Photo Essay: December 7th, 1941. Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor bird's eye view October 30, 1941

Taken from Residential areas.  Japanese bombers headed toward the harbor with anti-aircraft fire.

Hangar burns on Ford Island

USS Shaw explodes losing its bow

The USS West Virginia may have taken seven torpedo hits

B-17 at Hickam Field

Carnage from the air

From left to right: The West Virginia (BB-48), The Tennessee (BB-43) and the sunken Arizona (BB-39) 

The USS Arizona explodes

The Battleship USS California sinking

The Superstructure of the USS Arizona remains above the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor

Heavy Damage to the USS Casin and the USS Downes stationed at Pearl Harbor

The West Virginia and the capsized Oklahoma

USS Shaw burns whilst men on the pier throw water onto the fire.

Japanese plane dives to extinguish flames

One of the first photos to be taken.  Machine-gunned P-40

The Battleship USS California is afire and listing to port.

Oil burns.  USS Maryland in the center

Japan's Declaration of War

IMPERIAL RESCRIPT


We, by grace of heaven, Emperor of Japan, seated on the Throne of a line unbroken for ages eternal, enjoin upon ye, Our loyal and brave subjects:


We hereby declare War on the United States of America and the British Empire. The men and officers of Our Army and Navy shall do their utmost in prosecuting the war. Our public servants of various departments shall perform faithfully and diligently their respective duties; the entire nation with a united will shall mobilize their total strength so that nothing will miscarry in the attainment of Our war aims.


To insure the stability of East Asia and to contribute to world peace is the far-sighted policy which was formulated by Our Great Illustrious Imperial Grandsire and Our Great Imperial Sire succeeding Him, and which We lay constantly to heart. To cultivate friendship among nations and to enjoy prosperity in common with all nations, has always been the guiding principle of Our Empire's foreign policy. It has been truly unavoidable and far from Our wishes that Our Empire has been brought to cross swords with America and Britain. More than four years have passed since China, failing to comprehend the true intentions of Our Empire, and recklessly courting trouble, disturbed the peace of East Asia and compelled Our Empire to take up arms. Although there has been reestablished the National Government of China, with which Japan had effected neighborly intercourse and cooperation, the regime which has survived in Chungking, relying upon American and British protection, still continues its fratricidal opposition. Eager for the realization of their inordinate ambition to dominate the Orient, both America and Britain, giving support to the Chungking regime, have aggravated the disturbances in East Asia. Moreover these two Powers, inducing other countries to follow suit, increased military preparations on all sides of Our Empire to challenge Us. They have obstructed by every means Our peaceful commerce and finally resorted to a direct severance of economic relations, menacing gravely the existence of Our Empire. Patiently have We waited and long have We endured, in the hope that Our government might retrieve the situation in peace. But Our adversaries, showing not the least spirit of conciliation, have unduly delayed a settlement; and in the meantime they have intensified the economic and political pressure to compel thereby Our Empire to submission. This trend of affairs, would, if left unchecked, not only nullify Our Empire's efforts of many years for the sake of the stabilization of East Asia, but also endanger the very existence of Our nation. The situation being such as it is, Our Empire, for its existence and self-defense has no other recourse but to appeal to arms and to crush every obstacle in its path.


The hallowed spirits of Our Imperial Ancestors guarding Us from above, We rely upon the loyalty and courage of Our subjects in Our confident expectation that the task bequeathed by Our forefathers will be carried forward and that the sources of evil will be speedily eradicated and an enduring peace immutably established in East Asia, preserving thereby the glory of Our Empire.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hand and caused the Grand Seal of the Empipre to be affixed at the Imperial Palace, Tokyo, this seventh day of the 12th month of the 15th year of Shōwa, corresponding to the 2,652nd year from the accession to the throne of Emporer Jimmu.

(Released by the Board of Information, December 8, 1941. Japan Times & Advertiser)

A Summary of today's attack on Pearl Harbor

The Hawaiian island of Oahu was attacked by the Japanese Imperial Navy this morning.  The attack came from the air and began just before 8 o'clock local time.

The first attack was at Ford island, the US Navy's fortress in the sea.  Then the first planes moved to Hickam Field and did considerable damage to planes and installations there.  Wheeler field also sustained considerable damage.  Most of the planes there were destroyed.  Bellows Field on the windward side of the island also reports damage.

The Arizona sinking at Pearl Harbor

At Pearl Harbor, where's based the Pacific Fleet, the ships were attacked.  Many of the battleships were hit.  The USS Oklahoma was set afire.  The Arizona, next to an already torpedoed Nevada, was bombed and torpedoed early in the attack.  It sank in less than nine minutes in the shallow harbor.  An eyewitness claims it jumped 15-20 feet and broke in two.  Many other naval vessels sustained heavy damage such as the California, the West Virginia, the Tennessee and even Admiral Kimmel's own flagship, the USS Pennsylvania.  The training ship USS Utah was also sunk.

A destroyer USS Shaw was severely damaged in drydock.

Lines of communication between Army posts and Navy air drones are down.

The Navy has made no statements.  The Army has issued orders for the civilian population to remain off the streets.

Everyone here on the islands was taken by surprise by the attack.  It is difficult to believe that an air raid on the these beautiful islands has actually happened and that lives have been lost.

It is thought that planes came from the south.  One bomb dropped in front of the Governor's mansion at Washington Place and killed one man.  There was heavy bombing in the Pacific Heights residential districts killed one woman.

Casualty counts are changing every minute.  No estimate has been given.

Bulletin

President Roosevelt says the Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor from the air.  

Bulletin

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FLASH


Washington, DC.


The White House has announced that the Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor.


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