The Approach
Attack - First Wave
Attack - Second Wave
The Third Wave Decision
Aftermath

The Approach 

The First Carrier Striking Force sailed from home waters for the attack on Pearl Harbor on 26 November. Commanded by Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, it comprised the aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku and their escort of two battleships Hiei and Kirishima, two heavy cruisers Tone and Chikuma, one light cruiser Abukuma, nine destroyers and three forward reconnaissance submarines. The fleet was supplied by seven oil tankers. 

Each carrier deployed about seventy aircraft. Three types were used at Pearl Harbor: the Nakajima B5N2 bomber and torpedo bomber (Allied codename `Kate'), the Aichi D3A1 dive bomber (codename `Val') and the Mitsubishi A6M2 fighter (codename `Zeke'). The Kate was the best carrier-borne torpedo bomber in the world in 1941. Kates sank three US aircraft carriers in 1942. Val dive bombers sank the British aircraft carrier Hermes in April 1942 and accounted for more Allied ships during the war than any other Axis aircraft. The Zeke, popularly known as the `Zero', was the world's first carrier-borne fighter able to outperform any land-based contemporary it encountered. It gained immediate air superiority during Japanese operations at the start of the Pacific war. 

As the most important factor in the operation was the need for surprise, the task force sailed out into the empty wastes of the northern Pacific, far away from normal shipping lanes and hopeful of avoiding American reconnaissance patrols. A strict blackout and radio silence were maintained throughout. During the first half of the voyage a quarter of crews manned battle stations at all times; beyond half way the number doubled. Intensive training was undertaken, especially by all aircrew who studied scale models of Oahu island and Pearl Harbor and practised enemy warship recognition. Progress was slow as many of the Japanese ships did not have the range to reach Hawaii and had to be refuelled several times. The task force reached its launch position, approximately 200 miles north of Hawaii, knowing that it had remained undetected. The Americans did not have enough reconnaissance aircraft to cover the northern approaches to Pearl Harbor, a direction from which they did not expect an attack. 

Fraught diplomatic negotiations between President Roosevelt, American Secretary of State Hull, Ambassador Nomura and Special Envoy Kusuru continued in Washington. The Americans were well aware of Tokyo's intentions as they had broken the code in which Japanese diplomatic messages were sent. Therefore, the implication of the Japanese Government's final communication presented by Nomura and Kusuru that diplomacy had virtually run its course, stimulated the Americans to issue a warning on 27 November that hostile action might occur at any moment. However, this intelligence did not reveal any likely target or date of attack and the assault on Pearl Harbor, when it came, was a devastating shock to the Americans. 

The Japanese knew, before the attack was launched, that no American aircraft carriers were in harbour. However, eight battleships, Arizona, California, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia, two heavy and six light cruisers, thirty destroyers and other smaller vessels were present.

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