December 7th – Attack On Pearl Harbor

Today is the 68th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and local survivors will gather at the state capitol for a memorial.

Governor Rendell has ordered flags across the state to fly at half staff.

The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 killed more than 2400 Americans and led the United States to enter World War II.

A program to honor Pennsylvania survivors will be held at 12:55 p.m. today at the Capitol East Rotunda.

The memorial program is sponsored by the Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg and is free and open to the public.

The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, Operation Z, as it was called by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters)[6] was an unannounced military strike conducted by the Japanese navy against the United States’ naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941 (Hawaiian time, December 8 by Japan Standard Time), which resulted in the United States becoming militarily involved in World War II. It was intended as a preventive action to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war the Empire of Japan was planning to wage in Southeast Asia against Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States. The attack consisted of two aerial attack waves totaling 353[7] aircraft, launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers.
The attack sank four U.S. Navy battleships (two of which were raised and returned to service later in the war) and damaged four more. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer, destroyed 188 aircraft, and caused personnel losses of 2,402 killed[8] and 1,282 wounded. The power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not hit. Japanese losses were minimal, with 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.