", I would like to talk about another myth, namely that the US suddenly stopped supplying oil products to Japan in order to provoke the Japanese, and that it was for this reason that Japan decided to attack Pearl Harbor.

This article is written mainly on the basis of the "Wikipedia article", as well as on the basis of other articles, links to which I give in the text.

Long before the attack on Pearl Harbor, back in November-December 1937, during the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army launched an attack on Nanjing along the Yangtze River, and on December 12, 1937, Japanese aircraft made an unprovoked raid on American ships stationed near Nanjing, which were part of the so-called "Yangtze Patrol" (Yangtze Patrol or YangPat for short).

YangPat was originally part of the Asiatic Squadron of the United States Navy in the East Indies, which existed under various names from 1854 to 1945. In 1922, YangPat was established as a formal component of the Asiatic Fleet. Under treaties signed by the US, Japan, and various European powers, YangPat was allowed to navigate China's rivers and participate in "gunboat diplomacy". They also patrolled the coastal waters, protecting their citizens, their property, and their religious missions.

So, Japanese aircraft made an unprovoked raid on YangPat, as a result of which the American gunboat Panay was sunk, but despite this, the United States not only did not declare war on Japan, but even the supply of petroleum products to Japan was not stopped. Moreover, after that, YangPat stopped its mission and was withdrawn from China, which proves that the United States did not really want to fight.

Following this, Japan invaded then-French Indochina in 1940, cutting off the Sino-Vietnamese railway, through which China imported weapons, fuel, and also 10,000 tons of materials from the Western Allies every month. But even after that, the United States did not stop oil supplies, but only banned the export of aircraft, spare parts, machine tools and aviation fuel to Japan.

It was only after the Japanese completely occupied Indochina in July 1941 that the United States froze Japanese financial assets on August 1 and imposed a comprehensive trade embargo.

Following the imposition of the embargo, the Japanese Ambassador to Washington and Secretary of State Cordell Hull held numerous meetings to discuss a solution to Japanese-American problems, but no solution could be agreed upon for three main reasons:

1. Alliance of Japan with Nazi Germany and Italy
2. Japan wanted to establish economic control over all of Southeast Asia as well.
3. Japan refused to leave mainland China.

And this is called a sudden embargo? At the same time, it turns out that the Japanese decided to attack Pearl Harbor only in August 1941, after the Americans imposed an embargo, and it took about 4 months to prepare the entire operation?

In fact, preliminary planning for the attack on Pearl Harbor began at the very beginning of 1941 under the auspices of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who was then in command of the Japanese Combined Fleet. Full-scale planning for the operation began in the early spring of 1941. Over the next few months, pilots were trained, equipment was adapted and reconnaissance was carried out. Despite these preparations, the plan of attack was approved by Emperor Hirohito on November 5, after the third of four Imperial conferences convened to consider the matter. The final decision was made by the emperor only on December 1.

Although by the end of 1941 many observers believed that hostilities between the US and Japan were inevitable, and US Pacific bases and installations were put on alert several times, US officials doubted that Pearl Harbor would be the first target. They expected that bases in the Philippines would be attacked, since it was through them that supplies went to the south, which were the main goal of Japan. The most likely target for the Japanese, according to the Americans, was to be the US naval base in Manila. The Americans also mistakenly believed that Japan was not capable of conducting more than one major naval operation at the same time.

So, the Americans were expecting a Japanese attack in the Philippines, and the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Why Pearl Harbor? There were 3 main reasons for this:

1. By defeating the Pacific American fleet, the Japanese hoped to prevent its intervention in the conquest of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya.
2. The Japanese hoped to buy time so that Japan could strengthen its position and increase its naval forces before the Vinson-Walsh Act of 1940 came into force (the Act provided for an increase in US naval forces by 70%), since the chances of the Japanese to win after that were greatly reduced.
3. Finally, this attack was to deal a heavy blow to American morale, which was to keep the Americans out of the war in the Western Pacific and the Dutch East Indies. To achieve maximum effect, battleships were chosen as the main targets, as they were the most prestigious ships in any navy in the world at that time.

