The United states at war

Chapter 1: Pearl Harbor

December 7 1941, Hawaii, Oahu
Radar picked up an enormous flight of planes, but a lieutenant said they were American aircraft
bombers arriving from mainland coming back from
They were actually 200 Japanese bombers and fighters
They took off at dawn, mission was to attack the U.S fleet in Pearl Harbor
There were 70 combat ships in Pearl Harbor, 8 of them were battleships. There were also
airfields as well as barracks and docks
Japan attacked using bombs, torpedoes, airfields
The Americans offered no effective resistance
Battleship Arizona burst into flames and exploded, 1,100 men burned or drowned to death
Crewmen that came on board were mercilessly strafed with machine gun bullets
THE ATTACK LASTED FOR TWO HOURS
Officials in Washington learned through a message received on the day and the public through
the radio
Franklin D. Roosevelt was president at the time. He had won his third election as president
Congress declared war on Japan because national pride was at stake as well as freedom
Axis partners were Germany- under Adolf Hitler, Italy- under Benito Mussolini and Japan
War had already begun in Asia in 1937 and in Europe 1939
The U.S remained neutral during the wars until Pearl Harbor
The U.S had greater economic, political and cultural ties with Europe than with Asia therefore it
focused on the crisis in Europe.
Nazi Germany challenged the political settlement reached at the Paris Peace Conference
German demands for control over part of Czechoslovakia were accepted in return that to more
territory would be taken
Six months later it took over all of Czechoslovakia
1939, Germany invaded Russia
2 days later Britain and France declared war
Hitler assumed that the British and French would not fight for Poland like they did not fight for
Czechoslovakia, however he though the soviet union would fight, so a week before the invasion
Germany entered into a Non-Aggression act with the Soviets that territorial gains in eastern
Europe
Americans did not find Germany a threat, because France had the strongest army and an
invincible system of fortification, Britain had the best navy power and vast resources.
They thought it would be a repeat of world war one but they were wrong
1940 Germany launched a massive attack on Western Europe.
Germany used a coordinated air power and armored divisions.
They used a Blitzkrieg (lighting war)
They broke through French line defenses and an isolated a large British army that had been sent
to help France
The Germans defeated the French army in 40 days
France surrendered
Marshal Henri Petain (world war 1 hero) accepted Hitlers terms for armistice taking France out
of the war
Germany occupied most of France except for the southern one third
German now stopped outside the English Channel and prepared for operation Sea lion (Plan to
invade Great Britain)
They Launched bombs using the Luftwaffe (German air force) on British ships, airfields and cities
waging a terror Offensive war of day and night on London
They wanted to:
Gain control of British airspace
Disrupt communication, transportation and manufacturing
Frighten and demoralize the public
Royal Air force