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War At Sea
The Japanese Advance 1941-1942
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked several other strategic island nations in the Pacific in an attempt to expand their empire. During this early phase of the war, the Japanese were largely successful in these attacks. In fact, they rarely encountered resistance until their ground attack on the US territory of the Philippines.
Map of the Japanese Empire, 1942 and 1945. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web. 28 July 2014.
Philippines Fall
Japan attacked the main U.S. air base in the Philippines, Clark Field, hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. One-half of General Douglas MacArthur's airforce was destroyed here (MacArthur was the Supreme Allied Commander in the Pacific). When Japanese forces landed in the Philippines a few days later, U.S. forces were weak, undersupplied, and had received word that additional help would not be arriving. MacArthur withdrew his troops to the Bataan Peninsula to set up defenses.
In March 1942, after four months of bravely holding out, FDR realized the situation for American troops was hopeless and ordered MacArthur to escape to Australia. MacArthur reluctantly left his soldiers to command the rest of the Pacific campaign promising, "I shall return."
Bataan Death March
After running low on ammunition and food, over 11,000 Americans and Filipinos surrendered to the Japanese enemy on May 6, 1942. As the Bataan Peninsula fell, prisoners were divided into groups of 500 to 1,000 to march 60 miles to a railroad to be shipped to prison camps. 76,000 American and Filipinos became prisoners of war.
American Army, Philippines Surrenders to the Japanese. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web. 28 July 2014.
Already weakened by weeks without enough food or medicine, many prisoners could not keep up on the 60 miles walk and were executed by the guards. 10,000 prisoners died during the 6 to 12 day march known as the Bataan Death March.
Prisoners during infamous Bataan Death March. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web. 28 July 2014.
After the war, several Japanese leaders were executed for these and other war crimes at the International Military Tribunal. (The Nuremburg Trials, which found some of the Nazis responsible for the Holocaust guilty, were a part of the International Military Tribunal. You will learn more about the Tribunal in Lesson 8.04). Hideki Tojo, who later became prime minister of Japan, was also executed for war crimes.
The Early War in the Pacific
By the time Truman became president in 1945, Allied forces were winning the war in the Pacific. Allies prevented a Japanese invasion of Australia in the Battle of the Coral Sea and gradually captured or recaptured various islands all the way to Japan.
War at Sea
The United States had been knocked down, so to speak, at Pearl Harbor and would remain on the defensive until we could get back on our feet. In other words, when one suffers a crippling blow, especially one that is unexpected, it is not easy to immediately come back swinging.
After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. would face several months of simply trying to defend ourselves from more damage. On the other hand, Japanese forces remained on the offensive and spread across the Pacific. The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first naval combat carried out entirely by aircraft. Both sides lost one-half of their aircraft.
The goal was to eventually stop the Japanese forces from being the aggressor, remove them from the territories they had taken, and push them back toward Japan. Two critical battles would get us closer to these goals.
World War II, Pacific War Map | Public domain
The Tide is Turned
The Battle of Midway erupted on June 4, 1942 and is considered the turning point of the war in the Pacific. It was fought entirely from the air. Japanese General Yamamoto committed a large part of Japan's navy to the battle hoping to destroy American forces once and for all. Yet, the U.S. won the critical turning point.
Yorktown receives a direct hit. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web. 28 July 2014.
Six months after Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway marked a major turning point in the war.
Japanese cruiser on fire during the Battle of Midway. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web. 28 July 2014.
Battle of Guadalcanal
The Battle of Guadalcanal started in August 1942. It was the first jungle warfare for American Marines in World War II. 11,000 marines landed on Guadalcanal to capture the island. After months of fighting, the Japanese retreated from the island without being detected.
American Guadalcanal Land Offensive, August 1942. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web. 28 July 2014.
Island-Hopping in the Pacific
American forces regrouped and began to go on the offensive; a new phase of the war began. An island-hopping campaign was employed by MacArthur and Nimitz in the Pacific in 1943 and 1944 from Australia across the central Pacific. Island-hopping was a strategy of selectively attacking or bypassing specific islands held by the enemy. The campaign included the Solomon Islands, Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, and Mariana Islands. Bombing raids on Japanese cities could now be conducted from bases on islands, like Tarawa, captured during the island-hopping campaign. The campaign proved to be a success, but at a high cost.
Some of the highest casualties reported during the Pacific conflict occurred during this last phase. Although the Americans suffered greatly, the Japanese suffered more, thus paving the way for an Allied victory in the Pacific.
Marine wounded during the recapture of Guam. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web. 28 July 2014.
MacArthur Returns to the Philippines
As forces pushed closer to Japan, the brutality of the war became more evident largely due to the Japanese belief that surrender would mean dishonor. This belief inspired the Japanese to fight to the last man, and in so doing, inflicted thousands of casualties. As he promised, MacArthur returned during the Philippines Campaign, leading 160,000 troops to recapture the Philippines. 80,000 Japanese were killed with only 1,000 left to surrender. An additional 100,000 civilians were also killed in the Philippines.
MacArthur going ashore at Leyte Gulf. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web. 28 July 2014.
Japanese Kamikaze Pilots
Kamikazes, or suicide planes heavily loaded with bombs that would crash into its targets, were used for the first time during the Philippines Campaign. Japanese kamikaze pilots flew their planes into ships as a tactic intended to halt the U.S. advance.
A Kamikaze Attack. IRC, 2005. Image. Di Education. Web. 28 July 2014.
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