Editing Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryū (section)

===Pearl Harbor and subsequent operations===
{{main|Attack on Pearl Harbor}}
In November 1941, the IJN's Combined Fleet, commanded by [[Admiral]] [[Isoroku Yamamoto]], prepared to participate in Japan's initiation of a formal war with the United States by conducting a preemptive strike against the [[United States Navy]]'s [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]] base at [[Pearl Harbor]], Hawaii. On 22 November, ''Hiryū'', commanded by [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[Tomeo Kaku]], and the rest of the ''Kido Butai'', under [[Vice Admiral]] [[Chūichi Nagumo]] and including six fleet carriers from the First, Second, and Fifth Carrier Divisions, assembled in Hitokappu Bay at [[Etorofu Island]]. The fleet departed Etorofu on 26 November<ref name="h1"/> and followed a course across the north-central Pacific to avoid commercial shipping lanes.<ref>Polmar & Genda, p. 162</ref> Now the flagship of the Second Carrier Division, the ship embarked 21 [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]] fighters, 18 [[Aichi D3A]] "Val" dive bombers, and 18 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers. From a position {{convert|230|nmi|abbr=on}} north of [[Oahu]], ''Hiryū'' and the other five carriers launched two waves of aircraft on the morning of 7 December 1941 Hawaiian time.<ref>Brown 2009, pp. 116–117</ref><ref name="Stille 2011, p. 25">Stille 2011, p. 25</ref><ref group=Note>[[Japan Standard Time]] is 19 hours ahead of [[Hawaiian Standard Time]], so in Japan, the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] happened on 8 December.</ref>

In the first wave, 8 B5N torpedo bombers were supposed to attack the aircraft carriers that normally berthed on the northwest side of [[Ford Island]], but none were in Pearl Harbor that day; 4 of the B5N pilots diverted to their secondary target, ships berthed alongside "1010 Pier" where the fleet flagship was usually [[wikt:moor|moored]]. That ship, the battleship {{USS|Pennsylvania|BB-38|2}}, was in [[drydock]] and its position was occupied by the [[light cruiser]] {{USS|Helena|CL-50|2}} and the [[minelayer]] {{USS|Oglala|CM-4|2}}; all four torpedoes missed. The other four pilots attacked the battleships {{USS|West Virginia|BB-48|2}} and {{USS|Oklahoma|BB-37|2}}. The remaining 10 B5Ns were tasked to drop {{convert|800|kg|lb|adj=on|sp=us}} armor-piercing bombs on the battleships berthed on the southeast side of Ford Island ("Battleship Row") and may have scored one or two hits on them,<ref>Zimm, pp. 159–60, 164, 168</ref> in addition to causing a magazine explosion aboard the battleship {{USS|Arizona|BB-39|2}} that sank her with heavy loss of life. The 6 A6M Zeros [[strafe]]d parked aircraft at [[Marine Corps Air Station Ewa]] (MCAS Ewa),<ref>Stille 2011, pp. 49, 51</ref> claiming 22 aircraft destroyed.<ref name=h1/>

The second wave consisted of 9 Zeros and 18 D3As, one of each aborting with mechanical problems.<ref name="Stille 2011, p. 25"/> The former strafed [[Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay|Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay]] before moving on to attack [[Bellows Army Airfield]]. They strafed the airfield, and shot down two [[Curtiss P-40]] fighters attempting to take off when the Zeros arrived and a [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] [[heavy bomber]] that had earlier diverted from [[Hickam Army Airfield]], and also destroyed a [[Stinson O-49]] observation aircraft<ref>Stille 2011, pp. 64–65</ref> on the ground for the loss of one of their own.<ref name=h1/> The fighters with remaining ammunition expended it strafing MCAS Ewa, the rendezvous point for the second-wave fighters.<ref>Stille 2011, p. 65</ref> The D3As attacked various ships in Pearl Harbor, but it is not possible to identify which aircraft attacked which ship.<ref>Brown 2009, pp. 118–119</ref> Two D3As from ''Hiryū'' were lost during the attack, one shot down by [[Second Lieutenant]] [[George Welch (pilot)|George Welch]].<ref>Stille 2011, pp. 66, 70</ref>

