The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, just before 08:00, on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. The attack led to the United States’ formal entry into World War II the next day. It was intended as a preventive action to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with planned military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. Over the course of seven hours there were coordinated Japanese attacks on the U.S.-held Philippines, Guam, and Wake Island and on the British Empire in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Here are 53 riddles about the attack on Pearl Harbor to test your knowledge about this pivotal historical event. The answers to each riddle follow below it. Give the riddles a try and see how many you can get right!
Riddles
Riddle 1: What two American aircraft carriers were luckily not in Pearl Harbor during the attack?
Answer:
The USS Lexington and USS Enterprise were at sea and were not damaged.
Riddle 2: What was the main intended target for the Japanese pilots during the attack?
Answer:
Battleships and aircraft carriers were the main targets.
Riddle 3: What time on December 7, 1941 did the attack on Pearl Harbor begin?
Answer:
7:48 am local Hawaii time.
Riddle 4: How many Japanese aircraft took part in the attack?
Answer:
A total of 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft took part.
Riddle 5: What were the two waves of attacks called?
Answer:
The first wave was called the attack and the second wave was termed the assault.
Riddle 6: How long did each wave of attacks last?
Answer:
The first wave attack lasted for 45 minutes, the second wave lasted for 35 minutes.
Riddle 7: How many U.S. naval vessels were damaged or sunk?
Answer:
18 ships were sunk or damaged including 8 battleships.
Riddle 8: How many total U.S. aircraft were destroyed and how many damaged?
Answer:
188 aircraft destroyed and 159 damaged.
Riddle 9: How many U.S. military personnel died?
Answer:
2,403 people were killed.
Riddle 10: How many Japanese aircraft were lost?
Answer:
Only 29 Japanese aircraft were shot down.
Riddle 11: What ship was the first hit by a torpedo bomber?
Answer:
The minesweeper Oglala.
Riddle 12: What U.S. battleship rolled over and capsized due to all the torpedoes and bombs?
Answer:
The USS Oklahoma capsized after being hit by torpedoes.
Riddle 13: What was the nickname given to the USS Arizona battleship wreckage site?
Answer:
The wreckage became known as the Arizona Memorial.
Riddle 14: What victory did the attack on Pearl Harbor give to Japan?
Answer:
It gave them 6 months of military success.
Riddle 15: What message did Emperor Hirohito give Japanese citizens upon declaring war?
Answer:
“War has arisen between Japan and the United States”.
Riddle 16: What Japanese commander led the attack?
Answer:
Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo led the attack.
Riddle 17: What mock target did the Japanese pilots use to train for Pearl Harbor?
Answer:
They used a mockup of Pearl Harbor.
Riddle 18: Where were the Japanese aircraft carriers positioned during the attack?
Answer:
They were 230 miles north of Oahu.
Riddle 19: What was the code name the Japanese used for the attack?
Answer:
The codename was Operation Z.
Riddle 20: What treaty did Japan give notice that it was withdrawing from in 1934?
Answer:
The Washington Naval Treaty.
Riddle 21: What U.S. general said “Obviously we are the victims of a dastardly sneak attack”?
Answer:
General George C. Marshall.
Riddle 22: How long did it take for the U.S. Pacific fleet to recover after the attack?
Answer:
About 18 months.
Riddle 23: What medal of honor recipient said “You can’t do any good by sitting down and crying about it.”?
Answer:
Second Lieutenant Alexander R. Nininger Jr.
Riddle 24: Which future U.S. President helped move wounded after the attack?
Answer:
Gerald Ford helped rescue the wounded.
Riddle 25: How many reconnaissance missions did Japanese submarines launch in preparation for attack?
Answer:
5 separate missions launched from submarines.
Riddle 26: What 2-word coded signal did the attack force send when they reached the final decision to attack Pearl Harbor?
Answer:
“Climb Mount Niitaka”.
Riddle 27: What 1939 event convinced President Roosevelt to move the Pacific fleet headquarters from California to Pearl Harbor?
Answer:
The outbreak of WWII in Europe.
Riddle 28: What was the main intended target for most Japanese dive bombers?
Answer:
Ford Island’s hangars and Wheeler Field.
