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Saturday December 6th
President Roosevelt made his final appeal to the Emperor of Japan for Peace. There was no reply until much later in the day when the US code-breaking service began to intercept a 14-part Japanese message. They were only able to recieve 13 and get them deciphered. They then passed to information on to President Roosevelt and the Secretary of state. They felt that a Japanese attack was going to happen likely somewhere over in Southeast Asia. -
The 14th part is recieved
The 14th message is deiphered and it states that the diplomatic relation with the U.S. are to be broken off. It was also instructing the Japanese embassy to deliever the main message to America at 1 p.m. This time would have been early morning in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor. The U.S. War Department sent out an alert via commercial telegraph due to radio contact with Hawaii being temporarily broken. This means that the message didn't get to headquaders until 4 hours after the attacks had started. -
6 a.m.
At 6 a.m. the first attack wave of 183 Japanese planes take off from carries located 230 miles away from Pearl Harbor. -
7:02 a.m.
Two Army operators at Oahu's northern shore radar station detect the Japanese approching and inform a junior officer who disregards the report. At 7:15 a.m., a second attack wave of 167 heads towards Pearl Harbor -
7:53 a.m
The first Japanese assault wave commences the attack with flight commander sounding the battle cry: "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (Tiger! Tiger! Tiger). The Americans are taken by surprise. The first attack targets airfields and battleships. -
-9:45 a.m.
Air raids contiued until 9:45 a.m. Eight battleships damaged while 5 are sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels are also lost along with 188 aircraft. -
Casualty List.
2,335 service men and 68 civlians killed. 1,178 wounded, Included are 1,104 men that were aboard the Battleship USS Arizona that were killed after a 1,760lb air bomb penetrated into the forward magazine, causing explosions. -
Broadcast to American Public
The American Public found out about the attack via radio bulletins that afternoon. The news sent shock through the country and influenced an influx of young volunteers into the U.S. armed forces. This news also united the nation behind President Roosevelt. -
December 8, 1941
The United States and Britain declare war on Japan. President Roosevelt calling December 7, "a date which will live in infamy.." -
War Delcared on the United States
Germany and Italy declared war against the U.S. This means that European and Southeast Asian had now became a global conflict with the Axis powers.
