Japan, now allied with Germany and Italy, was more powerful, and viewed the oil embargo as an act of war. Japan and the US tried to negotiate a solution. Japan wanted the US to lift the oil embargo and allow her to attempt to takeover China. The US wanted Japan to leave China alone and stop her expansion. Both countries wouldn't budge on their demands. On November 26, 1941, US negotiations with Japan ended. The US, suspecting war was inevitable, began to build up their military forces in the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur, stationed in the Philippines, was confident of America's forces, especially the new B-17 fighter planes, which were just arriving at several military bases. He was so certain of the forces' strength over Japan, that on December 5, 1941 he said "Nothing would please me better than if they would give me three months and then attack here." They gave him two days.
At precisely 7:56 am, December 7, 1941, Japan dropped their first bomb on Wheeler Field, eight miles out of Pearl Harbor. The crews at Pearl Harbor were on the decks of their ships, singing The Star-Spangled Banner, when they were interrupted by gunfire. The crews did not flinch until the last note was sung. The bulk of the US fleet was at its base. Military planes were parked in compact rows, in accordance with peacetime regulations, and were an easy target for the Japanese. Over ninety-seven percent of Pearl Harbor's air fleet was completely wiped out in the first five minutes of the attack. Free from air interception, they bombed Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu for nearly two hours. In addition to the two battleships, six aircraft carriers, thirty-one ships, and 353 planes, the supporting surface and submarine units added the final touches to the devastating attack. The most horrific event in the attack was the sinking of the USS Arizona, a battleship. Struck by a naval shell, the onboard gunpowder ignited, causing a huge explosion.
