Naval Aviation and the nation's greatest test came with the onset of World War II. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941, the United States was thrust into the global conflict and the Navy took the fore in the Pacific War. Naval Aviation was a key component of victory, whether in the great carrier battles with the Imperial Japanese Navy, supporting the island-hopping campaign, or combating U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic. By 1945, the ranks of Naval Aviation personnel numbered over 430,000 men and women. The Museum's World War II exhibit chronicles Naval Aviation's role through displays mounted along the walls of the West Wing including images and artifacts from the War.