The Japanese fleet had no idea how successful the Pearl Harbor attack would be, but it was safe to assume some of its planes would be hit and unable to return to their carriers. The pilots were told to fly to Niihau island and wait for a submarine to Read more…
The Japanese got the idea for the attack from a book by Hector Bywater, a British naval authority. “1931: The Great Pacific War” describes a surprise attack on the Pacific Fleet, followed by attacks on Guam and the Philippines. Another inspiration was the British attack on the Italian fleet at Read more…
On May 27, 1942, Dorie Miller became the first African-American to earn the Navy Cross (it should have been the Medal of Honor, but the Navy was racist) for his bravery during the Pearl Harbor attack. Dorie (born Doris) Miller was an African-American who enlisted in the Navy in September, Read more…
In Sept., 1939, Doris (the midwife that delivered him was sure he was a girl) Miller rode in the back of a bus to enlist in the U.S. Navy. Back then, the Navy greatly limited opportunities, but for a high school dropout who came from a poor family, it Read more…
The night of Dec. 6 Second Lieutenants George Welch and Ken Taylor spent drinking, like most servicemen stationed at Pearl Harbor. Next morning, they sobered up quickly as Japanese planes bombed the Pacific Fleet and their air base Wheeler Field. It was impossible to take off from there, so Read more…
PEARL HARBOR WARNINGS For years, the final exam for Japanese naval cadets included the question: “How would you attack Pearl Harbor?” The night before the attack, the FBI intercepted a suspicious phone call from Tokyo to the Japanese embassy in Honolulu. Early in the morning of the attack a minesweeper Read more…
AMERICA’S FIRST SHOT – On Dec. 7, 1941 just before daybreak, a minesweeper in Pearl Harbor signaled the destroyer USS Ward that it had sighted an unidentified submarine. Four hours later, lookouts on the Ward spotted the conning tower of a green, two man midget sub trailing a supply ship. Read more…
PEARL HARBOR RADAR – *** Here’s an anecdote from my WWII page. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Privates Joseph Lockard and George Elliott were operating an experimental radar station near Pearl Harbor. They were off duty at 7 A.M., but since their ride had not arrived, Elliott was Read more…