Pearl Harbor, l'histoire vraie d'une attaque surprise

Fairey Swordfish Mk I Naval torpedo-bombers of the Fleet Air Arm on a training flight from Crail in Scotland. Despite being obsolete by 1939, the Swordfish achieved some spectacular successes during the war. Notable events included the famous attack on the German battleship Bismarck, which contributed to her eventual demise. The Swordfish sank a greater tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft during the war and remained in front-line service until V-E Day, having outlived some of the aircraft intended to replace it. , copyright: www.alamy.com / Alamy Stock Photo / public domain sourced / access rights from De Luan / RMC Production

Le 7 décembre 1941, une offensive aéronavale foudroie la base américaine de Pearl Harbor à Hawaï. Depuis leurs porte-avions, les forces nippones déploient 350 appareils qui, en deux vagues successives, dévastent la flotte du Pacifique. L'explosion de l'USS Arizona coûte la vie à plus de mille marins. Cette opération militaire sans précédent pousse les Etats-Unis à entrer dans la Seconde Guerre mondiale.