In addition, back in November 1940, the British carried out a successful attack on the Italian fleet in the Italian port of Taranto. The Japanese command carefully studied the experience of the British, which not least influenced the decision to attack Pearl Harbor.

Here's a brief backstory to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

In the summer of 1941, after Japan invaded the French colonies in Indochina, Washington initiated an economic blockade of Japan by the United States, Great Britain and Australia.

Pearl Harbor - the war is in full swing

In response, the headquarters of the Japanese emperor began to develop a plan and date for the attack on Pearl Harbor in order to intimidate America. The result was an air strike on the main base of the American Pacific Fleet on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The idea of ​​the operation belonged to the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Navy, Admiral Isoroko Yamamota. The story of the attack on Pearl Harbor, how it really happened, how many died during the bombing from both sides - read the details below.

History of the attack on Pearl Harbor

Preparing for battle

The preparatory actions before the attack included:

• combat coordination of the crews of aircraft carriers, submarines, aircraft;
• preparation of military equipment;
• intelligence gathering.

Throughout July 1941, Japanese torpedo bombers practiced bombing in Kagoshima Bay, which resembles Pearl Harbor in outline. The preparation of pilots for the attack on Pearl Harbor was led by Captain Second Rank Mitsuo Fuchida. He will then lead his aces into the decisive battle.

The overall management of the preparations for the operation was entrusted by Emperor Hirohito to Chief of the Naval Staff Osami Nagano and Chief of the General Staff Hajime Sugiyama. And on September 5, they reported to the emperor about their readiness. At the same time, Sugiyama assured that Japanese territory was inaccessible to retaliatory American air strikes.

On November 26, 1941, the strike group under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo left the base on Iturup Island in the Kuril Archipelago and headed for the Hawaiian Islands.

Opponent forces on the eve of the battle on December 7, 1941

For the Battle of Pearl Harbor, a squadron was sent from the Japanese side, consisting of:

• 6 aircraft carriers: Hiryu, Akagi, Soryu, Kaga, Juikaku and Shokaku;
• 441 carrier-based aircraft, including the world's best B5N Nakajima torpedo bombers;
• outpost of two battleships, three cruisers, six submarines and eleven destroyers.

A group of pilots of the aircraft carrier "Juikaku". The picture was taken on the eve of the launch date of Operation Pearl Harbor.

American formation based at Pearl Harbor:

• 8 battleships;
• 2 heavy, 6 light cruisers;
• 30 destroyers and destroyers;
• 5 submarines;
• 227 aircraft.

Japanese aircraft carrier strike group

Aircraft carrier	Year of commissioning	Displacement, tons	Power, hp	Travel speed, knots	Navigation range, nautical miles	Crew, people	Air group, number of aircraft
"Akagi"	1927	41 300	133 000	31	8200	2000	91
"Hiryu"	1937	21 867	152 000	34	10330	1101	63
"Kaga"	1929	43 650	127 000	28	18 600	2016	85
"Soryu"	1937	19 800	152 000	34	7680	1103	69
"Shokaku"	1941	29 800	153 000	34	9700	1690	62
"Zuikaku"	1941	29 800	153 000	34	9700	1690	62

Shokaku and Zuikaku are aircraft carriers of the latest type of a single project.

