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Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
December 1941 -
Japanese fighter planes attacked the US naval base, Pearl Harbor, destroying many vessels and killing many Americans. This caused America to have a reason to join the war which was bad for the Axis powers. -
Doolittle Raid
April 1942 -
Allies needed to start pushing against Japan before they were attacked again so they raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities. They also bombed their cities. This was a turning point for Japan as their spirits were gone, but America's spirits were up. -
Battle of Coral Sea
May 1942 -
The Americans and Australians stopped the Japanese from going toward Australia. Most of the fighting was done by airplanes and no shots were fired from ships. This was important because from the first time since Pearl Harbor, the Japanese were stopped. -
Battle of Guadalcanal
August 1942 - February 1943
19,000 troops stormed Guadalcanal in the Allies first offensive battle. The Japanese abandoned it 6 months later and called it the Island of Death. This was Japan's first defeat on land. -
Battle of Midway
June 1942 -
Allies stopped Japanese again by decoding their message. Japan's plan was to attack the strategic island of Midway. They stopped and destroyed many of Japan's planes before they reached Midway. This was a turning point in the war because they started to be on the offensive side and not the defensive side. -
Start of the Kamikaze
October 1944 -
Kamikaze, also called the suicide-plane, was an attack where Japanese pilots crashed their planes into Allied ships. They sunk 16 ships and damaged 80. American's viewed these attacks as a mix of respect and pity. This showed Japans devotion to the war and their country. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
February - March 1945 -
Iwo Jima was one of the most heavily defended spot with many troops in the caves. 6,000 marines died trying to take the island and only 200 Japanese survived as US tried to take it over. It was important because there were two important Japanese airfields on that island. -
Start of the Manhattan Project
July 1945 -
President Truman made plans to drop two atomic bombs on Japan. US warned Japan that if they didn't surrender there would be prompt and utter destruction. These were not supposed to be used but they were used in the end and caused a lot of destruction. 600,000 Americans knew about it but Truman didn't know until he became president. -
Bombing of Nagasaki
August 1945 -
The second bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, leveling half of it. 200,000 people died from a result of injuries and radiation. Japan decided they needed to surrender. -
Battle of Okinawa
April 1945 -
Also named Operation Iceberg, was a major battle between US and Japan. It was one of the bloodiest battles in the war. The allies plan was to invade and occupy the Ryukyu Islands. There were 1,900 kamikaze attacks. This was the battle that the US imagined the invasion of Japan islands would be like. -
Japan Surrenders
September 1945 -
The Emperor couldn't be in the war any longer while his people were dying, so he formally surrendered on a US battleship. This was a great fall for Germany and started their downfall. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
August 1945 -
A bomb called Little Boy was dropped over a military center of Japan. Hiroshima was destroyed in 43 seconds. Japan leaders still didn't want to surrender.
