The USS Arizona Memorial, located at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. (Photo: Expertinfantry, Department of Defense Image Collection, licensed under CC BY 2.0)
It was 79 years ago the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, when hundreds of Imperial Japanese fighter planes conducted a surprise attack on the United States’ seat of naval power in the Pacific: Pearl Harbor.
Some 2,400 Americans were killed in the attack, along with the destruction of nearly 20 Navy vessels and more than 300 airplanes. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan the following day, with Nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Italy similarly declaring war on the United States only a few days later.
American military power in the Pacific should have suffered an indefinite, crippling blow, but the attack was followed by a near-unprecedented mobilization of the nation’s industrial capacity. And while dry docks in Hawaii suffered catastrophic damage, other key assets remained intact.
By the summer of 1942, Imperial Japan suffered its first major defeat at the hands of U.S. forces in the Battle of Midway.
Over the next three years, the United States would slowly liberate captured territories throughout the Pacific, eventually defeating Imperial Japan with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Campaigns in North Africa and Europe would see the United States and its allies defeat Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy as well.
California in World War II
California played a vital role in America’s efforts during World War II, massively contributing to shipbuilding, aircraft production, and producing almost 20% of the United States’ total wartime supplies.
The Golden State became a hub for wartime production and drew people from all over the U.S. and Mexico to work in its factories despite rampant fears of a Japanese invasion and active attacks by Japanese submarines and balloon bombs.
California’s National Guard was also called up into service, with units like the 40th Infantry Division contributing to the defense of Hawaii and Guadalcanal throughout the course of the war.
Other California units, like the 114th Field Artillery Regiment—incorporated into the 980th and 981st Field Artillery Battalions—participated in the D-Day Invasion of Nazi-occupied France.
By the end of the war, California’s role in U.S. military and industrial power was cemented and would again contribute in subsequent decades as the United States was drawn into more conflicts.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