Planes involved in the attack on Pearl Harbor

As part of the strike aircraft carrier group heading to the Hawaiian Islands, there were three types of aircraft:

Type	Speed, km/h	Flight range in km	Armament	Crew, people	Function
	450	1400	three 7.7 mm machine guns, a 250 kg bomb under the fuselage, two 60 kg bombs under the wings	2	Dive bomber. The lightly armed D3A1, due to its high maneuverability, had an advantage over the attacking fighters. Especially after dropping the combat load.
	545	1870	two 7.7 mm machine guns, two 20 mm cannons, two 60 kg bombs under the wings	1	Fighter. A6M2 is the most advanced vehicle in the Pacific theater of operations by 1941. The combination of high maneuverability, range and excellent armament forced the allies to avoid encounters with this aircraft.
	360	1100	7.7 mm machine gun, 457 mm torpedo or more than 500 kg of small bombs, or one 800 kg bomb	3	Torpedo bomber. The tactics of the combat use of the B5N2 involved, if possible, avoiding enemy fighters due to weak defensive weapons. But thanks to its high maneuverability in capable hands, it was an effective naval bomber.

The Japanese predator will not get the tidbit - none of the three American aircraft carriers of the Pacific Fleet, for various reasons, was in the database. But the Japanese aces will find out about this already during the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Launch date of Operation Pearl Harbor

At six o'clock in the morning on December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft carriers were 350 km north of Oahu.

At this time, the first wave of attacking aircraft, led by Mitsuo Fuchida, went into the air:

• 40 B5N2 Nakajima torpedo bombers;
• 51 Aichi D3A1 dive bombers;
• A cover escort of 43 Mitsubishi A6M2 fighters. A6M2 as an additional task had to work on ground targets, especially on anti-aircraft posts.

The suddenness of the attack stunned the Americans. As an officer of the base staff later aptly put it, "there was no panic, an orderly nightmare reigned." The Japanese calmly and methodically, as in exercises, shot ships in the roadstead, airfields, ammunition depots. The exact number of how many died in Pearl Harbor is still hidden by the Americans.

The start of the attack. The picture was taken from the command bomber of Lieutenant Colonel Mitsuo Fuchida. Explosion in the center - torpedo strike on the battleship West Virginia

An hour later, at seven in the morning , the second wave of Japanese aircraft under the command of Lieutenant Shindo went into battle at the Pearl Harbor base:

• 54 B5N2 Nakajima torpedo bombers;
• 78 Aichi D3A1 dive bombers;
• 36 Mitsubishi A6M2 escort fighters.

By this time, the Americans had recovered from the shock of the first wave and put up a stubborn resistance. Fighters took to the air, the surviving anti-aircraft crews conducted aimed fire. The results of the attack of the second wave were not so impressive for the attackers.

Aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack

Now, decades later, December 7th is celebrated as National Remembrance Day in the United States. And in 1941, President Roosevelt addressed Congress and called the massacre arranged by the Japanese on the island of Oahu "a day forever marked with shame."

American death toll at Pearl Harbor:

• 8 battleships (4 sunk and 4 damaged);
• two destroyers sunk;
• 3 cruisers damaged;
• one support ship sunk, 3 damaged;
• 188 aircraft destroyed, 159 damaged;
• three and a half thousand sailors killed and wounded. A thousand of them died on the battleship Arizona.

The number of deaths in Pearl Harbor on the Japanese side was incomparably less:

• sunk 4 small submarines sunk, 1 ran aground;
• 29 aircraft shot down;
• 55 pilots died;
• 9 submarine crew members were killed, 1 was taken prisoner.

By evening, the planes that returned to the aircraft carriers were refueled with fuel and ammunition. The pilots were eager to fight.

Mitsuo Fuchida insisted on the need to finish off the enemy - to completely eliminate strategic facilities at the base (fuel depots, docks and manpower), to find and destroy American aircraft carriers so that the number of Pearl Harbor victims would shock the enemy. But the commander of the operation, Admiral Nagumo, ordered to return.

In the future, some considered Nagumo's order a strategic mistake, others pointed to the correctness of the decision of an experienced admiral. But the main thing is not in doubt - the success of the attack on the Pearl Harbor base allowed Japan to actively attack without interference in all sectors of the Asia-Pacific military theater. The attack on Pearl Harbor is known as the only one in the history of the United States when bombs fell on the heads of Americans.

