History Of The Attack On Pearl Harbor On December 7, 1941

It was on Sunday, December 7, 1941, at 8:00 in the morning (Hawaii time zone) when the Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, because an American naval base was located there. ^[1] World War II had been going on for about two years before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States had remained a neutral country up to the Pearl Harbor bombing.

Declaring War

The next day, December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. ^[2] President Roosevelt said in his speech to Congress:

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. ^[3]

Congress voted to declare war on Japan. The same day, Japan declared war on the United States. Following that up on December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy, Japan’s allies, declared war on the U.S. The United States also declared war on Germany and Italy.

Japan’s Purpose of Attack

The Japanese ordered over 400 aircrafts to attack Pearl Harbor in two waves. ^[4] The purpose of this attack was to destroy the Pacific Fleet and destroy the morale of the U.S Navy; this would prevent the U.S. from stopping Japan from advancing on targets in the South Pacific. ^[5]

U.S. Casualties

Over 180 U.S. planes were damaged during the attack; eight battleships were sunk or damaged completely; the U.S. also suffered over 3,400 deaths or injuries. ^[6] During the attack, several of the United States aircraft carriers were not at Pearl Harbor and escaped the damage.