Original subtitles

Hawaii, the Pacific Ocean.

A picture postcard setting.

But it was in these paradise islands that there took place one of the most

decisive operations of the Second World War.

On the 7th of December, 1941,

Japan launched a surprise attack against the U.S. fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor.

It was a blow to the very heart of the United States Defense Forces.

Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live

This attack marked a major turning point in the war, the point where the conflict

became truly global.

But a lot remains unknown about Pearl Harbor.

Why did the Japanese decide to launch an apparently pointless attack on the

world's leading superpower?

Did the Americans really have no idea they were going to strike?

Pearl Harbor changed the course of the Second World War.

It's 1940, and the Second War has already been going on for a year.

Nazi Germany is at the height of its power and ruling over much of Europe.

Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland are all under the Fuhrer's boot.

France has fallen in just a few weeks.

followed by Greece and Yugoslavia.

But Britain is still standing its crown, led by its Prime Minister, Winston

Churchill.

Despite the blitz that's ravaging its cities, the old British lion holds firm.

but he's on his own.

Back in the US, the war seems a long way away.

The Americans won't go anywhere near the hornet's nest that is Europe.

Back in 1917,

the Yanks came to the rescue of the old continent.

More than 116,000 of them lost their lives.

That's just a drop in the ocean of death that was the Great War, but for the

mothers of America, it was far too many.

During his 1939 presidential campaign, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt

promised never again to send his boys to the slaughterhouse.

This nation will remain a neutral nation.

I have said not once but many times that I have seen war and that

I hate war.

As long as it remains within my power to prevent, there will

be no blackout of peace in the United States.

The man in the street is dead set against the war.

Not a war, not for me. This time America should keep out, and I know I will.

I think that this country should heed the advice of its first president and

avoid all foreign entanglement.

And all our efforts should be made to keep out of the fight.

American public opinion remains, for the most part, isolationist.

If the old continent has chosen war, Well, let them get on with it.

On the other side of the world, another power has no intention

of taking a back seat.

Japan.

Since the start of the 1930s, the empire of the rising sun has gone down the same

road as Nazi Germany.

nationalism, and the desire for conquest and power.

Japan has been churning out soldiers.

From early childhood on, the Japanese are indoctrinated.

They're taught a code of honor, bushido.

At school, young people are trained to live, fight, and sacrifice themselves

for their supreme leader, Hirohito.

As one Japanese man says,

all our games were war games. We were taught to die for the emperor.

It was like it was fed into our blood.

Emperor Hirohito is worshipped like a god.

But in reality, he has little power.

He reigns, but he doesn't govern.

It's the military that lays down the law.

They'll do anything to make their country great.

For ever since the 19th century, Japan has been striving to build an empire.

Back in 1895, it annexed Taiwan.

In 1904, it dared to stand up to Russia.

Then, in 1910, it colonized Korea.

And Japan didn't stop at that.

To rebuild its economy, shaken by the Great Depression of 1929, it embarked on

a new conquest.

China, which it attacked without a second thought.

In the 30s, it invaded Manchuria, a Chinese province rich in raw materials,

going on to seize both Beijing and Shanghai.

The Imperial Army was incredibly violent.

At Nanking in 1937, it massacred more than 100,000 men, women, and children.

Thousands of its victims were systematically raped.

Most horrible of all, the massacre of Chinese turned into a competition.

Japanese officers organized a contest for the best beheader.

The press celebrated the winner.

Officer Soishikai Mukai with 106 heads.

Japan is insatiable and

all the more dangerous for it.

Just like the Nazis, the Japanese see themselves as a superior race destined

to rule over Asia and subjugate all its peoples.

Its new objective is to push the Western powers out of the Asian continent and

seize their colonies.

Dutch Indonesia, British Malaysia, and French Indochina.

Thanks to all their raw materials, Japan will be able to build a gigantic empire.

The conditions could not be more favorable.

The Nazis are occupying the old continent, so the European powers are

unable to retaliate.

Moreover, in September 1940, Japan seizes French Indochina with no reaction

from the Vichy regime.

And for good reason.

Japan has some powerful allies.

on the 27th of september 1940 in berlin adolf hitler plays host to both benito

mussolini's representative and the ambassador from japan kurusu

together they signed the tripartite pact

a military alliance that welds the three dictatorships together and promises

reciprocal assistance in the event of an attack on one of the signatories

With this devilish pact, Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and Japan intend to

dominate the world.

A Nazi Germany that rules Europe and a Japan that is about to dominate all of

Asia are deeply worrying to the United States.

To prevent the plague of fascism from spreading all over the world, the

American president wants to intervene, but the isolationism of public opinion

prevents him from doing so.

