Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. This destroyed almost 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. Over a thousand soldiers and sailors were wounded and more than 2,000 of them were killed in this attack.
The reason the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor was because they wanted to spread their land into Asia but the U.S. would not allow it. They had put many restrictions on the Japanese which made them angry.
After many years of debating whether they should declare war on Japan the bombing of Pearl Harbor caused the U.S. to get involved in the war. A day after the bombing President Roosevelt declared war on Japan.
Preparing for Attack
The Japanese had to carefully plan this because they knew it was a risky plan and they were hopping for success because it was a surprise to the U.S. This attack was led by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. Him and his soldiers had to sneak six aircraft carriers, nine destroyers, two battleships, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser and three submarines across the Pacific Ocean, worrying about being seen by another ship. They finally arrived at their destination in Oahu which is 230 miles North of Hawaii. At six in the morning on December 7, 1941 the attack began. The Japanese launched their airplanes into the sea. The reason this was a surprise to the U.S. was because Sunday's were usually a time of leisure. Most of the soldiers were either still asleep, getting ready for church, or eating breakfast.
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. This destroyed almost 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. Over a thousand soldiers and sailors were wounded and more than 2,000 of them were killed in this attack.
The reason the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor was because they wanted to spread their land into Asia but the U.S. would not allow it. They had put many restrictions on the Japanese which made them angry.
After many years of debating whether they should declare war on Japan the bombing of Pearl Harbor caused the U.S. to get involved in the war. A day after the bombing President Roosevelt declared war on Japan.
Preparing for Attack
The Japanese had to carefully plan this because they knew it was a risky plan and they were hopping for success because it was a surprise to the U.S. This attack was led by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. Him and his soldiers had to sneak six aircraft carriers, nine destroyers, two battleships, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser and three submarines across the Pacific Ocean, worrying about being seen by another ship. They finally arrived at their destination in Oahu which is 230 miles North of Hawaii. At six in the morning on December 7, 1941 the attack began. The Japanese launched their airplanes into the sea. The reason this was a surprise to the U.S. was because Sunday's were usually a time of leisure. Most of the soldiers were either still asleep, getting ready for church, or eating breakfast.
This is a basic layout of Pearl Harbor. It shows us where the United States ships were located.