On 7 December 1941 Japan launched an air raid attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbour. This resulted in the US entering World War 2 on the side of the Allies.

•  battleships sunk
• 4 battleships damaged
• 1 ex-battleship sunk
• 1 harbor tug sunk
• 3 light cruisers damaged
• 3 destroyers damaged
• 3 other ships damaged
• 188 aircraft destroyed
• 159 aircraft damaged
• 2,008 sailors killed
• 109 Marines killed
• 218 soldiers killed
• 68 civilians killed
• 2,403 total killed
• 1,178 military and civilians wounded

Japan lost: 4 midget submarines sunk, 1 midget submarine grounded, 29 aircraft destroyed, 74 aircraft damaged, 129 killed, and 1 sailor captured.

The film From Here to Eternity (1953) covers the lives of those based at Pearl Harbour before the attack. It won 8 Academy Awards out of 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Director (Fred Zinnemann), Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra), and Supporting Actress (Donna Reed).