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Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, in the United States Territory of Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941.
Who: President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy." On that day, Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans. It completely destroyed the -
Pearl Harbor
American battleship U.S.S.
What: Ford Island,On that day, Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans
When: December 7, 1941
Where:The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, in the United States Territory of Hawaii. -
Pearl Harbor
Why: The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, in the United States Territory of Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941 December 8 in Japan. The attack led to the United States entry into World War II. -
Battle of Java Sea
The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Allied navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on 27 February 1942, and in secondary actions over successive days.
Who:The ABDA force engaged the Japanese in the Java Sea, and the battle raged intermittently from mid-afternoon to midnight as the Allies tried to reach and attack the troop transports of the Java invasion fleet, but they were repulsed by superior -
Battle of the Java Sea
When:February 27, 1942
Where:The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II
Why:The Japanese amphibious forces gathered to strike at Java, and on 27 February 1942, the main American-British-Dutch-Australian Command naval force, under Doorman, sailed northeast from Surabaya to intercept a convoy of the Eastern Invasion Force approaching from the Makassar Strait. -
Battle of Java Sea
What:The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II.Allied navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on 27 February 1942, and in secondary actions over successive days. The aftermath of the battle included several smaller actions around Java, including the smaller but also significant Battle of Java Sea. -
Loss of Philippines & Bataan Death March
After the April 9, 1942, U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II (1939-45), the approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. -
Loss of Philippines & Bataan Death March
Who:the forcible transfer from Saisaih Pt. and Mariveles to Camp O'Donnell by the Imperial Japanese Army of 60,000–80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war which began on April 9, 1942, after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II.About 2,500–10,000 Filipino and 100–650 American prisoners of war died before they could reach their destination. The reported death tolls vary, especially amongst Filipino POWs, because historians cannot determine. -
Loss of Philippines & Bataan Death March
What:The American and Filipino forces fought from an untenable position until formally surrendering to the Japanese on April 9. The Japanese immediately began to march some 76,000 prisoners (12,000 Americans, the remainder Filipinos) northward into captivity along a route of death. When three American officers escaped a year later, the world learned of the unspeakable atrocities suffered along the 60-mile journey that became known as the Bataan Death March.
When: April 9, 1942, -
Loss of Philippines & Bataan Death March
Where:Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga, & Capas, Tarlac, Luzon Island, Philippines
Why:America avenged its defeat in the Philippines with the invasion of the island of Leyte in October 1944. General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), who in 1942 had famously promised to return to the Philippines, made good on his word. In February 1945, U.S.-Filipino forces recaptured the Bataan Peninsula, and Manila was liberated in early March. -
Doolittle Raid
What:The Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942 was the first U.S. air raid to strike the Japanese home islands during WWII. The mission is notable in that it was the only operation in which U.S. Army Air Forces bombers were launched from an aircraft carrier into combat. The raid demonstrated how vulnerable the Japanese home islands were to air attack just 4 months after their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. While the damage inflicted was slight -
Doolittle Raid
\Who:The Doolittle Raid, 1942. Once the shock of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor subsided, the focus of American military planners turned to retaliation - even if it was only symbolic. A few weeks after the attack, Lt. Colonel James H. Doolittle presented his superiors with a daring and unorthodox plan. -
Doolittle Raid
When: April 18, 1942
Where:The film utilized the retired World War II aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) in Corpus Christi, Texas to stand in for a Japanese carrier, while the aircraft were launched from the USS Constellation (CV-64), standing in for the USS Hornet (CV-8) from which the Doolittle Raid was launched.
Why:The U.S. Army Air Forces chose the B-25 for the Doolittle Raid because it was the only aircraft available with the required range, bomb capacity and short takeoff distance. -
Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, on 18 April 1942, was an air raid by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu island during World War II, the first air raid to strike the Japanese Home Islands.
\Who:The Doolittle Raid, 1942. Once the shock of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor subsided, the focus of American military planners turned to retaliation - even if it was only symbolic. A few weeks after the attack, Lt. Colonel James H. Doolittle pres -
Island Hopping Strategy
What:MacArthur met with Admiral William “Bull” Halsey, and the two devised a plan. On April 26th, 1942, they laid out the plan; a two-pronged offensive codenamed “Cartwheel”. They aimed to corner Japanese troops on Rabaul Island, with MacArthur’s troops advancing along the northern coast of New Guinea, and Halsey’s troops driving north from Guadalcanal, and taking control of the Solomon Islands. -
Island Hopping Strategy
Leapfrogging, or Island-Hopping, was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan and the Axis powers during World War II.