Riddle 29: What days of the week had the American crewmen been given off duty before the attack?
Answer:
Saturday and Sunday.
Riddle 30: How many sets of armor-piercing shells did Japanese aircraft bring for their attack?
Answer:
Only enough AP shells for 1/3 of their bombers’ normal payload.
Riddle 31: What 2 American commanders were removed from their positions shortly after the attack?
Answer:
The commanders of Pearl Harbor and the Central Pacific Area.
Riddle 32: How many Japanese aircraft returned directly back to their carriers after the first wave rather than participate in the second wave?
Answer:
Approx 100 Japanese dive bombers and fighters.
Riddle 33: What 1942 battle victory marked the turning point in the Pacific War against Japan?
Answer:
The Battle of Midway.
Riddle 34: What vital piece of infrastructure allowed the attack to remain hidden from the Americans?
Answer:
Japan had good naval intelligence.
Riddle 35: What 2 American commanders were removed from their positions shortly after the attack?
Answer:
Admiral Husband Kimmell and General Walter Short.
Riddle 36: How long did President Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” speech last?
Answer:
Less than 7 minutes.
Riddle 37: What Japanese Admiral planned the Pearl Harbor attack?
Answer:
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto planned it.
Riddle 38: Why were so many U.S. aircraft destroyed at Pearl Harbor?
Answer:
Most were parked wingtip-to-wingtip on open-air fields.
Riddle 39: How many Japanese submarines participated in the attack?
Answer:
5 large I-class submarines took part.
Riddle 40: Why didn’t the Americans detect the oncoming Japanese attack force?
Answer:
They detected nothing on radar so assumed it was the scheduled arrival of B-17 bombers from California.
Riddle 41: Why were the Japanese able to launch surprise attacks on so many targets like Singapore and Hong Kong simultaneously?
Answer:
The attack on Pearl Harbor forced American and British focus on defending Hawaii instead.
Riddle 42: How long after the Pearl Harbor attack did Nazi Germany declare war on the United States?
Answer:
Adolph Hitler declared war just 4 days later on Dec 11th.
Riddle 43: What vital Japanese target remained untouched?
Answer:
Unfortunately the Japanese oil tank farms on Oahu were ignored.
Riddle 44: What 1943 event killed Admiral Yamamoto, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack?
Answer:
He died when American P-38 fighters shot down his plane.
Riddle 45: What Japanese word for “lightning strike” refers to simultaneous multiple attacks?
Answer:
The word was “Kusunoki”, meaning lightning strikes to pear trees.
Riddle 46: Why were the Japanese able to launch surprise attacks on so many targets like Singapore and Hong Kong simultaneously?
Answer:
The attack on Pearl Harbor forced American and British focus on defending Hawaii instead.
Riddle 47: How long after the Pearl Harbor attack did Nazi Germany declare war on the United States?
Answer:
Adolph Hitler declared war just 4 days later on December 11th.
Riddle 48: What vital Japanese target remained untouched?
Answer:
Unfortunately the Japanese oil tank farms on Oahu were ignored.
Riddle 49: What 1943 naval battle victory marked the turning point in the Pacific War against Japan?
Answer:
The decisive Battle of Midway in June 1942.
Riddle 50: Why didn’t the Americans detect the oncoming Japanese attack force?
Answer:
They detected nothing on radar so assumed it was the scheduled arrival of B-17 bombers from California.
Riddle 51: Why were so many U.S. aircraft destroyed on the ground at Pearl Harbor airfields?
Answer:
Most were parked wingtip-to-wingtip in the open on airfields.
Riddle 52: How many I-class Japanese submarines took part in the attack?
Answer:
5 large I-class submarines participated.
Riddle 53: What was the name of the American radar operator who spotted the Japanese attack force but was told to ignore it?
Answer:
Private Joseph Lockard spotted them on radar early but it was ignored.
Conclusion
The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was a pivotal moment in world history that marked the entry of the United States into World War II. These riddles cover key details about how the attack unfolded and highlight important consequences for both the war in the Pacific and the rest of the global conflict. Testing your Pearl Harbor knowledge with these riddles is an engaging way to learn more about WWII history and remember how the “date which will live in infamy” changed the course of the 20th century.
