-
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Hideki Tojo, the japanese prime minister, gae up on keeping peace and made the decision to deliver a surprise attack on the U.S. Japan's navy sailed for Pearl Harbor which was the U.S. navy's main naval base in the Pacific. The Japanese's goal was to prevent the Americans from having a strong resistance so the Japanese could continue their desire to expand. The bombing destroyed 160 aircrafts leaving the U.S. battleship fleet disabled long enough for the Japanese to access natural resources. -
Japanese take the Philipines
The Japanese destroyed U.S. fighter planes leaving MacArthur struggling to hold out. They wanted to take Guam, Wake Island, and Hong Kong. MacArthur had his forces ready to repel the invasion but he miscalculated their strength. He was forced to retreat and fell back to the Bataan Peninsula. Others were trapped in Corregidor suffering from the lack of military and medical supplies. -
The Doolitttle Raid
As an act of retaliation, American military leaders created a bombing raid to be perfomed at night. The bomb would be released from the USS Hornet, however, it was soon detected. The carrier had been 800 miles from mainland. Instead of waitind till night, Dolittle led 16 B-25 bombers to Tokyo. The raid resulted in 50 Japnaese people killed and damaged 100 buildings. The attack boosted American morale and was a small military gain. -
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Japanese planned to overtake Port Moresby in New Guinea which allowed them to protect their military bases in Rabaul. The Americans, predicting the attack, moved to intercept the Japanese's plan. The USS Lexington and USS Yorktown were sent to counter the attack but none of the American or Japanese fleet fought or saw each other. The battle focused on combat between their airplanes.The battle was a draw but it is considered a victory for the U.S. because the Japanese were forced to leave. -
Battle of Midway
Seeking to destroy the American aircraft carriers, Yamamoto turned his attention to Midway. The American base in the Pacific was vital to defending Hawaii.Chester Nimitz learned of thses plans and sent aircraft carriers on their way to defend them. It became the most imprtant naval battle of WWII and the Americans only lost one aircraft carrier. It was the turning point in the Pacific and ended the Japanese's advance. -
Battle at Iwo Jima
One of the fiercest battles of the island hopping campaign. Started in February and lasted until March and consisted of 36 days of fighting. Americans were able to take the island. It was 5 miles long and only 650 miles from Tokyo. More than 23,000 Men died in the battle. -
Battle in Okinawa
Americans fought for Okinawa because it contained a vital airbase important to invade Japan. It was the most complex and costly base to take in the whole Pacic theater. It involved half a million troops and 1,213 warships. There were 50,000 casualties. Americans overtook the base, allowing them to bomb Japanese home islands. This left Japan defenseless because they were short on pilots and aircrafts, and fuel and ammunition. -
Hiroshima
U.S. Pilots drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. It exploded at 9:14 A.M. Within two minutes, 60,000 of the residents were killed or missing. The smaller atomic bomb called little boy had been dopped on the city. Japanese leaders debated on whether to surrender over the next three days. Another bomb was soon dropped on a different place. -
Nagasaki
an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki called big boy. The Soviet Union also Declared war on them and then invaded Manchuria. The bomb killed 35,000 residents. Japanese officials still debated about surrendering but soon gave in. The bomb destroyed great amounts of land and made it uninhabitable. -
Japan Surrenders
After much debate, Hirohito surrenders. The allies celebrate V-J day on August 15, 1945. It was the end of a long and costly war ending in 60,000,000 dead. Japan did not get split up between the allies like Germany. The home islands were under American occupation force.
