Question

Look at the newspaper clipping given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. Japan declared war against which country? Where did Japan order an attack? What were the consequences of the bombing of Hawaii?
2. Japan made two crucial mistakes during this attack. What were these mistakes and what were the consequences of these mistakes?
3. How was this attack finally avenged by the USA?

Answer 1

1. Japan declared war on (and attacked) the United States. It ordered a surprise aerial strike on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The attack sank several battleships, destroyed airfields, and killed about 3,700 people; the United States entered World War II the next day.
2. The Japanese made two crucial mistakes at Pearl Harbour - they failed to destroy the ship-repair facilities at Pearl Harbour, and they did not find or destroy the U.S. aircraft carriers (the Lexington and Enterprise were not hit). As a result, many damaged ships were repaired and returned to service, and the surviving U.S. carriers were available later to project naval and air power against Japan.
3. On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima experienced the first use of an atomic bomb on humans. It destroyed half of the city and killed thousands of people. Despite the terrible destruction, the Japanese refused to surrender. On August 9, 1945, an additional bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. On September 2, 1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally. After six tough years, World War II was over.