Attack on Pearl Harbor - photos and a brief history of the Japanese attack on the US naval base. What really happened at Pearl Harbor What year was Pearl Harbor

Illustration copyright AP Image caption The battleship "Arizona" took off with its entire crew

75 years ago, Imperial Japan attacked the main US Pacific Fleet base at Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

In 1941, like for the USSR, the war for the United States began with a surprise attack by the enemy, heavy losses and moral shock.

• The fleet is a weapon of the 21st century

Pearl Harbor marked the beginning of a new era in naval affairs. Aircraft carriers replaced large artillery ships as the main striking force.

The success of the Japanese was resounding, although not as devastating as it first seemed.

However, how did Japan even decide to attack the United States, which was superior in strength in all respects?

And why did Hitler declare war on America after Pearl Harbor, acquiring an extra enemy, although by that time it had already become clear that the blitzkrieg against the USSR had failed?

Chinese knot

At the beginning of 1932, the Japanese occupied Manchuria and created the puppet state of Manchukuo there, and in July 1937 they launched full-scale military operations against China and soon occupied Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing and other important cities.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, America has defended the “open door principle” in relation to China, categorically objecting to any attempts by other powers to divide it into spheres of influence, especially to seize it for their sole use.

The loss of China in 1949 was perceived in the United States as a foreign policy disaster - after all, it was largely because of it that they entered World War II.

In addition, after the defeat of France by the Nazis, Japan in September 1940 received Vichy’s consent to the “protective occupation” of French Indochina, and in March 1941 sent troops to neutral Thailand.

Effective sanctions

Demanding the withdrawal of Japanese troops from China and Southeast Asia, on September 26, 1940, the United States imposed an embargo on the supply of iron and scrap metal to Japan, and on July 26, 1941, on oil and petroleum products.

The latter measure was joined by Britain and the government of the Hitler-occupied Netherlands, which moved to London.

“Japan lost its vital sources of oil at one blow,” Winston Churchill wrote in his memoirs.

The empire's minimum oil needs were 28 thousand tons per day; the navy alone, while at sea, consumed 400 tons of liquid fuel per hour, and there was nowhere to get this fuel.

The sanctions presented Tokyo with a choice: either change course or try to seize, for starters, Dutch Indonesia, where there were oil deposits, which required first neutralizing the American fleet.

At that time, there was no thought of abandoning the imperial idea in Japan.

“The Mikado was told directly that if he went against military policy, he would be killed,” US Ambassador to Tokyo Joseph Grew stated in a diplomatic cable.

“The main factor that accelerated the attack on Pearl Harbor was oil. Or rather, the Japanese’s lack of it,” pointed out American historian David Roll.

"Northerners" and "Southerners"

In December 1939, the Japanese government, considering the war against China practically won, limited spending on it to 20 percent of scarce materials and 40 percent of the military budget.

There was a dispute between the “northern” and “southern” parties about the direction of further expansion: the Soviet Far East or the Pacific basin.

Unlike the Germans, who based their assessments of Soviet military power mainly on an analysis of the experience of the war with Finland, which was not entirely successful for Moscow, the Japanese did not consider Russia a weak adversary after Khalkhin Gol.

Even if successful, the capture of the sparsely populated cold territory, where oil was not extracted at that time, promised few benefits for Tokyo and did not fundamentally solve its problems. Moreover, in the event of the defeat of the USSR by the Germans, Siberia would fall into Japanese hands without a fight.

The final choice was made at a meeting with the Emperor on July 2, 1941: “Although our attitude towards the Soviet-German war is determined by the spirit of the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis, we will not interfere in it […], we will use weapons if the course of the Soviet-German "The war will take a favorable turn for Japan."

It was then decided to prepare a strike in the south.

Stalin, not believing Richard Sorge’s forecasts about a German attack on the USSR, considered the resident’s analytical calculations regarding the Japanese attack against the United States logical and convincing and benefited a lot from it, even before Pearl Harbor he began transferring Siberian, or more precisely, Far Eastern divisions to Moscow.

Contrary to the well-known version that US intelligence cracked the Japanese "Purple" code and knew almost all the secrets of the future enemy, its analysts were not up to par.

On July 5, Army Headquarters sent a document to local commanders stating that there was a high probability of war between Japan and the Soviet Union.

Short fight

In July 1941, Japanese naval torpedo bombers began training in Kagoshima Bay, which was reminiscent of Pearl Harbor in configuration.

On September 5, Chief of the General Staff Hajime Sugiyama and Chief of Naval Staff Osami Nagano reported to the Emperor about their readiness. At the same time, Sugiyama assured that retaliatory airstrikes on Japanese territory are technically impossible for the Americans.

On November 26, the squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo left the Hitokappu base (now Kasatka Bay) on Iturup Island and headed for Pearl Harbor. During the 10 days of sailing, the ships were not discovered.

