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Civil War between Nationalist government and Communist rebels. They made peace at the end of 1936, a few months before Japan invaded China.
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Soviet victory in Manchuria against China: The Provisions of 1924 giving Russia partial control of the Chinese Eastern Railway. No changes in land.
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Rebellion of Kumulik Uyghurs from 1931 to 1934. Exact ending date unknown. Results in a stalemate.
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Japanese government set an explosion near a railroad, blamed it on the Chinese, and took over Manchuria in the coming months.
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Manchuria was seized by the Kwantung Army of Japan (Imperial Japanese Army). Establishment of Manchukuo as a Japanese puppet state in the seized areas.
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Japanese forces in Manchukuo suppress any rebel forces and resistance in the newly formed puppet state.
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After the Mukden Incident, Japanese forces quickly advance into Manchuria. Chinese general Ma Zhanshan begins to resist the Japanese advance into Manchuria. Chinese are unable to stop the advance.
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Japanese launch a successful offensive in Manchuria.
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Chinese fail a defense of the city of Harbin in Manchuria.
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In the Shanghai National Settlement, a skirmish breaks out between Japan and China, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. A ceasefire is called.
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Japanese capture the province of Rehe from China and incorporate it into the Manchukuo puppet state.
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Province of Rehe secured by Japanese forces. Second part of the Defense of the Great Wall.
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Mongolian victory in the Soviet-Japanese Border Conflicts. No land changes.
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Ends a few days later. No land changes.
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Border clash between Mongolia (Soviet satellite) and Japan. Japan retakes the disputed land. Many such conflicts occur between 1935 and 1939.
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A Pro-Soviet government takes over the entire province of Xinjiang. The Islams decided to go under Soviet control instead of Chinese.
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Japanese retake the island from the Soviets in the Border Wars.
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Often classified as the beginning of World War 2 in Asia. I classify it as the beginning of the first part of World War 2 in the Pacific - the second part beginning on Dec. 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked. It happened when a Japanese soldier was found missing and Japanese soldiers wanted to search the town for the soldier. When permission from the Chinese was refused, shots were fired, though the soldier returned to his lines. It was the start of the Second Sino Japanese War.
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First battle after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Japanese troops take over Shanghai except the concessions of foreign nations there.
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Fought between China and Japan for the capital of Shanxi Province (Taiyuan).
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Resulted in the fall of Nanjing (Nanking, if you're going with Romanization) and the Nanking Massacre.
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Japanese victory. Japanese forces encircle the town of Xuzhou, attempting to connect Japanese control in Beijing and Nanking.
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Amoy Island was occupied by the Japanese to make a blockade of China easier to do. It served as a post for the blockade.
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After a 4-month battle, Chinese forces retreat from Wuhan and the Japanese occupy the city.
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Russian forces retake the area that the Japanese advanced in (near Lake Khasan).
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Japanese land on Hainan Island to use it as a blockade post. Part of the island is occupied by Japanese.
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Japan occupies Nanchang and the vicinity.
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After the Japanese took Wuhan, they wished to expand even further. Japan began to advance further into China, but a counterattack drove the Japanese all the way back. Japan had occupied several towns and cities but weren't able to hold control.
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The biggest battle of the USSR-Japanese border wars. The Japanese defeat in the battle results in the signing of a ceasefire and NAP between the powers. No more timeline dates on this!
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Japanese occupy the cities of Shantou and Chaozhou in the Guangdong province.
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First of four attempts by Japan to take the Chinese city of Changsha. Chinese victory.
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The Kunlun Pass holds, but Japan manages to cut off the port of Chongqing, making shipping supplies to China through the sea impossible.
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Japan seeks to take the new Chinese capital of Chongqing, but failed to capture Yichang which was necessary to take the new capital.
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Major Chinese Communist Party offensive in Northern China - Incredible victory over Japanese forces.
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Japanese occupy Tonkin. This was done so that a blockade of China could be done without supplies flowing through Indochina.
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Chinese offensive around the Xiang River. Took place in Central Hubei. Chinese victory.
