Pearl Harbor: Japanese aerial force December 7, 1941

A total of 353 Japanese aircraft were mobilized for the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Over 270 of these planes were bombers or torpedo carriers, whose aim was to inflict as much damage as possible. These were accompanied by 79 fighter planes, whose job it was to repel any defensive aircraft sent into the air by the U.S.. The surprise attack destroyed or damaged the majority of the U.S. air fleet, and only six U.S. fighters made it into the air to counter the first wave of the attack.

The Japanese lost just 29 aircraft during the attack, and most of the strike force made it back to the aircraft carriers to fight again. The Japanese military was famous for its use of suicidal kamikaze fighters during the Second World War, however these units were not deployed until late-1944, and their intentional use during the attack on Pearl Harbor is a common misconception.