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Pearl Harbor

On 7 December 1941, a deadly surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor by Japanese planes sank or damaged 21 warships and destroyed more than 150 planes on nearby airfields. The attack, which was launched without a declaration of war, killed more than 2,000 Americans

The destroyer USS Shaw explodes in a massive fireball at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. The attack led almost immediately to Germany declaring war on America, and so brought Stalin an unexpected ally of colossal potential power, says Laurence Rees. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

Second World War

Why December 1941 was the most important month of the Second World War

The neutral USA entered World War II only when a Japanese fleet launched a big surprise air raid against its Pacific naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on 7 December 1941. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Second World War

America and WW2: when, how and why did the US get involved, and why they didn’t enter sooner?

The battleship USS California following the attack at Pearl Harbor

Second World War

12 things you (probably) didn’t know about Pearl Harbor

A mushroom cloud over Nagasaki, Japan

Second World War

WW2 10 of the most important Second World War dates

The Pearl Harbour attack

Second World War

The 11 most significant battles of the Second World War

Firemen tackling a blitz fire at St Paul's Cathedral, London

Second World War

The Second World War: a timeline

Call the Midwife

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American president Franklin D Roosevelt

Second World War

Life of the Week: President Franklin D Roosevelt

The USS Arizona burning in Pearl Harbor following the Japanese attack. To the left of her are USS Tennessee and the sunken USS West Virginia. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Second World War

The shock of Pearl Harbor

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Second World War

The attack on Pearl Harbor and physics through the ages

A Japanese photograph shows Mitsubishi dive bombers warming up on the deck of a carrier in the Pacific before their attack on Pearl Harbor in the early hours of 7 December 1941. (Photo by Corbis via Getty Images)

Second World War

Britain’s Pearl Harbor

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Second World War

Pearl Harbor: Three films