Edwin Layton's account places Kimmel at a submarine-base office window as the attack unfolded across Pearl Harbor. A spent .50-caliber bullet crashed through the glass, cut Kimmel's white jacket, and raised a welt on his chest. Layton records Kimmel saying that it would have been merciful if the bullet had killed him. A separate story claims that Kimmel tore off his four-star shoulder boards during the attack, but that dramatic version is treated skeptically because it does not fit the behavior reconstructed from his record.
Notable Point · 1:56:42-1:57:49
Kimmel watches the attack unfold
Layton's eyewitness account captures Kimmel watching the attack under fire, while a more theatrical story about his reaction is treated with caution.