THE WAR BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE EMPIRE OF JAPAN, World War II in the Pacific Theatre

The Bataan Death March, April 1942 – Resulting in the loss of some 10,000 American and Filipino soldiers. The Japanese attacks against Pearl Harbor and a host of other American possessions – Wake Island, Midway Island, the Philippines, Guam – left the American military reeling. In the Philippines, Americans under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur settled in for a long siege. The initial battle against the Japanese would end in catastrophic defeat and capture at the hands of a ruthless, brutal foe.

The Bataan Death March

Bataan While most of the American soldiers involved in the Philippines retreated to the tiny island of Corregidor, those captured defending the Philippines were executed for transgressions as simple as marching out of line or falling down from fatigue.

General Douglas MacArthur

MacArthur, along with the lesser known Chester Nimitz, was the commander of United States forces in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. His most famous statements: “I Shall Return” – upon leaving the Philippine Islands when the Japanese occupied them in April, 1942, and “I Have Returned!” when the United States reclaimed the Philippine Islands. During the Korean War, MacArthur masterminded the Inchon landing, and led United Nations forces in preserving South Korean liberty.

The Doolittle Raids

The Doolittle Raids: April of 1942 Although the Doolittle raids did not devastate mainland Japan, they were a morale lifter for many Americans, who wanted to strike back against the fearful enemy which had so far seemed invincible. Doolittle and his men bombed Tokyo, but were forced to land in China. (They couldn’t make it back to the aircraft carrier on the limited fuel they had.) Sadly, eight of the men were captured and executed by the Japanese.

The Battle of the Coral Sea May, 1942 The Battle of the Coral Sea took place in May of Although it did not result in a decisive victory for either side, Americans were able to stop the rapid progress of the Japanese navy towards Australia. The battle was essentially a draw - both sides suffered heavy losses. But the United States was encouraged by the fact that our navy had finally stopped the rapid progress of the Japanese forces in the Pacific, and confidence grew.

The Battle of the Coral Sea

Midway

Midway Island Midway Island, which was purchased in 1867 by William Seward, was little more than a port for refueling and resupplying trade vessels. During World War II, it became an airstrip and a supply depot. It was bombarded by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, and targeted by the Japanese (along with several Aleutian Islands – an archipelago of islands off the coast of Alaska) for attack.

The Battle of Midway Island Midway is considered THE TURNING POINT IN THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC and resulted in the losses of four Japanese aircraft carriers (out of six in the entire Japanese Imperial Navy.) The American ship Yorktown, which was heavily damaged at Coral Sea, was ultimately downed during the battle as well. RIGHT: Japanese Carrier Akagi

The Battle of the Coral Sea, May of 1942 Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February1943 Major Battles Between the US and Japan

Island Hopping The strategy devised by General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz in order to fight against the Japanese Imperial military. The idea was to fight the Japanese at their weakest positions – to take over the islands which were only modestly defended. Then, by establishing ports and airstrips on the islands, the United States would be able to launch attacks on more significant islands closer to the Japanese mainland.

The Code Talkers

Native American soldiers during World War II were charged with the task of creating a secret code to relay messages using their own languages. The Navajo would use their own languages words to signify specific letters – for example, the Navajo word for “apple” would be the letter “A”. The code was never broken – no one in Japan spoke the Navajo tongue, and no captured Navajo soldiers would submit to the Japanese.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf This battle in the Philippines was the largest naval battle in world history at the time. Approximately 280 naval vessels participated in the battle between United States and Japanese forces. At the end of the conflict, Americans controlled the major port of the Philippines, and the Japanese Navy was crippled.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf