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Pearl Harbor
Japanese forces bomb U.S. naval base.
The bombings lasted just two hours, never the less, it was devastating. Japanese destroyed nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. Congress approved his declaration with just one wavering vote. -
Battle of Java Sea
February 27- March 1, 1942
Allies received reports of a large Japanese fleet approaching Java, the principal island of the Netherlands East Indies. A force including the American and British heavy cruisers set out to destroy the transports before they could land. Unable to locate the Japanese, they returned to base but immediately received new intelligence and set out again to intercept. They made contact that afternoon and began to engage the Japanese. Japanese victory, invaded Java. -
Loss of Phillipines and the Bataan Death March
Japanese invasion of the Philippines began, they captured Manila within a month. For the next three months, the combined U.S.-Filipino army held out despite a lack of naval and air support. 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march, after surrendering, to prison camps. The marchers made the trek in intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands of soldiers died in this event. -
Doolittle Raid
16 American B-25 bombers, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle, attack the Japanese mainland.The now-famous Tokyo Raid did little real damage to Japan, but it did hurt the Japanese government’s prestige. -
Battle of Coral Sea
May 4- 8, 1942
This skirmish marked the first air-sea battle in history. The Japanese were seeking to control the Coral Sea with an invasion of Port Moresby in New Guinea. When the Japanese arrived in the area, they came under attack from the aircraft carrier planes of the American task force. Although both sides suffered damages to their carriers, the battle left the Japanese without enough planes to cover the ground attack of Port Moresby. Allie Victory -
Battle of Midway
June 4-7, 1942
The United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II, thanks in part to major advances in code breaking. The United States was able to counter Japan’s planned ambush of its few remaining aircraft carriers. This counter inflicted permanent damage on the Japanese Navy. -
Guadalcanal
August 7,1942- February 9, 1943
The World War II Battle of Guadalcanal was the first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater. U.S. marines launched a surprise attack in August 1942 and took control of an air base under construction. Reinforcements were funneled to the island as a series of land and sea battles unfolded, both sides endured heavy losses to their warship contingents. The Japanese suffered a far greater amount of casualties. -
Island Hopping Strategy
August, 1942- April, 1945
General MacArthur and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz launced an ‘Island Hopping’ campaign. Their strategy was to capture the Pacific islands one by one, advancing towards Japan and bypassing and isolating centers of resistance. Macarthur and Nimitz planned a two pronged attack: MacArthur would push northwest along the New Guinea coast and into the Bismarck Archipelago with the eventual aim of liberating the Philippines. Nimitz would cross the central Pacific. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
October 23- 26, 1944
The Japanese sought to converge three naval forces on Leyte Gulf, and successfully diverted the U.S. Third Fleet with a decoy. At the Suriago Strait, the U.S. Seventh Fleet destroyed one of the Japanese forces and forced a second one to withdraw. The third successfully traversed the San Bernadino Straight but also withdrew before attacking the Allied forces at Leyte. With much of its surface fleet destroyed in the battle, Japan was hamstrung in its ability to move resources. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
February 19- March 26, 1945
Following preparatory air and naval bombardment, three U.S. marine divisions landed on Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops. Despite difficult conditions, the marines wiped out the defending forces after a month of fighting. Except for 1,083 prisoners, the entire garrison was wiped out. American losses included 5,900 dead and 17,400 wounded. -
Battle of Okinawa
April 1- June 22, 1945
Last and biggest of the Pacific island battles of World War II. At stake were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan. Japanese forces changed their typical tactics of resisting to a defense in depth, designed to gain time. The Japanese navy and army also set about mass kamikaze attacks. Okinawa was a mass bloodletting both on land and at sea. Japanese defense positions supported one another and often resisted most artillery fire. -
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
U.S. demands an immediate surrender of the leadership in Japan. Although the demand stated that refusal would result in total destruction, no mention of any new weapons of mass destruction was made. The Japanese military command rejected the request for surrender. Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, 70,000 Japanese citizens were vaporized. -
Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
The bomb was dropped by parachute from an American B29 Bomber. It exploded about 1,625 ft. above the ground and was believed to have completely destroyed the city, which is situated on the western side of the Japanese island of Kyushu. -
V-J Day
Japan had surrendered to the Allies, bringing six years of hostilities to an end. Michinomiya Hirohito, the Japanese emperor, declared the surrender to all of Japan through a radio broadcast. This was the first time that many Japanese citizens had heard Hirohito's voice.
