Pearl Harbor year. Pearl Harbor

PEARL HARBOR (Pearl Har-bor, translated from English as Pearl Harbor) is a bay (bay) of the Pacific Ocean on the southern coastal island. Oa-hu in the Hawaiian Islands (Hawaii, USA), approximately 10 km west of the city of Go-no-lu-lu.

It has a complex, split-branched shape, spread across two islands and about. Ford on the smaller bays (West Loch, Middle Loch, East Loch), reaching the town itself about 9.5 km. In the southern part, a narrow channel (shi-ri-about 400 m) communicates with the Pacific Ocean Bay of Ma-ma-la.

For the first time, descriptions of the British ex-pe-di-tsi-ey N. Port-lo-ka in 1786, for further research Ch. Mol-de-na in 1824. In 1887, King Ka-la-ka-ua I of Hawaii gave exclusive rights to use va-nie bay-you United States. In 1908, the US Congress made a decision to build a naval base in Pearl Harbor (opened in 1911). Since July 1941, the headquarters of the US Pacific Fleet has been located.

December 7, 1941 on-pa-de-ni-em on Pearl Harbor Japan on-cha-la war-well in the Pacific Ocean (see Pacific Ocean campaigns 1941-1945). By this time, the main forces of the US Pacific Ocean fleet were in Pearl Harbor, including 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers (in total more than 160 ships). Air Force base on-count-you-va-li 394 sa-mo-lyo-ta. The Japanese plan for Pearl Harbor was actively developed under the leadership of Admiral I. Yama-to from January 7, 1941, approved Government of Japan and im-per-ra-to-rum on November 5, 1941. His main strategic goal was to establish the American fleet as a pre-graduate on the way to the ex-pan-sia of Japan in Southeast Asia. November 26, Japanese aircraft carrier formation [commander - Vice Admiral T. Na-gu-mo; a total of 33 ships, including 2 battle ships, 6 aircraft carriers with 423 ships, 3 cruise ships, 11 destroyers tsev, 3 PL;] po-ki-nu-lo buh-tu Bi-do-kap (Hi-to-kap-pu; o. Itu-rup). The general management of the United Fleet was carried out by Admiral Yama-mo. At dawn on December 7 (the elk arrived on Sunday; at that time on the night of December 8) an aircraft carrier -the unit reached the river 275 miles (about 450 km) to the north of the island. Oa-hoo. In addition, more than 20 Japanese submarines were deployed near Pearl Harbor (they had 5 ultra-small submarines on board). Picked up from Japanese aircraft carriers, you two eche-lo-na-mi in less than 2 hours [from 7.50 (according to other data, 7.55) to 9.45 (according to other data, 9.30) at the time] a series of subsequent strikes were carried out on American ships, aero- dro-mom and be-re-go-vym ba-ta-re-yam. The combat readiness of Pearl Harbor turned out to be low (long-range air reconnaissance and air defense are weak or-ga-ni-zo-va-ny, co-working whether you’re not ras-s-among-to-the-che-ny, part of the personal group is on the b-re-gu, etc. .). As a result, 21 American ships were lost and damaged [including 8 battleships (4 of them were without-return-but), 3 krey-se-ra (1 - without-return-but), 4 es-min-tsa (2 - without-return-but)], destruction 188 killed, 159 killed, 2,403 people killed (including 68 civilians), 1,178 people wounded. According to the Japanese fleet, there are 29 sa-mo-le-tov (over 70 by-the-time), 6 submarines (including including 5 super-small ones), 6 ka-te-rows, 64 people died (1 was captured). In connection with the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941, the United States and Great Britain declared war on Japan.

At Pearl Harbor - the largest operation at that time using aircraft carriers - brought Japan is important in the future, providing her with free action in the ak-va-to-rii Ti for some time -ho-ocean, allowed at the end of 1941 - the first half of 1942 to reach large infantry in Malaya, on Phi-lip-pi-nah, in Burma , Ni-derl. India, New Guinea, etc. At the same time, she failed to break the naval power of the United States and achieve a strategic position in howl-no; during the air strike, the Japanese ko-man-do-va-ni-m was responsible for a number of calculations (wouldn’t you have been exposed to bomb-bar-di-rov-ke su-do-re-mont-nye mas-ter-skie, then-p-liv-nye for-pa-sy), the random factor played its role but-sti (American aircraft carriers arrived outside Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and were not harmed).