The main striking force consisted of six aircraft carriers: Akagi, Hiryu, Soryu, Shokaku, Juikaku and Kaga, which carried 441 aircraft, including 144 carrier-based torpedo bombers Nakajima B5N, which were considered that moment the best in the world in its class.

The guard consisted of two battleships, two heavy and one light cruiser, 11 destroyers and six submarines.

At 03:00 on December 7 - almost at the same hour when the Germans began artillery preparation on June 22 - 89 aircraft of the first wave (49 in the bomber version, the rest carried heavy torpedoes) took off from aircraft carriers and struck the American ships anchored in the bay .

Almost instantly, torpedo bombers from the Akagi hit the battleship Oklahoma. Then seven torpedoes hit the West Virginia. The next targets were the battleships Arizona, on which a monstrous explosion occurred, Tennessee, California, and Nevada.

54 Nakajima bombers of the second wave attacked coastal airfields.

Everything lasted 90 minutes. The carriers then boarded their aircraft, turned around and left.

A total of 353 aircraft, including escort fighters, took part in the two raids.

The Japanese sank four American battleships (two were subsequently raised and returned to service), two destroyers and one minelayer, damaged four more battleships, three cruisers and one destroyer, destroyed, mostly on the ground, 188 aircraft and damaged 159.

2,403 American troops were killed (almost half of them on board the Arizona that exploded) and 1,178 were wounded.

Japanese losses amounted to 64 men, 29 aircraft (15 bombers, five torpedo bombers and nine fighters) and five midget submarines.

By the way, the Japanese command had high, but completely unfulfilled, hopes for these boats delivered on board the ships. Lieutenant Sakamaki was captured after his midget submarine ran into a reef.

Pyrrhic victory

In terms of immediate effect, the success of the operation exceeded all expectations.

The American fleet took six months to recover from its losses. During this time, Japan captured Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, Malaya, Hong Kong and Singapore with relative ease. Its fleet entered the Indian Ocean.

Berlin invited the ally to land troops in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, and after the capture of the Suez Canal by Rommel, lead its ships to the Mediterranean Sea.

• World War II: Erwin Rommel

Britain urgently began to strengthen India's defenses and took control of Madagascar, which was ruled by the Vichy French.

However, when the first shock passed, it became clear that US losses were not critical.

The base at Pearl Harbor remained operational. The piers, arsenal, fuel storage facilities, shipyard, power plant, and headquarters buildings were not damaged.

And most importantly, American aircraft carriers and the two newest and most powerful battleships, North Carolina and Washington, were in other places during the attack. Eight more similar ships were being completed.

Retribution was not long in coming. Already on April 18, 1942, bombers from the Hornet aircraft carrier refuted the assurances of General Sugiyama by striking Tokyo, Nagoya and Yokosuka (the “Doolittle Raid”).

On June 4-5, the United States won a key victory over the Japanese fleet at Midway Atoll. “Stalingrad at Sea” marked a turning point in the Pacific War, turning Japan once and for all into a defender.

Four of the six Japanese aircraft carriers that took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor were sunk at Midway. Of the 22 ships in the squadron, only one survived by the end of the war.

Conspiracy version

On December 8, Franklin Roosevelt spoke at a joint meeting of the US Senate and House of Representatives, calling the attack on Pearl Harbor “a day that will go down in history as a symbol of shame.” Lawmakers declared war on Japan.

Adherents of conspiracy theories believe that Roosevelt, having taken away valuable aircraft carriers from Hawaii, deliberately exposed obsolete ships to attack in order to disarm the isolationists. Nonconformist historians James Rusbridger and Eric Nave even titled their book Betrayal at Pearl Harbor.

As confirmation, they point out that Roosevelt rejected the admirals’ proposal to withdraw the fleet to San Diego for the winter after the end of summer-autumn exercises, saying that “a robber should always see a policeman in front of him.”

In January 1941, Secretary of the Navy Franklin Knox and Ambassador to Tokyo Joseph Grew suggested that if Japan decided to go to war, Pearl Harbor would be the first target.

The writer Samuel Morrison wondered why, in the four months before the attack, "almost nothing" was done to improve military readiness, although after the oil embargo it did not take a brilliant analyst to foresee such a development.

Pearl Harbor and Oahu were not prepared either mentally or physically for what happened on December 7 Samuel Morrison, American writer

In fact, Chief of the Naval Staff Harold Stark sent a warning to Pearl Harbor base commander Admiral Kimmel on November 27 about the “possibility of hostile action by Japan at any time” and repeated it the next day.

According to some reports, the Japanese planted disinformation about the start of the war on November 29, and when this date passed, the Americans calmed down.

The situation in the United States on the eve of Pearl Harbor was in many ways reminiscent of what was happening in the USSR before June 22: the same lack of reliable data, analytical fortune-telling, orders to be on full alert and at the same time not to panic, a paradoxical combination of anxiety and carelessness. And, as you know, everyone is strong with hindsight.

