Attack on Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise military strike on the United States Pacific Fleet at its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii. At the time, the U.S. was a neutral country in World War II. The air raid on Pearl Harbor, which was launched from aircraft carriers, resulted in the U.S. declaring war on Japan the next day. The Japanese military leadership referred to the attack as the Hawaii Operation and Operation AI, and as Operation Z during its planning.

harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, USA

Japanese Marshal Admiral (1884–1943)

Japanese fighter aircraft

naval branch of the Empire of Japan

Japanese admiral

Japanese dive bomber

1915 Pennsylvania-class battleship

1937 attack aircraft family by Nakajima; Japan's primary carrier torpedo bomber in service at the start of World War II

1925 aircraft carrier initially laid down as a battlecruiser

Sōryū-class aircraft carrier

Japanese Naval officer (1902-1976)

United States admiral (1882-1968)

1921 Tosa-class battleship

1935 Sōryū-class aircraft carrier

1939 Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

1939 Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

Japanese politician, Imperial Japanese Navy officer and JSDAF general (1904–1989)

first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross (1919–1943)

December 8, 1941 speech by FDR on the bombing of Pearl Harbor

1937 Tone-class cruiser

1938 Tone-class cruiser

Japanese diplomat (1886–1954)

American ultimatum to Imperial Japan leading to World War II

islet at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

Japanese navy officer (1918-1999)

memorial to soldiers killed on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor

Japanese diplomatic code named Purple by the US

United States general (1880-1949)

1941 Kagerō-class destroyer

conflict between civilians and Japanese airman on Niihau, Hawaii, following the attack on Pearl Harbor

United States admiral (1897-1982)

Japanese politician (1877-1964)

official declaration of war by the United States on the Imperial Japan

A pretext (: pretextual) is an excuse to do something or say something that is not accurate. Pretexts may be based on a half-truth or developed in the context of a misleading fabrication. Pretexts have been used to conceal the true purpose or rationale behind actions and words. They are often heard in political speeches.

World War II Japanese submarine class

Japanese spy in Hawaii

1924 Type J1 submarine

Japanese admiral

American admiral (1919-2008)

United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient (1909–2010)

1933 Type KD6a submarine

Japanese admiral (1891–1960)

naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

1918 Wickes-class destroyer

torpedo used by the Imperial Japanese Navy

American police detective (1920–2019)

events prior to December 7, 1941 attack

Mahan-class destroyer

1935 Mahan-class destroyer

imperial Japanese Navy J3 type submarine

Mahan-class destroyer

United States admiral (1884–1957)

1938 Type C1 submarine

1931 Type J1M submarine

Recipient of the Purple Heart medal (1911–1997)

1939 Type C1 submarine

United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient (1894-1942)

American flying ace (1918–1954)

1925 Type J1 submarine