While returning to Japan after the attack, Nagumo ordered that ''Sōryū'' and ''Hiryū'' be detached on 16 December to attack the defenders of [[Battle of Wake Island|Wake Island]] who had already defeated the first Japanese attack on the island.<ref name=tu/> The two carriers reached the vicinity of the island on 21 December and launched 29 D3As and 2 B5Ns, escorted by 18 Zeros, to attack ground targets. They encountered no aerial opposition and launched 35 B5Ns and 6 A6M Zeros the following day. They were intercepted by the 2 surviving [[Grumman F4F Wildcat]] fighters of [[United States Marine|Marine]] Fighter Squadron [[VMF-211]]. The Wildcats shot down 2 B5Ns<ref name=sci1>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. I, p. 161</ref> before they were shot down by [[Petty officer, third class|PO3c]] Isao Towara.<ref name=h1/> The garrison surrendered the next day after Japanese troops were landed.<ref name=sci1/>

The carriers arrived at [[Kure, Hiroshima|Kure]] on 29 December. They were assigned to the Southern Force on 8 January 1942 and departed four days later for the [[Dutch East Indies]]. The ships supported the invasion of the [[Palau Islands]] and the [[Battle of Ambon]],<ref name=tu/> attacking Allied positions on [[Ambon Island|the island]] on 23 January with 54 aircraft. Four days later the carriers detached 18 Zeros and 9 D3As to operate from land bases in support of Japanese operations in the [[Battle of Borneo (1941–42)|Battle of Borneo]].<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. I, pp. 226, 229</ref> ''Hiryū'' and ''Sōryū'' arrived at Palau on 28 January and waited for the arrival of the carriers {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Kaga||2}} and ''Akagi''. All four carriers departed Palau on 15 February and launched [[Bombing of Darwin (February 1942)|air strikes]] against [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin, Australia]], four days later. ''Hiryū'' contributed 18 B5Ns, 18 D3As, and 9 Zeros to the attack. Her aircraft attacked the ships in port and its facilities, sinking or setting on fire three ships and damaging two others. The Zeros destroyed 1 P-40E as it was taking off, 2 [[Consolidated PBY Catalina]] seaplanes on the water, and a Zero was forced to [[crash landing|crash land]] after being damaged by a P-40E of the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[33rd Pursuit Squadron]].<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. II, pp. 176–182</ref>

''Hiryū'' and the other carriers arrived at [[Staring Bay]] on [[Celebes Island]] on 21 February to resupply and rest before departing four days later to support the [[Battle of Java (1942)|invasion of Java]].<ref name=tu/> On 1 March 1942, the ship's D3As damaged the destroyer {{USS|Edsall|DD-219|6}} badly enough for her to be caught and sunk by Japanese cruisers. Later that day the dive bombers sank the [[oil tanker]] {{USS|Pecos|AO-6|6}}. The four carriers launched an airstrike of 180 aircraft against [[Cilacap Regency|Tjilatjep]] on 5 March and set the town on fire, sinking five small ships, and damaging nine others that later had to be [[scuttled]].<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. II, pp. 307, 327</ref> Two days later, they attacked [[Christmas Island]] and ''Hiryū''{{'}}s aircraft sank the Dutch freighter ''Poelau Bras'' before returning to Staring Bay on 11 March<ref name=tu/> to resupply and train for the impending [[Indian Ocean raid]]. This raid was intended to secure newly conquered Burma, Malaya, and the Dutch East Indies against any Allied attack by destroying base facilities and forces in the eastern Indian Ocean.<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. II, pp. 392–393</ref>