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Jing County, Anhui. Cooperation between Communists and Nationalists ends. Both sides win.
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The war had begun in October 1940. Territories long disputed between France and Thailand given to Thailand after France surrendered to the Germans.
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Japanese attempt to encircle and destroy a Chinese railroad army, but they are outflanked by Chinese and forced to retreat.
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Took place in Shanggao, Jiangxi. Japanese offensive halted.
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This puts an end to the border wars. From Wikipedia: "The agreement meant that for most of World War II, the two nations fought against each other's allies but not against each other." The USSR broke it after Germany's defeat and invaded Japan, who was also on the brink of collapse.
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Took place in South Shanxi. Due to the CCP's fallout with the Nationalists, they refused to aid a surrounded nationalist army. It was regarded later as one of their worst defeats in the entire war.
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Second Japanese failure to take the city of Changsha, the capital of the Hunan province.
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The British concession gained in the Boxer Rebellion comes to an end. The British signed a treaty with China saying that after the war, in the event of victory, it would become Chinese again. In other words, Britain wasn't interested in having the concession returned.
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A surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii is bombed by Japanese. Tensions between the US and Japan were already bad, and Japan wanted to eliminate America as a threat by destroying their Pacific navy. It had the opposite effect - the Americans were empowered, plus the American aircraft carriers were away from the harbor at the time, the ships Japan wanted to destroy most. It was a failure in the long run, though a technical Japanese victory.
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Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the settlement is taken over by Japanese.
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Fighting lasts 5 hours before Thailand signs an alliance with Japan.
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The course of many battles results in Japanese occupation of the Philippines. America couldn't use the colony as a base for anything anymore.
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Japanese forces take over the American colony of Guam.
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It took 2 attempts on the Japanese, but they managed to take Wake Island and the surrounding islands from the Americans.
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Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.
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The Dutch East Indies are occupied by Japanese forces.
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Japanese occupation of British Malaya. British troops were slowly pushed out.
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By March 1942, British and Dutch Borneo would be Japanese occupied.
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Initial success, but the Japanese forces were prone to be encircled by the Chinese so they retreat from the city.
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By far the longest battle in the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines. Afterwards, the Philippines would fall fairly quickly.
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Allied bombings of Thailand's capital continue mid-April 1945.
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The island of Rabaul is captured by Japanese forces. It was significant because the island was close to a Japanese naval base in the Caroline Islands.
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The Japanese invaded Burma partly for its natural resources, partly for its strategic position of buffering Thailand and Malaya, which it had occupied, and lastly, to sever the link that gave supplies to China via the Burma Road.
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British defeat. Japanese occupation of Singapore.
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Japanese bomb Darwin, Australia.
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It was an air campaign fought between the Allied and Japanese air forces over northern Australia and the Netherlands East Indies. It would last until the end of the war.
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The island of Timor, including Portuguese Timor, is occupied by Japanese forces after Allied forces capture the island.
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The small port and aircraft refueling point is attacked by Japanese, but they didn't intend to capture the port.
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Salamaua–Lae area, Morobe Province, New Guinea. Japan captures the area. Base and airfield built.
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The rest of the Andaman Islands would soon be taken over by Japanese.
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Japanese forces fail to destroy the bulk of the British Eastern Fleet around Ceylon.
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Tulagi and Gavutu Islands, Solomon Islands. Japanese forces occupied Tulagi and nearby islands.
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Coral Sea, between Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Both sides claimed victory, but strategically it was an American/Australian victory as it averted the seaborne invasion of Port Moresby. It was the first time a Japanese goal had been stopped since the beginning of the war.
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Japanese victory. Japan occupied the area to prevent American airmen from using the fields to bomb Japan.
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One of four Japanese raids on Australia. They're really just causing havoc and trying to redirect Allied supplies from the standard warfronts in China, the Pacific, and India to trying to defend Australia.
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Amaknak Island is captured by the Japanese.
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Japanese fail to take the Midway Atoll.
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The island of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands is taken by Japanese forces.