Who:The role of Island Hopping in the history of the United States of America The idea was to capture certain key islands, one after another, until Japan came within range of in Brisbane, Australia, where they discussed campaign strategy. before the Americans could continue island-hopping up the Solomons chain. -
Island Hopping Strategy
When: April 26, 1942
Where:Leapfrogging, or Island-Hopping, was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan and the Axis powers during World War II.
Why:Leapfrogging, or Island-Hopping, was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan and the Axis powers during World War II. The idea was to bypass heavily fortified Japanese positions and instead concentrate the limited Allied resources on strategically important islands that were not -
Battle of Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought during 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia.
Who:a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia
What:World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia -
Guadalcanal
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II. It was the first major offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan. -
Battle Of Guadalcanal
Why: The first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater. With Japanese troops stationed in this section of the Solomon Islands, U.S. marines launched a surprise attack in August 1942 and took control of an air base under construction -
Guadalcanal
Who:The World War II Battle of Guadalcanal was the first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater. With Japanese troops stationed in this section of the Solomon Islands, U.S. marines launched a surprise attack in August 1942 and took control of an air base under construction. -
Battle Of Guadalcanal
What:The World War II Battle of Guadalcanal was the first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater. With Japanese troops stationed in this section of the Solomon Islands, U.S. marines launched a surprise attack in August 1942 and took control of an air base under construction.
When: August 7, 1942 – February 9, 1943
Where:British Solomon Islands -
VJ Day
the day August 15 in 1945 on which Japan ceased fighting in World War II, or the day September 2 when Japan formally surrendered.
Who:The Japanese representatives aboard the USS Missouri at the Surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945
What:D-Day is a military term designating the start of a military operation.The D-day in modern history refers to what happened on June 6th, 1944 - the day on which the Battle of Normandy began.Thousands of Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in nort -
VJ Day
When: September 2, 14942
Where:The name, V-J Day, had been selected by the Allies after they named V-E Day for the victory in Europe. On September 2, 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was performed in Tokyo Bay, Japan, aboard the battleship USS Missouri.
Why:On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victoryover Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf, (October 23–26, 1944), decisive air and sea battle of World War II that crippled the Japanese Combined Fleet, permitted U.S. invasion of the Philippines, and reinforced the Allies' control of the Pacific
Who:The Japanese sought to converge three naval forces on Leyte Gulf, and successfully diverted the U.S. Third Fleet with a decoy. At the Suriago Strait, the U.S. Seventh Fleet destroyed one of the Japanese forces and forced a second one to withdraw. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
What:The Battle of Leyte Gulf, formerly known as the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea, is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history alongside the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 CE and the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE
When:October 23, 1944 – October 26, 1944
Where:The Battle of Leyte Gulf, formerly known as the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea, -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Why:Battle of Leyte Gulf, (October 23–26, 1944), decisive air and sea battle of World War II that crippled the Japanese Combined Fleet, permitted U.S. invasion of the Philippines, and reinforced the Allies' control of the Pacific -
Battle of Iwo Jima
What:One-third of all Marine losses during World War II happened at Iwo Jima; it was the only large engagement of the war in which Allied forces suffered more casualties (dead plus wounded) than their Japanese counterparts. By 1945, the Allies were gaining ground in the Pacific theater
When:February 19, 1945 – March 26, 1945
Where:major battle in which the United States Armed Forces landed and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Armed Forces landed and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
Who:Operation Detachment, the code name for the invasion of Iwo Jima, would be the largest combat employment of U.S. Marines in history. Spruance and Turner asked the old warhorse Lt. Gen. Holland M. 'Howlin' Mad' Smith, U.S. Marine Corps, to come along as commander of expeditiona -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Why:By 1944, America and her allies in the Pacific War had the ascendancy. In the west, the Japanese were being turned back in Burma and island hopping had isolated Japanese forces in the eastern sector. Combined with the attacks on Iwo Jima, was America’s desire to finally destroy Japan’s merchant fleet so that the Japanese mainland could not be supplied from the food-rich sectors of South East Asia which Japan still had control over. Linked to this, was the destruction of Japan’s remaining ind -
