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China joined the Allies on December 9, 1941, by officially declaring war on Germany, Italy, and its longtime foe, Japan. The United States had already sent military advisors and Lend-Lease arms and equipment to China. They hoped to strengthen China and thus divert Japan from the drive to conquer Southeast Asia.
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Bataan's defenders surrendered in early April 1942. About 2,000 soldiers and nurses escaped to the fortified island of Corregidor, Running low on ammunition and food, more than 11,000 Americans and Filipinos surrendered to invading Japanese forces on May 6.
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Brutal march of and Filipino prisoners by Japanese Soldiers
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In the Battle of the Coral Sea, aircraft launched from aircraft carriers bombed and strafed enemy ships more than 70 miles away. The five-day battle cost both sides more than half their planes. The Japanese destroyed the Lexington and badly damaged the Yorktown, another carrier. It also opened a new chapter in naval warfare. It was the first naval combat carried out entirely by aircraft.
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Japanese Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, hoped to destroy what remained of the United States Pacific Fleet by luring it into battle near Midway Island. The sinking of four Japanese carriers, combined with the loss of some 250 planes and most of Japan's skilled naval pilots, was a devastating blow to the Japanese navy. It was Americans victory
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The victory at Midway allowed the Allies to take the offensive in the Pacific. Their first goal was to capture Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. American navy took control of the waters around the island in November, limiting Japanese troop landings. Japan's outnumbered forces finally slipped off the island in February 1943. The Allies had conquered their first piece of Japanese-held territory.
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General MacArthur and Admiral William Halsey leapfrogged through the Solomon Islands while Admiral Nimitz led an island-hopping campaign in the Gilbert Islands. Nimitz took over tesland Tarawa and used it to launch bombing raids on Japanese bases in the Marshall Islands.These attacks had crippled Japanese air power, allowing Nimitz's forces to seize Kwajalein and Eniwetok at the northwest end of the island group.
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Military planners decided to bypass the Philippine Islands. MacArthur vigorously opposed this strategy, claiming that the United States had an obligation to free the Filipino people. The general's arguments persuaded Roosevelt, who reversed the decision.
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The Japanese high command directed nearly every warship still afloat to attack the United States Navy. This was the first battle where Japanese kamikazes were used. Kamikaze pilots loaded their aircraft with bombs and then deliberately crashed them into enemy ships to inflict maximum damage.the American were victorious.
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American had 25,000 casualties. There were 27 Medals of Honor for actions on Iwo Jima, more than in any other war. Admiral Nimitz described the island as a place in which “uncommon valor was a common virtue.”
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Battle for the small island of Okinawa, which is350 miles away from Japan. There were100,000 defenders ready to fight protecting the island with their life. The allies gathered 1300 warcrafts, 180000 combatan trooops to invade. Japanese had 2000 kamikaze attacks.7,200 defenders remained to surrender. For American forces, the nearly 50,000. The allies now had an opening to attack Japan
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American plane, the Enola Gay, dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima,the site of a large army base. It annihilated the city and its residents instantly80,000 died and at least as many were injured by fire, radiation sickness, and the force of the explosion.90 percent of the city's buildings were damaged or destroy. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. On August 14, Japan surrendered