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, 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; The 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 Type 97 attack bombers, each carrying an 800-kilogram armor-piercing bomb, 40 attack torpedo bombers with a torpedo suspended under the fuselage, 51 Type 99 dive bombers, 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 strike 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. (World War II: 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...

• Before the attack
• Air attack
• United States plans
• Pearl Harbor today
• Video

Pearl Harbor (other name "Pearl Harbor" - "Pearl Harbor") appears to be a US naval base. Just as it was 75 years ago, this facility is a major fleet in the Pacific. The Japanese army carried out the attack, in the final events of World War II. The location of the base is on the territory of the Hawaiian archipelago, namely on the island of Oahu.

• The attack occurred on the morning of December 7, 1941, and led to the United States' entry into World War II.
• The purpose of the attack was to eliminate the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with the hostilities of World War II.
• Around eight in the morning local time, the Japanese Air Force began launching air strikes.
• Eight battleships were damaged, four were sunk, and six of them were returned to service and continued to fight in the war.
• The Japanese also damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. 188 American aircraft were destroyed; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 were wounded.
• Japanese losses amounted to: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines were destroyed. 64 military personnel were dead. One Japanese sailor, Sakamaki, Kazuo, was captured.
• The attack caused a deep shock to the Americans, and led to the nation's entry into the war.
• The next day, December 8, the United States announced military action against Japan.

Objectives of the attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack was based on several main targets. First, the Japanese intended to destroy important American fleet units, thereby preventing the Pacific Fleet from interfering. Japan planned to expand its sphere of influence in Southeast Asia.
And US intervention was unacceptable. Secondly, the Japanese planned to gain time to strengthen and increase their own air force. Thirdly, battleships were the most powerful ships of that time.

Before the attack

A couple of months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Soviet intelligence officer, Richard Sorge, conveyed to the leadership that Pearl Harbor would be attacked a couple of months later.
American sources claimed that information from Moscow was transferred to the American leadership. Recently, documents were declassified that spoke of a meeting between the German envoy Thomsen and the American businessman Lovell. The meeting took place in November 1941. The German envoy reported an impending attack from Japan. Thomsen knew about Lovell's connections with the American government. The information was transferred to W. Donovan, as one of the heads of US intelligence. When the information was transmitted to the president, there were still three weeks before the attack. On the eve of the attack, American intelligence intercepted information about the attack. Of course, there was no direct mention of an attack, but everything pointed precisely to this. However, despite warnings for many weeks, the American government did not transmit any warning messages to Hawaii.
The strange thing is that no concerns were conveyed to where the US Pacific Fleet base was located.

Air attack

• On November 26, 1941, the Imperial Air Force headed from a base on the Kuril Islands towards the Pearl Harbor naval base. This happened after the United States sent the Hull note to Japan. In this document, the United States demanded that Japan withdraw its troops from a number of Asian territories (Indochina and China). Japan took this document as an ultimatum.
  
• December 7 was the date of the Japanese army's attack on Pearl Bay. The attack was planned in two stages. The first air raid was supposed to be the main attack and destroy the Air Force. The second wave was supposed to destroy the fleet itself.
• The Japanese had six aircraft carriers with 441 (according to other sources more than 350) aircraft on board. The aircraft carriers were accompanied by 2 battleships, 2 heavy and 1 light cruisers, as well as 11 destroyers. The United States Army was taken by surprise. Everything that happened lasted about an hour and a half. The strikes were carried out on airfields (in accordance with the plan) on the island of Oahu. Also, the ships located in the “Pearl Harbor” were the first to suffer. The US lost 4 battleships, 2 destroyers and 1 minelayer.
  More than 180 aircraft were destroyed, almost 160 (according to other sources, slightly less than 130) were seriously damaged. Attacks from submarines were unsuccessful. The submarine fleet was destroyed.
• The attack provided the basis for the United States to enter military conflict with the Empire of Japan. Roosevelt signed a document that narrated the official declaration of war against the Japanese aggressor. Now Germany and Italy have reported the outbreak of military action against the states. The result of the attack on the US naval base was the basis for America's entry into the global military conflict.
• Seven Japanese planes were shot down by Lieutenants Welch and Tylor. After the first wave of bombing, the Japanese Air Force lost 9 aircraft, and after the second air raid on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese lost 20 aircraft. More than 70 aircraft were damaged, but the defects did not prevent the aircraft from returning to aircraft carriers. At 9:45 the remnants of the Japanese aircraft returned, having completed their task.
  For about another half hour, the Japanese bomber circled over the destroyed naval base. Since all Pearl Harbor aircraft were destroyed at the beginning of the operation, no one could eliminate the enemy aircraft. Since two Japanese Air Force fighters lagged behind their own, and without a navigation system, they could not fly away on their own. The remaining bomber escorted the lagging fighters to the base.
• One of the Japanese aircraft had to land on one of the islands. The pilot was recognized as a prisoner. With the help of a Japanese man who lived among the local population, he managed to take possession of a revolver and a double-barreled shotgun. This weapon turned out to be the only one on the entire island, and the prisoner turned into a power grabber. And yet, a day later, in a skirmish with the indigenous inhabitants, the invader was destroyed. His accomplice shot himself.
  
