Japan at Pearl Harbor

      Japanese planes attacked the U.S Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans.  It completely destroyed American battleships such as USS Arizona and capsized USS Oklahoma.  The attack also sank three ships, damaged vessels, and demolished 180 aircrafts.  The attack took the U.S by surprise.  The Japanese attack fleet left its home waters on November 26 steaming a route towards Pearl Harbor.  Fleet commander, Vice Admiral Nagumo, received his final orders on December 1 and on the morning of December 7 the group was in posistion 275 miles north of Hawaii.  At six o'clock in the morning the first elements of the air attack, consisting of fighter aircraft, torpedo bombers, high-level bombers and dive- bombers were aloft and assembling in the pre-dawn gloom("Attack at Pearl Harbor").

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