Revenge for Pearl Harbor

Doolittle Raid

On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25 bombers took off from the USS Hornet and headed for Tokyo. The squadron was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle. For the first time the territory of the Empire was bombarded. The invulnerability of the Japanese islands to air attacks, which Admiral Sugiyama convinced the emperor, was refuted.

Assassination of Admiral Yamamoto

Exactly one year after the Doolittle raid, American intelligence services put an end to the career and life of Admiral Yamamoto, the author of the idea of ​​attacking Pearl Harbor.

A special squadron was sent to intercept the admiral's air group on the morning of April 18, 1942. During the air battle between the Americans and Japanese escort fighters, the admiral's plane was shot down. Based on the results of radio interception, it was possible to find out the admiral's flight schedule during the inspection of Japanese forces in the Pacific Ocean. President Roosevelt, who was informed of the intelligence data, personally instructed the Secretary of the Navy to "punish Yamamoto."

Forced the United States to join WWII. Initially, the Americans did not even imagine that the "Pearl Harbor" could be attacked. Back in 1932, the US military conducted large-scale exercises, the main task of which was, in the event of an attack by a mock enemy on the Hawaiian Islands. It is known that Admiral Yarmouth outwitted the defending side by sending only a few aircraft carriers forward. Then, 40 miles from the island, he raised attack aircraft into the air and conditionally destroyed the entire enemy defense. As a result, he managed to gain complete air superiority, but, unfortunately, this did not convince the chief mediator that the system of fortifications needed to be changed. He (the mediator) stated that "any aircraft carriers will be destroyed on approach, and the attacking aircraft will suffer too heavy losses, since Oahu is under serious heavy air protection." In 37 and 38, the exercises were repeated, while the attackers managed to "destroy" shipyards, airfields and the entire fleet. It was this series of mistakes that led to the disaster that happened on December 7, 1941.

The basis of the incorrect conclusions of the American command was that in the 30s, battleship-class ships were considered the main weapon both at sea and in politics. Countries that could afford the production of these ships forced all other world powers to reckon with them. The main military doctrine of both the United States and Japan (which was seriously inferior in the number of these ships) was the implementation of a general battle, where battleships take the place of the main combat units. Carrier ships appeared much later, respectively, the command of both sides considered them to be something of secondary importance and used them mainly to reduce the advantage of the enemy's battle fleet.

Pearl Harbor is located on the island of Oahu, which belongs to the Hawaiian Archipelago. The harbor got its name from the name of the bay, which translates as "Pearl Harbor". Almost the entire territory of the island consisted of military bases, airfields and other defensive fortifications.

There is still no exact information about when exactly the Japanese began to work out a plan of attack. It is only known that in 1927 - 28, a certain captain of the 2nd rank named Kusaka Ryunosuke began to prepare an initial plan for attacking the American base in the Hawaiian Islands. Subsequently, he was promoted to commander of the 1st Carrier Fleet. He had the opportunity to conduct a course in aviation at once ten very important people, among whom was Nagano Osami. In this regard, he prepared a document in which it was indicated that if the United States did not want to enter the general battle on its own, then Japan urgently needed to seize the initiative. It was planned to carry it out through the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is likely that Isoroku Yamamoto saw that document and drew up the vague plans more clearly and concretely, which, together with the results of the American exercises, could convince the entire Japanese command of the expediency of this idea.

The attack on Pearl Harbor pursued several goals at once, but most of them were only partially achieved, despite the initial success of the operation. In particular, the main tasks of their fleet were:

1. The preemptive attack was supposed to weaken the American forces in the region and thus provide security for the Japanese forces in their takeover of oil-rich Southeast Asia. Given that due to the capture of the southern part of Indochina, the United States, Holland and Great Britain imposed an embargo on the supply of petroleum products. This option was the only chance to hold positions in the political arena. However, the idea failed, as the most well-armed American forces served in other places.
2. The destruction of the fleet and airfields allowed the Japanese troops to operate more freely and opened up a wide theater of war. However, far fewer American ships were damaged during the attack than planned, especially considering that many of them were already obsolete. That is why this goal was achieved only partially, mainly due to the huge losses in personnel of the US troops.