Franklin Roosevelt really believed that America should take part in the war so as not to leave Eurasia at the mercy of "devil-possessed" dictators, and the Japanese attack gave him a free hand.

But he had no reason to deliberately lead his fleet to destruction. It would be better in all respects if the attacking enemy received a worthy rebuff.

Fatal Delusion

At a government meeting in the summer of 1941, Colonel Hideo Iwakura from the Armaments Directorate of the War Ministry presented data on the available resources of the United States and Japan: aircraft 5:1, warships 2:1, labor 5:1, steel smelting 20:1, oil production 100: 1, coal 10:1.

Iwakura was sent to serve in Cambodia. However, the main author of the idea of ​​attacking Pearl Harbor, Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Shuroku Yamamoto, who once graduated from Harvard and then worked as a naval attaché in Washington, had no illusions about Japan’s chances in a stubborn war and relied on blitzkrieg.

The Germans could still, at least theoretically, hope to defeat the Red Army in three months and reach the Arkhangelsk-Volga line. But what kind of blitzkrieg were we talking about in relation to the United States located overseas?

Russian historian Igor Bunich saw the answer in “a misunderstanding of the origins of American power and optimism.”

No one in Japan was going to land near San Francisco and fight against Washington. The idea was that it would be enough to inflict a couple of serious blows on the Americans for the number of victims to go into the thousands - and then the mothers and brides of bank clerks, baseball players and jazz musicians drafted into the army would stage a demonstration in front of the White House and force Roosevelt to make peace on any terms.

“From Tokyo, as well as from Berlin and Moscow, the States seemed to be a disheveled, completely undisciplined country with a dissolved, decomposed, completely devoid of ideology population, incapable of the sacrifices that a great war requires,” the researcher wrote.

“Who will fight? I couldn’t believe that these sleek young people in bow ties, playing tennis and swimming in pools, could sit in a trench for at least half an hour and not start a rally about the violation of their civil rights. The opponents miscalculated by not guessing deceptive appearance, iron muscles and deadly fangs."

The oddities of Hitler's behavior

On December 11, 1941, Germany declared war on America. Ribbentrop called US Chargé d'Affaires Leyland Morris and, without inviting him to sit down, shouted in a pathetically hysterical manner: “Your president wanted war. Now he got it.”

Roosevelt first expressed his attitude towards European dictators back in early 1936. In a speech on January 3, the immediate occasion of which was Italian aggression against Ethiopia, he said: “The time has come when the American people must pay attention to the growing evil, to the obvious aggression, to the growth of armaments, which are creating the preconditions for the tragedy of a general war.”

On September 28, 1940, he passed through Congress the law on universal conscription, on March 8, 1941, the Lend-Lease law, while publicly declaring that “all countries that are fighting Nazism or will join the fight against it will receive everything they need from the United States so that this struggle ends victoriously."

• Franklin Roosevelt's garden hose

On December 8, 1941, the President said: "We intend to end the threat from Japan. But we will achieve little if the rest of the world remains under the heel of Hitler and Mussolini."

The very low level of coordination of strategic plans and specific actions between Germany and Japan is still a mystery Konstantin Remchukov, historian and publicist

So Roosevelt did not hide his views, and American neutrality was relative.

Nevertheless, the Germans had a chance to avoid a direct confrontation or at least delay it. No one, as they say, pulled their tongues with the declaration of war.

According to historians, Hitler hoped that Japan would respond by at least symbolically declaring war on the Soviet Union.

On July 10, Ribbentrop, in a message to his Japanese colleague Yosuke Matsuoka, expressed the hope of “shaking Japan’s hand on the Trans-Siberian Railway before the start of winter,” and on November 21, he secretly assured his partners of support in the event of war with America.

The calculation did not come true, and a few months later the defeat of the Japanese fleet at Midway Atoll finally deprived Tokyo and Berlin of the opportunity to pursue any coordinated strategy.

A row of battleships (“Battleship Row” are concrete piles to which heavy ships were moored side to side) at Pearl Harbor. From left to right: USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee (damaged) and USS Arizona (sunk).
The attack of Pearl Harbor (Pearl Bay) or, according to Japanese sources, the Hawaiian operation is a sudden combined attack by Japanese carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier formation of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo and Japanese midget submarines, delivered to the site of the attack by submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on the American military. naval and air bases located in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, occurred on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941.