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Japanese forces take over the island of Attu in the Aleutian Islands.
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It was the Japanese attempt to take Port Moresby by land, since taking it by sea didn't work. Japan ultimately wanted to push the Australians back to their island and isolate Australia from America. The Japanese were unsuccessful. Took place at Buna–Gona area, Oro Province, Territory of Papua, Australia.
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After six months of fighting, the Japanese forces withdraw from the island. It marked the beginning of the capture of islands by the Allies to defeat Japan. Guadalcanal is in the Solomon Islands today.
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Took place in Milne Bay in the Australian Territory of Papua.
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Goodenough Island, Territory of Papua. Japanese are forced to retreat to Fergusson Island. Goodenough island is turned into a major allied military base. I guess it was "good enough" to use as one!
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American and Australia retake the area from Japanese forces.
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Allied forces stop an advance by Japanese forces against the Allied-held town.
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Japanese forces retreat and the town falls into Allied hands.
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Wasn't fought over these islands, but was a naval battle fought south of these islands. American troops managed to prevent the Japanese from sending a convoy to their bases in the Aleutian Islands.
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Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, is killed when the Allies shoot down his transport plane. It was an intentional act. This is war!
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During the raid a Japanese force attacked the Darwin, Australia, inflicting little damage on the ground. This attack was the 54th Japanese airstrike over Australia. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) unit responsible for protecting the town, No. 1 Wing RAAF, intercepted the Japanese force after it had completed its attack, and suffered heavy losses from the Japanese fighters, aggravated by fuel shortages.
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Japanese offensive in the area halted, but heavy Chinese losses.
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Due to pressure from Germany, Vichy France hands over its Shanghai concession to Japanese forces.
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After Italy surrendered, Japan occupied the Italian concession.
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Americans and Australians capture Madang, New Guinea.
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Japanese troops pushed from Lao north to Sio (New Guinea).
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Bougainville, Territory of New Guinea. Japanese hold out on the island. Australian troops land on the island and hold their position for a year. Then, until the end of the war, Australian troops begin mopping up remnants of starving, isolated, yet still determined Japanese troops. 2 enclaves remain on the island, but the war ended before these were fully destroyed.
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Fought in Changde and the vicinity. The city was captured.
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Allied troops land on New Britain (an island in modern-day Papua New Guinea) with the goal of neutralizing the Japanese naval base of Rabul. Japanese stay holed up defending Rabul, prepared for an assault of the base that never came. The campaign lasted until the war's end. Allied troops were outnumbered 5 to 1 but still won. around 30,000 Japanese died (mostly either starved or died from disease).
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Allied successful attempt to capture two Japanese airfields near Cape Gloucester. It was an amphibious landing. Mopping up operations continued until April 1944, when the army relieved the Marines of occupying the islands.
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It's a leap year! Let's celebrate Leap Day by starting an invasion! Allies liberate the islands as part of the attempt to disable Rabul as a Japanese naval base. It was the concluding stage of accomplishing this.
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Inconclusive Japanese raid on Allied shipping vessels. Japanese ships ran into a steamer and retreated, fearing that they would be detected, and that the British ships would take a detour.
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Bombing of Sabang Island (north of Sumatra in Indonesia)
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Japanese plan to advance from current Japanese controls in the Hankow and Wuchang area down to the Chinese southern coast. It was successful. It opened a land route to Indochina and prevented American bombers from using the area. Consisted of 3 battles along the course of the campaign.
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Allies continue to liberate the Territory of New Guinea and Dutch New Guinea until the end of the war.
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Bombing of Surabaya, Java by American and British planes.
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Allied troops liberate bases on the island of Noemfoor in what was then Dutch New Guinea.
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Naval bombardment and aerial strikes on Japanese airfields in the Indonesian cities of Sabang, Lhoknga and Kutaraja.
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The objective was to carry out aerial strikes on Japanese positions in and around Padang, on the southwestern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, on August 24, 1944
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The objective was to carry out aerial strikes on Japanese positions in Sigli, Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, and aerial reconnaissance over the Nicobar Islands.
