Who led the first Japanese air attack wave at Pearl Harbor?

Mitsuo Fuchida led the first Japanese air attack wave at Pearl Harbor. He served as the strike force’s senior air officer and flew in a Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber during the opening attack.

Fuchida transmitted the famous report “Tora! Tora! Tora!” after determining that the Japanese force had achieved surprise. The phrase indicated that the attack had begun without being detected by the defending forces.

He remained over Pearl Harbor during the first wave and later participated in the second wave. Fuchida survived the war and became a Christian evangelist after Japan’s surrender.

Fuchida is often confused with Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, who commanded the overall carrier striking force, and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who planned the operation at the strategic level. Their roles were different from Fuchida’s direct leadership in the air.