Charles O. Clements US Army Schofield Barracks |
The attack started at 7:55 a.m. Pearl Harbor time (1:25 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, in Washington, D.C.). For almost two hours, until 9:45 a.m. (3:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) Pearl Harbor was under attack. The attack lasted one hour and fifty minutes. The attack was carried out by torpedo planes, dive bombers and horizontal fighter bombers. By 9:45 a.m., all enemy planes had left the area. The Japanese task force returned to Japan without being contacted by any American units. The terror-laden Sunday morning of the "Day of Infamy" found me in the mess hall for breakfast. Looking out the window, I saw a plane dive on Wheeler Field and drop a package which exploded. Japanese planes were strafing Wheeler Field next to Schofield Barracks, and other Japanese planes were coming in for their strafing runs. Outside the mess hall, a low flying Japanese plane was strafing two of our soldiers. The plane was so low you could almost see the slant of the pilot's eyes. The planes were flying less than 100 feet from the ground. I still felt very calm. The true meaning of what was going on still hadn't dawned on me. I then noticed the "red sun" insignia on the Japanese planes. I said, "these guys are not friendly." We had no orders so we tried to break the lock on our arsenal to get Browning Automatic rifles to fight this enemy, but were unable to do so. After much damage, these Japanese planes flew out. Honolulu Harbor was under attack when the Dutch liner Jagersoutein entered at 9:00 a.m. on December 7. When the bombs began to fall around them, the Dutch crew fired back and became the first ally to join our fight. Our Headquarter Battery 25th Division Artillery moved into the Kalihi Tunnels of the Koolau Mountain Range. Within a few days of our arrival, a Japanese bomb which failed to explode was put on display for all to see. This dud had been split open by the ordinance company to reveal its contents: Razor blades, rivets, nuts and bolts. In the tunnels, after the attack, we really didn't have a chance to react emotionally. We were trying to do our jobs as we had been trained to do. The 25th Division had the southern half of the island to defend in case there should be a Japanese landing force. Air inside the tunnels was stifling. After 12 hours of telegraph duty, another soldier and I decided to venture out into the fresh air. We were sitting on a log talking about the day's events when a bullet whizzed by. There were some gun shots down in the valley and the bullet must have ricocheted. We made a hasty retreat into the safety of the tunnels. The following morning, while one of our men was having breakfast outside, a deer ran by with its entrails hanging out. We guessed that was what all the shooting was about the night before. Someone had mistaken the deer for the enemy! Days later, our Headquarters Battery moved to Aiea, Hawaii across from Pearl Harbor. The sight I saw at Pearl Harbor is branded in my mind forever. The last stand for defending the island was to be at Diamond Head. Diamond Head was honeycombed with tunnels and passageways that would accommodate large caliber artillery guns. Huge wooden doors would open up to the sea and local terrain. Wild boar and deer were ever present in the extinct volcano crater. The gymnasium at Aiea, Hawaii was home for the next 11 months. The landscape around the gym soon changed with bomb shelters, barbed wire and trenches. The shelter trenches were dug at angles so that casualties would be minimized if a bomb exploded nearby. The landscape at the local beaches was significantly changed as well. Barbed wire was a problem to the bathers as well as invaders. Old jalopy cars were placed in open fields to prevent Japanese planes from landing. Golf courses were strewn with old sewer pipes and fence posts for the same purpose. Sandbags were placed to protect important buildings and Honolulu City Hall. All Hawaiians carried gas masks. Japanese residents were about the only ones who never forgot their masks. Blackout was observed through out the war. All lights that might be visible to enemy air raiders were concealed at night. As a precaution against seizure and use of American currency by the enemy, there was a special issue of "Hawaii" bills to replace regular currency on June 25, 1942. Securities held in the territory were perforated for the same reason. We were issued this invasion money while dug in at Aiea, Hawaii. Our telegraph section was located in one of the bomb shelters. After a twelve hour shift as an operator, I skipped breakfast and went to bed. I had just gone to sleep when a tear gas canister was thrown on the gym floor. Some one shouted, "Gas!" I was too fatigued to get up, but did manage to put the gas mask on. Hours later, I awoke with a red, sweaty face still wearing the gas mask. The alert maneuver had been over for hours. The 25th Division was relieved from the South Sector of Oahu November 1, 1942 and moved into Schofield Barracks for further training in jungle warfare and amphibious landings. |
Information provided by Charles O. Clements |
Charles Oliver Clements February 1, 1940 to May 29, 1945 Hawaiian Islands Guadalcanal Rendova Island New Georgia Island Arundel Island New Zealand New Caledonia Florida Island Manus Island Philippine Islands BATTLES Pearl Harbor Guadalcanal New Georgia Northern Solomons Philippine Islands (Luzon) |
