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Battle of Midway
Japan attempts to seize Midway Atoll from Americans. Used as lure to trap US Aircraft carriers. Japanese lossses include the Kaga carrier and around one hundred aircraft. The Americans lost 4 carriers (Lexington, Enterprise, Yorktown, and Hornet) along with almost 250 planes. -
Replacements
Chester Nimitz is replaced as Commander-Chief of Naval Operations in the Pacific by Ernest King. Frank Fletcher replaces Fleet Admiral William Halsey as commander of the three remainging US aircraft carriers. -
Bombing of San Diego
Japanese carriers bomb US Naval Base at San Diego. Japanese planners hoped to strike fear into the hearts of continental americans along with the primary objective of destroying US naval power in the Pacific. Succeeded but at high cost: 1/3 of Japanese planes did not return. -
Battle of the Panama Canal
Japanese attempt to put Panama Canal out of action in order to impend US trade and naval ability. 3 US carriers defend against the 4 largest Japanese carriers (Akagi, Soryu, Shokaku, and Zuikaku). After 2 unsuccessful bombing misssions against the Canal, the Japanese are ambushed by US planes while they prepare a third. All four carriers are sunk along with 1/3 of their escorts. -
Operation Hailstorm
Jimmy Dolittle leads a raid against the Japanese Air Base at Truk. It is mostly destroyed. This compounds Japanese problems in the aftermath of the Battle of the Panama Canal. -
Reconquest of Burma
British launch offensive into Burma during the Post-Monsoon season. It is successful but is stopped in the spring due to Summer Monsoons. All of Burma is recaptured by December 1943. -
Stalingrad
German 10th army remants surrender to the Red Army. -
Invasion of New Guinea
The Battle for New Guinea lasts for over 2 months and costs many lives on both sides. However, it secures the Australian position and forces the remaining Japanese carriers into the Java Sea. -
Third Battle of the Java Sea
Used as an operation to clear the Java Sea before the Battle of Singapore. Mainly an attrtional battle; Japanese Carrier Junyo is sunk and the US carrier Ranger is damaged. It succeeds in its operation objective of forcing the Japanese out of the area. The three remaining Japanese carriers flee to the Philippine Sea. -
Second Battle of Singapore
US Marines and Army land on Malayasian Peninsula and surround Singapore after two weeks of hard fighting. As they drive up the Peninsula, they also liberate many POW camps, reveiling the atrocities committed there. -
Battle of the Philippines Sea
Massive US victory. The last of the Japanese Carriers, 2 oil tankers, most of the remaining Japanese surface fleet and over 600 Japanese planes are destroyed in exchange for a little over one hundred US planes.
