On this date in 1941 the naval forces of the Empire of Japan attacked the United States territory of Hawaii and the US Pacific Fleet which was based there. Thousands of Americans were killed.
The Pearl Harbor attack was followed up by attacks on the US colonies in the Philippine Islands, Guam, and British and Dutch possessions in Asia.
Less than four years later the United States and its allies defeated Japan. The defeat followed the nuclear vaporization of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, plus firebomb raids on Tokyo of nearly equal devastation.
Adversaries contemplating attacking the US should think long and hard about the devastation wrought on Japan, Germany, and to a lesser extent Italy - the Axis Powers. An aroused America is willing to stomach the commission of near-genocide on its foes. Take care not to find yourselves numbered among them.