As a result of the attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base, the United States was forced to declare war on Japan and enter World War II. The attack was a preventive measure against the United States, aimed at eliminating the American navy, gaining air supremacy in the Pacific region and subsequent military operations against Burma, Thailand, and the US's western possessions in the Pacific Ocean. The attack consisted of two air raids involving 353 aircraft from 6 Japanese aircraft carriers. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the main reason the United States entered World War II. Because of the attack, especially its nature, public opinion in America changed dramatically from an isolationist position in the mid-1930s to direct participation in the war effort. On December 8, 1941, US President Franklin Roosevelt spoke at a joint meeting of both houses of Congress. The President demanded that from December 7, from “a day that will go down in history as a symbol of shame,” to declare war on Japan. Congress adopted a corresponding resolution.

A model of the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor, built in Japan in 1941 during the planning of the attack on the base. The arrangement of the ship models extremely accurately reproduces their real place in the “line of battleships”.

Background

Pearl Harbor before the attack

View of Pearl Harbor and a row of battleships during the Japanese attack
By December 7, there were 93 ships and support vessels in Pearl Harbor. Among them are 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 5 submarines, 9 minelayers and 10 minesweepers of the US Navy. The air force consisted of 394 aircraft, and air defense was provided by 294 anti-aircraft guns. The base garrison numbered 42,959 people. Ships in the harbor and planes at the airfield were crowded together, making them a convenient target for attack. The base's air defense was not ready to repel attacks. Most of the anti-aircraft guns were not manned, and their ammunition was kept under lock and key.

Japanese aircraft carriers are heading for Pearl Harbor. The photo shows the flight deck of the Zuikaku aircraft carrier in its bow, twin installations of universal 127-mm type 89 guns. The Kaga aircraft carrier (closer) and the Akagi aircraft carrier (further) are visible ahead. The differences between the aircraft carriers of the 1st Division are clearly visible; the Akagi has a superstructure located on the port side.

Story

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 in the attack. On November 22, 1941, the task force gathered in the strictest secrecy in Hitokappu Bay (Kuril Islands) and from here, observing radio silence, headed for Pearl Harbor on November 26. The transition took place along the longest (6300 km) route, characterized by frequent stormy weather, but least visited by ships. For camouflage purposes, a false radio exchange was made, which simulated the presence of all large Japanese ships in the Inland Sea of ​​Japan. (Soviet military encyclopedia. T.6. P. 295.)

Briefing on the deck of the aircraft carrier Kaga before the attack on Pearl Harbor
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 instruction about the need to increase vigilance, sent via commercial lines, reached Pearl Harbor only 22 minutes before the Japanese attack began, and was transmitted to the messengers only at 10:45 minutes when it was all over. (See: History of the War in the Pacific. T.Z.M., 1958. P. 264; The Second World War: Two Views. P. 465.)

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

At 6.00 on December 7, 183 aircraft of the first wave took off from aircraft carriers and headed for the target. There were 49 Type 97 attack bombers, each carrying an 800-kilogram armor-piercing bomb, 40 attack torpedo bombers with a torpedo suspended under the fuselage, 51 Type 99 dive bombers, each carrying a 250-kilogram bomb. The covering force consisted of three groups of fighters, numbering a total of 43 aircraft. (Futida M., Okumiya M., op. cit. p. 54.)

The first aircraft is ready to take off from the aircraft carrier Shokaku at Pearl Harbor
The skies over Pearl Harbor were clear. At 7:55 am, Japanese planes attacked all large ships and aircraft at the airfield. There was not a single American fighter in the air, and not a single gun flash 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.

Destroyed Naval Air Station at Pearl Harbor
The second wave of aircraft (167 aircraft) took off from the aircraft carriers at 7:15 am. In the second wave there were 54 attack bombers of the 97 type, 78 dive bombers of the 99 type and 35 fighter jets, which covered the actions of the bombers. The second strike by Japanese planes met stronger American resistance. By 8.00 the planes returned to the aircraft carriers. Of all the aircraft that took part in the air raid, the Japanese lost 29 (9 fighters, 15 dive bombers and 5 torpedo bombers). Manpower losses amounted to a total of 55 officers and men. In addition, the Americans sank one submarine and 5 midget submarines, whose actions turned out to be ineffective.

The abandonment of the battleship Nevada inside the harbor during the attack on Pearl Harbor. On this day, she became the only American battleship that managed to get underway and tried to leave the bay. However, due to the threat of sinking by the Japanese in the fairway, the Nevada was ordered to beach. In total, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, the battleship Nevada was hit by 1 aerial torpedo and 2-3 aerial bombs, after which it ran aground.

Japanese aviation

Japanese A6M Zero fighters before taking off to attack the American base at Pearl Harbor on the deck of the aircraft carrier Akagi. The photo was taken a few minutes before departure.

Aircraft of the first wave

Aircraft of the second wave

Results

The Japanese victory could have been even more significant. They failed to cause the slightest harm to the enemy aircraft carriers. All 4 American aircraft carriers were absent from 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 the entire Japanese reserves. The Japanese formation, with the exception of the ships that were part of 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. On December 23, it arrived at the anchorage near the island. Hasira.

