# Easy question, re: Pearl Harbor **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 30, 2005, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362 "2005-01-30T01:54:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/21 "2016-07-29T01:06:28Z")
From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tora!_Tora!_Tora!): **“… Japanese codeword used to indicate that complete surprise had been achieved. Tora literally means ‘tiger’ but in this case was an acronym for _totsugeki raigeki_　‘lightning attack’.”** ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/22 "2016-07-29T01:26:50Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > You appear to be in the wrong thread, m’friend. Am in right thread and am not your friend. ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/23 "2016-07-29T01:34:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Lighten up, Francis. Francis? As in His Holiness? As in Assisi? I must be making an even better impression than I intended! (except on Brother Colibri). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/24 "2016-07-29T01:35:13Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I always assume posts by **silenus** have a high mockery quotient. 😉 Damn straight! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/25 "2016-07-29T02:09:38Z")
> [@Nelson\_Pike](#): > > Francis? > > As in His Holiness? > > As in Assisi? > > I must be making an even better impression than I intended! (except on Brother Colibri). Really? Kids these days… [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OnpkDWbeJs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OnpkDWbeJs) ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/26 "2016-07-29T02:31:10Z")
> [@txtumbleweed](#): > > Really? Kids these days… > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OnpkDWbeJs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OnpkDWbeJs) HaHaHaHaHa. But that Francis guy reminds me of a certain moderator more than it reminds me of myself. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/27 "2016-07-29T03:10:31Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tora!_Tora!_Tora!): > > **“… Japanese codeword used to indicate that complete surprise had been achieved. Tora literally means ‘tiger’ but in this case was an acronym for _totsugeki raigeki_　‘lightning attack’.”** Which was APT, since a tiger does a lightning attack. Too bad they weren’t attacking a target for which their shots caused useful attrition, or caused the enemy to divert or forgo or lose resources… The tiger attacked a target that wasnt worth much, no flesh, and broke a few teeth on the bones. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_from\_CB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/278dde/32.png) [@Alex\_from\_CB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_from_CB)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/28 "2016-07-29T03:39:16Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Lighten up, Francis. Was just scrolling down to post the exact same thing. Also, note… \*Francis \* does not understand the origin. BTW, that _ **Francis** _ statement is 35 years old and I swear I hear it at least once a month. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/29 "2016-07-29T15:14:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > … as the now-unprintable codeword used by Guy Gibson to indicate the breech of the Möhne Dam. … Why is the code word unprintable now? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/30 "2016-07-29T15:19:50Z")
> [@Nelson\_Pike](#): > > HaHaHaHaHa. > > But that Francis guy reminds me of a certain moderator more than it reminds me of myself. **Moderator Warning** Insulting a moderator immediately after receiving a warning for insults is not a wise course of action. This is an additional warning. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/31 "2016-07-29T15:22:35Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > For the record, I was mocking, not junior-modding. 😃 **Moderator Note** Mocking isn’t appropriate for GQ either. If you want to mock someone for any reason, take it to the Pit. No warning issued. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/32 "2016-07-29T15:36:07Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Why is the code word unprintable now? The codeword to indicate the breech of the Möhne Dam was the name of Gibson’s dog, which was hit by a car and died the day before the mission. The dog’s name was ‘[N-word]’ (most likely referring to Indians, rather than Africans), and that word is taboo. In any case, ‘Tora = Tiger’ makes sense from a Western perspective because codewords – actual words – are common in Western military forces. Gibson used a codeword to indicate the success of his mission. Pilots use ‘bandit’, ‘bingo’, and ‘Winchester’ as codewords to indicate an enemy aircraft, they have minimum fuel to return to base, and they’re out of ammunition. On the other hand, I am now leaning toward the consonant-vowel pairs because the Japanese Navy was known to use them, and they seem a natural progression from signal flags. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/33 "2016-07-29T15:37:52Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Why is the code word unprintable now? The code word for success was “Nigger”. That was the name of the squadron’s beloved mascot dog who had died just before the raid. Different times, different usages… ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/34 "2016-07-29T15:43:55Z")
> [@MonkeyMensch](#): > > The code word for success was “Nigger”. That was the name of the squadron’s beloved mascot dog who had died just before the raid. Different times, different usages… Glad to hear it. I was afraid we’d permanently lost some letters of the alphabet during the war, but people born since never knew because the letters could no longer be printed. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/35 "2016-07-29T16:23:02Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’d always assumed that it meant ‘tiger’, and was a codeword used in the same way as the now-unprintable codeword used by Guy Gibson to indicate the breech of the Möhne Dam. That is, it was a word unrelated to the mission, but had a meaning understood by prearrangement. I had not heard of the consonant-vowel pairs theory, but it makes as much sense as the traditional codeword. Actually, I think it makes more sense because the attack was undertaken by the IJN. Being the Navy, they may have developed codes based on (inspired by) signal flags. For example, in the USN ‘[Bravo](http://vector.me/files/images/1/8/18131/bravo_flag.png) [Zulu](http://bootcamp.coastguard.dodlive.mil/files/2013/11/Zulu-300x23111.jpg)’ means ‘Well done.’ A two-syllable radio call could very well be analogous to a two-flag message. > > My mom knew one of the pilots who flew in _Tora! Tora! Tora!_. He took us to see the movie when it came out. 🙂 I have not heard of the consonant-vowel pairs theory, either. AFAIK, “Tora” is Japanese for “tiger” and the coded message/phrase “Tora, tora, tora” issued on the morning of Dec 7 meant that complete surprise has been achieved. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/36 "2016-07-29T16:42:53Z")
> [@MonkeyMensch](#): > > The code word for success was “Nigger”. That was the name of the squadron’s beloved mascot dog who had died just before the raid. Different times, different usages… The frequent use of the name in the film [_The Dambusters_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=19515428&postcount=30) has resulted in it being censored when shown on TV. In more recent showings, the film has been shown with a warning for language at the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/37 "2016-07-29T16:58:52Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I have not heard of the consonant-vowel pairs theory, either. AFAIK, “Tora” is Japanese for “tiger” and the coded message/phrase “Tora, tora, tora” issued on the morning of Dec 7 meant that complete surprise has been achieved. I don’t think any of that is in dispute. Where there is some question–and maybe something we’ll never know–is whether. . . a) the code word was simply the word for ‘tiger’, implying that they had attacked like a tiger b) the code word was two unrelated syllables that happened to translate to ‘tiger’ c) the code word was a sort of Japanese acronym that happened to translate to ‘tiger’. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/38 "2016-07-29T17:24:04Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Where there is some question–and maybe something we’ll never know–is whether. . . I thought I’d just contact the [Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force](http://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/formal/english/index.html) and ask them, but I couldn’t find a Public Affairs contact email. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/39 "2016-07-29T17:29:18Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > I don’t think any of that is in dispute. Where there is some question–and maybe something we’ll never know–is whether. . . > a) the code word was simply the word for ‘tiger’, implying that they had attacked like a tiger > b) the code word was two unrelated syllables that happened to translate to ‘tiger’ > c) the code word was a sort of Japanese acronym that happened to translate to ‘tiger’. d) the code word was simply the word for “tiger”, implied nothing about the nature of the attack, and indicated surprise had been achieved. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-question-re-pearl-harbor/287362/40 "2016-07-29T17:45:04Z")
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