But Roosevelt is not a man to give up easily.

Paralyzed in both legs for ten years, his weakened body hides an iron

determination.

To demonstrate his resolve while avoiding a war, Roosevelt relies on

sanctions.

Japan's expansionist zeal must be calmed.

So Washington imposes an embargo.

All petrol exports to Japan are blocked.

Without petrol, no army can advance, no factory can run.

Japan is heading for paralysis.

The very existence of the country is at stake.

A Japanese leader confides, Japan is like a fish swimming in a pond that's

slowly drying up.

Tension between the two countries rises by another notch.

Meanwhile, though, in the shadows, the Japanese generals are busy with their

plan to rule the world.

For lack of raw materials, Japan can't fight a long war, and if it strikes at

Asia, America will react.

They're going to have to trigger a lightning attack to crush the American

fleet so they'll have a free hand in Asia.

That's Admiral Yamamoto's idea.

A fine strategist, he suggests to the Navy Minister that the main American

fleet must be destroyed at the beginning of the war, so that the morale of the

Navy and the American people collapses and can never recover.

The target is chosen.

Hawaii.

Located almost 2,500 miles from the west coast of the United States and nearly 4

,000 miles from Japan, the archipelago is home to the largest American base in

the Pacific,

Pearl Harbor.

Since 1899, this base has been slowly growing and now hosts tens of thousands

of men, more than 150 ships, and three aircraft carriers.

It's an arsenal that directly threatens Japanese operations in Southeast Asia.

Pearl Harbor is a dagger pointed at the heart of Japan, says Yamamoto.

It has to be neutralized.

Yet it's a dangerous gamble.

Yamamoto knows America's industrial potential.

He studied at Harvard.

But he's an inveterate poker player.

he's willing to take the risk lucid however he writes to the government

during the first six months of a war against the united states i promise you

an uninterrupted stream of victories but i warn you if hostilities continue for

two or three years i have no confidence in your final victory

the

japanese leaders are dubious

So the Minister of the Army, General Tojo, nicknamed the Razor, brings his

weight to bear.

He declares, If we give in to America's demands, it will destroy the fruits of

our war in China.

Manchuria will be endangered, and our control of Korea will be undermined.

Sometimes, you simply have to dare.

A few weeks later, Tojo becomes Prime Minister.

His government supports Yamamoto's strategy.

The plan is to negotiate with Washington a lifting of the embargo while secretly

preparing, in case that fails, a lightning attack.

Despite the tension between the two countries, life in Hawaii is still

pretty laid back.

The GIs are having a great time.

The local girls, the cocktails and ukuleles, the baseball, and just a

little keep fit all add spice to a daily life to die for.

No one could ever imagine a strike on the base.

The Japanese?

Don't worry about them, goes the refrain.

They're useless.

They'll do anything you tell them to. They're has-beens. What have they got to

show for themselves?

No Shakespeare, no Mozart, no Michelangelo?

In addition, Pearl Harbor is the base that's supposed to defend potential

targets like Midway or the Philippines.

Who'd dare to attack a fortress like that?

Journalist Clark Beach writes in the Honolulu Star Bulletin, A Japanese

attack on Hawaii is considered the most unlikely thing in the world, with a one

in a million chance of success.

But the United States still fear the worst.

Pearl Harbor, the world's greatest naval base.

Pearl Harbor is 3,400 miles from Yokohama, and Pacific Fleet Commander

Admiral Kimmel keeps all hands on the alert.

During my military tour, I was received by Lieutenant General Walter C. Short,

who knows these islands inside out.

All troops here have mobile equipment.

Guns of all types and sizes form a defense ring for the 20 islands.

Every tourist knows Diamond Head and Waikiki, but now beaches are studded

with pillboxes, anti-invasion defenses, and big

harbor guns.

While the Americans are busy reassuring themselves, the Japanese are busy

training.

A naval air raid on Pearl Harbor seems like mission impossible.

They'll have to, for the first time in history, deploy an armada nearly 4,000

miles from home without it being spotted.

And there's another thing.

Pearl Harbor is shallow.

And torpedoes need a depth of 100 feet.

How can it be done?

No torpedoes.

No mission.

It's the British who provide the answer.

On the 12th of November 1940, the Royal Navy destroys half the Italian fleet at

anchor in Taranto.

It's a port with the same characteristics as Pearl Harbor.

The Royal Navy manages to adapt its torpedoes accordingly.

It's an inspiration for Japanese engineers.

They add fins to the torpedoes so they can operate in shallow waters.

There's nothing to stop them now.

