Japanese airstrikes on the U.S naval base by surprise at Pearl Harbor, on Oahu Island, Hawaii, on the 7th of December 1941. At 7:55 AM (local time), the first Japanese dive-bomber appeared over Pearl Harbor. It was part of the first wave of nearly 200 aircraft, including torpedo planes, bombers and fighters.
The various airfields at the base came under vicious attack in less than half an hour. Of the 126 planes on the ground, 42 were completely destroyed, 41 were damaged, and only 43 were still able to operate. Only 6 U.S planes took off into the air to repel the invaders of this first assault. Over 180 planes were destroyed.
The attack on Pearl Harbor drastically weakened U.S air and naval strength in the Pacific. However, of the eight battleships, all except the Arizona and Oklahoma were eventually repaired and put back into action, and the Japanese failed to destroy the crucial oil storage facilities on the island. With just one vote against the matter, Congress declared war on Japan on December 8.