1. Philippines (U.S. Possession)
Within hours of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan also attacked the Philippines, destroying nearly half of the US airplanes stationed there.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur
More than 75,000 US soldiers and Filipinos became prisoners of war as a result.
Bataan Death March- Forced to walk 60 miles to trains waiting to carry them to war camps, many of them died from injuries, sickness, and harsh treatment along the way.

3. Battle of Midway
Many of the US aircraft carriers were not at port during Pearl Harbor. This proved crucial while trying to turn the tide of the war in the Pacific.
Japan felt they must destroy the remainder of the Pacific Fleet in order to win the war.
Battle of Midway-June 1942 proved to be a turning point in the war. This time, it was Japan who failed to determine where ships where.
greatly boosted the morale of the Pacific fleet.
U.S. finally able to go on the offensive

5. Pacific War
The United States decided to advance on Japan from two directions.
The first path was across the central Pacific under Admiral Chester Nimitz.
The second from the south under General MacArthur and Admiral William Halsey & invasion of Philippines.
island hopping- Process in which the U.S. attacked and conquered one group of islands, then moved to the next on the way to japan.

6. Guadalcanal
first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater.
U.S. marines launched a surprise attack in August 1942 and took control of an air base under construction.
Reinforcements were funneled to the island as a series of land and sea clashes unfolded, and both sides endured heavy losses (14k us, 20k jap)
Japan withdraws in 1943

7. Iwo Jima
The American amphibious invasion of Iwo Jima during stemmed from the need for a base near the Japanese coast.
Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops, who fought from an elaborate network of caves, dugouts, tunnels and underground installations.
over after a month of fighting and the battle earned a place in American lore with the publication of a photograph showing the U.S. flag being raised in victory.
25k US, 18K Jap

8. Okinawa
Last and biggest of the Pacific island battles of World War II, the Okinawa campaign (April 1—June 22, 1945) involved 287,000 U.S. troops against 130,000 Japanese.
Why? air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan.
82-day campaign: Japan 77,000 soldiers, Allies had suffered more than 65,000 casualties—including 14,000 dead.