Aircraft carriers, battleships and planes all start preparing for a raid of

unprecedented audacity.

Leaving nothing to chance, The Japanese rely on their intelligence service.

Their consul in Hawaii has a network of 200 informants, many of them from

Hawaii's Japanese minority.

But they also call on the experts.

Among them, Tadashi Morimura, who was appointed consular secretary in March

1941.

His arrival is even reported in the press.

But his real name?

is takeo yoshikawa and he's a professional spy tokyo

bombards him with questions he must divide the base into several zones then

identify the type of vessel that anchors in each zone he must also specify the

positions of the anti-aircraft defenses and indicate the depth of the waters

yoshikawa keeps his superiors regularly informed

Another agent is sent to Hawaii to observe the base's routine.

It's all set out like a musical score.

The American fleet returns to home port every weekend, and that remains a sacred

tradition.

The Japanese plan is taking shape.

The Japanese Air Force will annihilate the base at Pearl Harbor and destroy the

largest units, the aircraft carriers and battleships.

The date is set, Sunday, the 7th of December, 1941.

To respect their code of honor, the Japanese are planning to declare war 30

minutes before the attack.

While the diplomats negotiate, the strategists are busy planning.

On November 17, 1941, Ambassador Nomura and Special Envoy Kurusu the same one

who shook hands with Hitler a few months earlier, are in Washington.

They're received by Foreign Secretary Cordell Hull, then head for the White

House to ask President Roosevelt to lift the embargo on their country.

Gentlemen, you all know how difficult my mission is, but I'll do all I can

to make it a successful one.

was the sake of two countries, Japan and the United States.

At the same time, more than 6,000 miles away in Japan, the fleet sets sail in

the greatest secrecy.

It's an impressive armada.

Cruisers and destroyers protect six aircraft carriers.

They're followed by eight tankers for refueling at sea.

These 32 ships are protected in their turn by 20 patrol submarines along with

five mini subs armed with torpedoes.

The rallying point is to the north of Japan in the Kuril Islands.

On the 26th of November in Washington, Foreign Minister Cordell Hull turns down

Japan's demands.

he promises to lift economic sanctions if the imperial army abandons the

tripartite pact and withdraws from china and indochina for tokyo that's an

unacceptable proposition it's the point of no return

The very same day, November 26th, the armada leaves the Kuril Islands and sets

sail for Pearl Harbor.

On board the aircraft carrier Akashi, Admiral Nagumo is having

doubts.

Now that we've left our territorial waters, he tells his chief of staff, I'm

beginning to wonder if this operation will succeed.

His fears are well-founded.

The fleet must travel nearly 4,000 miles, 11 long days at sea, without

being discovered.

By the 1st of December 1941, Japanese leaders have understood that

negotiations with the Americans will not succeed.

The designer of the attack, Admiral Yamamoto, sends the fateful message to

the armada, climb Mount Nitaka.

That's the green light to attack Pearl Harbor.

Now nothing can stop the attack.

But on December 4th, 1941, a naval listening station picks up a suspicious

weather message sent out by the Japanese.

East wind, rain.

The Americans are well aware that it's an instruction that alerts embassies to

an upcoming war with the United States.

The message, though, is not taken seriously.

No alerts are sent out to U.S. bases.

Admiral Kimmel, commander-in-chief of the fleet at Pearl Harbor, isn't

notified.

A stroke of luck for the Japanese armada, which continues on its way as if

nothing had happened.

On the eve of the attack, the Pearl Harbor base still hasn't a care in the

world.

Admiral Kimmel even maintains all leave for the weekend of December 7th.

This morning, Sunday, December 7th, 1941, two separate waves are to strike.

At 5 a.m., the 183 pilots of the first wave are woken up.

Many of them believe they won't live to see Japan again.

They all prepare their farewell letters in little envelopes.

Lieutenant Zenji Abe says, I put a picture of my wife holding my six-month

-old son in the inner pocket of my uniform.

That day, we didn't feel like we were going to war.

I was calm, and all I cared about was following orders.

The pilots eat a ceremonial meal.

They drink sake together and pray for the success of their mission.

As one of them recounts, We had mixed feelings.

There was sadness at the thought of dying, but also a sense of pride because

we were going to die with honor.

Just before dawn, the aircraft carriers reached their destination, 230 miles

northeast of Pearl Harbor.

There are heavy seas.

In Washington, it's 1030 in the morning.

Ambassador Nomura requests an audience at 1 p.m. with Foreign Minister Cordell

Hull to announce the declaration of war 30 minutes before the attack, as

required.

At 6 AM, the fighters tasked with protecting the squadron take off.

