The Battle of Pearl Harbor
In two waves, the Japanese Imperial Navy Air Service dispatched around 300 aircraft, including fighter planes, level and dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. The unexpected military strike lasted barely 90 minutes, but the damage was catastrophic. The Japanese successfully sank four of the eight US Navy warships that were damaged. More than 18 ships were lost or damaged. Almost 200 planes were destroyed, while another 150 were damaged. Surprisingly, critical base infrastructure such as dry docks, shipyards, fuel and torpedo storage facilities, and so on, were unaffected. The intelligence section's headquarters building was also saved.
The United States entered the war
Japan started an offensive against American and British territories such as the Philippines, Thailand, and Hong Kong almost concurrently with the Pearl Harbor attack. President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941. Other countries, including the United Kingdom, China, and Australia, formally declared war on Japan. Three days later, the Nazis in Germany and the Fascists in Italy declared war on the United States. The declarations of war had plunged the country into the middle of World War II. However, the casualties from the Battle of Pearl Harbor had an impact on the United States' military capacity. It was unfortunate that the military forces were severely reduced at a time when they were desperately required.