The day the attack on Pearl Harbor started – level 1

07-12-1941

It’s December 1941. For 11 days, Japanese ships are going to Hawaii. Hawaii is 6,000 km away. There is a US army base in Hawaii.

Its name is Pearl Harbor. It is a popular place for American soldiers. Hawaii has nice weather and beautiful beaches. Americans think that they are in a safe place. Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

On December 7, 1941, at 6 a.m., the Japanese ships are close. They have planes. They are only 400 km north of Hawaii. They are ready for the attack.

At 7:55 a.m. the attack begins. The Japanese send 350 planes. There is no strong defense from the Americans. All US airports around the base are destroyed. The Japanese also attack American ships with torpedoes. The ships are all broken.

The attack takes only 90 minutes. The Japanese win. They destroy 16 ships and 350 American planes. 2,400 Americans are dead.

Soon after the attack, the United States starts war on Japan and also Germany. Now, the war isn’t only a European war. It is a world war.

Difficult words: base (a place where people from the army live), soldier (a person in the army), defense (protection), destroyed (fully broken), torpedo (a rocket which goes under water), broken (when something is broken, it can’t work).

What was the result of the attack on Pearl Harbor and how did it impact the course of World War II?

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