• One of the officers who was at Pearl Harbor said that there was no panic in the army. The soldiers were very scared, but this did not lead to chaos. After the Japanese aircraft withdrew, confusion continued, which gave rise to many rumors, for example, about the Japanese poisoning the water source. People who drank from it were actually hospitalized. There were also rumors about the warlike attitude of the Japanese living in the Hawaiian Islands. Rumors spoke of an uprising. The USSR was not spared and “true” information appeared about the attack on Tokyo by the Soviet army.
• One of the American bombers attacked its own cruiser. But by luck, the cruiser was not damaged. The command undertook a reconnaissance operation to find Japanese ships near the Hawaiian Islands. A message was transmitted to Pearl Harbor that their own fighters would be landing at the base. Despite this, five aircraft were destroyed. The pilot of one of the fighters jumped out with a parachute and was shot.
• Japanese aviation, having renewed its strength, was eager to fight. They argued that it was necessary to carry out additional strikes on important ground targets. The management ordered to go back.
• American historians agree that the Japanese made a huge mistake for themselves by not destroying oil reserves and the remnants of the United States Pacific Fleet.

United States plans

• Based on the fact that the American government was warned about a possible attack, we can conclude that the United States was thus carrying out its plans.
• There is an opinion that the United States specifically used Japan for the purpose of entering the military struggle. The United States should not have initiated accession. Roosevelt considered Germany a threat to both the world in general and the United States in particular.
• Therefore, it was necessary to fight Nazi Germany through military means. Uniting with the Soviet Union could ensure victory over Hitler.
  But American society had a different attitude.
• Even though the war had been going on for two years, Germany had conquered half of Europe and attacked the Soviet Union, the Americans were against joining the war. The country's leadership had to push the people to change their minds.
• If America is attacked, there will be no choice but to retaliate.
• Knowing about Japan's plans, the US leadership sent a document (Hull Note) to the Japanese government.
• Regarding its content (meaning), both sides still have opposing opinions.
• Japanese historians claim that the document had the nature of an ultimatum. The United States has made an impossible demand.
• In addition to leaving territories, America demanded withdrawal from the alliance with Germany and Italy. Therefore, the Japanese side accepted Hull's note as unwillingness on the part of the United States to continue negotiations.
• Based on the theory of planning by the United States to enter the war through a third-party attack, Hull's note became precisely the catalyst for the start of a military conflict.
• In fact, this can be considered a provocation.
• A Japanese historian who subscribes to the idea of ​​provocation argues that Japan had no other choice. He considers the change in American opinion regarding the involvement of the US Army in the war to be confirmation of his theory.
• This opinion can be considered true, but the opinion of the people could not help but change after such an attack and great human losses. Another important thing here is that, having confirmation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the American government did not take any action. There is still debate about the surprise of the military attack.
• There is an additional fact in favor of the opinion of Japanese historians. The surprising and unusual coincidence was as follows.
• Japanese aviation was supposed to eliminate the North American flotilla. But it was on this day that the aircraft carriers that were planned to be liquidated were absent from the military base

Pearl Harbor. The fleet's losses were not heavy.

The Japanese continue to claim provocation to this day, but they have no direct evidence. They also cannot say with certainty how much the Americans knew about the planned operation.

Another mystery associated with the attack on Pearl Harbor is that the United Kingdom knew a lot of secret information regarding Japan's plans, but did not provide it to the leadership of the United States.

Thus, the leadership of both the United Kingdom and the United States faced accusations. Both leaders sought to drag the United States into the war.

