WWII In the Pacific

By KirsiRucks

  • Bombing Of Pear Harbor

    The bombing of Pearl Harbor, an attack by the Japanese. --The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions

  • U.S && Britain Declare War

    United States and Britain declare war on Japan.

  • Merchant Ship Sunk

    First Japanese merchant ship sunk by a U.S. submarine

  • Invasion

    Japanese invade Hong Kong. -- the air raid sounded ominously. Practice alerts had never taken place at that hour before, and suddenly, they heard the loud rattle of anti-aircraft machine gunfire mingled with the explosions of bombs. Within minutes, the Royal Air Force at Kai Tak Airport was wiped out.

  • Another Invasion

    Japanese invade Luzon in the Philippines.

  • Japanese Invade the Largest Island

    Japanese take Rabaul on New Britain in the Solomon Islands and also invade Bougainville, the largest island.

  • First Aircraft raids Japan

    First U.S. aircraft carrier offensive of the war as YORKTOWN and ENTERPRISE conduct air raids on Japanese bases in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands.

  • Re-location

    War Relocation Authority established in the U.S. which eventually will round up 120,000 Japanese-Americans and transport them to barb-wired relocation centers. Despite the internment, over 17,000 Japanese-Americans sign up and fight for the U.S. in World War II in Europe, including the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in U.S. history.

  • Bataan Death March

    Bataan Death March begins as 76,000 Allied POWs including 12,000 Americans are forced to walk 60 miles under a blazing sun without food or water toward a new POW camp, resulting in over 5,000 American deaths.
    --The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 76,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners.

  • First Defeat

    Japan suffers its first defeat of the war during the Battle of the Coral Sea off New Guinea - the first time in history that two opposing carrier forces fought only using aircraft without the opposing ships ever sighting each other. -- Japan finally suffered its first defeat and it was probably the most brutal one of them all.

  • U.S Looses The YORKTOWN

    Turning point in the war occurs with a decisive victory for the U.S. against Japan in the Battle of Midway as squadrons of U.S. torpedo planes and dive bombers from ENTERPRISE, HORNET, and YORKTOWN attack and destroy four Japanese carriers, a cruiser, and damage another cruiser and two destroyers. U.S. loses YORKTOWN.

  • Japan Withdraws

    Emperor Hirohito of Japan gives permission to his troops to withdraw from Guadalcanal after five months of bloody fighting against U.S. Forces -- After all the ffighting and many lives lost Emperor Hirohito gives permission to the Japanese to finally withdraw from Guadalcanal to prevent anymore lives lost.

  • Pinpoint Japanese Admiral

    U.S. code breakers pinpoint the location of Japanese Admiral Yamamoto flying in a Japanese bomber near Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. Eighteen P-38 fighters then locate and shoot down Yamamoto.

  • Marianas Turkey Shoot

    The "Marianas Turkey Shoot" occurs as U.S. Carrier-based fighters shoot down 220 Japanese planes, while only 20 American planes are lost. -- Three divisions of 4 planes (12 aircraft total) from VF-31 were launched from the USS Cabot at 0800 hours to join other fighter aircraft from the 14 other aircraft carriers to fly CAP (Combat Air Patrol) over the task force and await the arrival of the Japanese panes that they knew would arrive at any day.

  • Prepping the Atomic Bomb

    The U.S. Army Air Force begins preparations for dropping the Atomic Bomb by establishing the 509th Composite Group to operate the B-29s that will deliver the bomb. -- While the bomb is being made the U.S army force is taking deep procautions to where its going to be delivered and to who, and finally decide on a place.

  • New General In Place

    Gen. MacArthur is placed in command of all U.S. ground forces and Adm. Nimitz in command of all naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Japan itself.

  • Withdraw

    Japanese begin withdrawal from China. -- Again with all the seperate wars and conflicts that Japan has with other countires, they decided that now would be a good time to end the war within China and withdraw with some honor.

  • Atomic Bomb First Testing

    First Atomic Bomb is successfully tested in the U.S. -- An isolated corner of the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range located 230 miles south of Los Alamos was selected for the test that was given the code-name "Trinity." Even before the bomb was tested, a second bomb was secretly dispatched to the Pacific for an attack on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

  • Janpanese Finally Surrender

    Formal Japanese surrender ceremony on board the MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay as 1,000 carrier-based planes fly overhead; President Truman declares VJ Day. -- To show that they have some dignity left after the battle the Japanese decided that it would be about time for them to surrender.

  • United Nations are Born

    United Nations is born.