-
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise Japanese naval air strike on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, using torpedoes and bombs from carrier-launched planes, inflicting heavy damage on ships and aircraft, killing over 2,400 Americans, and directly leading to the United States' declaration of war on Japan, officially entering World War II.
-
was the first major Allied land offensive against Japan in World War II, codenamed Operation Watchtower, where U.S. Marines landed on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands to seize a crucial airfield, kicking off a brutal six-month struggle of land, sea, and air battles to control the island, ultimately stopping Japanese expansion and marking a key turning point in the Pacific War
-
The Bataan Death March was a brutal 65-mile forced march of ~76,000 Filipino and American POWs by the Imperial Japanese Army in April 1942, following the Battle of Bataan, characterized by severe abuse, starvation, lack of water, torture (like "sun treatment"), and mass killings, resulting in thousands of deaths before reaching Camp O'Donnell.
-
The Doolittle Raid was the first U.S. air attack on Japan's home islands during World War II, launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet on April 18, 1942, led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, boosting American morale and proving Japan's vulnerability after Pearl Harbor, despite causing minimal physical damage. Sixteen B-25 bombers struck Tokyo and other cities, forcing Japan to recall troops for home defense, a crucial shift in strategy.
-
was a decisive naval victory for the U.S. Pacific Fleet against the Imperial Japanese Navy, a crucial turning point in World War II's Pacific Theater, where American code-breaking allowed them to ambush the Japanese, sinking four of their aircraft carriers and crippling their naval power, shifting the balance of power and halting Japan's expansion.
-
was the largest naval battle in history, a decisive Allied victory that crippled the Japanese fleet, enabling the U.S. invasion of the Philippines and securing control of the Pacific. It involved four main engagements and saw the first organized kamikaze attacks, crippling Japanese naval power and marking the last major battleship-vs-battleship combat, as Japan suffered devastating losses in ships and experienced personnel.
-
It was a brutal, costly fight where U.S. Marines captured the volcanic island from heavily entrenched Japanese forces, securing vital airfields for B-29 bombers heading to Japan, but at immense casualties, making it one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history and a symbol of extreme valor, epitomized by the iconic flag-raising on Mount Suribachi.
-
was a brutal, last major Pacific campaign before Japan's invasion, where U.S. forces secured the island from fanatical Japanese resistance, incurring heavy casualties and using intense naval/air power, ultimately serving as a costly precursor to the atomic bombings that ended the war. It involved savage fighting, massive kamikaze attacks, and significant Okinawan civilian involvement.
-
to force Japan's surrender in WWII, killing tens of thousands instantly, vaporizing people, causing horrific burns, and leading to widespread deaths from injuries and radiation poisoning in the following months. These unprecedented attacks, which leveled the cities and created mushroom clouds, remain the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, ultimately leading to Japan's surrender and ushering in the nuclear age.
-
Japan's surrender formally signed on September 2, 1945, on the USS Missouri, ended World War II, following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war, and acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration by Emperor Hirohito, leading to widespread celebrations and the start of the Allied occupation under General Douglas MacArthur. The Japanese agreed to unconditional surrender terms, laying down arms and obeying Allied commands, bringing a close to years of intense conflict