At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese plunge aircraft bearing the red image of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings shows up out of the mists over the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes pursued, plummeting on the U.S. maritime base at Pearl Harbor in a brutal strike. The unexpected assault struck a basic blow against the U.S. Pacific armada and drew the United States permanently into World War II.
