This Day in History: The 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor

Buckhannon, WV- December 7th

            On this day, December 7^th, 1941 (exactly 84 years ago today) Japanese pilots carried out an attack on Pearl Harbor; today we choose to honor those Military members and workers who lost their lives, while in service to their country, that day, as we look back on this day in history.

  By the late 1930s and early 1940s, relations between the United States and Imperial Japan had deteriorated, due to Japan’s expansion throughout East Asia, and the pacific. The United States imposed economic sanctions, froze Japanese assets, and restricted oil exports; these sanctions pressured Japan’s military and leadership, and created the context that led to plans for a decisive strike against the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Japan believed that crippling American naval power in the Pacific would prevent immediate U.S. interference in Japanese military objectives.

            The first wave would hit shortly before 8:00 a.m. Hawaii time; Japanese aircraft launched from 6 different fleet carriers north of Oahu, in a coordinated strike. They targeted battleships moored along Battleship Row and key airfields, including Wheeler Field and Hickam Field; the famous message sent out at 7:58 a.m. by naval communications was ‘AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT A DRILL,’ is preserved in naval archives and stands as one of the most vital first-hand dispatches of that morning.

   The 2^nd wave would hit at 8:45 a.m. with aircraft striking additional naval vessels, drydocks, and airfields. Eyewitness accounts from sailors, Marines, and civilian workers, preserved through U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, speak of flames engulfing the USS Arizona, explosions aboard the USS Oklahoma, and fire sweeping across the harbor. The attack lasted for around 2 hours, and official U.S. Navy after-action reports record the extent of the losses: the sinking or severe damaging of battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and auxiliary ships; destruction of hundreds of aircraft; and significant casualties among servicemembers and civilians.

            According to official Navy and War Department reports, from 1941 and early 1942, tell of 2,400 Americans killed and more than 1,100 wounded; the USS Arizona accounted for over 1,100 deaths. Battleships were destroyed or damaged, including the USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS West Virgina, USS California, USS Nevada and others; multiple cruiser, destroyers and auxiliaries were hit, and almost all aircraft at key airfields were destroyed or disabled.

   President Franklin D Roosevelt delivered his ‘Day of Infamy’ address 24 hours later; the transcript, preserved in The White House archives, is a first-hand primary record. Following the speech, The United States Congress issued a declaration of war against Japan with only one dissenting vote and military mobilization accelerated instantly.

            The attack failed to destroy American aircraft carriers, as none were present during the strike, and didn’t eliminate fuel reserves, repair docks or submarine facilities, and these omissions would later prove decisive. Strategic assessment preserved in Navy intelligence archives show that Japan achieved tactical surprise but did not accomplish long-term objectives. The attack, also, unified American public opinion, transforming the political climate overnight; First-Hand gallop polling from that December show a dramatic shift from pre-war skepticism to overwhelming support of U.S. involvement. The attack: shattered isolationist sentiment, forced immediate global mobilization, demonstrated the power of carrier-based operations, and redefined naval doctrine and air-sea warfare. Peral Harbor also stands as a case study in intelligence interpretation, strategic planning, and the consequences of understanding adversary intent.

            Today, we at Appalachian Post remember the ones lost and wounded that day, and send our hearts and prayers out to their families; we also want to acknowledge all current serving Military: thank you for your service, you are appreciated, and we, here in America, can never thank you enough for all that you do for us.

God Bless You All!

At the Appalachian Post, every history article is built on one standard: what can be proven through verifiable first-hand sources. We rely on original documents, eyewitness accounts, military records, government archives, and contemporary writings from the period being studied. We do not rely on legend, hearsay, or modern reinterpretations unless clearly identified as secondary commentary. Our goal is to present the past as it actually appears in the surviving evidence — clearly, accurately, and without speculative narrative, so readers can engage history based on authentic documentation rather than modern assumptions.

Primary First-Hand Sources Used

• U.S. NAVY (after-action reports, ship logs, casualty records)
• U.S. ARMY SIGNAL CORPS (communications transcripts including “This is not drill”)
• U.S. NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND (archival chronologies and eyewitness accounts)
• THE WHITE HOUSE (President Roosevelt’s December 8, 1941 address)
• THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS (war declaration records)
• FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL PAPERS (administration documentation surrounding December 7–8)