# 2559i - 1991 29c World War II: Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor
US #2559i
1991 Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor, December 7
- From first sheet in series commemorating WW2
- Sheet highlights events that took place in 1941
Category of Stamp: Commemorative
Set: 1941: A World at War, World War II
Value: 29¢, First Class Mail rate
First Day of Issue: September 3, 1991
First Day City: Phoenix, Arizona
Quantity Issued: 15,218,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Lithographed and engraved
Format: Miniature sheets of 10 stamps, with a strip of five along the top and another along the bottom, with a world map in the center.
Perforations: 11
Reason the stamp was issued: The miniature sheet was issued in honor of the 50th anniversary of America entering World War II.
About the stamp design: There were many topics the USPS wanted to cover when commemorating World War II, but those planning the series didn’t want to issue a large number of individual stamps. It was decided a sheetlet format would best highlight the main events of the war. In order for all the sheetlets to have a uniform design, the same artist, William Bond, and art director, Howard Paine, were assigned to the entire project. The Burma Road stamp pictures the winding, mountainous road that snaked through Burma and into China. Military vehicles are traveling the route. Bond painted the scene using acrylic paint.
The 1941 sheet also features the Peacetime Draft, the Lend-Lease agreement, Civil Defense, the Atlantic Charter meeting, Pearl Harbor, the US declaration of war, and more.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place during the opening ceremonies of the American Legion conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
Unusual thing about this stamp: The design for this World War II sheet was unveiled during a White House ceremony. President George H. W. Bush, who was a US Navy pilot during the war, participated in the unveiling ceremony.
About the World War II Series: As the 50th anniversary of World War II was approaching, the US Postal Service wanted a series that would recognize the key events of the war and the important contributions America made to the Allied victory. Rather than issue a large number of stamps, the USPS decided to create five sheetlets, each commemorating one year of America’s involvement in the war. Each sheetlet had 10 different stamps arranged in two horizontal strips of 5. In the center was a world map with Allied and neutral nations in yellow and Axis-controlled areas in red. Notes on the map highlighted key developments that occurred that year. The stamps each featured important events that took place during the year, as well.
History the stamp represents:
Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor, December 7
Just before 8:00 a.m. on Sunday December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Aircraft flew over the harbor and dropped bombs and torpedoes on the battleships moored there. During the course of the attack, America suffered 3,500 casualties, five ships were sunk, and thirteen more were damaged. In addition, the base and nearby aircraft were also heavily damaged. Later that day, Japan declared war on the US.
“A Date Which Will Live In Infamy”
The possibility of war between America and Japan had been a concern since the 1920s and was made worse following Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931. In the coming years, Japanese expansion into China and attacks on US vessels led America and its Allies to lend their support to China, further damaging relations with Japan. Once the US halted oil exports to Japan, the Japanese saw this as an act of aggression and began planning to invade the Dutch East Indies.
Contrary to their plans, the eventual attack came before a formal declaration of war. The Japanese had sent the 5,000 word “14-part message” in advance of the attack, but it took too long to transcribe and was not delivered in time.
The attack commenced at 7:53 am, with the first ship being struck five minutes later. Japanese torpedo bombers led the first wave, targeting battleships, while dive-bombers went after the air bases on Oahu, including Hickam and Wheeler Fields, as well as the US Army Air Force fighter base. Aboard the ships, US sailors awoke to alarms and explosions but quickly got to their positions to man guns or otherwise protect their ships and crew. On land, men in the barracks had a similar startling awakening, and also rushed to take up arms. A few even managed to get in their planes and fight back in the sky.
Back in Pearl Harbor, rescue teams searched for survivors, then salvage operations began. Navy divers spent 20,000 hours underwater patching holes, moving debris, and pumping water out of ships so they could be re-floated. Within six months, they had five battleships and two cruisers afloat and ready to go back to the mainland for repairs. Not all ships were as easily salvaged. Most notably, the USS Arizona was too badly damaged and could not be removed or returned to service. Some parts were salvaged for other ships, but the bulk of the Arizona remained at the harbor floor. Years later, a memorial was built on the water above the wreckage, paying tribute to all those that fought at Pearl Harbor, and especially those that lost their lives.