Pearl Harbor today
To date, Pearl Harbor remains the most powerful fleet. In addition to military purposes, Pearl Harbor also serves as a museum. You can meet tourists on one of the sea ships from the Second World War. It is noted that this ship is in full combat readiness and in the event of a military threat, it is ready to defend the homeland.

 /   / 21.36194; -157.95361(G) (I)Coordinates: 21°21′43″ n. w. 157°57′13″ W d. /  21.36194° N. w. 157.95361° W d. / 21.36194; -157.95361(G) (I) Higher water areaPacific Ocean A countryUSA USA RegionHawaii Typeharbor

Topographic map Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor K: Water bodies in alphabetical order

Pearl Harbor before 1941

The purpose of the attack on Pearl Harbor was to neutralize the US Pacific Fleet in order to ensure freedom of action for the Japanese army and navy in Southeast Asia.

Pearl Harbor after World War II

Currently, Pearl Harbor is the largest US naval base in the Pacific Ocean and the headquarters of the US Pacific Fleet. The shipyard, located next to the harbor, employs 12,000 people.

In memory of the fallen American sailors, a memorial was created on the site of the sunken battleship Arizona. Another monument to the events of the war in the Pacific Ocean is the battleship Missouri, permanently moored in Pearl Harbor, on which the act of surrender of Japan was signed on September 2, 1945. Several films have been made about this event: the American-Japanese “Tora! Torah! Torah! "(1970), American "Pearl Harbor" (2001), Japanese "Attack on Pearl Harbor" (2011), as well as the television series "The Pacific" (2010).

see also

• Operation Hilston (February 1944)

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Notes

Literature

• Yakovlev N.N. Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Fact and fiction. M.: Politizdat, 1988.-286 p.: ill. ISBN 5-250-00448-2
• Feis G. The Road to Pearl Harbor: The Coming of the War Between the United States and Japan. 1950.