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Nicobar Islands. British use naval bombardment and ariel strikes to attack the Japanese there.
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The Allies liberate most of the Philippines. Before liberation was completed, the Japanese empire surrendered.
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Britain bombs Japanese Singapore and the nearby waters. Tactically indecisive.
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A coalition government in Xinjiang is established, but control of Xinjiang is eventually transferred from the ROC to the CCP.
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British bombing of Japanese oil fields on Sumatra.
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Operation Lentil was an air raid by British carrier based aircraft on oil installations at Pangkalan Brandan on Sumatra.
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British bombing of Sumatra oil fields. As a result, the critical aviation fuel output of the plants at Palembang was reduced by seventy-five percent. This includes the many bombings of the area as well.
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British bombing of Sumatra oil fields. As a result, the critical aviation fuel output of the plants at Palembang was reduced by seventy-five percent.
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Allied forces liberate the island of Iwo Jima.
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Japanese manage to capture the local airfields, but nothing else.
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Largest amphibious assault of World War 2. Okinawa Island was liberated by Allies.
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Failed Japanese invasion of West Hunan. The wanted control over railroads and airfields, but never got them.
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The goal was to capture Japanese oil fields and air bases, but many were destroyed, so the strategic benefits ended up being useless. It did succeed, however. Very little of Borneo was actually liberated, but that wasn't the goal.
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British victory in a naval battle.
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The third in a string of similar missions, the objectives were the naval bombardment and aerial strikes on Japanese airfields in Sumatra, and Japanese vessels in the Strait of Malacca, and aerial reconnaissance.
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Its objectives were, firstly, naval bombardment and aerial strikes on Japanese positions in the Nicobar Islands, particularly on Nancowry Island; secondly, providing cover for minesweeping operations in advance of a possible invasion; and thirdly, making carrier raids on Japanese airfields in northern Sumatra. The invasion was never carried out because Japan surrendered.
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3-front Chinese counterattack on the final Japanese stronghold in the Guangxi province of China. Success. Plans are being made to take the rest of Chinese land, but the Allies make Japan surrender earlier.
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Up to 150,000 people, 20,000 of which were Japanese soldiers, died in the bombing. The bomb destroyed the city.
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Allied forces led a campaign into Japanese-held Burma at the beginning of November 1944. It ended just before the surrender of Japan. Most of Japanese-occupied Burma was liberated.
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Up to 80,000 people were killed in the second atomic bombing. These bombings would eventually lead to Japanese surrender.
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Soviet forces invade Japan after Germany is defeated. Who would miss out on free land?
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Soviets begin an offensive and dig deep into Japanese territory. Japan surrenders before the Soviets can take the rest of the land they're after, but they take it over afterwards. Campaign made in Northern Korea, Manchuria, and Inner Mongolia.
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South Sakhalin annexed by the Soviet Union.
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Soviet victory. The town in Manchuria is taken by Soviets.
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Chongjin, North Korea is taken by Soviets.
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Japanese coup attempt that was trying to prevent the surrender of Japan. It failed.
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Soviet Union annexed the Kuril Islands.
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Unopposed liberation of Malaya and Singapore after the Japanese surrender. The British Military Administration was established there.
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The Philippines gain independence from America. The treaty came into effect on October 22, 1946.
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The Ryukyu Islands are returned to Japan in 1972. The US occupied the islands in 1950. The islands had been occupied since before WW2 but was not made official until 1950.
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Signed on 8 September 1951. Officially ended the war between most of the Allies and Japan. It legally ended the American occupation of the Japanese home islands.
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Though signed on April 28 1952, it didn't take effect until the date below. It meant that Taiwan, the Spratleys, the Phengu, Spratley, and Paracel Islands were all given to China. Any claims against (including debt) China were forgiven. It was signed separately from the Treaty of San Francisco because of the issue of the Chinese Civil War.
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It seems it was Japan's Christmas present from the Allies.
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Official peace treaty between the USSR and Japan. It settled the terms of land cessions and other issues from World War 2.
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