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Period: to
Pacific Theater
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Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur was a 5 star general in WW2. He oversaw the Philippines Campaign. On December 18, 1944 Douglas MacArthur was promoted to the rank of "General of the Army". MacArthur is among a handful of people who have been a 5 star general. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941 by Japanese pilots. They feared that the US was planning an attack on Japan so they attacked Pearl Harbor first. 2335 servicemen died and 1143 were wounded. -
The Yorktown and Enterprise conduct Air Raids on Japanese bases
The Yorktown and Enterprise conduct air raids on Japanese bases in the Gilbert and Marshall islands. US cruisers USS Northampton, USS Chester, and USS Salt Lake City sink a Japanese gunboat called the "Toyotsu Maru". One of the shells from the US cruisers hits Rear Admiral Yatsushiro Sukeyoshi,who became the first Imperial Japanese Navy flag officer killed in WWII. -
Executive Order 9066 is Issued
Executive Order 9066 was a document signed by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The order gave the secretary of war the ability to authorize certain areas as "Military Zones". Eventually the Executive Order 9066 lead the way for the deportation of Japanese Americans to camps. -
The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was the most important naval battle in the Pacific Campaign during WWII. The Battle of Midway caused severe damage on the Japanese naval fleet. This damage caused the Japanese naval fleet to give up on the Pacific. -
Operation Vengeance
Operation Vengeance was the name given by the Americans to the military operation to kill Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto on April 18, 1943, during the Solomon Islands campaign in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Military code breakers decoded a message by the Japanese that said Yamamoto would be visiting the Solomn Islands very soon. The US set up an ambush in the Solomon Islands and killed the Japanese Rear Admiral. -
Raid of Wake Island
On 5 October 1943, American naval aircraft from the Yorktown raided Wake Island. Two days after the raid, Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara feared that an invasion of the island was immenent and ordered the execution of 98 American civilians working on the island. They were taken to the northern end of the island, blindfolded and executed with a machine gun. One of the prisoners escaped the massacre but was recaptured, and Sakaibara personally beheaded him with a katana. -
Battle of Saipan
The Battle of Saipan was used to take over the Mariana Islands. The U.S. 2nd Marine Division, 4th Marine Division, and 27th Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Holland Smith, defeated the 43rd Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito. The Allied forces left for the Mariana Islands a day before Operation Overlord. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle for the United States. The United States won and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Empire. The Battle of Iwo Jima was one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of WW2. The 36-day assault on Iwo Jima resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead. -
Enola Gay
Enola Gay created the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber. The B-29 bomber was used for the atomic boming of Hiroshima. The bomb from the B-29 called the "Little Boy" took 43 seconds to fall at a height of 31,000 feet.
