When the Smoke Cleared

Japan lost just 29 aircraft and 65 men. The United States lost over 2,400 dead and eight battleships damaged or destroyed, most of its planes wrecked on the ground. It was one of the most lopsided surprise attacks in military history.

The US had been reading diplomatic cables and knew a Japanese strike was coming somewhere, but expected the Philippines, not Hawaii. Pearl Harbor sat at peacetime readiness. Ammunition was locked away. Aircraft were parked wingtip to wingtip to guard against sabotage. The attack exploited exactly those mistakes.