On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, lasted about 90 minutes, killing 2,333 American military personnel and wounding 1,139.
The first targets were airfields in Oahu, to prevent a counterattack by air. In the first wave, at least 181 Japanese planes started bombing and strafing airfields and ships in Pearl Harbor around 7:55 a.m.
An hour later, 170 more planes arrived in a second wave. The attacks ended just before 8:50 a.m.
Japan’s main targets were eight United States battleships: seven moored along Battleship Row, and one in dry dock across the channel. Three sank, one capsized, one was beached and the rest were damaged.
Approximately 119,550 of the more than 16 million veterans who served in World War II are alive, according to 2023 Veterans Affairs statistics. In 2020, there were about 325,574 World War II veterans alive. Approximately 10% reside in California, the most of any state.
By the numbers: Totals for the Pearl Harbor attack
United States
2,403 dead; 68 civilians
188 aircraft destroyed; 155 damaged
18 ships damaged
Consoling feature: All three of the U.S. aircraft carriers stationed at Pearl Harbor were out to sea. The USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma were the only two of the eight battleships that were not repaired.
Imperial Japan
64 dead; 55 in aircraft and 9 in minisubs
29 aircraft destroyed; 74 damaged; 5 minisubs destroyed
