1418
Illustration: The war goes global
Allies & the worldBitter

· Day 169 of 1418

The war goes global

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Americans were killed at Pearl Harbor
≈ 2,400
Americans were killed at Pearl Harbor

On 7 December 1941 Japan, Germany’s ally, attacked the US base at Pearl Harbor. The United States entered the war. Now a great coalition of the USSR, Britain, the USA and many other countries fought Nazi Germany and its allies.

Japanese aircraft took off from their carriers early on a Sunday morning. In two hours about 2,400 Americans were killed and many ships were sunk or damaged. The next day the USA declared war on Japan, and on 11 December Germany and Italy declared war on the USA.

In those same days Japan attacked British and American territories across Asia, from Malaya to the Philippines. The war now covered almost the whole planet.

See it on the map

Chapter 7 · December 1941

The first great victory

On 5–6 December the counter-offensive at Moscow began, and the enemy who had believed itself invincible retreated for the first time. Tikhvin and Kalinin were freed. On 7 December Japan attacked the United States, and the war became truly global.