On November 26, 1941, one of the shock formations of the Japanese fleet (whose commander was Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo) left the base located in Hitokappu Bay (the modern name is Kasatka Bay) on Iturup Island, by order of the fleet commander Isoroku Yamamoto. The strike group consisted of six aircraft carriers, which in total carried more than 400 fighters, dive bombers and torpedo bombers. The escort included 2 battleships and 2 heavy cruisers, as well as one light cruiser, in addition they were covered by 9 destroyers. Also, about 6 submarines participated in the operation, transporting dwarf submarines to the battlefield. All these combat units were sent by various, hidden routes to the assembly point, where they were to receive the last orders, which depended on the decision of the Japanese command about the start of the war.

As a result, on December 1, a decision was made to start the war, and the next day a message was sent to Admiral Nagumo. In turn, Yamamoto sent a coded message to the strike force. It read: "Climb Mount Niitaka", which meant that the attack was to begin on December 7th.

At about 6 o'clock in the morning, aircraft of the first wave began to rise from aircraft carriers located 230 miles from the island. Among them were 40 Nakajima B5N2 torpedo bombers, their torpedoes were equipped with special wooden stabilizers for easier launching in tight harbor conditions. Also, 49 of them were equipped with bombs weighing 800 kg. In addition, the group included 51 Aichi D3A1 dive bombers, armed with 250 kg of bombs, and 43 A6M2 fighters.

While strike aircraft were reaching the island, at the same time, a Japanese mini-submarine was discovered and sunk there.

At 07:02, with the help of radar, the Americans managed to detect the approaching Japanese, but Lieutenant Tyler reassured the station staff, saying that they were their own. Similar information was transmitted by the radio station, which was used for direction finding. On that day, B-17 bombers were really supposed to fly to the base, but it was the Japanese who were lucky to detect the radar.

Already 40 minutes later, the attack began, and the first explosions began to be heard. Despite the chaos and devastation that had begun, at exactly 8:00 am, military musicians on the USS Nevada began to play the US anthem. At the same time, an alarm was sent, which read: "The air raid on Pearl Harbor is not an exercise."

Since there were no aircraft carriers in the harbor, this created confusion in the actions of the Japanese, who were forced to choose targets at their discretion. As a result of the raid, 4 battleships, 2 destroyers and a mine layer were sunk. 3 light cruisers, 4 battleships and 1 destroyer were heavily damaged. Also, the Americans lost more than 188 aircraft shot down and another 159 damaged. The personnel had a particularly hard time - 2,403 killed (1,102 died on board the Arizona battleship, which was blown up), while the number of wounded reached 1,178. The Japanese lost only 29 aircraft destroyed and 74 damaged.

The second wave consisted of over 160 aircraft. Among them were 54 - B5N2, 78 - D3A1 and 35 - A6M2. Torpedo bombers were not included in its composition, since the main bet was made on the first wave, and even fighter cover was reduced. Nevertheless, this echelon was destined to meet the fiercest resistance - the Americans were already able to lift several fighters into the air, although most of them had already been destroyed.

Conclusion

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was supposed to break the spirit of the American people and destroy most of their fleet. None of these tasks were completed. Soldiers, on the contrary, constantly went into battle with slogans like: "Remember Pearl Harbor." Although the Japanese were lucky to sink part of the enemy fleet, this did not give them a serious advantage in the ensuing war.

Pearl Harbor is a US naval base in the central Pacific Ocean on about. Oahu, where the main forces of the American Pacific Fleet were located. With the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japan unleashed the war in the Pacific. The fighting in the Pearl Harbor area was an integral part of the Hawaiian operation of the Japanese naval forces (Operation Pearl Harbor - Aleutian Islands).

