In the early morning hours of December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise military attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. To mark the anniversary of that event, which led to this country's entry into World War II, try your luck with these trivia questions to find out how much you know about the attack, Japan's motives, and the events that followed.
Why Did Japan Launch the Attack?
The USS Arizona Memorial marks the final resting place of more than 1,100 sailors and Marines killed on the battleship USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.In pursuit of its expansionist policy, fueled in part by the country's lack of natural resources, Japan planned to invade Malaya and the Dutch East Indies to take advantage of those territories' rich stores of oil and rubber. Japanese military strategists believed that knocking out the U.S. Pacific fleet in advance of these moves would reduce the chances of American intervention that would interfere with Japan's plans. A second motive for the Japanese attack was to deliver a staggering blow to American morale, which the Japanese hoped would discourage the United States from involving itself in a war that stretched into the far western Pacific and Dutch East Indies. Although Malaya and the Dutch East Indies were the next targets of Japanese expansionism, they were not to be the last. Japan's military leaders had already set itself on a course to conquer all of Southeast Asia.How Many Were Killed and Injured?
A handful of survivors from the USS Arizona attended the annual Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony held on December 7, 2011.The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor took only about 90 minutes. When it had ended, 2,403 Americans were dead and another 1,178 were injured, according to Wikipedia. Breaking down the American casualties by branch of service, the U.S. Navy took by far the biggest hit with 2,008 sailors dead and another 710 wounded. The U.S. Army's losses totaled 218 dead and 364 wounded; U.S. Marines counted 109 dead and 69 wounded. In addition to the military casualties, 68 American civilians were killed and another 35 were wounded. Eighteen American ships were sunk or run aground. Of the vessels lost, five were battleships. Because of the nature of Japan's sneak attack, Japanese losses were much more limited. Japanese dead totaled 64 (55 airmen and 9 submariners). The Japanese air force lost 29 planes with another 74 badly damaged by antiaircraft fire.
Had Japan Declared War on the United States?Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of Japan's combined fleet until his death in 1943, reportedly had insisted that the attack should not begin until 30 minutes after Washington had been advised that peace negotiations were at an end and war was imminent. To that end, Japan had transmitted a 5,000-word message to its embassy in Washington that was to be handed over by the ambassador to the U.S. government. However, difficulty in translating the message into English resulted in a delay in delivering the message to the U.S. government. As a result, the attack on Pearl Harbor began before the U.S. government received any official word of the troubles to come.
Why Was the Death Toll on the USS Arizona So High?Although the USS Arizona was only one of 18 American ships either sunk or run aground in the attack, the death toll on the battleship was disproportionately high with the loss of 1,107 officers and crewmen. Japanese bombers made four direct hits on the Arizona, including one that pierced the ship's armored deck near the ammunition magazines in the forward section of the ship. Only seconds after the bomb hit, these magazines exploded, resulting in the extremely high death toll. 
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Hickok
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