9781422286036

World War II

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Words to UNDERSTAND IN THIS CHAPTER aggressive —forceful and warlike. torpedo —a cigar-shapedmissile that propels itself throughwater. U-boat —short for the German word Unterseeboot , or under- sea boat.

that nightmare. Vast oceans separated them from the current fighting. They felt their country would be safe. On December 7, 1941, World War II came to America. It happened during a quiet Sunday morning in Hawaii. U.S. Navy ships stood anchored in the shimmering water of Pearl Harbor. The sailors aboard were enjoy- ing a late breakfast. A heavy drone broke the calm. It sounded like the buzzing of bees. As the hum grew louder, dozens of airplanes appeared in the distance. The sailors were unconcerned. They assumed the planes were American, but they were wrong. Nearly 200 Japanese fighter-bombers and torpedo planes were moving in fast, ready to strike. Surprise Attack Suddenly the Japanese airplanes swarmed over Pearl Harbor. They rained down bombs and bullets on the ships. Sailors scrambled to their anti- aircraft guns, but it was too late. The USS Arizona took a fatal hit. A bomb struck its ammunition supplies. The mighty battleship exploded, killing all aboard. Five tor- pedoes slammed into the USS Oklahoma , which rolled over and sank. More than a dozen other ships went to the bottom of the harbor or took heavy damage. At nearby airfields, U.S. warplanes were blown to pieces before they could take off. A second wave of Japanese planes arrived. They added