The idea of ​​this operation was to covertly approach and deliver a sudden massive strike by aviation of the aviation association on American ships, coastal installations and aircraft at Pearl Harbor. Simultaneously with the actions of aviation, it was planned to use three ultra-small submarines delivered to the combat area on submarines - mothers. They received the task of penetrating Pearl Harbor Bay the night before the air strike and attacking the battleships with torpedoes. (Soviet military encyclopedia. T.6. M., 1978. S. 295-296.) For a distracting strike, two destroyers from the aircraft carrier formation were tasked with shelling the air base on about. Midway.

By December 7, there were 93 ships and support vessels at Pearl Harbor. Among them are 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 5 submarines, 9 minelayers and 10 US Navy minesweepers. The air force consisted of 394 aircraft, air defense was provided by 294 anti-aircraft guns. The garrison of the base consisted of 42,959 people (ibid.).

The ships in the harbor and the planes at the airfield were crowded, they were a convenient target for attack. The air defense of the base was not ready to repel attacks. Most of the anti-aircraft guns were not manned, the ammunition was under lock and key. (World War II. Two views. M., 1995. S. 466.)

To attack Pearl Harbor, the Japanese command allocated an aircraft carrier formation under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, consisting of 23 ships and 8 tankers. The connection consisted of a strike group, which consisted of six aircraft carriers (1st, 2nd and 5th divisions of aircraft carriers), a cover group (2nd detachment of the 3rd division of battleships), two heavy cruisers (8th division of cruisers) , one light cruiser and nine destroyers (1st Destroyer Squadron), a Vanguard Detachment of three submarines and a Supply Detachment of eight tankers. (Futida M., Okumiya M. Battle at Midway Atoll. Lane from English. M., 1958. S. 52.) The aviation group of the compound 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 attacks. On November 22, 1941, the task force gathered in the strictest secrecy in Hitokappu Bay (Kuril Islands) and from here, observing radio silence, on November 26 headed for Pearl Harbor. The transition took place along the longest (6300 km) route, which was distinguished by frequent stormy weather, but the least visited by ships. In order to disguise, a false radio exchange was made, which simulated the presence of all large Japanese ships in the Inland Sea of ​​Japan. (Soviet military encyclopedia. V.6. S. 295.)

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 order to increase vigilance, sent through a commercial line, reached Pearl Harbor only 22 minutes before the start of the Japanese attack, and was transferred to the liaison only at 10 hours 45 minutes when it was all over. (See: History of the Pacific War. T.Z. M., 1958. S. 264; World War II: Two Views. S. 465.)

In the pre-dawn darkness of December 7, Vice Admiral Nagumo's aircraft carriers reached the lift point and were 200 miles from Pearl Harbor. On the night of December 7, 2 Japanese destroyers fired on about. Midway, and at Pearl Harbor, launched 5 Japanese midget submarines began to operate. Two of them were destroyed by American patrol forces.

At 0600 on December 7, 183 aircraft of the first wave took off from the aircraft carriers and headed for the target. There were 49 attack aircraft - bombers of the "97" type, 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 with a 250-kilogram bomb. The covering force consisted of three groups of fighters, numbering a total of 43 vehicles. (Futida M., Okumiya M., op. cit. p. 54.)

The sky over Pearl Harbor was clear. At 7:55 a.m., Japanese aircraft attacked all large ships and aircraft at the airfield. There was not a single American fighter in the air, and not a single gun flare 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.

Aircraft of the second wave (170 aircraft) took off from aircraft carriers at 07:15. In the second wave, there were 54 attack-bombers of the "97" type, 80 dive bombers "99" and 36 destroyers, which covered the actions of the bombers. The second attack by Japanese aircraft met stronger resistance from the Americans. By 0800, the planes returned to the aircraft carriers. Of all the aircraft involved in the air raid, the Japanese lost 29 (9 fighters, 15 dive bombers and 5 torpedo bombers). Losses in manpower amounted to a total of 55 officers and enlisted men. In addition, the Americans sank one submarine and 5 midget submarines, which proved to be ineffective.