Links

Background 1939 European theater of operations 1940 European theater of operations African theater of operations 1941 European theater of operations 1942 European theater of operations African theater of operations Southeast Asia 1943 European theater of operations 1944 European theater of operations 1945 When Nikolushka was taken away, Princess Marya went up to her brother again, kissed him and, unable to resist any longer, began to cry. He looked at her intently. -Are you talking about Nikolushka? - he said. Princess Marya, crying, bowed her head affirmatively. “Marie, you know Evan...” but he suddenly fell silent. - What are you saying? - Nothing. There’s no need to cry here,” he said, looking at her with the same cold gaze. When Princess Marya began to cry, he realized that she was crying that Nikolushka would be left without a father. With great effort he tried to return to life and was transported to their point of view. “Yes, they must find it pathetic! - he thought. “How simple it is!” “The birds of the air neither sow nor reap, but your father feeds them,” he said to himself and wanted to say the same to the princess. “But no, they will understand it in their own way, they will not understand! What they cannot understand is that all these feelings that they value are all ours, all these thoughts that seem so important to us are that they are not needed. We can't understand each other." - And he fell silent. Prince Andrei's little son was seven years old. He could barely read, he didn't know anything. He experienced a lot after this day, acquiring knowledge, observation, and experience; but if he had then possessed all these later acquired abilities, he could not have understood better, more deeply the full meaning of that scene that he saw between his father, Princess Marya and Natasha than he understood it now. He understood everything and, without crying, left the room, silently approached Natasha, who followed him out, and shyly looked at her with thoughtful, beautiful eyes; his raised, rosy upper lip trembled, he leaned his head against it and began to cry. From that day on, he avoided Desalles, avoided the countess who was caressing him, and either sat alone or timidly approached Princess Marya and Natasha, whom he seemed to love even more than his aunt, and quietly and shyly caressed them. Princess Marya, leaving Prince Andrei, fully understood everything that Natasha’s face told her. She no longer spoke to Natasha about the hope of saving his life. She alternated with her at his sofa and did not cry anymore, but prayed incessantly, turning her soul to that eternal, incomprehensible, whose presence was now so palpable over the dying man. Prince Andrei not only knew that he would die, but he felt that he was dying, that he was already half dead. He experienced a consciousness of alienation from everything earthly and a joyful and strange lightness of being. He, without haste and without worry, awaited what lay ahead of him. That formidable, eternal, unknown and distant, the presence of which he never ceased to feel throughout his entire life, was now close to him and - due to the strange lightness of being that he experienced - almost understandable and felt. Before, he was afraid of the end. He experienced this terrible, painful feeling of fear of death, of the end, twice, and now he no longer understood it. The first time he experienced this feeling was when a grenade was spinning like a top in front of him and he looked at the stubble, at the bushes, at the sky and knew that death was in front of him. When he woke up after the wound and in his soul, instantly, as if freed from the oppression of life that held him back, this flower of love, eternal, free, independent of this life, blossomed, he was no longer afraid of death and did not think about it. The more he, in those hours of suffering solitude and semi-delirium that he spent after his wound, thought about the new beginning of eternal love that had been revealed to him, the more he, without feeling it himself, renounced earthly life. Everything, to love everyone, to always sacrifice oneself for love, meant not loving anyone, meant not living this earthly life. And the more he was imbued with this principle of love, the more he renounced life and the more completely he destroyed that terrible barrier that, without love, stands between life and death. When, at first, he remembered that he had to die, he said to himself: well, so much the better. But after that night in Mytishchi, when the one he desired appeared in front of him in a semi-delirium, and when he, pressing her hand to his lips, cried quiet, joyful tears, love for one woman imperceptibly crept into his heart and again tied him to life. Both joyful and anxious thoughts began to come to him. Remembering that moment at the dressing station when he saw Kuragin, he now could not return to that feeling: he was tormented by the question of whether he was alive? And he didn't dare ask this. His illness took its own physical course, but what Natasha called: this happened to him happened to him two days before Princess Marya’s arrival. This was the last moral struggle between life and death, in which death won. It was the unexpected consciousness that he still valued the life that seemed to him in love for Natasha, and the last, subdued fit of horror in front of the unknown. It was in the evening. He was, as usual after dinner, in a slight feverish state, and his thoughts were extremely clear. Sonya was sitting at the table. He dozed off. Suddenly a feeling of happiness overwhelmed him. “Oh, she came in!” - he thought. Indeed, sitting in Sonya’s place was Natasha, who had just entered with silent steps. Since she began following him, he had always experienced this physical sensation of her closeness. She sat on an armchair, sideways to him, blocking the light of the candle from him, and knitted a stocking. (She learned to knit stockings since Prince Andrei told her that no one knows how to take care of the sick like old nannies who knit stockings, and that there is something soothing in knitting a stocking.) Thin fingers quickly fingered her from time to time the clashing spokes, and the pensive profile of her downcast face was clearly visible to him. She made a movement and the ball rolled off her lap. She shuddered, looked back at him and, shielding the candle with her hand, with a careful, flexible and precise movement she bent, raised the ball and sat down in her previous position. He looked at her without moving, and saw that after her movement she needed to take a deep breath, but she did not dare to do this and carefully took a breath. In the Trinity Lavra they talked about the past, and he told her that if he were alive, he would forever thank God for his wound, which brought him back to her; but since then they never spoke about the future. “Could it or could it not have happened? - he thought now, looking at her and listening to the light steel sound of the knitting needles. - Was it really only then that fate brought me so strangely together with her that I might die?.. Was the truth of life revealed to me only so that I could live in a lie? I love her more than anything in the world. But what should I do if I love her? - he said, and he suddenly groaned involuntarily, according to the habit that he acquired during his suffering. Hearing this sound, Natasha put down the stocking, leaned closer to him and suddenly, noticing his glowing eyes, walked up to him with a light step and bent down. - You are not asleep? - No, I’ve been looking at you for a long time; I felt it when you came in. No one like you, but gives me that soft silence... that light. I just want to cry with joy. Natasha moved closer to him. Her face shone with rapturous joy. - Natasha, I love you too much. More than anything else. - And I? “She turned away for a moment. - Why too much? - she said. - Why too much?.. Well, what do you think, how do you feel in your soul, in your whole soul, will I be alive? What do you think? - I'm sure, I'm sure! – Natasha almost screamed, taking both his hands with a passionate movement. He paused. - How good it would be! - And, taking her hand, he kissed it. Natasha was happy and excited; and immediately she remembered that this was impossible, that he needed calm. “But you didn’t sleep,” she said, suppressing her joy. – Try to sleep... please. He released her hand, shaking it; she moved to the candle and sat down again in her previous position. She looked back at him twice, his eyes shining towards her. She gave herself a lesson on the stocking and told herself that she wouldn't look back until she finished it. Indeed, soon after that he closed his eyes and fell asleep. He did not sleep for long and suddenly woke up in a cold sweat. As he fell asleep, he kept thinking about the same thing he had been thinking about all the time - about life and death. And more about death. He felt closer to her. "Love? What is love? - he thought. – Love interferes with death. Love is life. Everything, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists only because I love. Everything is connected by one thing. Love is God, and to die means for me, a particle of love, to return to the common and eternal source.” These thoughts seemed comforting to him. But these were just thoughts. Something was missing in them, something was one-sided, personal, mental - it was not obvious. And there was the same anxiety and uncertainty. He fell asleep.

