Monday, October 16, 2017

Ten Facts About the Bombing of Pearl Harbor

The attack, which drew the U.S into World War II, was executed in the early morning of Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed the U.S naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Japanese thought it would neutralize the American forces, allowing Japan to dominate the Asia Pacific.

Image source : britannica.com
Here are 10 interesting facts to know about the Pearl Harbor bombing.

1.The attack commenced at 7:55 AM.
2.The attack lasted 110 minutes.
3.The Japanese attacked the base in two waves, approximately 45 minutes apart.
4.The Japanese attacked the U.S. without warning.
5.When the Japanese Commander Mitsuo Fuchida called out, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (“Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!”) upon flying over Pearl Harbor, it was a message saying the Japanese caught the Americans entirely by surprise.
6.The Japanese had to travel 3,400 miles across the Pacific to execute their attack on Pearl Harbor.
7.The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor with a total of 353 planes.
8.The Japanese specifically chose to attack on a Sunday because they believed the Americans would be more relaxed, and thus less alert, on a weekend. Many U.S. service personnel were still in their pajamas or eating breakfast when the attack commenced.
9. There were eight battleships at Pearl Harbor that day, which was the whole US Naval fleet, except for one, the Colorado.
10.All eight battleships either sunk or were damaged. Amazingly, all but two (The Arizona and the Oklahoma) were able to return to active duty.

Image source: historyonthenet.com
My name is John Eilermann. I’m a sports enthusiast from Chicago and a big supporter of the baseball team St. Louis Cardinals. I am also a history buff. Visit my blog for more WWII reads.

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