
After Action Report for December 7, 1941
The Pacific Theater Erupts in Flames
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: The morning of December 7, 1941, will forever be etched in infamy as the Empire of Japan launched a devastating surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese strike force, meticulously planned and executed, consisted of 32 A6M2 Zero fighters, 144 B5N2 Kate torpedo bombers, and 126 D3A1 Val dive bombers. The clear skies over Oahu bore witness to an unprecedented onslaught that caught the American forces off guard.
The Japanese pilots, maintaining an altitude of 8,000 feet before descending upon their targets, delivered a crushing blow. The first wave struck with precision, focusing on the heart of the American naval power—the battleships. The USS Arizona, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia were among the most heavily hit, with multiple bomb and torpedo strikes igniting massive fires and causing catastrophic damage. The Arizona, in particular, suffered a direct hit to its forward magazine, leading to a cataclysmic explosion that claimed the lives of over a thousand sailors.
Anti-aircraft fire, though intense, was largely ineffective against the agile Japanese planes. The defenders managed to down a few aircraft—three Zeros, two Kates, and four Vals—but these losses paled in comparison to the damage inflicted. American air assets were similarly decimated on the ground. PBY Catalinas, B-17 Fortresses, and P-40 Warhawks were obliterated before they could even take to the skies, their remains littering the airfields.
The chaos was not limited to the air. The port facilities and runways suffered heavily, with repair yards and airbase installations taking significant hits. The scale of the destruction left the Pacific Fleet reeling, and the loss of life was profound, a grim prelude to the grueling conflict that would follow.
Wake Island: Simultaneously, across the vast Pacific, the small but strategically vital Wake Island came under attack. A force of 27 G3M2 Nell bombers descended upon the island’s airfield with ruthless efficiency. The defenders, caught unprepared, could offer no significant resistance. The few Wildcats stationed there were either destroyed or heavily damaged before they could engage the enemy.
The Japanese bombers targeted the airbase and its runways, rendering the facilities inoperable with precise bombing runs. While the Nells sustained minor damage, the attack on Wake signaled the beginning of a broader Japanese offensive aimed at securing their dominance over the Pacific.
The Philippines: The situation in the Philippines deteriorated rapidly as Japanese bombers struck multiple targets across the archipelago. At Iba Airfield, a combination of Zero fighters and G4M1 Betty bombers targeted the airbase, encountering minimal resistance. The obsolete P-26A fighters of the Philippine Army Air Corps were woefully outmatched, and the few that managed to get airborne were quickly dispatched by the superior Japanese aircraft.
Clark Field, one of the primary airbases on Luzon, was also hit hard. A mixed force of Nells, Bettys, and Zeros pounded the airfield, destroying aircraft on the ground and inflicting significant damage to the runways. The defenders scrambled to mount a defense, but the sheer volume of the Japanese attack left them overwhelmed.
In the southern Philippines, Davao’s port was bombarded by a group of B5N1 Kate bombers. The attack resulted in the destruction of several American and Filipino vessels, including the AVD William B. Preston, which was hit by multiple bombs and suffered a catastrophic explosion. The Japanese also inflicted damage on the port infrastructure, setting back the Allies' ability to reinforce and resupply their forces in the region.
Malaya: Further west, the British forces in Malaya faced their own calamity. At Kota Bharu, the Japanese launched a coordinated airstrike against the airfield, employing Ki-27b Nate fighters. The airbase was ravaged, with multiple Hudson and Vildebeest aircraft destroyed on the ground, while the runways were left cratered and unusable.
In a more daring assault, Japanese bombers targeted the British capital ships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse near Mersing. Despite the presence of Buffalo I fighters on CAP, the Japanese bombers managed to launch torpedoes that struck both ships. The Prince of Wales took three hits, while the Repulse was struck by two, leaving both ships ablaze and heavily damaged.
At Alor Star, the Japanese launched a dual-wave attack with Ki-21-IIa Sally bombers. The first wave flew in at a low altitude, delivering a devastating blow to the airbase, destroying Blenheim bombers and damaging ground facilities. A follow-up raid by Ki-48-Ib Lily bombers compounded the destruction, further crippling the airbase's operational capabilities.
China: On the Chinese mainland, the Japanese air force extended its reach with strikes against the 40th Chinese Corps near Chengchow and the fortress city of Hong Kong. At Chengchow, Ki-27b Nate fighters escorted Ki-30 Ann bombers, which targeted Chinese ground forces with pinpoint accuracy, while Hong Kong’s defenses were tested by waves of Ki-36 Ida and Ki-51 Sonia bombers. The defenders in Hong Kong, already under siege, found themselves unable to counter this aerial onslaught effectively.

Summary: December 7, 1941, marked a day of unparalleled devastation for the Allied forces across the Pacific and Southeast Asia. The Japanese attacks, executed with precision and ruthless efficiency, left a trail of destruction that crippled key American, British, and Chinese military assets. The Allies now faced the grim reality of a prolonged and bitter conflict, with their forces on the back foot as the Japanese tide swept across the region.