Thus, by 10 a.m. on December 7, the American fleet in the Pacific actually ceased to exist. If at the beginning of the war the ratio of the combat power of the American and Japanese fleets was equal to 10: 7.5 (History of the War in the Pacific. T.Z. P. 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 gained supremacy at sea and gained the opportunity to conduct extensive offensive operations in the Philippines, Malaya and the Dutch Indies.

Battleship California and tanker Neosho during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The battleship California sank after being hit by two torpedoes and two bombs. The team could have saved the ship, and even set sail, but abandoned it due to the threat of a fire from a flaming slick of oil leaking from other battleships. The ship landed on the ground. Has been restored. In the background is the squadron tanker Neosho, subsequently sunk by Japanese carrier-based aircraft in the battle in the Coral Sea in May 1942. Fortunately for the Americans, as a result of the fact that during the Pearl Harbor attack the Japanese pilots had warships as a clear target, the tanker was not hit. The Neosho tanks were filled to capacity with high-octane aviation gasoline...

On December 7, 1941, carrier-based aircraft of the United Imperial Japanese Fleet attacked the main US naval and air force bases in the Pacific Ocean

An event that still causes controversy among historians and politicians, an incident that radically changed the course of the entire Second World War - so what was it: a subtle calculation of the American intelligence services and the political establishment or the success of Japanese weapons? Most likely, we will not know the answer to this question soon. However, no one is stopping us from now trying to understand this military episode in order to draw our own conclusions. Moreover, it is well known, at least for its visualization in cinema: it seems that many people watched the Oscar-winning feature film of the same name and can imagine in general terms the events of that attack.

Preparing for war

It would not be out of place to inform our reader that the war in the Pacific Ocean was most likely a foregone conclusion. Japan abandoned its intentions to attack the USSR from the Kwantung Army in Manchuria. And the rejection of this (conditionally “Western”) plan implied the implementation of a certain “Eastern option,” that is, expansion in the Pacific Ocean. By the way, this state of affairs can be considered a victory for Soviet diplomacy in the pre-war years and another positive aspect of the Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the USSR. Japan felt deceived, despite being a member of the Anti-Comintern Pact, and did not want to help the Germans.

One way or another, the Japanese headquarters - primarily the Navy, since in Japan there was a strict division of land and naval forces, which later played a cruel joke on them - began to plan a campaign to seize the Pacific Ocean. The particular cynicism of the Japanese militarists was that some regions were called, for example, “special resource regions,” where only raw materials were taken into account, and people, naturally, were subject to eviction, destruction and persecution. However, the massacre in Chinese Nanjing (200 thousand killed) left no doubt that the Japanese would act harshly.

Source: upload.wikimedia.org

One of the leading Japanese strategists, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, developed a plan for the expansion of the Japanese Empire, based on the seizure of islands as transshipment bases, resource centers and achieving dominance at sea and in the air, primarily with the help of the fleet. The American embargo on oil supplies to Japan in July 1941 only accelerated the implementation of these plans. However, by that time the Japanese were already in French Indochina (Vietnam) and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). The ring around the Americans was narrowing.

A carefully thought out plan

Japanese intelligence, which worked well with the help of a residency right at the American base, constantly supplied data on the movements of American ships. With this information, Yamamoto developed a meticulously thought-out plan. Having carefully studied the experience of the British air raid on the Italian naval base in Taranto, where Japan's allies suffered heavy losses, Yamamoto borrowed many solutions. Thus, an aircraft carrier strike force advanced to the Hawaiian Islands from the Kuril Islands in complete radio silence. The group of 6 heavy aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku was supported by impressive security. And 6 submarines were supposed to deliver midget boats to the bay to conduct torpedo attacks, and then begin patrolling.

Source: pinterest.ru

The main blow was delivered by carrier-based aviation, which had 414 aircraft of three types - B5N Kate torpedo bombers, D3A Val dive bombers and the famous A6M Zero fighters. Some of the torpedo bombers performed the unconventional role of high-altitude bombers, armed with 800-kilogram armor-piercing bombs; the rest carried torpedoes, but with special wooden stabilizer devices that did not allow the torpedoes to bury themselves in the ground when dropped in a shallow bay. The dive bombers traditionally threw 250-kilogram bombs, and the Zeros used cannons and machine guns to shoot at aircraft in open parking areas and personnel. The strike was supposed to be carried out in three successive waves of aircraft.

Source: upload.wikimedia.org

Despite all these preparations, there were several (let's call them strange) circumstances that preceded the attack, as well as the US entry into World War II. Intelligence officers at all levels, as well as friendly intelligence services, including the legendary Richard Sorge, repeatedly warned the top US leadership about the possible outbreak of hostilities, and quite accurately. On December 6, 1941, the Americans were even able to decipher a secret Japanese note in response to an American ultimatum, which effectively meant war. President Roosevelt received it at 21.30 on December 6, that is, even before the attack, but no one warned the base. Finally, the “fantastic” things are noted! 50 minutes (!) before the approach, the armada of Japanese planes was detected by radar, but for some reason they were considered their own. Really, just think, more than 300 “our” planes are flying uncontrollably somewhere?! And shortly before the attack, all American aircraft carriers were relocated to the west coast of the United States and other areas - the key to future victories in the war at sea. Are there too many coincidences? Think for yourself.

