ABSTRACT
On December 2, the First Air Fleet aboard the flagship Akagi received the formal order to “Climb Mt. Niitaka,” the signal to proceed to Pearl Harbor for the lead attack. On December 6 the First Air Fleet proceeded to refuel their planes and the Akagi raised the Z flag, the de facto national flag with the red sun centered against a white background. 1 At 6:00 a.m. on December 7 the First Air Fleet launched the first wave of attack. At 7:00 the next wave left the Japanese aircraft carriers. At 7:48 the planes arrived at their target. The attack began by bombing and strafing first the military base of Kaneohe. Then the leader of the attack force signaled to his pilots “To, To, To,” giving the order to begin bombing the principal target, Pearl Harbor. Five minutes later he sent the message “Tora, Tora, Tora,” the signal that the attack was not opposed and success had been achieved in surprising the enemy. By 10:00 the first wave of attackers had returned to their carriers. The attack continued for the next several hours, however, as full-size I-70 as well as midget submarines targeted military bases around Oahu. At 1:15 the Japanese command ordered the attack to break off, and the fleet began returning to port, leaving the occasional submarine to harass American ships in the area. 2