As a result of the Japanese air assault on Pearl Harbor, the strategic goal of preventing the US Pacific Fleet from interfering in Japanese operations in the south was largely achieved. 4 American battleships were sunk, 4 more heavily damaged. 10 other warships were sunk or disabled; 349 American aircraft destroyed or damaged; among the killed or wounded Americans - 3581 military, 103 civilians. (Second World War: Two Views. S. 466.)

The Japanese victory could have been even more significant. They failed to cause the slightest harm to enemy aircraft carriers. All 4 American aircraft carriers were absent at 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 all of the Japanese reserves. The Japanese formation, with the exception of the ships included in 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. December 23, it arrived at the anchorage at about. Hasira.

Thus, by 10 a.m. on December 7, the American fleet in the Pacific had virtually ceased to exist. If by the beginning of the war the ratio of the combat power of the American and Japanese fleets was 10: 7.5 (History of the Pacific War. T.Z. S. 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 won dominance at sea and were able to carry out extensive offensive operations in the Philippines, Malaya and the Dutch Indies.

Used materials from the book: "One Hundred Great Battles", M. "Veche", 2002

Literature

1. History of the war in the Pacific: In the 5th vol. / Ed. ed. Usami Seijiro. - T.Z. - M., 1958.

2. History of the Second World War. 1939-1945: In the 12th vol. / Ed. count A.A. Grechko (chief editor) - V.4. - M., 1975.

3. Campaigns of the Pacific War: Materials on the study of the strategic bombing of the aircraft of the United States. - M., 1956.

4. Soviet military encyclopedia: In the 8th vol. / Ch. ed. comis. N.V. Ogarkov (prev.) and others - M., 1978. - V.6. - S. 294-295.

5. What happened at Pearl Harbor. Documents about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. -M., 1961.

Read further:

Beginning of World War II(chronological table)

• 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 like 75 years ago, this object is a large flotilla in the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese Army carried out the attack, in the final events of World War II. The location of the base, on the territory of the Hawaiian archipelago, namely on the island of Oahu.

• The attack took place on the morning of December 7, 1941 and led to the entry of the United States into World War II.
• The purpose of the attack was to eliminate the US Pacific Fleet from interfering in the hostilities of World War II.
• Around 8 am local time, the Japanese Air Force began to launch air strikes.
• Eight battleships were damaged, four 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 people were injured.
• Japanese losses amounted to: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines were destroyed. 64 servicemen were dead. One Japanese sailor, Sakamaki Kazuo, was captured.
• The attack produced a profound shock to the Americans, and led to the entry of the state into the war.
• The next day, December 8, the United States declared military action against Japan.

