Overview and Names of the War
– The Pacific War was fought in eastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania.
– It was the largest theater of World War II, including the Pacific Ocean theater, the South West Pacific theater, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the Soviet-Japanese War.
– The war began on December 7, 1941, with the Japanese attack on American military bases and invasions of Thailand and British colonies.
– The Allies used an island hopping strategy to gradually drive back the Japanese.
– The war included major naval battles, massive Allied air raids, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
– In Allied countries, the Pacific War was often referred to as World War II or the War against Japan.
– In the United States, it was commonly known as the Pacific Theater.
– Japan called it the Greater East Asia War, involving Asian nations achieving independence from Western powers.
– The war became officially known as the Pacific War in Japan.
– It is also referred to as the Fifteen Years War, covering the period from 1931 to 1945.
Participants
– The major Allied participants were China, the United States, and the British Empire.
– China had been at war with Japan since 1937.
– The US and its territories entered the war after being attacked by Japan.
– The British Empire contributed troops from various colonies.
– The Dutch government-in-exile and resistance groups in Asia were also involved.
Theaters and Historical Background
– The Pacific War had four main areas of conflict: China, the Central Pacific, South-East Asia, and the South West Pacific.
– The Allies divided operational control between Pacific Ocean Areas and Southwest Pacific Area.
– The Imperial Japanese Navy did not have permanent theater commands.
– The Imperial Japanese Army created the Southern Expeditionary Army Group to oversee its conquests in South East Asia.
– The China Burma India Theater was also part of the war, but not an operational command.
– The conflict between China and Japan had been ongoing since 1937.
– The war officially began on December 7, 1941, with the Japanese attack on American bases and invasions of Southeast Asia.
– Japan had been involved in the Second Sino-Japanese War since 1931.
– The Pacific War saw the Allies gradually pushing back the Japanese through island hopping.
– Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, and was occupied by the Allies.
Second Sino-Japanese War and Japanese Military Victories
– Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, seeking raw materials for its industrial economy.
– The Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937 led to full-scale war between China and Japan.
– The Nationalist Party and Chinese Communists formed an alliance against Japan.
– Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek deployed his best army to fight Japanese troops in Shanghai.
– Japanese captured Nanjing in December 1937 and conducted the Nanjing Massacre.
– Japanese forces pushed Chinese forces back, capturing Xuzhou and Wuhan.
– Japan achieved major military victories, but faced condemnation from world opinion.
– Japanese forces were defeated in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol by Soviet and Mongolian forces.
– Japan invaded French Indochina and signed a military alliance with Germany and Italy.
– Japanese strategic bombing campaigns devastated Chinese cities, resulting in high civilian casualties.
Japanese Preparations, Offensives, and Threat to Australia
– Japanese military strategists considered the Dutch East Indies important for their oil reserves.
– Western powers imposed embargoes on Japan, viewed as acts of aggression.
– Japanese media referred to the embargoes as the ABCD line (American-British-Chinese-Dutch).
– Japan planned for a war with the Western powers to seize economic resources.
– Japan aimed to take the Philippines, Wake, Guam, and establish a defensive perimeter.
– Japanese Imperial General Headquarters planned for a war with the Western powers.
– Japan increased its naval budget and put large formations of the Army under navy command.
– Japan’s key objective was to seize economic resources in the Dutch East Indies and Malaya.
– Japanese planning involved a limited war strategy with a defensive perimeter.
– Operational phases included seizing key objectives and expanding into the South Pacific.
– Japanese launched surprise attacks on the United States and the British Empire in December 1941.
– Japan expected the UK and the Soviet Union to be unable to effectively respond due to threats from Germany.
– Japanese leadership recognized a total military victory against the US was impossible.
– Japanese offensives aimed to negotiate for peace after initial victories and establish Japanese hegemony in Asia.
– The attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in significant damage to the US Pacific Fleet and led to a declaration of war against Japan.
– Australia faced a threat from Japanese forces, with attacks and occupation of territories.
– Australian forces were ill-prepared for an attack and called for American support.
– Around 22,000 Australians were captured by the Japanese during the war, with 8,000 dying as prisoners of war.
– The Japanese established a major base in the Australian Territory of New Guinea.
– Allied forces regrouped and resistance began to stiffen.
– The Coral Sea battle resulted in the loss of three Japanese carriers and impacted their plans for further operations. Source URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_War