Battle of Okinawa
The battle of Okinawa, also known as Operation Iceberg, took place in April-June 1945. It was the largest amphibious landing in the Pacific theater of World War II. It also resulted in the largest casualties with over 100,000 Japanese casualties and 50,000 casualties for the Allie
Who:Japanese forces -
Battle of Okinawa
What:During World War II, the U.S. 10th Army overcomes the last major pockets of Japanese resistance on Okinawa Island, ending one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. The same day, Japanese Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima, the commander of Okinawa’s defense, committed suicide with a number of Japanese officers and troops rather than surrender. -
Battle of Okinawa
When: April 1 - June 22 1945
Where:Okinawa, Japan
Why:Kamikaze attacks were being experienced by the American navy anchored off of Okinawa. Out of the 193 kamikaze plane attacks launched against the American fleet, 169 were destroyed. Those planes that got through did caused a great deal of damage especially to America’s carrier fleet that did not have armoured flight decks – unlike the British carriers. However, the destruction of so many kamikaze flights did a great deal to undermine the poten -
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was almost completely destroyed by the first atomic bomb ever dropped on a populated area. Followed by the bombing of Nagasaki, on August 9, this show of Allied strength hastened the surrender of Japan in World War II.
Who:U.S. President Harry Truman Grandson of President Truman, who ordered atomic bombing of Japan, in Hiroshima for memorial. TOKYO -- A grandson of ex-U.S. President Harry Truman, who ordered the atomic bombings of Japan during World War II, is in Hir -
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
What:A single atomic bomb, the first weapon of its type ever used against a target, exploded over the city of Hiroshima at 0815 on the morning of 6 August 1945. Most of the industrial workers had already reported to work, but many workers were enroute and nearly all the school children and some industrial employees were at work in the open on the program of building removal to provide firebreaks and disperse valuables to the country. The attack came 45 minutes after the "all clear" -
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
when: August 6, 1945
Where:The United States becomes the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry during wartime when it drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Though the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan marked the end of World War II, many historians argue that it also ignited the Cold War. -
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
Why: President Harry S. Truman, warned by some of his advisers that any attempt to invade Japan would result in horrific American casualties, ordered that the new weapon be used to bring the war to a speedy end. On August 6, 1945, the American bomber Enola Gay dropped a five-ton bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima -
Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
Nagasaki became the second populated area to be devastated by an atomic bomb, on August 9, 1945
Who:Maj. Gen. Charles W. Sweeney, who flew the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, the second atomic strike on Japan in the final days of World War II, died Friday at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston -
Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
What:Since 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the forces of the United States and her allies had been at war with Japan. The combined land, sea and air forces of the Allies fought back against Japan until only the Japanese homeland remained in Japanese control.
When:August 6, 1945
Where:Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
Why:In August 1945, during the final stage of the Second World War, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history. -
Battle of Midway
naval battle of World War II (June 1942); American planes based on land and on carriers decisively defeated a Japanese fleet on its way to invade the Midway Islands.
Who:The Battle of Midway, fought in World War II, took place on June 5, 1942 (June 4-June 7 in US time zones). The United States Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll, marking a turning point in the war in the Pacific theatre. -
Battle of Midway
What:Between 4 and 7 June 1942, only six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, the United States Navy under Admirals Chester Nimitz, Frank Jack Fletcher, and Raymond A. Spruance decisively defeated an attacking fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy under Admirals -
Battle of Midway
When:June 4, 1942 – June 7, 1942
Where:Between 4 and 7 June 1942, only six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, the United States Navy under Admirals Chester Nimitz, Frank Jack Fletcher, and Raymond A. Spruance decisively defeated an attacking fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy under Admirals Isorok -
Battle of Midway
Why:The Importance of the Battle of Midway. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War. Before the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7-8 May 1942, the Imperial Navy of Japan had swept aside all of its enemies from the Pacific and Indian oceans.
