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Decisive Battles of the Pacific Strategy

8/24/2022

1 Comment

 
by Trevor Hackbardt
Picture
The Pacific Theater consisted of a series of land and sea battles between the United States and the Japanese Empire, often referred to as the "island hopping" campaign. The US did not become directly involved in the war until almost two years after the war had started in September of 1939. However, the Japanese bombing of  Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, changed the course of the US' action and history. 
The attack on Pearl Harbor surprised the US in most respects. The US had not yet involved itself in wartime affairs and had not provoked the Japanese government with any immediate military threats. The Japanese rationale for the attack was due to the country's economic problems and lack of oil, to be more specific. The idea was to attack Pearl Harbor because the biggest threat to the Japanese's plan to obtain more oil was the US Carrier force which was supposed to be in the harbor the day of the attack. Upon arrival, the Japanese bombarded the harbor destroying two battleships and crippling another 12 ships. The issue was none of the US aircraft carriers were in port that day. The three aircraft carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were out to sea on maneuvers. This attack was a pivotal point factor in World War 2 as shortly after, the US declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941. 
The Battle of Wake Island is the first of the critical battles during the Pacific Theater after the US had declared war on Japan. Beginning immediately after Pearl Harbor until December 23, 1941, Wake Island became a crucial moment in the war because of its effect on the American people. The attack on Pearl Harbor was still fresh in everyone's minds, and the people needed something to lift their spirits. On December 11, a small group of marines repelled a Japanese amphibious assault on Wake Island, sinking two Japanese warships. This small victory sparked a fire in the heart of the American public, who desperately needed any form of good news. A quote from Commandant Thomas Holcomb sums up the weight of the victory quite well, "Wake Island began the war magnificently for the Marine Corps, and America found that the old soldierly virtues are still embodied in its fighting men. . . . Out of such actions as this a people's strength and ultimate victory must come. America remembers Wake Island and is proud. The enemy remembers Wake Island and is uneasy."
The Battle of Midway is arguably the most important of all the battles fought during the Pacific Theater because it was such a strong turning point for the United States. Midway was an island that sat approximately mid-way between the US and Japan, hence the name. Preventing Japan from taking Midway was of utmost importance because whoever controlled Midway controlled the Pacific. After multiple days of exchanging attacks between the two nations' fleets surrounding the island, the Japanese had retreated, losing four carriers, the Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu. This US victory paved the way to shrinking the Japanese influence in the Pacific. 
The Guadalcanal Campaign emphasized the end of Japanese influence over the Pacific. Over the next six months, from August 7, 1942, to February 9, 1943, the US would perform a series of skirmishes on Guadalcanal. The success at Guadalcanal made clear that the Japanese offensive campaign was no longer and that they were on the back foot for the remainder of the war. This campaign was the moment that began the road to turning the tide.
The Battle of Iwo Jima proved to be the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history, coming out to 24,053 casualties for the US and about 22,000 Japanese casualties. It had only taken 36 days to reach these numbers before the Japanese lost the island. Claiming Iwo Jima significantly accelerated the pace of the war. Immediately following Iwo Jima was the Battle of Okinawa. Okinawa was practically the doorstep of Japan as it served as an airbase for the allied bombers to strike Japan. It would later serve as the platform for the atomic bombs, forcing Japan to surrender. 


Sources 
https://www.nps.gov/perl/learn/historyculture/pacific-battles.htm


https://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/US/US34-00.html


The National WW2 Museum. "Remembering Pearl Harbor A Pearl Harbor Fact Sheet." www.nationalww2museum.org, https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/pearl-harbor-fact-sheet-1.pdf.


1 Comment
Dennis Goodrich
3/8/2023 07:56:47 am

This is certainly a brief listing! I have read a lot about the Pacific war and I would observe that it is unfortunate for you to not mention the Battle of the Coral Sea. If not for the Japanese losses during this battle the upcoming Battle of Midway might have gone the other way. Coral Sea was just as important as Midway.