Tora, tora, tora!

With this conventional phrase, the Japanese pilots confirmed the success and achievement of the surprise effect of the first wave of the attack to Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, who commanded the carrier strike group. Early on Sunday morning, while the personnel were still asleep and many were on leave, 183 Japanese aircraft appeared over Pearl Harbor. At first, many mistook the noise of the engines for exercises or the landing of heavy bombers. Each Japanese pilot had photographs of his target, and the targets themselves, primarily 9 battleships, were distributed with "multiple overlap". The effect of the strike was stunning, and general panic and the lack of organized resistance aggravated the situation. Soon, in the smoke and fire above the water, a monstrous explosion was heard, with the bow broken in two, the battleship Arizona sank to the bottom, and the Oklahoma capsized. Japanese planes circled over the harbor like angry bees and continued to sting.

Sinking battleship Arizona

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 developing 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 Yamamotu. The history of the attack on Pearl Harbor, how it really happened, how many died during the bombing on both sides - read the details below.

History of the attack on Pearl Harbor

Preparing for battle

Preparatory actions before the attack included:

• combat coordination of crews of aircraft carriers, submarines, and aircraft;
• preparation of military equipment;
• intelligence collection.

Throughout July 1941, Japanese torpedo bombers practiced bombing in Kagoshima Bay, which resembles Pearl Harbor in outline. The training 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 the Chief of the Naval Staff, Osami Nagano, and the Chief of the General Staff, Hajime Sugiyama. And on September 5 they reported to the emperor that they were ready. 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.

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

A squadron 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;
• a combat guard of two battleships, three cruisers, six submarines and eleven destroyers.

American unit at Pearl Harbor base:

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

Japanese carrier strike group

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

Aircraft involved in the attack on Pearl Harbor

The strike aircraft group heading to the Hawaiian Islands included 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 fighters attacking it. Especially after releasing the combat load.
	545	1870	two 7.7 mm machine guns, two 20 mm cannons, two 60 kg bombs under the wings	1	Fighter. The A6M2 was the most advanced vehicle in the Pacific theater by 1941. The combination of high maneuverability, range and excellent weapons 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 combat tactics of the B5N2 involved avoiding enemy fighters whenever possible 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 most delicious morsel - none of the three American aircraft carriers of the Pacific Fleet were in the base for various reasons. But the Japanese aces find out about this already during the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Start date of Operation Pearl Harbor

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

At this time, the first wave of attacking aircraft, led by Mitsuo Fuchida, took off:

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

The suddenness of the attack stunned the Americans. As a base headquarters officer aptly put it later, “there was no panic, an orderly nightmare reigned.” The Japanese calmly and methodically, as in a training exercise, shot at ships in the roadstead, airfields, and ammunition depots. The exact number of people who died at Pearl Harbor is still hidden by the Americans.

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 D3A1 Aichi dive bombers;
• 36 Mitsubishi A6M2 fighter escorts.

By this time, the Americans had recovered from the shock of the first wave and put up stubborn resistance. The fighters took off into the air, and the surviving anti-aircraft crews fired accurately. The results of the second wave attack were not so impressive for the attackers.

Consequences of the Pearl Harbor attack

Now, decades later, December 7 is celebrated in the United States as National Remembrance Day. And in 1941, President Roosevelt spoke in Congress and called the massacre carried out by the Japanese on the island of Oahu “a day forever marked by shame.”

US 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 at Pearl Harbor on the Japanese side was incomparably lower:

• 4 small submarines sunk, 1 stranded;
• 29 aircraft shot down;
• 55 pilots were killed;
• 9 submarine crew members were killed, 1 was captured.

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 casualties at Pearl Harbor would shock the enemy. But the commander of the operation, Admiral Nagumo, ordered to return.

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

Revenge for Pearl Harbor

Dolittle's 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 bombed. The invulnerability of the Japanese islands to air attacks, which Admiral Sugiyama convinced the emperor, was refuted.

Elimination 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 ​​​​the attack on Pearl Harbor.

A special squadron was sent to intercept the admiral's air group on the morning of April 18, 1942. During an air battle between the Americans and Japanese escort fighters, the admiral's plane was shot down. Based on the results of the 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.”

Exactly 75 years ago, Japanese carrier-based aircraft dealt a severe blow to the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. No less was the psychological effect this attack had on all Americans - from top management to the last farmer. Nevertheless, a similar course of events was predicted and even simulated during American naval exercises 10 years before the actual Japanese attack. How did this happen and what conclusions were drawn?

