How did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor?

Answer 1

The Japanese Navy sent four aircraft carriers on a secret mission to attack the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. The planes achieved surprise by approaching from low over the ocean. Although the US suspected that Japan was about to launch an offensive, they did not decipher the key documents that would have told them where the attack would be, at least until it was too late.

On the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, the attacking planes attempted to knock out most of the ships of the US fleet docked at Pearl Harbor.

The Japanese planned to attack Pearl Harbor almost immediately after a declaration of war was delivered to the US. However, the Japanese consulate officials in Washington ran behind schedule and the attack took place before war was declared. In any case, it would have been a "sneak attack" or "surprise attack" and the US forces were almost completely unprepared for it. President Roosevelt addressed Congress the following day and war was declared on Japan.

The Attack

The Japanese sent their carrier planes into Pearl Harbor dropping bombs, strafing, and releasing torpedoes into the water. The attacks killed 2463 soldiers, sailors, and civilians. Of those, 1177 of those killed were the crew on the battleship USS Arizona which was hit in an ammunition magazine and exploded, then capsized, flipping over and sinking to the bottom of the harbor.

The US might have been better prepared, and two incidents should have indicated that an attack was under way. Just hours before the attack, a US destroyer attacked and sank a midget submarine in the waters near Oahu. The US radar stations reported contacts which were dismissed as US B-17's being ferried to the air station. The Japanese sank several US warships. But by missing the two US aircraft carriers in Hawaii, the Japanese became the victims of their own plans. Six months after Pearl Harbor, 4 Japanese carriers were sunk while attacking again at the Battle of Midway.

The Intent

The Japanese sought to destroy the US fleet so that it could not oppose their conquests in the Pacific until it was too late, with major forces having occupied the territories as they had in China and Indochina. The US had been enacting an embargo against Japan for its attacks on China (beginning in 1937), and Japan needed raw materials from abroad to use in their conquests of the western Pacific and East Asia.

Answer 2

On December 7, 1941 at 7:55 AM, the Japanese - who had already travelled by ship across the Pacific, and launched their first wave of airplanes, and a few mini subs which tried to breach the port- began to drop bombs on Pearl Harbor. After a second wave of planes were sent the Americans began to fight back as they had been caught early on a Sunday morning. The planned third wave of planes never left their ship. It was a Naval and Air Force attack that lasted for 110 minutes killing 2,406 Americans. 68 of them were civilians.

Answer 3

They first attacked with planes by dropping bombs and torpedoes. Some planes intentionally crashed into the ships. Japan also managed to sneak a submarine or two into the harbor, which also launched torpedoes at the ships.

Answer 4

The Japanese Navy traveled across the Pacific Ocean heading to Pearl Harbor to damage the American Navy and take some of our defensive power away from us. Once they were near they were able to home in on a radio broadcast that had been left on during the night to help guide American bombers in from the mainland. Once they were within range they launched a handful of 2 man submarines to make sure we were unaware of their approach. At 7:55 on a Sunday morning they had dropped their first torpedo which struck and sunk the USS Oklahoma. From there they continued to attack battleship row and continued on to the airfields disabling most of the airplanes as well as attacking the barracks.

Answer 5

the Japanese attacked the harbor the airfields and even killed local hawaiians

Answer 6

They attacked Pearl by Japanese aircraft and submarines. They used torpedoes and bombs.