PACIFIC THEATRE:

PACIFIC THEATER OF WORLD WAR II

World War II was unique in that it was a multi-theater war, and saw fighting occur in: Africa, Europe and
the Pacific. The European Theater and the Pacific Theater, in particular, saw some of the most intense
fighting of World War II and involved some of the most significant events of the war, including: the
Holocaust, the use of atomic weapons and end of famous dictators. The war in the Pacific saw the Allied
power of the United States face off against the Axis power of Japan.
World War II as a whole began on September 1st, 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. The war in
Europe began at this point and unfolded as a series of major events and battles. However, the war in the
Pacific did not begin until 1941 when the Empire of Japan surprise attacked the United States at Pearl
Harbor. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the American fleet at the Hawaii naval base of Pearl
Harbor. While the attack was a surprise, it was intended to knock the United States out of World War II.
Instead, the attack created a resolve in the United States for victory as war was declared on Dec. 8, 1941
bringing the Americans into the conflict against Japan and its ally, Germany. American President Franklin
D. Roosevelt, famously declared the day of the attack as a "date which will live in infamy" in his speech
announcing the American arrival to World War II. As a result of the Pearl Harbor attack, American
soldiers would play a vital role in the war in the Pacific and major events in Europe, including: D-Day,
Battle of the Bulge and the Allied invasion of Italy.
After the Pearl Harbor attack the American quickly mobilized their aircraft carriers in the war in the
Pacific and used them to carry out their island-hopping strategy throughout the rest of the war
campaign. The next major conflict between the United States and Japan in the Pacific was the Battle of
Midway. The Battle of Midway occurred from June 3rd to the 7th in 1942 and was a major naval battle
fought between Japan and the United States near the Midway Atoll in the Northern Pacific Ocean. Just
as in its earlier attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan went into the Battle of Midway with the goal of destroying
the United States’ Pacific Fleet and removing the United States as a threat in the war in the Pacific. The
Japanese believed that they were going to carry out a surprise attack against the American Pacific Fleet
but instead the United States decoded the Japanese plans and ordered their own surprise attack against
the Japanese Imperial Navy. The effective American attack at Midway devastated the Japanese fleet in
the Pacific. Many historians now view the Battle of Midway as the turning point of the war because the
American victory was so decisive. Japan suffered huge losses and was ultimately unable to rebuild its
fleet to counter the United States as they pushed their way towards to Japanese home islands.
Regardless of the American victory at the Battle of Midway, the Japanese, who were led by Emperor
Hirohito, refused to surrender and carried out brutal warfare throughout the Pacific. Japan had a code
of ethics for soldiers that was called "bushido" which essentially meant death before dishonor. This
means that Japanese soldiers would fight to the death in honor of their emperor, country and family.
Japanese soldiers found it dishonorable to retreat or become prisoners of war and would instead be
known for charging American defensive lines in order to die. As such, the warfare and battles of the
Pacific Theater was brutal and the American strategy of island-hopping was slowed by a fearless
Japanese defenders.
After the Battle of Midway, American forces swept south to the Battle of Guadalcanal. The Battle of
Guadalcanal was a major conflict in the Pacific Theater of World War II and was fought between the
forces of Japan and the United States on the island of Guadalcanal, which is a small island in the South
Pacific just north of Australia. The battle took place from August 7th, 1942 to February 9th, 1943. The
battle was notable for the fierce fighting that occurred on the island and the importance of the airfield
that the Japanese built on the island. The United States hoped to take control over the island and use
the airfield to carry out air operations in the region. In the end, the battle was important because it was
a major victory for the United States and allowed the United States to begin the process of leapfrogging
throughout the South Pacific as they pushed the Japanese forces back to their homeland islands.
Next, American soldiers and naval forces moved north towards the Japanese home islands, where they
engaged Japanese forces in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major
battle of World War II in the Pacific and occurred from February 19th to March 26th, 1945. The battle
was an American amphibious invasion of the Japan-held island of Iwo Jima which was approximately 575
miles from the homeland islands of Japan. The United States wanted to take control over the island of
Iwo Jima, and its three airfields in hopes of using the island as a staging ground for the United States’
attack against mainland Japan. Despite the Japanese resistance, the United States was able to obtain
victory relatively quickly due to its overwhelming control over the air of Iwo Jima and due to its military
superiority on the island.
