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Smoke and flames rise from the USS Shaw in Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. The Japanese Imperial Navy launched the surprise strike on the US naval base at the harbor, located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The assault killed more than 2,000 Americans and destroyed a significant number of US battleships and airplanes. Library of Congress
Crewmen of the Japanese Hiryu aircraft carrier prepare fighter planes for takeoff before the raid on Pearl Harbor.
The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
This is believed to be an image of the first bomb dropped during the raid on Pearl Harbor; it shows a Japanese plane pulling out of a dive near the explosion. AP
An aerial view of the harbor shows the destruction of the USS California, the USS. Maryland, the USS Oklahoma, the USS Tennessee, the USS West Virginia and the USS Arizona. Corbis/Getty Images
Airmen at Hickam Field watch as bombs explode. The Hickam Field airbase was heavily targeted during the attack, and Japanese bombers sought to prevent counter-attacks from US forces by disabling American planes on the ground. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Smoke plumes envelop the USS Arizona battleship as it keels over before sinking in Pearl Harbor. AP
A US Army B-17E lands at Hickam Field on December 7. The base sustained heavy losses of both personnel and planes during the attack. Universal History Archive/UIG/Getty Images
A fire spreads through the Army barracks at Hickam Field. AP
Oil burns on the ocean's surface near the Naval Air Station shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. VCG Wilson/Corbis/Getty Images
Smoke from burning oil billows over Hickam Field. AP
A Japanese plane plummets in flames after it was hit by US Naval anti-aircraft. AP
The USS California settles on the bottom of the harbor after being bombed and torpedoed by the Japanese. Library of Congress
Wives of US military officers return to their residences after an explosion at Pearl Harbor. Mary Naiden/AP
A rescue boat retrieves a seaman from the burning USS West Virginia. Library of Congress
Crowds gather in New York's Times Square as news bulletins flash across the New York Times building announcing the attack on Pearl Harbor. Robert Kradin/AP