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US Declares War on Japan
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Coral Sea
At Tulagi and Papua New Guinea US and Japanese forces fought. Japan's goal was to take another step towards a possible take over of Australia. Japan succeed in occupying Tulagi, but were unsuccessful in occupying Port Moresby. This eliminated a threat to the Australians. -
Midway
After the defeat in the Coral sea Japan's next target war Midway. Led by Admiral Chester Nimitz US troops prepared for an impending attack. After sending out scout planes Nimitz succeeded in locating the Japanese fleet, he sent torpedo planes and dive bombers to attack. The Japanese were caught in a battle with their planes still on deck of their carriers, this proved to be fatal and the Japanese lost 4 aircraft carriers, a cruiser and 250 planes crippling the Japanese navy. -
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal was an invasion by Allied forces which was the first attack against the Empire of Japan with the objective of denying their use by the Japanese to threaten Allied communication routes and supply between the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The Allies also intended to use Guadalcanal and Tulagi as bases to support a campaign to eventually capture or neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain. -
Philippine Sea
The battle of the Philippine Sea eliminated Japan's ability to conduct large scale carrier action. Some Japanese ships and carriers were able to escape the battle and would return to take part in the battle of Leyte Gulf. During the battle there was a large disproportional rate of loss that favored the Allies, this is attributed to the designs of the planes being used, the secret anti aircraft guns, and the increased US pilot training. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Premier Joseph Stalin. It convened in the Livadia Palace and the objective was to discuss the re-establishment of nations and to discuss post war reorganization. -
Iwo Jima
Following the Allies retaking most of the Philippines they turned to Iwo Jima. The small island was a strategic position for the Allies as it allowed heavily loaded bombers to reach Japan. Heavily defended with 20,700 entrenched Japanese soldiers. The battle costed over 6,000 marines and ended the Allies controlling the island. -
Okinawa
Facing an even greater opposition than Iwo Jima, Allied troops invaded Okinawa resulting in the loss of 7,600 marines however Japan would leave defeated having lost 110,000 soldiers. During the battle the Japanese used over 1,9000 kamikaze attacks sinking 30 ships and damaging 300 more while killing nearly 5,000 seamen. Of the 110,000 killed Japanese soldiers 2 of them were generals that chose suicide rather then surrender. -
Hiroshima
Hiroshima was the first city in human history to have an atomic bomb dropped on it. Dropping from a B-29 bomber, within 43 seconds every building in the city which was once a strong military center was collapsed into dust by the explosion. This event by the allied forces was the alternative to a plan to capture Japan's mainland by force which would have cost an estimated 1.5 million allied lives. This attack cost the Japanese 90,000–146,000 deaths and many more injured. -
Nagasaki
The operation to drop a second atomic bomb code name was "Fat Man". Just three days after the devastating effects of Hiroshima the allied forces dropped a second bomb to force the Japan government into surrendering. Although the decision of dropping a second atomic bomb so suddenly after the first is highly controversial, they were successful in stopping the war. The tolls of the Allied destruction of the Japanese city of Nagasaki left 39,000–80,000 dead, promptly ending the war. -
V-J Day
