A Look At The War in the Pacific

Four days after the American declaration of war, Germany and Italy declared war against the United States. Suddenly, America went from being completely not involved, to suddenly becoming a part of two wars on opposite sides of the globe. The Allied forces appointed a British General, Sir Archibald Wavell to command forces in Southeast Asia, while General Douglas MacArthur took charge of the Southwest.

During the course of the war, Japanese forces launched 9,000 “balloon weapons” which were comprised of paper and rubberized-silk balloons. These contained small bombs (anti-personnel), that traveled by air to the U.S. Over 1,000 found their targets as some reached all the way to Michigan. The only victims were a family of six who were outside having a picnic in Oregon. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

One state which assisted Japan was the authoritarian leadership of Thailand. However, they soon realized the Japan was simply blackmailing them and trying to procure their territory. With this in mind, the U.S. has never declared Thailand an enemy. The logic being they were “forced” into certain actions due to Japanese pressure.

Japan, being a relatively small country, had to enlist the help of many soldiers from its colonies of Korea and Taiwan. In some cases, the Indian Burmese National Armies helped them out. They could have used more support from Italy and Germany, but both nations were busy in Europe. Only a small handful of Italian or German naval vessels ever found Pacific waters.

By late 1941, a major threat to the Allied forces had become the country of Australia. The Japanese had moved quickly into the Australian Territory of New Guinea, and most analysts saw Australia as the next stop. Fueling the fire for Japan was the fact that Australia had the vast majority of their forces stationed in the Mediterranean region, giving them less support in the Pacific.

Under the direction of President Roosevelt and General Douglas MacArthur, the U.S. developed a plan to protect Australia from the Japanese hassle. MacArthur transitioned from his current post in Philippines, down to Sydney. American forces stocked the shores of Australia, anticipating a Japanese raid at some point. In May of 1942, the enemy invaded, but was met by forces almost immediately, before any Allied ships could be destructed. Japan was still making headway elsewhere.

By the middle of 1942, the Japanese were controlling a huge portion of the Pacific, spanning from the Indian Ocean all the way east to the Central Pacific. The next stop appeared to be Port Moresby, on the island of Papua New Guinea. The resulting Battle of the Coral Sea was fought during May of 1942, in which the Japanese forces incurred extensive damage.

The picture above is from the assault on Gilbert Islands, in which American soldiers emerged from the coral waters of Yellow Beach. In contrast, the aforementioned Battle of the Coral Sea was fought solely by air. Thankfully, the Allied forces came out ahead, and Japan lacked the firepower to make a realistic play for Australia.

During all of the turmoil happening in the southern Pacific, many soldiers were stationed in Alaska. Here’s a picture from the inside of a bomber crew shack on Adak Island, where soldiers have covered the walls in pin-up girl “art.”

At the conclusion of the Battle of the Coral Sea, Japanese forces were down to 4 fleet carriers in operation, making the Battle of Midway problematic. In its aftermath, military historians have referred to the conflict as the most decisive blow in the history of naval warfare.

Most consider Midway the turning point in the Pacific War, as all 4 of Japan’s large aircraft carriers were destroyed, leaving them without the resources necessary to continue a strong attack. Additionally, the U.S. had successfully broken their main naval code, helping to get a jump on Japan’s points of attack.

Despite the major losses in Midway, Japan headed for New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, in hopes to recapture lost momentum. Allied forces, primarily the Second Australian Imperial Force which had just returned from service in the Mediterranean Sea, fought back and squashed Japan’s efforts.

This image, taken in July of 1944, shows U.S. Marines in full retreat after blowing up a Japanese foxhole on the island of Saipan. At the time, it was crucial for Japan to hold onto this island, but it was nearly impossible given the tremendous size of the American defense. The U.S. Fifth Fleet had 15 fleet carriers, nearly 1,000 aircraft, and nearly 100 other battleships and submarines.

The sky lit up and flakes filled the air as American antiaircraft missiles were launched. Even though the U.S. suffered a loss of 130 planes and 76 men during the ordeal, Japan’s losses nearly quadrupled that total, losing 450 planes and 445 aircrew. In other words, the Japanese Navy was effectively torn to shreds.