State funeral held for Admiral Yamamoto, mastermind of Pearl Harbor attack, 70 years ago today (1943)


Video: 'The World At War: Japan 3/5' (June 5, 1943, at 7:17)

(Saturday, June 5, 1943; part of the Pacific Theater of World War II) — Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet and mastermind of the sneak attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was given a full state funeral today and posthumously received the title of Marshal and was awarded the Order of the Chrysanthemum, (1st Class).

Yamamoto died during an inspection tour of forward positions in the Solomon Islands when his aircraft (a Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” bomber) was shot down during an ambush by American P-38 Lightning fighter planes. His death was a major blow to Japanese military morale during World War II.