Today, the battle is remembered for several different reasons. First, it had some of the fiercest fighting
of World War II in the Pacific. For example, the United States suffered over 6,800 dead in the battle and
another 19,200 were wounded. However, of the original 23,000 Japanese defenders, approximately less
than 1000 were taken prisoner or wounded, meaning that the vast majority died in battle. The battle is
also remembered for the famous photograph of 6 American soldiers (5 marines and 1 navy corpsman)
raising the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi, the highest point on the island. The image has
become iconic and has been widely used in popular culture and for war memorials.
The Battle of Okinawa was a major battle between the United States and Japan during World War II and
is often considered to be the bloodiest battle in the Pacific Theater of World war II. The battle took place
from April 1st to June 22nd in 1945. Similar to the Battle of Iwo Jima, the United States’ plan was to
invade the island and use it as a staging ground for a larger assault on the homeland islands of Japan.
The Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest in the Pacific Theater of World War II and included the
largest amphibious assault of World War II in the Pacific. The Battle of Okinawa was a brutal battle for
both sides, and its outcome would come to play a major role in the United States’ decision to use the
atomic bombs to end World War II in the Pacific. For example, the Japanese defenders suffered over
75,000 casualties in the Battle of Okinawa while the United States suffered over 65,000 casualties and
14,000 dead. The number of casualties on both sides would convince American President Harry S.
Truman that a full-scale American assault of the Japanese home land islands would cause a massive
amount of American and Japanese casualties. Some historians now argue that this led to him being in
favor of the use of the atomic bombs to end the war.
To understand the creation of the atomic bombs you need to understand the Manhattan Project. The
Manhattan Project was the codename of the secret American program to create the first atomic weapon
during the end of World War II. The project was overseen by Robert Oppenheimer, an American
physicist who was the head of the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico where the first atomic bombs
were designed. Eventually, the Manhattan Project would lead the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in Japan, to end World War II.
The first ever test of an atomic weapon was codenamed “Trinity” and took place in the desert of New
Mexico near Los Alamos on July 16th, 1945. The site was chosen for its remote nature so as to limit an
impact on any civilians. At the Trinity Site, a platform was created in which a tower was constructed that
would hold the weapon component of the first atomic test. The device was called the “gadget” and
when exploded it was considered to be a full-scale atomic test. The explosion was equivalent to
approximately 20 kilotons of TnT. The United States had entered the atomic age and set the stage for the
end of World War II.
The first atomic bomb dropped on Japan was codenamed Little Boy and was detonated over the city of
Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. Hiroshima is a city on the largest island of Japan and had a population of
over 400,000 at the time of the atomic bombing. The atomic bomb was carried to its target by an
American B-29 bomber called the Enola Gay after United States President, Harry S. Truman, approved its
use against Japan. The bomber was named after the mother of the pilot who flew the B-29 in the
mission, Colonel Paul Tibbets. The Enola Gay had taken off from the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean
and flew for approximately 6 hours before it was over the city of Hiroshima at approximately 8:15am on
the morning of August 6th, 1945. The bomber moved across the skyline of Hiroshima and centered on
its target in the center of the city. It then dropped the Little Boy bomb which fell until it was just over
1900 feet above the city. The Little Boy bomb was detonated over the city to maximize its effect and to
prevent the shockwave of the bomb from losing its impact as it collided with the earth. The Enola Gay
had 43 seconds from the time of dropping the bomb to its detonation in order to escape the area and be
outside of the area of the explosion.
Immediately after the bombing, the United States called for the full and unconditional surrender of
Japan. However, the Japanese leadership delayed and did not respond to the American demands for
surrender and on August 9th, the United States carried out another atomic bombing against Japan in the
city of Nagasaki.
Japan’s surrender was announced on August 15th, and World War II in the Pacific was over. The formal
surrender of Japan would occur on September 2nd, 1945 aboard the United States battleship USS
Missouri. There, Japanese officials signed the official Instrument of Surrender.
The atomic bombing of Japan by the United States in 1945 is one of the most controversial events in all
of world history and many have argued both in favor of using the weapon and against using it in order to
end World War II. Regardless, the atomic bombing is a significant event for its role in ending World War
II and for the impact it would have on all future warfare.