Click here for more about Pearl Harbor.
US #2559i
1991 Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor, December 7
- From first sheet in series commemorating WW2
- Sheet highlights events that took place in 1941
Category of Stamp: Commemorative
Set: 1941: A World at War, World War II
Value: 29¢, First Class Mail rate
First Day of Issue: September 3, 1991
First Day City: Phoenix, Arizona
Quantity Issued: 15,218,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Lithographed and engraved
Format: Miniature sheets of 10 stamps, with a strip of five along the top and another along the bottom, with a world map in the center.
Perforations: 11
Reason the stamp was issued: The miniature sheet was issued in honor of the 50th anniversary of America entering World War II.
About the stamp design: There were many topics the USPS wanted to cover when commemorating World War II, but those planning the series didn’t want to issue a large number of individual stamps. It was decided a sheetlet format would best highlight the main events of the war. In order for all the sheetlets to have a uniform design, the same artist, William Bond, and art director, Howard Paine, were assigned to the entire project. The Burma Road stamp pictures the winding, mountainous road that snaked through Burma and into China. Military vehicles are traveling the route. Bond painted the scene using acrylic paint.
The 1941 sheet also features the Peacetime Draft, the Lend-Lease agreement, Civil Defense, the Atlantic Charter meeting, Pearl Harbor, the US declaration of war, and more.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place during the opening ceremonies of the American Legion conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
Unusual thing about this stamp: The design for this World War II sheet was unveiled during a White House ceremony. President George H. W. Bush, who was a US Navy pilot during the war, participated in the unveiling ceremony.
About the World War II Series: As the 50th anniversary of World War II was approaching, the US Postal Service wanted a series that would recognize the key events of the war and the important contributions America made to the Allied victory. Rather than issue a large number of stamps, the USPS decided to create five sheetlets, each commemorating one year of America’s involvement in the war. Each sheetlet had 10 different stamps arranged in two horizontal strips of 5. In the center was a world map with Allied and neutral nations in yellow and Axis-controlled areas in red. Notes on the map highlighted key developments that occurred that year. The stamps each featured important events that took place during the year, as well.
History the stamp represents:
Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor, December 7
Just before 8:00 a.m. on Sunday December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Aircraft flew over the harbor and dropped bombs and torpedoes on the battleships moored there. During the course of the attack, America suffered 3,500 casualties, five ships were sunk, and thirteen more were damaged. In addition, the base and nearby aircraft were also heavily damaged. Later that day, Japan declared war on the US.
“A Date Which Will Live In Infamy”
The possibility of war between America and Japan had been a concern since the 1920s and was made worse following Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931. In the coming years, Japanese expansion into China and attacks on US vessels led America and its Allies to lend their support to China, further damaging relations with Japan. Once the US halted oil exports to Japan, the Japanese saw this as an act of aggression and began planning to invade the Dutch East Indies.
Contrary to their plans, the eventual attack came before a formal declaration of war. The Japanese had sent the 5,000 word “14-part message” in advance of the attack, but it took too long to transcribe and was not delivered in time.
The attack commenced at 7:53 am, with the first ship being struck five minutes later. Japanese torpedo bombers led the first wave, targeting battleships, while dive-bombers went after the air bases on Oahu, including Hickam and Wheeler Fields, as well as the US Army Air Force fighter base. Aboard the ships, US sailors awoke to alarms and explosions but quickly got to their positions to man guns or otherwise protect their ships and crew. On land, men in the barracks had a similar startling awakening, and also rushed to take up arms. A few even managed to get in their planes and fight back in the sky.
Back in Pearl Harbor, rescue teams searched for survivors, then salvage operations began. Navy divers spent 20,000 hours underwater patching holes, moving debris, and pumping water out of ships so they could be re-floated. Within six months, they had five battleships and two cruisers afloat and ready to go back to the mainland for repairs. Not all ships were as easily salvaged. Most notably, the USS Arizona was too badly damaged and could not be removed or returned to service. Some parts were salvaged for other ships, but the bulk of the Arizona remained at the harbor floor. Years later, a memorial was built on the water above the wreckage, paying tribute to all those that fought at Pearl Harbor, and especially those that lost their lives.
Click here for more about Pearl Harbor.