The Attack On Pearl Harbor.
On December 7, 1941 America was surprise with a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Americans were awestruck with the fact that their country had been attacked so violently. Never before had any generation on of Americans witnessed and attack like the one on Pearl Harbor. The attack which occurred on December 7, 1941 proved to Americans that their country was not invincible to attacks by a foreign nation.
Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, America had never before experienced an attack by a foreign nation. No point in history had another nation attacked American soil. The nation was shocked. Life before the attack was very calm and sheltered. American was not involved in any wars or having any problems with any other countries in the world. They were keeping to themselves. Americans felt very safe. They felt that the country was the safest place in the world and that nothing bad could ever happen there. But evidently that was not true.
The attack was devastating. There were two waves of plans that attacked Pearl Harbor. "The first wave arrived over Pearl Harbor at approximately 7:45 a.m.(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." When the first wave arrived they saw, "seven U.S. battleships docked at "Battleship Row"(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." There were also many other battleships, destroyers and aircraft carries docked in other parts of the harbor. But the seven ships on battleship row were the ones that the Japanese attackers saw first. The Japanese also, "hit the airfields, destroying many aircraft located on the southern tip of Ford Island. This attack followed by the dispatch of communications was the World's first notification that war had begun in the Pacific.(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." While this was going on there were also torpedo bomber planes attacking battleship row. They were dropping bombs on the ships there, one of which included the U.S.S. Arizona which, "received a death blow followed by a huge explosion(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." After the first part of the attack when the Japanese planes were departing, "a Japanese telegraph operator tapped out Tora, Tora, Tora: the code word for surprise attack achieved(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." This was all part of the first wave of attacks on Pearl Harbor.
Then there was a second wave of planes. These bombers went after some of the ships that had already been attacked. This brought even greater damage to the navy yard which had already sustained substantial damage from the first wave of attackers. Some bombers,"went after the Nevada, which had left her berth and was trying to get out to sea. Anti-aircraft gunfire met these ships, causing losses which were far greater than those of the first attack wave(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." While both waves of the attacks had managed to do substantial damage neither wave destroyed any of the destroyers, submarines or fuel storage tanks. "However, in less than two hours the Japanese had ruined the U.S. Pacific Fleet's battleship force(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)."
Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, America had never before experienced an attack by a foreign nation. No point in history had another nation attacked American soil. The nation was shocked. Life before the attack was very calm and sheltered. American was not involved in any wars or having any problems with any other countries in the world. They were keeping to themselves. Americans felt very safe. They felt that the country was the safest place in the world and that nothing bad could ever happen there. But evidently that was not true.
The attack was devastating. There were two waves of plans that attacked Pearl Harbor. "The first wave arrived over Pearl Harbor at approximately 7:45 a.m.(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." When the first wave arrived they saw, "seven U.S. battleships docked at "Battleship Row"(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." There were also many other battleships, destroyers and aircraft carries docked in other parts of the harbor. But the seven ships on battleship row were the ones that the Japanese attackers saw first. The Japanese also, "hit the airfields, destroying many aircraft located on the southern tip of Ford Island. This attack followed by the dispatch of communications was the World's first notification that war had begun in the Pacific.(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." While this was going on there were also torpedo bomber planes attacking battleship row. They were dropping bombs on the ships there, one of which included the U.S.S. Arizona which, "received a death blow followed by a huge explosion(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." After the first part of the attack when the Japanese planes were departing, "a Japanese telegraph operator tapped out Tora, Tora, Tora: the code word for surprise attack achieved(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." This was all part of the first wave of attacks on Pearl Harbor.
Then there was a second wave of planes. These bombers went after some of the ships that had already been attacked. This brought even greater damage to the navy yard which had already sustained substantial damage from the first wave of attackers. Some bombers,"went after the Nevada, which had left her berth and was trying to get out to sea. Anti-aircraft gunfire met these ships, causing losses which were far greater than those of the first attack wave(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)." While both waves of the attacks had managed to do substantial damage neither wave destroyed any of the destroyers, submarines or fuel storage tanks. "However, in less than two hours the Japanese had ruined the U.S. Pacific Fleet's battleship force(Pearl Harbor-Oahu)."