At 7:55 a.m. Dec 7, 1941, 183 Japanese aircraft including dive bombers, torpedo bombers, “zero” fighters, and high altitude bombers attacked the United States military garrisons at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, catching U.S. military installations and the country by surprise. The radio call “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!) confirmed to Japanese task force commander, Adm. Chuichi Nagumo, that surprise had been achieved. A second wave of 163 Japanese aircraft followed about an hour later. When the attack was over, 2,403 people were killed, including 73 civilians. Nearly half of those casualties occurred on the battleship USS Arizona, which was struck by an armor piercing bomb that penetrated the ammunition hold. The Arizona exploded, split in two, and sank in minutes, trapping many of the sailors and Marines onboard. Another 1,178 people were wounded.
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