Pearl Harbor Attack by Japan is the biggest foreign attack by any state in the history of USA which killed 2,335 and wounded 1,143 US forces within few hours. This attack severely affected the military strength of US.
The total destruction of the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941 resulted in unexpected damage. Japanese air force using their 400+ aircrafts they:
- Destroyed 188 aircraft
- Damaged 159 aircraft
- Destroyed and sunk 4 battleships
- Damaged 4 battleships
- Destroyed 2 ships, 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers and 3 other ships.
This attack came with a declaration of war from Japanese who were facing severe embargos from USA and their allies in Japanese region. The restrictions and sanctions from US forced Japanese to take preemptive strike and face the enemy rather than lose without a war.
Along with the attack in Pearl Harbor Japanese air force attacked US & British naval ships in Indian & Pacific ocean. They attacked Philippines, Guam, Wake Island and on the British Empire in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong without any retaliation or threat. The extent of the attack can be understood by these words of Winston Churchill:
“There were no British or American capital ships in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific except the American survivors of Pearl Harbor who were hastening back to California. Over this vast expanse of waters Japan was supreme and we everywhere were weak and naked.”