Western Hemisphere and the Pacific War with Japan

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Feb 10, 1941

US naval vanguard arrives in Wellington

Bomb

Dec 7, 1941

japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; also attack the Philippines, Wake Island, Guam, Malaya, Thailand, Shanghai and Midway.

Declare War

Dec 8, 1941

U.S. and Britain declare war on Japan. Japanese land near Singapore and enter Thailand.

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Dec 23, 1941

New Zealanders serving with 67 Squadron RAF have first encounter with enemy during Japanese air raid on Rangoon, Burma

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Dec 25, 1941

Hong Kong falls to Japanese troops

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Feb 19, 1942

Japanese attack Indonesia Darwin, Australia, raided for the first time

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Mar 7, 1942

Japanese air raids over Australia

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Apr 18, 1942

US General Douglas MacArthur assumes command of the South West Pacific Area; New Zealand in South Pacific Area a US Navy responsibility under Admiral Chester Nimitz.