meters below it and is clearly visible. To this day, oil is leaking drop by drop from the Arizona's engine room, spreading across the water as a lilac-scarlet spot. The Americans say that this is “a battleship crying for its crew.”
According to established tradition, every US president must at least once honor the memory of sailors at the site where the Arizona sank. The memorial was also visited by both the current Emperor of Japan, Akihito, and the previous Emperor, Hirohito, the same one under whom the empire attacked Pearl Harbor. Next to the sunken Arizona stands the battleship Missouri, on board of which the unconditional surrender of Japan was signed on September 2, 1945. Thus, Washington turned perhaps its greatest defeat into victory.
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A row of battleships (“Battleship Row” are concrete piles to which heavy ships were moored side to side) at Pearl Harbor. From left to right: USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee (damaged) and USS Arizona (sunk).
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Pearl Harbor attack(Pearl Bay) or, according to Japanese sources, the Hawaiian operation - a sudden combined attack by Japanese carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier formation of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo and Japanese midget submarines, delivered to the site of the attack by submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on American naval and air bases , located in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, which occurred on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. As a result of the attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base, the United States was forced to declare war on Japan and enter World War II. The attack was a preventive measure against the United States, aimed at eliminating the American navy, gaining air supremacy in the Pacific region and subsequent military operations against Burma, Thailand, and the US's western possessions in the Pacific Ocean. The attack consisted of two air raids involving 353 aircraft from 6 Japanese aircraft carriers. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the main reason the United States entered World War II. Because of the attack, especially its nature, public opinion in America changed dramatically from an isolationist position in the mid-1930s to direct participation in the war effort. On December 8, 1941, US President Franklin Roosevelt spoke at a joint meeting of both houses of Congress. The President demanded that from December 7, from “a day that will go down in history as a symbol of shame,” to declare war on Japan. Congress adopted a corresponding resolution.
A model of the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor, built in Japan in 1941 during the planning of the attack on the base. The arrangement of the ship models extremely accurately reproduces their real place in the “line of battleships.”
Background
After the First World War, the Pacific Ocean became an arena of contradictions between two strong maritime states - the USA and Japan. The United States, rapidly rising to the position of the leading world power, sought to establish control over this strategically important region. Japan, which was experiencing serious difficulties in providing strategic materials and considered itself deprived of colonies in Southeast Asia, was striving for the same goal. The contradictions inevitably had to result in a military conflict, but this was prevented by the isolationist and anti-war sentiments that dominated American public opinion. These moods could only be destroyed by a strong psychological shock, which did not take long to arrive. The introduction of economic sanctions against Japan by the United States, which included an embargo on the supply of petroleum products, made war inevitable. Japan was faced with a choice - to suffocate under the economic blockade or die with honor, trying to obtain the resources it needed in battle. The top Japanese generals understood that for an unconditional victory over the United States it was necessary to defeat the American Pacific Fleet, land troops on the west coast of the United States and fight to Washington, which, given the ratio of the economic and military potentials of the two countries, was completely unrealistic. Forced to enter the war under pressure from the political elite, they relied on the only chance they had - with one powerful blow, inflicting unacceptable damage on the United States and forcing them to sign peace on terms favorable to Japan.
Pearl Harbor before the attack
The main events of December 7, 1941 unfolded around Fr. Ford Island, a small island in the center of the East Loch of Pearl Harbor. There was a naval airfield on the island, and there were ship moorings around it. Off the southeastern shore of the island. Ford is located so-called “Battleship Row” - 6 pairs of massive concrete piles designed for mooring heavy ships. The battleship is moored simultaneously to two piles. A second ship can moor alongside it.
View of Pearl Harbor and a row of battleships during the Japanese attack
By December 7, there were 93 ships and support vessels in Pearl Harbor. Among them are 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 5 submarines, 9 minelayers and 10 minesweepers of the US Navy. The air force consisted of 394 aircraft, and air defense was provided by 294 anti-aircraft guns. The base garrison numbered 42,959 people. Ships in the harbor and planes at the airfield were crowded together, making them a convenient target for attack. The base's air defense was not ready to repel attacks. Most of the anti-aircraft guns were not manned, and their ammunition was kept under lock and key.
Japanese aircraft carriers are heading for Pearl Harbor. The photo shows the flight deck of the Zuikaku aircraft carrier in its bow, twin installations of universal 127-mm type 89 guns. The Kaga aircraft carrier (closer) and the Akagi aircraft carrier (further) are visible ahead. The differences between the aircraft carriers of the 1st Division are clearly visible; the Akagi has a superstructure located on the port side.
Story
To attack Pearl Harbor, the Japanese command allocated an aircraft carrier force under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, consisting of 23 ships and 8 tankers. The formation consisted of a Strike Group consisting of six aircraft carriers: Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, Shokaku, Soryu and Zuikaku (1st, 2nd and 5th aircraft carrier divisions), Group cover (2nd detachment of the 3rd battleship division), two heavy cruisers (8th cruiser division), one light cruiser and nine destroyers (1st destroyer squadron), an advance detachment consisting of three submarines and a supply detachment of eight tankers. (Futida M., Okumiya M. The Battle of Midway Atoll. Translated from English. M., 1958. P. 52.) The aviation group of the formation consisted of a total of 353 aircraft.
The operation, which was carefully planned and prepared, was led by the commander of the combined Japanese fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Particular importance was attached to achieving surprise in the attack. On November 22, 1941, the task force gathered in the strictest secrecy in Hitokappu Bay (Kuril Islands) and from here, observing radio silence, headed for Pearl Harbor on November 26. The transition took place along the longest (6300 km) route, characterized by frequent stormy weather, but least visited by ships. For camouflage purposes, a false radio exchange was made, which simulated the presence of all large Japanese ships in the Inland Sea of Japan. (Soviet military encyclopedia. T.6. P. 295.)