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Quiet Sunday morning, winter, the seventh on the calendar. The US fleet stands peacefully in the harbor. Suddenly, dozens of planes appear from the northeast, having taken off from secretly approaching enemy aircraft carriers. Fighters at low level attack American aircraft in parking lots, and dive bombers drop their deadly cargo on ships, airfields and headquarters. The defenders of Pearl Harbor are taken by surprise. Having completed the tasks, enemy aircraft return to their carrier ships without interference. The admiral in charge of the operation watches what is happening with satisfaction, but his name is not Chuichi Nagumo, but Harry Yarnell. On the calendar - February 7, 1932, US Navy exercises are in full swing, ten years remain before the actual attack on Pearl Harbor...

"Great War" and "Winged Defense"

One might ask: Why did the United States even train to attack and repel Pearl Harbor at a time when World War I had long since ended? The fact is that the so-called “yellow peril” threatening the white race from Asia has been a favorite topic of many books in the West since the end of the 19th century. Japan's crushing victories over China and Russia, as well as the capture of the German base of Qingdao in 1914, only strengthened these fears.

Aircraft carrier Saratoga, 1932.
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Back in April 1925, the Englishman Hector Bywater, the author of several works on the fleet, completed the book “The Great Pacific War.” In it, based on an analysis of the real contradictions between the United States and Japan, as well as the state of their fleets, he argued that a future Japanese-American war in the vast Pacific Ocean is very real, although by no means inevitable.

In Bywater's scenario, the Japanese government decides to go to war for two reasons. Firstly, to freely develop Chinese resources that are vital for Japanese industry. This is hampered by the United States, with its superior economic power, which won a large contract to develop coal and iron ore deposits in China. The conclusion of the contract strengthens the resolve of all Chinese parties to fight against Japanese influence. Secondly, to unite the nation in the face of a common enemy - the same United States, which is preventing the “legal” rule of China, and at the same time avoid the impending revolution, which the Japanese communists are actively preparing.

Next, the Japanese demand that the United States refuse to further transfer forces to areas west of the Hawaiian Islands, and moreover, to deploy transports with troops already heading to Manila. The USA, naturally, refuses.

Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga, 1930.
http://ww2db.com

The fictional war begins in 1931 with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and the sudden explosion of a Japanese kamikaze transport that cripples the Panama Canal. The outdated US "flag show" fleet hopes to sell its lives dearly by taking the Japanese landing force into the Philippines - if the Japanese send warships and transport ships simultaneously, as they did at Chemulpo, and land outside the firing range of shore batteries, as in Port Arthur. But in the novel, the Japanese first destroy enemy ships and only then send transports with troops under the cover of an aircraft carrier.

According to the plot, Guam will fall behind the Philippines. Most ships of both the US and Japan now simply do not have enough fuel on board to get from their bases to the enemy. It must be said that the author was not far from the truth, given the number of tankers required for the actual attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

The war Bywater modeled is costly for both sides, but the United States, due to its superior population, economic and industrial development, endures losses more easily than Japan - as will happen in reality, 20 years after the book was written. After just over two years, Japan can no longer continue the war and is looking for ways to conclude peace on acceptable terms. The US wins, but at too high a cost, and veers towards isolationism while Britain and Germany dominate the world...

Twenty years before the Pearl Harbor attack: the destruction by aircraft of the obsolete battleship Alabama, September 1921

Although Bywater's book is considered a prophecy of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, it ironically does not say a word about the attack on Pearl Harbor! But in September 1931, Japan actually invaded Manchuria and occupied it, despite the protests of the League of Nations. This caused understandable concern among neighbors.

The defense of the Hawaiian Islands from air attack was not ignored by another author - General William “Billy” Mitchell, an experienced pilot and air commander of the First World War. His book Winged Defense was published the same year as Bywater's book.

According to Mitchell's book, with the average price of a strike aircraft of that time being $25,000 versus the price of a battleship of $100 million, aviation is much more efficient: instead of one battleship, 4,000 aircraft can be built. Based on test experience, Mitchell argued that the aircraft could sink any ship, even the largest and most protected one, with torpedoes and bombs. Battleships are too expensive, difficult to maintain, vulnerable and should become a thing of the past - while aircraft carriers will find their niche. Moreover, he insisted on something completely unheard of, declaring that army and navy officers would have to obey air force officers in the defense of the islands! They could no longer tolerate this. Nevertheless, Mitchell's ideas were worth testing - especially those where he proposed strengthening the defenses of the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands. To defend the island of Oahu alone, Mitchell proposed stationing about a hundred fighters on it, not counting the 300-aircraft air force common to Hawaii.