They're followed by the torpedo bombers, each carrying an 800 kilogram anti-ship

bomb and a crew of bombardiers.

A total of 181 aircraft are deployed.

It's an impressive force.

One pilot recounts, When I saw the crew all waving their cap to salute my

takeoff, I felt the honor of being born Japanese and serving my country.

Japanese aircraft at this time are not equipped with radar.

The pilots are all tuned in to KGMB radio.

This American radio station in Hawaii broadcasts 24 hours a day to guide

American B-17 bombers back home.

But today, it's guiding the enemy.

By 6.45, though, things don't look so good.

At Opana, Hawaii radio station, the squadron has been spotted.

Joseph Lockhart and George Elliott have it on their radar.

They contact the Pearl Harbor Control Center at 7.06 a.m.

A large number of planes coming in from the north, three degrees east.

The intelligence is precise.

In 40 minutes, Unknown aircraft will fly over the base.

It's not too late to sound the alarm.

But headquarters believes the signals are coming from B-17 planes on their way

from California.

The message doesn't get through.

Fortune would appear to be smiling on the Japanese.

At 7.40, Squadron Leader Fushida, at the head of the first wave, sees at last in

the distance the north coast of the island.

The base isn't on alert.

As one pilot, Tatsuya Otawa, puts it, we're about to turn an island of dreams

into a living hell.

At 7.53 a.m., Fushida gives out the coded message, Torah, Torah, Torah, to

announce the surprise is still on their side.

And immediately, the attack begins.

The Japanese hit Wheeler Field first, the base in the north of the island, to

prevent American planes from protecting their ships.

Dozens of planes are destroyed right there on the ground The

element of surprise is proving deadly

The

Japanese planes destroy everything

Five minutes later, they're ten miles away, over the harbor of Pearl Harbor.

At first, nobody knows what's going on.

Up in the control tower, Colonel William Farthing sees planes flying at low

altitude. He notes, Very realistic maneuvers.

I wonder what the Marines are up to so early on a Sunday.

When they're right above the harbor, the planes go for the big game, the

warships.

Torpedoes and bombs are coming from every direction.

Pilot Tatsuya Otawa recalls, I was saying to myself that I was a happy man

to be able to be a part of this historic moment.

Several vessels are hit.

The sailors are all awoken by the same cry.

The Japanese are attacking.

It's for real.

Admiral Kimmel in charge of the base.

Alert the authorities.

Air raid on Pearl Harbor. This is not a drill.

The Americans try to react, but it's a paltry response.

Only four of their 31 anti-aircraft batteries are in position, and many of

them with no ammunition.

General Short, the head of the armed forces, feared there might be sabotage

by the Japanese.

So he stored the ammunition in depots far from the guns or else locked it

away.

On the ships, sailors get themselves organized.

Doris Miller stands out.

At a time when African Americans are only allowed to work in the kitchen.

But right now his duty is to act.

So he grabs a machine gun.

I just pulled the trigger.

I guess I kept firing for about 15 minutes.

I think I got one of them Japanese planes.

Japanese aircraft hit the battleship Arizona with eight bombs.

How's it happening?

Captain Eric Hackenson, a military nurse, films the scene.

450 tons of ammunition explode in a matter of seconds, blowing the vessel

out of the water.

A gigantic plume of red smoke fills the sky, a symbol of the drama of Pearl

Harbor.

Hundreds of men are killed instantly.

One American sailor tells how pieces of bodies were flying everywhere.

The whole ship was sent flying.

Corpses were piled on top of each other.

I started heading for the dock, and I suddenly found myself in the water.

I think I was thrown there by one of the blasts.

Squadron Leader Fushida describes how, You could feel the shockwave even in my

plane, and I was several kilometers from the port.

The California and the West Virginia are both hit.

There's fuel oil escaping.

Fires are starting everywhere.

Some sailors jump overboard to escape the flames.

They're burned alive in the blazing oil slicks.

The USS Oklahoma sinks within minutes.

461 sailors are trapped aboard her.

This first wave has lasted for a total of 40 minutes.

Nobody knows how many died.

The bombardment rages on. In Washington, it's 2 in the afternoon.

The Japanese diplomats are still working on their great plan to declare the

severance of diplomatic relations at least 30 minutes before the attack.

But they're an hour late.

Things went off the rails the minute the raid began.

Nomura and Kurusu weren't at Cordell Hall's office yet.

Until now, everything possible has done to delay this announcement.

that could have immediately been interpreted by the United States as a

declaration of war.

Flashback to the night before, December the 6th.

In Tokyo, the Japanese authorities sent a message to their embassy in the United

States with strict orders to hand it over to the U.S. government at 1 p.m.

sharp, East Coast time.

