On December 7, 1941, with an unexpected and sudden move, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, dragging the United States into the world war which until then had remained neutral. On December 8, a few hours after the attack, the United States of America declared war on the Empire of Japan. Subsequently Germany and Italy declared war on America, but the United States also had allies in Great Britain, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand. and, provisionally, China. When the United States entered World War II, the Allies were at a grave disadvantage with France under German control, Britain under siege, and the USSR trying to repel the German invaders. North Africa was under German and Italian control. The Allies' initial strategy was to win the war in Europe first, then work on North Africa and the South Pacific. America wanted to attack Germany first and try to eliminate the root of the problem directly. In late December 1941, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and their top advisors met in Washington, DC. The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS), a high-level British-American military committee based in Washington, was created. Its goal was to create, develop and execute joint strategies. General George C. Marshall of the U.S. Army wanted to amass troops and ammunition in England and then cross the Channel into northwestern Europe, taking back control from the Nazis. The problem was that the US couldn't take much action in Europe in early 1942 because it had no troops stationed there, and it was still in the process of building up the Army/Navy and converting American industry into a developed war. American and British strategists disagreed, but in the end, President R... middle of paper... nevertheless, German resistance was strong. The Allies held their ground and a month later, in July, around a million soldiers were in France. In August, Paris was liberated from the control of Nazi Germany. France was completely reconquered by the Allies in September. In a major and famous battle, the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans launched a surprise counterattack, creating a bulge in the Allied lines. After months of hard fighting, the Allies pushed back the bulge, resulting in heavy losses for the Axis powers. On May 7, 1945, the Germans surrendered when Berlin was taken by Soviet forces and Hitler committed suicide in his bunker. After two atomic bombs and the threat of another, Japan officially and unconditionally surrendered on September 2, 1945 aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Harbor. World War II was over. The Allied strategy had worked.