Briefing on the deck of the aircraft carrier Kaga before the attack on Pearl Harbor
However, for the American government, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was not so unexpected. The Americans deciphered the Japanese codes and read all Japanese messages for several months. The warning about the inevitability of war was sent on time - November 27, 1941. The Americans received a clear warning about Pearl Harbor at the last moment, on the morning of December 7, but the instruction about the need to increase vigilance, sent via commercial lines, reached Pearl Harbor only 22 minutes before the Japanese attack began, and was transmitted to the messengers only at 10:45 minutes when it was all over. (See: History of the War in the Pacific. T.Z.M., 1958. P. 264; Second World War: Two Views. P. 465.)
In the predawn darkness of December 7, Vice Admiral Nagumo's aircraft carriers reached the aircraft lifting point and were 200 miles from Pearl Harbor. On the night of December 7, 2 Japanese destroyers fired on the island. Midway, and 5 Japanese midget submarines launched at Pearl Harbor began operating. Two of them were destroyed by American patrol forces.
At 6.00 on December 7, 183 aircraft of the first wave took off from aircraft carriers and headed for the target. There were 49 attack aircraft - type "97" bombers, each of which carried an 800-kilogram armor-piercing bomb, 40 attack aircraft-torpedo bombers with a torpedo suspended under the fuselage, 51 dive bombers of the "99" type, each carrying a 250-kilogram bomb. The covering force consisted of three groups of fighters, numbering a total of 43 aircraft. (Futida M., Okumiya M., op. cit. p. 54.)
The first aircraft is ready to take off from the aircraft carrier Shokaku at Pearl Harbor
The skies over Pearl Harbor were clear. At 7:55 am, Japanese planes attacked all large ships and aircraft at the airfield. There was not a single American fighter in the air, and not a single gun flash on the ground. As a result of the Japanese attack, which lasted about an hour, 3 battleships were sunk and a large number of aircraft were destroyed. Having finished bombing, the bombers headed for their aircraft carriers. The Japanese lost 9 aircraft.
Destroyed Naval Air Station at Pearl Harbor
The second wave of aircraft (167 aircraft) took off from the aircraft carriers at 7:15 am. In the second wave there were 54 attack bombers of the 97 type, 78 dive bombers of the 99 type and 35 fighter jets, which covered the actions of the bombers. The second strike by Japanese planes met stronger American resistance. By 8.00 the planes returned to the aircraft carriers. Of all the aircraft that took part in the air raid, the Japanese lost 29 (9 fighters, 15 dive bombers and 5 torpedo bombers). Manpower losses amounted to a total of 55 officers and men. In addition, the Americans sank one submarine and 5 midget submarines, whose actions turned out to be ineffective.
The abandonment of the battleship Nevada inside the harbor during the attack on Pearl Harbor. On this day, she became the only American battleship that managed to get underway and tried to leave the bay. However, due to the threat of sinking by the Japanese in the fairway, the Nevada was ordered to beach. In total, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, the battleship Nevada was hit by 1 aerial torpedo and 2-3 aerial bombs, after which it ran aground.
Japanese aviation
In total, three types of aircraft were based on the Japanese aircraft carriers that participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, widely known by the code names given to them in the American Navy: Zero fighters, Kate torpedo bombers and Val dive bombers. Brief characteristics of these aircraft are given in the table:
Japanese A6M Zero fighters before taking off to attack the American base at Pearl Harbor on the deck of the aircraft carrier Akagi. The photo was taken a few minutes before departure.
Aircraft of the first wave
Group numbers are conditional for designation on diagrams.
Aircraft of the second wave
Group numbers are conditional for designation on diagrams.
Results
As a result of the Japanese airborne attack on Pearl Harbor, the strategic goal of preventing the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese operations in the south was largely achieved. 4 American battleships were sunk and 4 more were badly damaged. 10 other warships were sunk or disabled; 349 American aircraft destroyed or damaged; among the killed or wounded Americans - 3,581 military, 103 civilian. (The Second World War: Two Views. P. 466.)
The Japanese victory could have been even more significant. They failed to cause the slightest harm to the enemy aircraft carriers. All 4 American aircraft carriers were absent from Pearl Harbor: 3 of them went to sea, one was being repaired in California. The Japanese made no attempt to destroy the huge American oil reserves in Hawaii, which in fact were almost equal to the entire Japanese reserves. The Japanese formation, with the exception of the ships that were part of a specially organized formation, which consisted of the 2nd division of aircraft carriers, the 8th division of cruisers and 2 destroyers, headed for the inland Sea of Japan. On December 23, it arrived at the anchorage near the island. Hasira.
Thus, by 10 a.m. on December 7, the American fleet in the Pacific actually ceased to exist. If at the beginning of the war the ratio of the combat power of the American and Japanese fleets was equal to 10: 7.5 (History of the War in the Pacific. T.Z. P. 266), now the ratio in large ships has changed in favor of the Japanese naval forces. On the very first day of hostilities, the Japanese gained supremacy at sea and gained the opportunity to conduct extensive offensive operations in the Philippines, Malaya and the Dutch Indies.
Battleship California and tanker Neosho during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The battleship California sank after being hit by two torpedoes and two bombs. The team could have saved the ship, and even set sail, but abandoned it due to the threat of a fire from a flaming slick of oil leaking from other battleships. The ship landed on the ground. Has been restored.In the background is the squadron tanker Neosho, subsequently sunk by Japanese carrier-based aircraft in the battle in the Coral Sea in May 1942. Fortunately for the Americans, as a result of the fact that during the Pearl Harbor attack the Japanese pilots had warships as a clear target, the tanker was not hit. The Neosho tanks were filled to capacity with high-octane aviation gasoline...