But on a Sunday, the Japanese embassy in Washington doesn't have the staff to

rapidly decode the message.

Especially since, curiously, the document has not been marked urgent.

So, when Ambassador Nomura and Special Envoy Kurusu go to the State Department

to deliver the official message from Tokyo, they are received by Cordell Hull

at 14.05.

The attack has already begun, 40 minutes ago.

After about 20 minutes, they're sent packing by a highly offended Cordell

Hull. Japan has not, as is customary, declared war before launching an attack.

But the United States is in fact feigning surprise.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs is only pretending that the message is news to

him. He's a good actor.

In fact, he knows precisely what the message contains.

Indeed, when Tokyo sent it to its Washington embassy, the Americans

intercepted it.

They broke Japanese diplomatic codes back in 1940 in a decryption operation

called MAGIC.

They've decoded the telegram even before Ambassador Nomura.

The text, though, does not actually proclaim a state of war.

The Japanese government regrets to have to notify the American government that

it cannot but consider that it is impossible to reach an agreement.

On the evening of the 6th of December, President Roosevelt and his Chief of

Staff, General George Marshall, Read the intercepted communique.

They conclude the war is about to break out.

But they believe that the opening of hostilities will be preceded by a formal

declaration of war.

Then, suddenly, U.S.

cryptoanalysts intercept an additional message to the Japanese embassy.

Will the ambassador please submit to the United States government, if possible,

the Secretary of State, Our reply to the United States at 1 p.m. on the 7th your

time.

This time General Marshall finally understands that something untoward is

happening. He might have before his very eyes the exact time of the Japanese

attack.

He immediately sends out an alert.

The Japanese will present this day at 1 p.m. East Coast time, what is akin to an

ultimatum. We do not know what their choice of this hour may mean, but be

alert accordingly.

but in hawaii weather conditions prevent his message from getting through so

marshall sends a telegram which as an ordinary civilian telegram didn't have

priority in the air and over the airwaves on land and on sea

there flies a constant exchange of dispatches dispatches that could be

crucial to the outcome of the coming battle

As the game of poker between Washington and Tokyo grinds on, people in Hawaii

are protecting themselves as best they can, for this attack just won't stop.

Whole families are having to evacuate their homes.

There were bombs exploding all around us, remembers one witness.

We didn't think we were going to get out alive.

One woman, Alice Zuber, prays silently.

Dear God, please let my children die and not be mutilated.

When the first wave has passed, relief is quickly organized.

But the improvised hospitals and clinics struggle to cope.

They're overwhelmed by the wounded.

to this important bulletin from the United Press.

Flash, Washington.

The White House announces Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Stay tuned to WOR for further developments, which will be broadcast

immediately as received.

On the continent, they have no idea, but soon the whole of the U.S. has heard the

unthinkable news.

The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by air. President Roosevelt has

just announced. America is stunned.

The Japanese have attacked the Pearl Harbor.

But the raid is still not over.

While the base is licking its wounds, a second wave of 167 planes sweeps down,

determined to annihilate the US Navy.

This time, The Japanese no longer benefit from the element of surprise.

The Americans retaliate.

Their air defense forces enter the fray.

A few US pilots manage to take off.

They bring down six enemy aircraft.

Despite all the damage, the US Navy still spots six mini submarines right

there inside the base.

Four of them are sunk.

The fifth has disappeared.

It's washed up on a beach.

Its crew tries to scuttle it without success.

Its commander, midshipman Kazuo Sakamaki, is captured by the Americans.

He implores them, My great mistake is to have been caught.

This is the first time I've failed. Please, don't inform Japan.

Kill me.

Sakamaki becomes the first Japanese prisoner of war.

In his pockets, the military find a plan of Pearl Harbor, specifying the

positions of all the ships, proof that the Japanese spies had done their job

well.

At 11.15 a.m., the first Japanese planes touch back down on their aircraft

carriers.

The operation has lasted two hours.

Pilots and sailors alike can't believe it.

They're alive.

One pilot, Izu Fujita, writes, I didn't expect to come back.

It's a miracle.

And one of the sailors, Ikikura Mote, says, Right now we're being rewarded for

all our hard work.

The gods themselves will bear witness to the glory of our great enterprise.

As for Squadron Leader Fushida, he is one of the last to land.

He assures Admiral Nagumo that the main Pacific force will not be seaworthy for

six months.

The Japanese can congratulate themselves.

a surprise attack mobilizing more than thirty warships three hundred and forty

planes and hundreds of fighting men in a twelve-day crossing of almost four

thousand miles has succeeded