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On December 7, 1941, the Japanese made a surprise attack on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Japanese attack was quick and effective. Of the eight U.S. Navy battleships in the harbor; four were sunk and the other four damaged. Three cruisers, three destroyers and other ships were damaged or sunk. 188 U.S. Navy planes were destroyed, most of them while still on the ground - there just hadn't been time for their crews to get to the airfields, get them ready for flight, and get them up in the air before the Japanese planes turned around and headed back to their aircraft carriers. 2,402 Americans were killed and 1,282 were wounded. This attack wasn't really "during" World War 2 as far as the U.S. was concerned. Although the war had been going on for two years in Europe and longer in Asia, most Americans wanted to stay out of these foreign wars. The U.S. did not enter World War 2 until the Pearl Harbor attack had happened.

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12y ago

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