"Blue" versus "black"

In 1932, the fleet of the Japanese Empire was the third in the world, second only to the American and British. It consisted, according to US intelligence, of 10 battleships, eight heavy and 19 light cruisers, 110 destroyers, 67 submarines and three aircraft carriers. Therefore, US strategists were extremely interested in finding out what the fleet of a potential enemy was capable of. In the absence of a “real” war, large-scale exercises were carried out. Standard colors were used to designate sides - as, for example, when working out plans for war with Canada.

Admiral Yarnell.
http://www.navsource.org

On January 1, 1932, large army and navy exercises began. The Blues (“Japanese”) were supposed to attack the island of Oahu in Hawaii, where the most important US naval base (“Blacks”) was located in the Pacific Ocean. Oahu was defended by anti-aircraft batteries and about 100 aircraft - exactly as many as General Mitchell wanted.

Since the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese navy has been known for its love of attacking without declaring war. For a surprise attack on the base, two new aircraft carriers were allocated: USS Saratoga and USS Lexington, which were supposed to operate under the cover of four destroyers.

The naval group was commanded by 57-year-old Rear Admiral Harry Yarnell. Unlike most admirals of his time, Yarnell had flight training and also spent a year in command of the Saratoga. Although virtually all participants in the exercise thought that the aircraft carriers would be discovered and sunk by coastal aircraft and submarines long before they approached the target within the range of carrier-based aircraft (about 100 miles, or approximately 185 km), Yarnell believed otherwise.

Admiral Yarnell disembarks from the heavy cruiser Augusta, 1938

He took into account that in winter, squally winds and low clouds would help hide his ships from the eyes of patrol aircraft - especially if he did not go to the target directly, but made a detour, avoiding busy trade routes and passenger lines. In addition, taking into account the prevailing northeast winds, Pearl Harbor harbor is protected from the same bad weather by the Koolau volcano. Therefore, the attacking pilots, having crossed the ridge, would be able to attack in clear skies - almost like at a training ground. An additional element of surprise was created by the timing of the attack: early Sunday morning, most of the crew members would be off duty, if not on shore at all.

The operation itself began on the night of February 6, when Yarnell's group plowed through rough waves 60 miles northeast of Oahu. There were no lights, no radio conversations. Everything went like clockwork, the attack was a complete success. Of the 152 aircraft launched into the air, not one was lost during takeoff. 20 tons of “bombs” were dropped, which represented signal flares and sacks of flour. All the ships in Pearl Harbor were “sunk”, and even a day after the raid, the enemy still did not find the ships that attacked him: no one could believe that the attack was carried out by a small, and therefore inconspicuous, group of ships, and not by an entire fleet.

Saratoga en route to Hawaii, April 1932. In a dramatic shot, a small biplane lands on the deck of the Old Sarah.
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The “black” commanders literally stood on their hind legs. In their opinion, the air defense forces in real conditions would have shot down about 45 of Yarnell’s planes. They also argued that “their” battleships, in the event of a real war, would have been at sea at the moment of impact and would have quickly found and punished the insolent people. The conclusions from the exercises stated that if the defenders have strong aviation, attacks against Oahu are unlikely to occur without significant danger to the aircraft carriers themselves and large losses in carrier-based aircraft.

In 1936, the Japanese Naval Academy published a monograph on the strategy and tactics of a possible war with the United States. Among other conclusions, it contained the following: if the US fleet is anchored at Pearl Harbor, it is worth starting military operations with a surprise air attack. In 1937, Japan moved to open war against China. In 1938, the aircraft carrier Saratoga again “attacked” Pearl Harbor during a war game, and again successfully - but again no conclusions were drawn from this. In 1939, Admiral Yarnell, having convinced no one, resigned.

Reality: December 7, 1941.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp

In August 1941, one of the oldest literary magazines in the United States, the Atlantic Monthly, quoted the former head of naval intelligence, William T. Pulleston, who categorically stated: “The Hawaiian Islands are overprotected; The entire Japanese navy and air force cannot seriously threaten Oahu.". There were no more than four months left before the real attack on Pearl Harbor...

Bibliography:

1. Bywater Hector. The Great Pacific War: A History Of The American-Japanese Campaign Of 1931–1933. - Applewood Books, 2002.
2. Dr. John "Jay" Boyd. The Great War of 1932: Making the Organized Reserve a “going concern”. - Office of Army Reserve History (www.history.army.mil).
3. Fleming Thomas. Early warning. February 7, 1932 – A Date that Would Live in Amnesia. American Heritage. July/August 2001, Volume 52, Issue 5.
4. Mitchell, William. Winged defense; the development and possibilities of modern air power-economic and military. - New York, G.P. Putnam's sons, 1926.
5. Bywater G.C., Ferrabee H.S. Strange intelligence. Memories of the Secret Service of the British Admiralty / Translation from French. V. Kryukova. - Military literature, 2007.
6. https://www.ussflierproject.com.