Pacific War

The Defeat of Japan in WWII

Definition

The Pacific War concerned the theatre of the Second World War (1939-45) fought in the Pacific Ocean and eastern parts of Asia between Japan and the United States and its allies. Japan had expanded its empire in the region throughout the 1930s, but the sneak attack on the US base at Pearl Harbor brought that country into the war. The military and industrial might of the US permitted it to launch offensive after offensive and, despite heavy casualties, push the Japanese military back to the home islands, which were then bombed relentlessly. The Pacific War and WWII ended following the dropping of two atomic bombs and Japan's surrender in August 1945.

More about: Pacific War

Timeline

  • 7 Dec 1941
    Japanese air and sea attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. US declares war on Japan as a result, entering WWII.
  • 2 Jan 1942
    The Japanese army takes the Philippines capital of Manila and the air base at Cavite during World War II, dealing the Allied Forces a crushing blow in the capture of the primary US base in the Western Pacific.
  • Feb 1942
    Japanese forces capture Singapore.
  • 18 Apr 1942
    16 US B-25 Mitchell bombers attack Tokyo in the Doolittle Raid, the first air attack on Japan in WWII.
  • May 1942
    Japanese forces begin constructing an airstrip on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
  • 4 May 1942 - 8 May 1942
    The Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval battle in history between aircraft carriers.
  • 4 Jun 1942 - 6 Jun 1942
    US victory at the Battle of Midway, turning point of the Pacific War.
  • Aug 1942 - Feb 1943
    US forces defeat those of Japan in the Guadalcanal Campaign in the Solomon Islands.
  • Oct 1943
    US forces establish a base in the Ellice Islands during WWII's Pacific War.
  • Nov 1943 - Feb 1944
    The Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign in WWII's Pacific War.
  • 20 Nov 1943 - 23 Nov 1943
    Battle of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands during WWII's Pacific War. US victory over Japanese forces.
  • Jun 1944 - Jul 1944
    US victory in the Battle of Saipan in the Mariana Islands.
  • Jul 1944 - Aug 1944
    US victory in the Battle of Guam in the Mariana Islands.
  • Sep 1944
    US forces return to eventually oust Japan from the Philippines.
  • 24 Nov 1944
    The first Boeing B-29 Superfortresses raid from the Marianas Islands attacks Japan.
  • Feb 1945 - Mar 1945
    US victory in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
  • Feb 1945
    The first of many US bombing raids on Tokyo.
  • 9 Mar 1945
    334 Boing B-29 Superfortress bombers attack Tokyo causing over 87,000 deaths.
  • Apr 1945 - Jun 1945
    US victory in the Battle of Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands.
  • 17 Jul 1945 - 2 Aug 1945
    The leaders of the USA, UK, and USSR meet to discuss issues concerning the end of WWII, including the surrender of Japan and treatment of defeated Nazi Germany.
  • 6 Aug 1945
    The ‘Enola Gay’, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
  • 9 Aug 1945
    The ‘Bockscar’, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.
  • 15 Aug 1945
    Japan surrenders and so ends the Second World War.
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