Main Hawaiian Island where the largest city, Honolulu is located. Many installations, airfields and the harbor at Pearl Harbor were used by the US Military, some are still active bases today.

Pearl Harbor
Anchorage for the USN's Pacific Fleet. Attacked on December 7, 1941

Ford Island
Island at the Center of Pearl Harbor

Aiea
Fort Shafter

Fort DeRussy (US Army Museum of Hawaii)
The museum is built on battery Randolph.

Waikiki
Beachfront on southern Oahu. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was fortified with barbed wire in case of invasion. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist beaches on Oahu.

Schofield Barracks
During WWII, this base was home to the 25th Infantry Division. A free walking tour of twenty wartime sites at the base is available from the museum. On the property is the Kolekole Pass, popularly depicted (but untrue) as where Japanese planes flew thru during the Pearl Harbor attack. The barracks was hit during the Pearl Harbor attack, but was not a primary target.

25th Infantry Divison / Tropical Lightning Museum
Carter Hall, Building 361
Waianae Avenue, Macomb Drive
Tel 808-655-0438
Museum covers the service of the 25th Division on Guadalcanal, Leyte, Korea and Vietnam. The museum features war relics, photos and small exhibits.

27th Infantry Regiment Museum
A small museum located near the Tropica l Lighnting museum to this unit.

Hickam Field (Hickam Air Base)
Prewar airfield and base attacked on December 7, 1941 still in use today.

Japanese Consulate Building
1742 Nuuanu Street
This diplomatic office was used to feed intelligence about the US military on Ohau back to Japan prior to the attack. The wartime structure no longer exisits.

Natsunoya Teahouse
1935 Makanani Drive, Tel 808-595-4488
This teahouse, overlooking Pearl Harbor was used by Japanese spy Takeo Yoshikawa to spy on the Pacific Fleet, from the second story windows.

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl)
2177 Puowaina Drive Tel: 808-532-3720

Cemetery with 33,230 graves, second only in size to the Manila Cemetery in the Philippines. Overlooked by the statue of Columbia, a 30' female figure. The court of the missing records 18,094 names of MIA from WWII, with additional listings for Korea and Vietnam. Forty-eight banyan trees represent each of the US states (during WWII) and were donated by China. From the cemetery, the views of Honolulu and Diamond Head are viewable.

Iolani Palace
This Hawaiian royal palace was the seat of pre-statehood Hawaiian goverment, until the state capital was built. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, martial law was declared from this location.

Diamond Head State Park
Diamond Head Road, between 18th - 22nd Avenues  Tel 808-587-0300

Along the trail to the peak of Diamond Head are sereral wartime bunkers and emplacements, these fortifications were never used and built prior to the war in anticipation of a a landing or shore bombardment. These positions were occupied thruout the war, then abandoned.

Makapuu Wayside Trail
Highway 72 One mile trail to a scenic overlook has several defensive foritificaitons and pillboxes from the war, and a panoramic view from the top of the trail.

Waimanalo
Waimanalo Beach. Japanese Midget submarine beached here on December 7, 1941 when its gyrocompass malfunctioned. Kom A'ona Inn was where James Michener wrote his novel "Hawaii."

Ohau Dive Sites
Scuba diving sites with WWII history

Mount Tantalus
Mountain located aproximately six miles to the east of Pearl Harbor.

Japanese Emily Raid On Hawaii March 3, 1942
Two Kawanishi H8K Emily flying boats from the 24th Air Flotilla, based at Jaluit and Wotje bombed Oahu's Mount Tantalus. Their intended target was Pearl Harbor, which was covered in clouds. Instead they dropped their bombs harmlessly on nearby Mount Tantalus

The Mission
On the night of March 4-5, 1942. This raid was concieved as a retaliation for the U.S. raid against the Marshalls in early February 1942. Japanese seaplanes used the French Frigate Shoals, as a rendezvous point. To avoid detection, the planes headed south between Kauai and Niihau before heading to the western tip of Oahu. The Emilys closed formation and approached Kaena Point at 15,000 feet. Some clouds were observed over the Koolau mountain range and in the direction of Pearl Harbor. The two flying boats continued on an eastward course to bring them north of Pearl Harbor, where they intended to turn south for their bomb run. Ten-Ten Dock was the Japanese planes' target. Rain obscured the island. Crewmen aboard plane No.1 thought they saw Ford Island, and Hashizume made a rapid turn to the left to circle back over the target. bombs were released at 2:10 a.m. Tomaro misunderstood the order and continued southward, becoming separated from Hashizume. When the mistake was discovered, Tomaro reversed course and dropped his bombs by direct reckoning at 2:30.

Bombs Dropped
Pearl Harbor was entirely obscured by clouds. Honolulu records report that at 2:10 a.m. four explosions were heard about six miles east of Pearl Harbor. The same cloud cover that obscured the target enabled the raiders to escape. American P-40s were unable to locate any bandits and returned to their bases, while the PBYs searched in vain for the retiring H8Ks. For a time, the Army and Navy blamed the other's fliers for having accidently released the bombs on Mount Tantalus before returning to base. Many Oahu residents still believe that this is what happened. Experts at the time pointed out that no Japanese plane had the range to make the round trip from Wake or the Marshall Islands. An examination of the bomb fragments, however, identified them as Japanese and identical to those dropped during the December 7, 1941 raid.