Pearl Harbor

 

Haven’t been much into World War II this year, since I’ve been mainly focusing on classic literature, but on this anniversary of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor I thought I’d post some trivia from one of the best books I’ve read on the subject, Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness, by Craig Nelson, which I bought and devoured in early January 2021.

 

- Yamamoto and Tojo were both born in 1884. Tojo was posted to Berlin, Yamamoto to Washington, D.C.

- Eventually one-sixth of all American males would serve in the military.

- If America’s secret weapons of World War II were radar and codebreaking, Japan’s were its spies.

- Japanese aerial technology was at the time of Pearl Harbor the envy of the world.

- The Mitsubishi A6M Reisen was known as the “Zero.” It had a top speed of 310 mph, two 20mm cannons in its wings, and three 7.7mm machine guns in the cowling.

- Minesweeper Condor and destroyer USS Ward sighted a periscope at 0342 the morning of December 7 and unsuccessfully attempted to track it for an hour.

- The first wave of the attack consisted of 183 planes (with six failing to launch).

- The second wave consisted of 171 planes (with four fails).

- “Tora! Tora! Tora!” – To is the first syllable of totsugeki (“charge” or “attack”) and Ra is the first of raigeki (“torpedo”). Tora also means “tiger” which had a nice ring to Japanese staff.

- On the morning of the attack, Pearl Harbor held 96 ships.

- “Battleship Row” – the Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, Oklahoma, and California.

- Arizona sank in 9 minutes. 1,177 men were lost. It was the highest mortality of men killed in a single explosion … until Hiroshima.

- In his famous speech on December 8, FDR replaced “world history” with “infamy.”

- Since war had not yet been declared at the time of their deaths, none of the dead wore dog tags, and the manner of their deaths, from fires and explosions, resulted in 670 “unknowns” buried in 252 different locations at Honolulu’s Punchbowl cemetery. Of that 670, 669 remain unknown to this day.

- Today’s generally accepted numbers: 2,403 American dead, 1,178 wounded. Japan lost 55 naval airmen, 9 midget-sub crewmen, and the 65-man crew of a destroyed submarine.

- A recovered Japanese midget sub was outfitted with mannequins dressed as Japanese sailors and sent on a tour of 41 states to help sell war bonds.

- The sub’s sole survivor, Ensign Kazuo Sakamaki, became America’s first POW of World War II. After the war he refused to be interview by Pearl Harbor historians and eventually became president of Toyota Brazil.

- After FDR’s 6 minute 30 second “Day of Infamy” speech, it took Congress just 52 minutes to declare war on Japan.

- By December 20th, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee were back in service. Nevada was restored at the end of 1942; California at the end of 1943. Oglala, Downs, and Cassin were sailing by February 1944; West Virginia on July 4, 1944.

- The Arizona’s five-inch anti-aircraft guns were salvaged and put to use to defend Oahu.

 

Of the 40 books I’ve read on World War II, Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness is easily in the top half-dozen. Much recommended.