A LOOK BACK AT PEARL HARBOUR dŚĞ ƩĂĐŬ͗ ͞dŽƌĂ͊ dŽƌĂ͊ dŽƌĂ͊͟
On November 26, 1941, following a plan devised by Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, the Japanese Imperial EĂǀLJ ŽƌĚĞƌĞĚ ĂŶ ĂƌŵĂĚĂ ŽĨ ϱϬ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ǀĞƐƐĞůƐ ĂŶĚ Ɛŝdž ĂŝƌĐƌĂŌ ĐĂƌƌŝĞƌƐ ʹ <ĂŐĂ͕ ŬĂŐŝ͕ ,ŝƌLJƻ͕ ^ƃƌLJƻ͕ ƵŝŬĂŬƵ ĂŶĚ ^ŚƃŬĂŬƵ ʹ ƚŚĂƚ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞĚ ϰϭϰ ƉůĂŶĞƐ ĂďŽĂƌĚ ƚŽ ƐĞƚ ƚŽ sea, from departed its anchorage at Hitokappu Bay with ŝŶƐƚƌƵĐƟŽŶƐ ƚŽ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶ ƐƚƌŝĐƚ ƌĂĚŝŽ ƐŝůĞŶĐĞ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚ their 3,500- mile journey to a predetermined launch sector 230 miles north of the Hawaiian island of Oahu where they aimed to catch the Americans by surprise ĂŶĚ ĚĞƐƚƌŽLJ ƚŚĞ h^ WĂĐŝĮĐ &ůĞĞƚ ďĂƐĞ Ăƚ WĞĂƌů ,ĂƌďŽƌ͘
>ĞĚ ďLJ ĂƉƚĂŝŶ DŝƚƐƵŽ &ƵĐŚŝĚĂ͕ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ǁĂǀĞ ŽĨ :ĂƉĂŶĞƐĞ ƉůĂŶĞƐ ůŝŌĞĚ Žī ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ĐĂƌƌŝĞƌƐ Ăƚ ϲ͗ϬϬ Ă͘ŵ͘ on Sunday, December 7, followed by a second wave ĂŶ ŚŽƵƌ ůĂƚĞƌ͕ ƚŚĞ ƉŝůŽƚƐ ƐƉŽƩĞĚ ůĂŶĚ ĂŶĚ ĂƐƐƵŵĞĚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĂƩĂĐŬ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶƐ ĂƌŽƵŶĚ ϳ͗ϯϬ Ă͘ŵ͖͘ ƚǁĞŶƚLJͲ three minutes later, with his bomber perched above ƚŚĞ ƵŶƐƵƐƉĞĐƟŶŐ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ ƐŚŝƉƐ ŵŽŽƌĞĚ ŝŶ ƉĂŝƌƐ ĂůŽŶŐ WĞĂƌů ,ĂƌďŽƌ͛Ɛ ͞ ĂƩůĞƐŚŝƉ ZŽǁ͕͟ &ƵĐŚŝĚĂ ďƌŽŬĞ ƌĂĚŝŽ ƐŝůĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ŽƌĚĞƌĞĚ ŚŝƐ ƌĂĚŝŽŵĂŶ ƚĂƉ ŽƵƚ ʹ ƚŚĞ radios in the Japanese planes had telegraph keys, not ŵŝĐƌŽƉŚŽŶĞƐ ʹ Ă ƐŝŐŶĂů͗ ƚǁŽ ƐŚŽƌƚ ƚĂƉƐ͕ ŽŶĞ ůŽŶŐ ƚĂƉ͕ then two short taps ( • • — • •) tora to his superiors on ƚŚĞ ĂŝƌĐƌĂŌ ĐĂƌƌŝĞƌ ŬĂŐŝ ʹ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌĚ tora ŵĞĂŶƐ ΗƟŐĞƌΗ in Japanese, but in this case it was an abbreviated radio codeword, an acronym for ƚŽƚƐƵŐĞŬŝ ƌĂŝŐĞŬŝ, literally ŵĞĂŶŝŶŐ ΗůŝŐŚƚŶŝŶŐ ĂƩĂĐŬ͕Η ŝŶĚŝĐĂƟŶŐ ƚŽ ŚŝƐ ƐƵƉĞƌŝŽƌƐ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ŽďũĞĐƟǀĞ ŽĨ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ ƐƵƌƉƌŝƐĞ ŚĂĚ ďĞĞŶ ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞĚ ʹ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ ƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŵĞƐƐĂŐĞ ǁĞŶƚ ŽƵƚ ĂƉƚ͘ &ƵĐŚŝĚĂ ŽƌĚĞƌĞĚ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ƐŝŐŶĂů ǁĂƐ ƚŽ ďĞ ƚĂƉƉĞĚ ƚŚƌĞĞ ƟŵĞƐ ʹ to ra, to ra, to ra.