Corgi AA33101 Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero-Sen/Zeke. Pearl Harbour

Corgi AA33101 Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero-Sen/Zeke IJNAS Hiryu Flying Group, BII-144, IJN Carrier Hiryu, Pearl Harbour, December 7th 1941

At 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian Time on December 7th, 1941, the US Naval base at Pearl Harbour was attacked by the Empire of Japan. The goal was to prevent the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with planned Japanese military actions in Southeast Asia. The attack was carried out by 353 fighters, bombers, and torpedo planes launched in two waves from a task force of six aircraft carriers northwest of Hawaii. The damage inflicted was devastating, with all eight U.S. Navy battleships damaged, four of which were sunk, along with three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. Furthermore, 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, and 2,402 Americans were killed, while 1,282 were wounded. Japanese losses were minimal, with 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured. The attack caught the American people by surprise and led to American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day, on December 8th, the United States declared war on Japan. While there were historical precedents for unannounced military action by Japan, the lack of any formal warning, particularly while negotiations were still apparently ongoing, led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to declare December 7, 1941, as "a date which will live in infamy."