The Attack on Pearl Harbor
By World War II, Japanese success seemed almost an afterthought. They had
effectively taken over eastern China, establishing a puppet regime at Nanking.
Deterrance from the West in Japan's efforts to infiltrate Indochina pushed
the war power into making the fateful decision of further expansion... and
war with the United States.
Early in the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese submarines and carrier-based
planes attacked the US Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. Nearby military airfields
were also attacked by the Japanese planes. Taken by surprise, eight American
battleships and 10 other naval vessels were sunk or badly damaged, almost
200 American aircraft were destroyed, and approximately 3,000 naval and
military personnel were killed or wounded.
The attack marked the entrance of Japan into World War II on the side of Germany and Italy, and the entrance of the United States on the side of the Allies.
