Attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii on the morning of Sunday, 7 December 1941, which brought the U.S. into World War II. Aircraft from the Imperial Japanese Navy's Carrier Striking Task Force destroyed five U.S. Navy battleships, along with 188 aircraft, one minelayer, and three destroyers, inflicting over 4,000 casualties. The Japanese losses were minimal; 29 aircraft and five midget submarines were lost in the attack, and 65 Japanese servicemen killed or wounded.

The intent of the pre-emptive strike was to protect Japan's move into Singapore and the Dutch East Indies, executed to secure her access to natural resources (mainly oil), by neutralizing the U.S. Pacific Fleet (in the fashion predicted by war plans on both sides). The Japanese high command was (mistakenly) certain any attack on British colonies would inevitably bring the U.S. into the war. By contrast, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had moved the fleet to Hawaii, and ordered a buildup in the Philippines, to deter Japanese aggression against China, or European colonies in Asia.

The attack was one of the most important engagements of World War II. The result was, Japan's assault on South East Asia could proceed without American interference. The attack, which occurred before a formal declaration of war, spurred the U.S. into war against Japan; Germany, doing more than required by its alliance with Japan declared war on the U.S. a few days later, creating a conflict that encircled the world. Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 "a date which will live in infamy".