5-1-1-3Outbreak of the Pacific War

U.S. battleships ablaze in Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941 (local time)
Courtesy of U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

In December 1941, the Pacific War began with the Japanese military landing on the Malay Peninsula and carrying out a surprise attack on the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japan held the advantage during the initial stage of the war, but in June 1942, the tide began to turn.