Around 1:45 PM Eastern Time on December 7th, 1941, the Japanese Empire launched one of the most successful surprise attacks against the United States in modern history.
About two weeks before the premeditated attack, Japan launched six aircraft carriers from northern Japan en route to Hawaii. Aircraft carriers, submarines, and Type 91 aerial torpedoes were to be used against the sleeping American Navy and deliver a crushing blow to the pacific fleet.
America lost a total of 4 battleships, 188 aircraft, and 2,403 service members in the attack.
Immediately following December 7th, Japan and the United States declared war along with Hitler following suit four days later. Within few days, the United States had two major world powers declaring war.
We responded with force.
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General Douglas MacAuthor was appointed Supreme Commander of the allied pacific forces accompanied with a primary force of Six Divisions of US Marines. Some of the most infamous naval battles in human history took place in the Pacific Ocean from 1941-1945. Midway, Okinawa, and Iwo Jima are just a few of the iconic moments from the Pacific theater.
Although the United States was gaining ground using MacAuthur’s ‘island hopping’ strategy, the Japanese military and its people would not surrender. Suicide attacks and a growing sense of nationalism kept the Japanese people from admitting defeat.
In 1945, America had seen enough of war and made the decision to destroy all of Japan.
Two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan killing 246,000+ Japanese soldiers and civilians, forcing them to surrender barring extinction.
The Japanese unconditionally surrendered to the allied powers.
Today, with the help of American influence, Japan is a thriving technological nation. Sony, Honda, and Toyota are just a few of the thriving industries that Japan now provides to the rest of the world. Tokyo, Japan now has the largest metropolitan economy in the world.