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The Fall of the Philippines
Japanese attacked American airfields in the Philippines. Two days later, they landed troops. The American and Filipino forces defending the Philippines were badly outnumbered. -
The Battle of the Coral Sea
carriers from both sides launched all-out airstrikes against each other. Although the Japanese sank the Lexington and badly damaged the Yorktown, the American attacks prevented the Japanese from landing on New Guinea’s south coast and kept the supply lines to Australia open. -
MacArthur Returns
invading Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, east of New Guinea -
Bataan Peninsula finally surrendered.
Nearly 78,000 prisoners of war were forced to march sick, exhausted, and starving, 65 miles (105 km) to a Japanese prison camp. Almost 10,000 troops died on this march -
The Doolittle Raid on Tokyo
The famed “Doolittle Raid” by 16 medium-sized aircraft under Lieutenant Colonel James “Jimmy” Doolittle had bombed Tokyo -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war. The Japanese navy lost four large carriers—the heart of its fleet. Just six months after Pearl Harbor, the United States had stopped the Japanese advance. The victory was not without cost, however. The battle killed 362 Americans and 3,057 Japanese. -
Driving Back Japan
The Pacific Fleet, commanded by Admiral Nimitz, would advance through the central Pacific using a strategy called "island hopping." In "island hopping", the fleet would bypass heavily defended or strategically unimportant islands. Instead, they would focus on lightly defended but strategically useful islands, and use them as forward bases to bring them closer and closer to Japan. -
MacArthur’s speach
MacArthur’s troops landed on Leyte and were soon joined by the general himself, who strode ashore through the surf and delivered his famous radio address from the beach. -
the battle of Leyte Gulf
the largest naval battle in history, securing Allied dominance in the Pacific. The U.S. defeated Japan's Navy, marking a turning point in World War II. -
MacArthur’s troops capture Manila
The battle left the city in ruins and more than 100,000 Filipino civilians dead. The remaining Japanese retreated into the rugged terrain north of Manila; they were still fighting when word came that Japan had surrendered.