Targets of the attack on Pearl Harbor

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

Before the attack

Even a couple of months before the bombing of the Pearl Harbor, a 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 passed on to the American leadership. Documents have recently been declassified that spoke of a meeting between German envoy Thomsen and American businessman Lovell. The meeting took place in November 1941. The German envoy announced an impending Japanese attack. Thomsen was aware of Lovell's connection to the American government. Information was transferred to W. Donovan, as one of the leaders of US intelligence. By the time the information was passed on 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, it was not directly said about the attack, but everything pointed to that. However, despite warnings for many more weeks, the US government did not send any warning messages to Hawaii.
Strangely, 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 the base on the Kuril Islands towards the naval base of Pearl Harbor. This happened after the sending of the Hull note by the United States 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 attack of the Japanese army on the "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 escorted by 2 battleships, 2 heavy and 1 light cruisers, and 11 destroyers. The United States Army was taken by surprise. The whole event lasted about an hour and a half. The strikes were carried out on airfields (in accordance with the plan) on the island of Oahu. The ships that were in the Pearl Harbor were also 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 a little less than 130) were heavily damaged. Attacks from the submarines were unsuccessful. The submarine fleet was destroyed.
• The attack provided the basis for the entry of the United States into a military conflict with the Empire of Japan. Roosevelt signed a document which narrated the official declaration of war against the Japanese aggressor. Now Germany and Italy have reported the emergence of hostilities against the states. The result of the attack on the US naval base was the basis for America's entry into a world military conflict.
• Seven Japanese aircraft were shot down by Lieutenants Welch and Tylor. After the bombing of the first wave, 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 09:45, the remnants of Japanese aircraft returned, having completed their task.
  For about half an hour, the Japanese bomber circled over the destroyed naval base. Since all of Pearl Harbor's 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 stragglers back to base.
• On one of the islands, one of the Japanese aircraft had to land. The pilot was taken prisoner. With the help of a Japanese who lived among the local population, he managed to get hold of a revolver and a double-barreled shotgun. This weapon turned out to be the only one on the whole island, and the prisoner turned into a power grabber. And still, a day later, in a skirmish with the indigenous people, the invader was destroyed. His accomplice shot himself.
  
• One of the officers who was in Pearl Harbor said that there was no panic in the army. The soldiers were very frightened, but this did not lead to chaos. After the departure of the Japanese aircraft, confusion continued, which became the beginning of many rumors, for example, about the poisoning of the water source by the Japanese. The people who drank from it were indeed hospitalized. There were also rumors about the militant attitude of the Japanese living in the Hawaiian Islands. Rumors spoke of an uprising. The USSR was not spared and there was "true" information about the attack on Tokyo by the Soviet army.
• One of the American bombers attacked his own cruiser. Luckily, the cruiser was not damaged. The command undertook a reconnaissance operation to locate Japanese ships near the Hawaiian Islands. A message was transmitted to the Pearl Harbor that their fighters would land at the base. Despite this, five aircraft were eliminated. The pilot of one of the fighters who jumped out with a parachute was shot.
• The Japanese aviation, having renewed its forces, was rushing into battle. They argued that additional strikes should be carried out 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 the 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, it can be concluded that the United States, therefore, carried out its plans.
• There is an opinion that the United States deliberately used Japan in order to enter the military struggle. The United States should not have been the initiator of entry. Roosevelt considered Germany a threat both to the world in general and to the United States in particular.
• Therefore, it was necessary to fight Nazi Germany precisely by military means. Unification with the Soviet Union could ensure victory over Hitler.
  But American society was set up differently.
• Despite the fact that the war had been going on for two years, Germany conquered half of Europe and attacked the Soviet Union, the Americans were against entering the war. The leadership of the country 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 opposite opinions.
• Japanese historians argue that the document had the character of an ultimatum. The United States has made an impossible demand.
• In addition to leaving the territories, America demanded an exit from the alliance with Germany and Italy. Therefore, the Japanese side accepted the Hull note as the 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 just became the catalyst for the start of a military conflict.
• In fact, this can be considered a provocation.
• A provocative Japanese historian argues that Japan had no other choice. As confirmation of his theory, he considers the change in the opinion of Americans regarding the involvement of the US Army in the war.
• 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 thing is important here, that having confirmed the attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor, the American government did not take any action. Until now, there are disputes about the surprise of a military attack.
• There is an additional fact in favor of the opinion of Japanese historians. An amazing and unusual coincidence was contained in the following.
• 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 losses of the fleet were not strong.

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

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

Thus, the leadership of both the United Kingdom and the United States came under fire. Both leaders sought to drag the United States into the war.

Pearl Harbor today
Today, Pearl Harbor remains the most powerful fleet. In addition to military purposes, the "Pearl Harbor" also has the function of a museum. On one of the ships from the Second World War, you can meet tourists. It is noted that this ship is in full combat readiness and in case of a military threat, it is ready to defend the homeland.