1. A Date Which Will Live in Infamy December 7, 1941 A GIS Investigation
Pearl Harbor
A Date Which Will Live in Infamy
December 7, 1941
A GIS Investigation

2. Why would Japan want to attack Pearl Harbor?
What is Japan’s relative location?
What is the distance between Japan and Hawaii?
What is the distance between Hawaii and Los Angeles?
How is distance important in military decisions?
Click the Details button, and then click the Content button. ʅ Turn on the Japanese Occupation layer. ?
Where in Asia was the Japanese Empire?
In which directions was the Empire expanding?

3. Where were American military installations and forces located in Hawaii?
Zoom to the island of Oahu, and then click the American Military in Hawaii layer. ʅ Identify locations of American military on the island.
What is the pattern of defense?

4. Explore the various map icons.
If you were Japanese leadership, what might be your military strategy to eliminate U.S. military influence in the Pacific?
Explore the various map icons.
What types of military armaments were on Oahu?
From which direction would the Japanese most likely attack?
Which military locations could alert the rest of the military in Hawaii if the Japanese attacked?
If you were the Japanese commander, where would you direct your attack first? Why?

5. What was the Japanese strategy?
Turn on the Japanese Attack On Oahu-1st Wave layer.
From which direction did the Japanese attack?
Click the Japanese Attack On Oahu-2nd Wave layer.
How was the second wave of attacks like the first wave?
How was the second wave different?

6. Were the Japanese able to effectively eliminate the threat of American involvement in the Pacific Theater of WWII?
What was the goal of the Pearl Harbor attack?
Click the Bookmark button; select Pacific Theater. Turn on layer: Japanese Defensive Perimeter Plan ʅ Turn on the Post Pearl Harbor Attack layer and play the time slider.
What appeared to be the U.S. strategy in fighting the Japanese?
Were the Japanese able to prevent U.S. military involvement in the Pacific Theater by their attack on Pearl Harbor?