War in the Pacific (1942-1945)

The War in the Pacific started in the six months after Pearl Harbor was attacked, where Japan overran Hong Kong, French Indonesia, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, much of China, Dutch East Indies, Guam, Wake Island, and the Soloman Islands. They first encountered major resistance in the Phillipines, where 80,000 U.S. and Filipino soldiers were led by General Douglas MacArthur. In April 18th, 1942 the Allies began to turn the side on Japan, where Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle led 16 bombers in the attack on Tokyo. One month after Doolittle's raid on Tokyo, there was a 5 day battle in the Coral Sea, where the Allies succeeded in stopping the Japanese advance towards Australia. In June 3, 1942, Chester Nimitz led the Allies to victory in a major turning point in the war in The Battle of Midway by winning back island by island, moving closer to Japan. After this turn of events, the Allies went on the offensive in August 1942 where 19,000 troops stormed Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands which marked Japan's first defeat on land. Two years later in October 1944, 178,000 Allied troops and 738 ships converged to Leyte Island in the Philippines with General MacArthur who announced “People of the Philippines: I have returned”. After these battles, the Japanese went entirely on the defensive in the Battle of Leyte Gulf where Japan lost 3 battleships, 4 aircraft carries, 13 cruisers, and almost 500 planes in three days. o After retaking much of the Philippines and liberating American prisoners, Allies turned to Iwo Jima where only 200 Japanese soldiers survived out of 20,700. Afer Iwo Jima, only Okinawa stood between the U.S. and Japan, so the Allies invaded it in April 1945, where fighting lasted until June 21, 1945. Over 7,600 U.S. soldiers died, while 110,000 Japanese soldiers died. The War in the Pacific was finally ended on August 6, 1945 where the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima as Emperor Hrohito was horrified by the destruction and accepted defeat.

By Zack and Mina