Japanese Pearl Harbor damage map sells for $425K
NEW YORK » A hand-drawn Japanese military map showing post-attack damage from the Pearl Harbor bombing has been sold for $425,000 at a New York City auction.
Christie’s says today’s sale price fell within the pre-auction estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. The buyer’s name wasn’t released. It was owned by Malcolm Forbes.
The 31-inch-by-23-inch color map was drawn in the weeks after the attack by Lt. Commander Mitsuo Fuchida. He was the pilot who led the waves of Japanese warplanes that carried out the surprise attack on Dec. 7, 1941.
The map shows U.S. warships arrayed around Oahu’s Ford Island and the bomb and torpedo hits they sustained during the attack that launched America into World War II.
Fuchida gave the famous radio signal "Tora! Tora! Tora!" to confirm to his commanders that the attack was a complete surprise.