Pearl Harbor is the largest US naval base in the Pacific Ocean, located on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

During World War II, on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was subjected to a surprise attack by the Japanese army, which destroyed most of the American Pacific Fleet within two hours. This elaborate attack by Japanese naval forces was called the Hawaiian Operation of 1941.

The Hawaiian operation was carried out by an aircraft carrier strike force under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, consisting of 33 ships, including six heavy aircraft carriers (with 420 aircraft on board), two battleships, three cruisers, 11 destroyers, three submarines and eight tankers and a formation of 27 submarines with five midget submarines on board. The overall leadership of the forces was carried out by the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.

The American Pacific Fleet, under the command of Admiral Husband Kimmel, located at the Pearl Harbor naval base, consisted of 93 ships, including nine battleships (one training), eight cruisers, 29 destroyers, five submarines, nine destroyers and minelayers, 10 minesweepers. There were 390 aircraft located at the airfields on Oahu, including 167 naval aircraft.

The base's air defense consisted of 188 anti-aircraft guns, more than 100 machine gun installations and five radar stations. The garrison, under the command of General William Short, numbered 42,959 men.

Japan began preparations for the operation in January 1941 with the strictest secrecy. Even Japan's allies - Germany and Italy - were not aware of its goals and date. The ships' route practically excluded encounters with commercial and fishing vessels and was beyond the range of American patrol aircraft. During the transition, radio silence was strictly observed; at the same time, radio exchange was carried out in the Inland Sea of ​​Japan using the call signs of those ships that were heading to the Hawaiian Islands in order to disorient the enemy.

On the evening of December 6, Japanese submarines took up their initial positions on the nearest approaches to the island of Oahu and at 23:00 they began launching midget submarines. On December 7, a Japanese aircraft carrier force entered the area located 275 miles (about 450 km) north of the island.

It was Sunday. Some of the personnel of the American ships were on the shore. The entrance to Pearl Harbor was not closed with booms (floating barriers), and there was also no anti-torpedo net barrier for the battleships. The disposition of the ships did not change for a long time. The planes at the airfields were crowded together; on the approaches to the Hawaiian Islands, aerial reconnaissance was carried out only sporadically.

The Japanese General Staff, on the contrary, had comprehensive data on the disposition of American ships and the state of the base’s defense.

On December 7, at 6:15 a.m. Hawaiian time, 40 torpedo bombers, 49 bombers, 51 dive bombers, and 43 fighters took off from Japanese aircraft carriers. The raid on the base began at 7:55 am. At 9:15 a.m. the second group of aircraft struck (54 bombers, 78 dive bombers, 35 fighters). The entire raid on the base lasted 2 hours 5 minutes.

Four battleships, a cruiser, two destroyers, several auxiliary ships and 188 aircraft were destroyed. Four battleships, three light cruisers, a destroyer, two auxiliary vessels and over 100 aircraft were damaged. American casualties amounted to 3,581 people.

The Japanese lost 29 aircraft and six submarines (of which five were midgets), and over 70 aircraft were damaged.

As a result of the Hawaiian operation and the subsequent Philippine and Malayan operations of 1941-1942. Japan gained supremacy at sea and gained freedom of action in the Pacific Ocean.

With a surprise attack on an American military base, Japan started a war against the United States. On December 8, the USA, Great Britain, Canada and a number of other countries declared war on Japan.

The success of the Hawaiian operation was due to the careful preparation of the Japanese command for the operation, the precise organization of the covert passage of ships and the surprise of the attack. The American command made mistakes in organizing the defense of the main fleet base and assessing the situation as a whole.

The operation showed the high combat capabilities of aircraft carriers, while midget submarines did not justify themselves.

US President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 “a day of indelible shame.” The slogan “Remember Pearl Harbor” became the leading slogan in the American war against Japan.

After 1945, the Pearl Harbor naval base was reconstructed and again began to serve as the main base of the US Pacific Fleet.

A memorial dedicated to the battleship Arizona, sunk by Japanese aircraft, has been opened.
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