8. The Tennessee & Arizona ablaze in harbor waters.

9. Japan had pulled off one of the greatest surprises in naval history. America was stunned & humiliated. Japan had made a statement, and a mistake, by drawing America into the war. Historians note that Japan should have prepared a ground assault after the bombing to secure Hawaii. Some believe the FDR knew the attack was coming, but did nothing to warn the fleet at Pearl Harbor. The U.S. decoding device known as Magic was of no use because Japanese ships used radio silence. On the next day, American was now at war.

10. The extremes of Anti-Japanese propaganda.

12. Oct. 1935 - Mussolini starts a war with Ethiopia to spread his empire. The Italian forces destroy the Ethiopian armies which consist of soldiers on horseback armed with spears and no firearms. Sept. 1940, the war in Africa heats up as a British army defeats a much larger Italian army driving them into Libya. As a result of this defeat, Hitler had to spread his forces, which some believe helped lead to his defeat. Hitler sent Erwin Rommel, “The Desert Fox,” to command the armored corps (tanks).

13. Rommel’s Afrika Korps rumbles through the featureless desert. Gasoline supplies would be his greatest worry.

14. Rommel was considered to be a great general by both sides. His tactics and ideas were used by the U.S. when they planned their attacks in Desert Storm(1991). Fighting in the desert went back and forth. Gasoline was important, and could mean victory. El Alamein (Oct. 23 - Nov. 4, 1942) became a turning point. The Allies defeated the Germans who were outnumbered & outgunned. Rommel retreated against Hitler’s wishes on Nov. 2. Rommel barely escaped capture by the British.

15. British armor & infantry at El Alamein. It was not uncommon for soldiers to wear shorts in the desert campaign.

16. A British bomber soars over Egypt. The RAF was partly responsible for defeating the Desert Fox.

17. Before Alamein we survived, after Alamein we conquered. - Winston Churchill

18. There are only two rules of war. Never invade Russia. Never invade China. - Lt. General Bernard Montgomery