Reply



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  • Home
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      • Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Background of Biochemical Warfare Development
        • Imperial Japan's Chemical Warfare Development Program
        • Map of Unit 731
        • Personnel of Unit 731
        • Duties of Unit 731
        • Human Experimentation
        • [GRAPHIC] Germ Warfare Attacks
        • Cover Ups After the War
        • [OLD] Cover Ups After the War
      • Philippines' Resistance - Guide >
        • Philippines World War II Timeline
        • The Japanese Invasion & Conquest of the Philippines
        • Bataan Death March
        • Formation of Underground Philippines Resistance
        • Supplies of the Guerrilla Fighters
        • The Hukbalahap
        • Hunter's ROTC
        • Marking's Guerrillas
        • United States Army Forces in the Philippines of Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL)
        • The Aetas
        • Chinese and Filipino-Chinese Nationalist Guerrilla Units
        • The Female Faces of the Philippine Guerrillas
      • Rising Sun Flag - Guide >
        • History of the Rising Sun Flag
        • Atrocities Committed Under the Flag
        • Rising Sun Flag in Pop Culture
      • Pinay Guerrilleras - Guide >
        • Japanese Occupation of the Philippine Islands: Pinays Answering the Call to Arms
        • The Fierce Heneralas and Kumanders of the Hukbalahap Guerrillas
        • Amazons of the Pacific Theater
        • Filipina American Veterans: Recovering the Extraordinary Feats of the Ordinary Pinays
        • The Legacy of the Asian Women Soldier
      • Fall of Singapore - Guide >
        • Singapore World War II Timeline
        • History of World War II in the Pacific
        • History of Singapore
        • Japan's Conquest in Asia
        • Japan's Invasion of the Malay Peninsula
        • Sook Ching Massacre
        • Double Tenth Incident
        • Social Changes and Challenges in Singapore
        • Voices from Syonan
        • Return to British Rule
      • Three Years and Eight Months - Guide >
        • Hong Kong before WW2
        • Buildup to World War 2
        • The Battle of Hong Kong
        • Life during 3 Years and 8 Months
        • East River Column Guerrilla Fighters
        • Prisoners of War Camps
        • End of Japanese Occupation
        • War Crimes Trials
      • Siamese Sovereignty - Guide >
        • The Land of Smiles
        • The Thai-Japanese Relationship
        • Phibun’s Domestic and International Policies
        • The Free Thai Resistance Movement
        • Post WW2 Aftermath of Thailand
      • The Khabarovsk War Crimes Trial - Guide >
        • Defendants of Khabarovsk War Crime
        • The Japanese Empire and USSR in WW2
        • The Employment of the Bacteriological Weapon in the War
        • Planning of Japan invasion to USSR
      • Unit 731 Cover-up : The Operation Paperclip of the East - Guide >
        • Establishing Manchukuo
        • The Development of Unit 731
        • Plan Kantokuen and Bacteriological Warfare
        • The Downfall of the Japanese WW2 Era
        • Three Stages of Interrogations
        • Lasting Impacts
      • Marutas of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • How did Ishii Shiro start unit 731?
        • A Beta Testing Site
        • Establishing Pingfan
        • Experiences at the Human Experimentation Complex
        • Vivisection at the Unit 731
        • Anta Testing Grounds
        • Overall Advance from the Laboratory Creations
        • The End of the War
      • Prince Konoe Memoir - Guide >
        • Who is Prince Konoe?
        • Preparation to Tripartite Pact
        • Emperor Hirohito and Prince Konoe
        • The End of Prince Konoe
      • Competing Empires in Burma - Guide >
        • What was the China-Burma-India Theater?
        • When did the China-Burma-India Theater Happen?
        • Who Fought in the China-Burma-India Theater?
        • The Second Sino Japanese War
        • Japan in the South
        • Operation U-Go
      • Battle of Shanghai - Guide >
        • The Battle of Shanghai. Background
        • Shanghai Before War
        • The First Battle of Shanghai 1932
        • Battle of Shanghai 1937
        • Aftermath of Battle for Shanghai
      • Ishi Shiro - Guide >
        • History of Biological Weapons and The Young Ishii Shiro
        • Establishment in Manchuria
        • Pingfang District - Harbin
        • Failures and Corruption
        • Post War
      • Taiwan The Israel of the East - Guide >
        • Background of Formosa
        • Industrialization of Japan
        • China During WWII
        • Taiwan under Kuomintang
        • New Taiwanese National Identity
      • Seeking Justice for Biological Warfare Victims of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Introduction of Wang Xuan
        • Colonel Memorandum
        • The Beginning of Biological Warfare
        • The Bacteriological Warfare on China
        • Victims in Zhejiang’s Testimonies
        • After the War
      • Rice and Revolution - Guide >
        • The French Colonial Period
        • Anti-Colonial Resistance
        • The Rise of the Communist Movement
        • Imperial Japan’s Entry into Indochina
        • The Portents of Famine
        • The Famine (1944-45)
        • Legacy of the 1944-45 Vietnam Famine
      • Clash of Empires - Guide >
        • Japan’s Imperialist Origins
        • Japan’s Competition against the West: Nanshin-ron and Hokushin-ron
        • Japanese Imperialism Through the Lens of French Indochina
        • The U.S.-Japan Relations and the Pearl Harbor Attack
      • Hunger for Power and Self-SufficiencyI - Guide >
        • The Influence of War Rations on Post-War Culinary Transformations
        • How World War II Complicated Food Scarcity and Invention
        • American Military Innovations
        • Government-Sponsored Food Inventions in Europe during World War II
        • Feeding the Army: The Adaptation of Japanese Military Cuisine and Its Impact on the Philippines
        • Mixed Dishes: Culinary Innovations Driven by Necessity and Food Scarcity
    • Lesson Plans >
      • Reparations
      • Ethics in Science
      • Writing the Narrative of a Pinay Fighter
      • Privilege Journal
      • Environmental Injustices
      • Female Guerrillas
      • Hunter's ROTC
      • Scientific Advancements
      • Seeking Justice: A Humanities Lesson Plan
      • The Hukbalahap
      • Trading Immunity
      • Bataan Death March
      • Biochemical Warfare Development
Contribute