How Many People Died at Pearl Harbor?

Those that are familiar with United States history understand a little about the attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941. The surprise attack on the American soil by the Japanese took 2402 lives and injured 1282 people.  Pearl Harbor was a shock to the American people and was one of the main actions that prompted the United States to enter into World War II.

The attack on Pearl Harbor goes down in American history as a very important event that would cause other war related incidents of significance. This attack was unannounced and conducted by the Japanese Navy against the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The attack resulted in 2402 people losing their lives. Another 1282 people were injured during the attacks. The attack also destroyed many of the Americans Navy vessels which included the sinking of:

• Four battleships
• One minelayer
• Three cruisers
• Three destroyers
• Nearly 180 U.S. aircraft

After the attack, the United States Navy performed a very strategic search for survivors; those that were killed as a result of the attack and those who might have had something to do with the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Reasons for the Attack

At the time before the attack on Pearl Harbor the United States was not actively involved World War II. However, there were preexisting tensions between the United States and the Japanese.

The tensions resulted from numerous issues which included problems with the Japanese invading countries in the Pacific in order to obtain natural resources and other items.

Before the attack at Pearl Harbor, the United States stopped sending products such as airplanes and parts and, eventually, even oil to the Japanese. This was not taken very lightly by the Japanese and it is said that they considered such sanctions to be an act of hostility towards them by the United States.

Ultimately, the Japanese wanted to have access to countries in the Dutch East Indies and Southeast Asia because of the available resources in these areas. The Japanese knew that they would not be able to effectively seize the countries in these areas in pre-planned war as long as the United States was around. Thus, to prevent the United States involvement in their strategic plan, the Japanese attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor using bombs from six aircraft carriers.

Historical Implications

This attack actually marked the United States official entry into World War II. Also, this event is said to be the precursor to other important World War II happenings such as the United States atomic bombings against the Japanese in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States was strategic as this is where the Japanese army had it headquarters. Some people compare the Hiroshima bombing to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor as both were a strategic method to disable military forces and supplies.

There is also much controversy about the effect of the attack on Pearl Harbor in relation to other incidents that occurred in World War II. In fact, there are deep divisions in opinion as to the ethics of both the Japanese in relation to the attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor and of the United States in relation to the way the Japanese Americans were treated during World War II.