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The Japanese continued advancing across the Pacific
The Allies stopped Japan's advance with key victories over the Japanese navy and the Allies began battling toward Japan -
Bataan Death March
The exhausted soldiers were forced to march 63 miles up the Bataan Peninsula to prison camps. Many prisoners were starved and beaten by Japanese soldiers. More than 600 Americans and about 10,000 Filipinos died. -
Battle of Midway
Japan started bombing the islands. American aircraft carriers launched their planes, catching the Japanese aircraft carriers while many of their planes were refueling on deck. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Allies crushed the Japanese fleet, crippling Japan's naval power for the remainder of the war. It also gave the Allies a base from which to attack the main shipping routes that supplied Japan -
Final Battle
Two of the war's fiercest battles occurred on Japan's outer islands early in 1945. In February U.S. Marines stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima, now known as Iwo To. Japanese defenders were dug into caves, with orders to fight to the death