Pearl Harbor Fact

Pearl Harbor Fact: In November the Japanese made a decision to attack Pearl Harbor...and on December 7, 1941...the Japanese with 360 planes from 6 Japanese carriers, 2 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 11 destroyers, and various other ships, attacked. This striking force was under the command of Vice-Adm. Chuichi Nagumo.

The Japanese wanted to possess the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" which included Korea, Manchuria, China, French Indochina, Malaya, Burma, the Philippines and the Netherlands East Indies, as well as the Japanese empire as it existed before the Manchuian incident.

Japanese mistakenly thought that a quick occupation of this territory along with a crippling attack upon the U.S. Pacific fleet would lead to negotiations giving the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" to them.

The U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor consisted of 70 combat vessels, 24 auxiliaries (most moored for the week end), and 300 U.S. army, navy and marine corps planes.

Out of 8 U.S. battleships in the harbor, 5 were sunk, 1 severely damaged and the other 2 hit. 11 ships were sunk or severely damaged, including 2 destroyers.

140 aircraft were destroyed and 80 more damaged.

2,330 U.S. military personnel were killed.

100 civilians were killed or wounded.

For the Japanese, this was limited tactical success, but due to a planning blunder, they failed to damage shore installations, power plants or oil storage facilities.

The Pacific fleet's 3 aircraft carriers, which were not at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, also escaped damage.

Plus, most importantly, the surprise attack aroused the "Sleeping Giant" (the U.S.) and caused them to enter the war effort with gusto....never looking back until the job was done.

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