As I See It At 7:45 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, “a day that will live in infamy,” the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, plunging the U.S. into World War II. What would the world be like if that attack had not happened? World War II had started on Sept. 3, 1939 when France and England declared war on Germany after Germany and Russia invaded and divided Poland. On May 10, 1940 Germany invaded France and defeated French and British forces in six weeks, also conquering Denmark, Norway, Belgium and Netherlands. Within a year, Germany also controlled all of eastern Europe.