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Pearl Harbor
In this battle, the Japanese had a huge success in their surprise attack against the U.S. Pacific Fleet that would take months to overcome. The Japanese Airforce bombed Pearl Harbor in the morning before the Americans could even react. The Japanese made this attack to weaken their army and help the Axis Powers such as Great Britain. -
Battle of Java Sea
This battle was a major loss for the Ally Powers against the Imperial Japanese Navy. This battle was the largest surface ship engagement since the Battle of Jutland. This defeat allowed for the Japanese to occupy the entire Netherlands East Indies. -
Loss of Philippines & Bataan Death March
During the loss of the Philippines for the Americans, the Japanese army attacked a poorly trained and equipped Filipino army along with a small force of American soldiers. General MacArthur decided to retreat back to the Bataan Peninsula and hold off the Japanese for as long as possible. MacArthur was instructed to leave his men when the Japanese closed in due to illness and hunger. Thousands of soldiers died after the battle in the Bataan Death March. -
Doolittle Raid
James Doolittle led a group of 16 American bombers on a raid of Tokyo and several other Japanese cities. This did not do major damage to the Japanese targets, but it gave the American people something to celebrate. It also angered and worried the Japanese leaders. This would make them become outraged and cloud their decisions in future attacks. -
Island Hopping Strategy
Island Hopping was the strategy taken by the Americans to gain military bases and secure many small islands in the Pacific. Americans targeted islands that weren't as strongly held by the Japanese. They took control of those islands, and quickly constructed landing strips and small military bases. The U.S. slowly got closer and closer to Japan using this strategy. -
Battle of Coral Sea
This battle involved the one part of the Pacific fleet that had not been damaged at the attack of Pearl Harbor, the aircraft carriers. The battle took place as the Japanese were planning to take control of the British controlled Port Moresby on the island of New Guinea. Two aircraft carriers were sent to destroy the Japanese. Althought they lost one aircraft carrier and several aircraft, the Americans halted the Japanese advance for the first time. -
Battle of Midway
The Japanese wanted to lure the Americans into a large battle in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. To start their plan, they would attack the American Island of Midway. American intelligence intercepted the message and the Americans came prepared. The Japanese were carelessness in that they left some flaws in their attack and the Americans exploited those weaknesses. American forces destroyed several Japanese ships and their advantage at the sea had disappeared. The USS Yorktown had sank. -
Guadalcanal
The Solomon Islands by Austalia were occupied by Japanese and the Americans thought it would be a good place to protect Australia and provide a future base to push back the Japanese further. A key island was Guadalcanal, where the Japanese had almost completed an airfield. For 6 months, the Americans tried to capture the island in swamps and dense forests. Finally the Japanese fled the island. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The American plan was to attack to gain back control of the Philippine Islands lost earlier in the war. The first major action of the plan took place in this battle, where nearly 300 ships fought in one of the largest naval battles. The Allies heavily out numbered the Japanese and by the end the Japanese suffered major losses in ships. What was left would no longer play a big role in the war. The Kamikaze attack was also used for the first time. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Americans wanted to capture the island of Iwo Jima in order to launch their massive B-29 bombers. Early in this battle, the marines captured the islands tallest point, Mount Suribachi. Many thought the battle would be over then, but the Japanese refused to surrender and the fighting continued for several more weeks. Seven thousand Americans died while almost all of the 20,000 Japanese fought to the death. -
Battle of Okinawa
This battle was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and included the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War during World War II between the Japanese and Americans. The Allies wanted to use the island as a base for air operations on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland. The ferocity of the fighting caused one of the bloodies wars in the Pacific. Around 77,000 Japanese died along with about 14,000 dead Americans. -
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
The Americans had been working for a while on nuclear weapons through the Manhattan Project. Harry S Truman decided to drop the first atomic bomb ever on Hiroshima because he thought it would save more American lives than sending in troops to fight. The city of Hiroshima was devastated, four square miles were destroyed and 80,000 people died instantly. The bomb itself weighed five tons and the Enola Gay dropped it. -
Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
The second atomic bomb to ever be dropped happened here by the United States. This eventually caused the Japanese to surrender in WWII. Nicknamed "Fat Man," was dropped out of "Bock's Car" and killed between 60,000 and 80,000 people. -
VJ Day!!
Also known as Victory in the Pacific Day, this was the official day that the Japanese surrendered to the Ally Powers. People all around the world celebrated the end of WWII as they got to go home in peace for the first time in a long time.
