While most japanese officers suggest that Japan be on defense against USA, Yamamoto suggests that Japan should crush their enemies from the beginning so that after they have their freedom. This is why he plans the attack on Pearl Harbor: he copies the idea of the Judgment operation made by the British on November 11th 1940: the British attacked Tarente's harbor by sending 21 airplanes (from the carrier Illustrious) in two waves that disabled 3 italian ships. Yamamoto thus forms a group, led by Chuichi Nagumo , of 6 carriers (Kaga, Akagi, Hiryu, Soryu, Zuikaku and Shokaku) with their 450 airplanes, 5 cruisers, 9 destroyers, 3 submarines to scout the way and 8 tankers for refueling. The attack will happen at dawn of December 7th (a Sunday and so all will be quiet). Also many small submarines are brought by big submarines. November 22nd the 31 ships meet in one of the bay of the Etorofou island in the Kouriles. The 26th the fleet starts its journey following the 42nd parallel toward the East since that region is often foggy.
The Japaneses had spies in the Pearl Harbor island and, by a simple light code to a submarine, they gave the position of every warships in the harbor and of any leaving/arrival. December 2nd somewhere in the sea between the Kouriles and Hawaii admiral Nagumo receives the following secret code: Climb Mount Niitaka which means that the attack on Pearl Harbor is authorised. The Americans have cracked the japanese secret code between the diplomates and so when on December 6th these lasts at Washington receive their instructions (in 14 points) to break all negociations the Americans know that war is about to begin but they won't move. The Americans think with the current ditributions of troops that the Japaneses will first attack the South islands and Malaisia; they don't think a moment that the attack will be against their own ships. But even so Pearl Harbor is put in red alert for a imminent war but the generals on the island gather the airplanes so that they are easier to guard against sabotages.
December 7th at 6h00 at 370km of Pearl Harbor admiral Nagumo send a first wave of 183 airplanes (50 bombers, 51 diving bombers, 40 torpedo bombers and 42 fighters). Around 7h00 an american radar spots the air group at 250km but they think that it is a flight of flying fortress coming from California. At 7h50 the first fighter sees Pearl Harbor and at 7h53 the attack is confirmed. Five minutes after counter-admiral Patrick Bellinger is yelling in the microphone: "Air attack on Pearl Harbor. This is not a drill! "
In the morning of December 7th 1941 127 ships are in the port of Pearl Harbor, of which 94 are afloat. But the 3 carriers Saratoga, Lexington and Enterprise with 13 cruisers are patrolling far away. The Japaneses will thus mainly target the 7 battleships (Arizona, Oklahoma, West Virginia, California, Nevada, Maryland and Tennessee) docked two by two on the Ford island (island in the center of the bay). The Arizona is hit first by a 800kg bomb which explodes in the front while a second bomb falls in the chimney and explodes in the engine room and breaking the ship in two; killing 1106 men on the 1500 onboard. The Oklahoma is hit by three torpedoes on is left side and the ship then capsizes, locking inside it the crew who will slowly die (17 days) in the dark. The West Virginia and the Califronia are also hit by torpedoes and they would also have capsized if their crew wouldn't have worked so hard to keep them afloat. The Nevada is hit by a torpedo and two bombs but stay afloat. The Maryland and the Tennessee are only slightly damaged and so 15 days later they are ready to fight along with the battleship Pennsylvania which was on dry dock when the attack happened. Beside the battleships the Japaneses also damaged 3 cruisers and 3 destroyers.
Sound- CBS announces the attack on Pearl Harbor -Sound
At 7h15 the second airplane wave takes off. This second wave is formed of 54 bombers, 80 diving bombers and 36 fighters. It finishes the attack of the first wave and also targets the installations of Ford island, the hydroplanes docks and the 2 airbases where they destroy 65 aircrafts. Admiral Nagumo don't want to send the first wave a second time since he finds that the island's defenses would be alerted by now; and so he turn back North around 13h00. A second attack by submarines was coordinated with the air attack but it was a total fail mainly because the american watch is too high. Also while returning one of the transport submarine, the I-170 is sunk by one of the bomber of the Enterprise.
Fifty minutes after the first japanese bomb dropping the japanese diplomates were giving the official war declaration. 2403 Americans die and 1178 are injured while only 29 japanese airplanes (55 pilots) are shot down. In their attack the Japaneses forgot the big gas tanks that fuels the fleet and so the rest of the fleet can still move. In summary the Americans lost 2 battleships and the 6 others were variously damaged but they have power left with their 3 carriers (Lexington, Saratoga and Enterprise) and with the rest of the fleet: 44 destroyers, 16 cruisers and 16 submarines. Also vice-admiral Shark (leader of the naval operations) transferred part of the american Atlantic fleet (with the carrier Yorktown) into the Pacific through the Panama canal. The attack has to major consequences: the surprise-attack unites all the Americans in a revenge goal and the american officers have to modify their tactics so to adjust to the rest of the fleet: so they rely more on the carriers in the battle (it will prove a successful tactic). The Americans want revenge and this sentiment is well shown by counter-admiral William F. Halsey who, when from the bridge of the Enterprise which is entering Pearl Harbor, says: "we will be over with them only when the japanese language will be spoken only in Hell!"
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