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Pacific Island World War 2 carnage.

The war for supremacy in the Pacific Ocean from 1941 to 1945 for Japan and the United States of America became the main arena of military action during the Second World War.

Prerequisites for the war

In the 1920-30s, geopolitical and economic contradictions grew in the Pacific region between the growing power of Japan and the leading Western powers - the USA, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, which had their own colonies and naval bases there (the USA controlled the Philippines, France owned Indochina, Great Britain - Burma and Malaya, the Netherlands - Indonesia). The states controlling this region had access to vast natural resources and sales markets. Japan felt left out: its goods were being squeezed out of Asian markets, and international treaties imposed serious restrictions on the development of the Japanese fleet. Nationalist sentiments grew in the country, and the economy was transferred to mobilization tracks. The course towards establishing a “new order in East Asia” and creating a “great East Asian sphere of shared prosperity” was openly proclaimed.

Even before the outbreak of World War II, Japan turned its efforts to China. In 1932, the puppet state of Manchukuo was created in occupied Manchuria. And in 1937, as a result of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the northern and central parts of China were captured. The impending war in Europe constrained the forces of Western states, which limited themselves to verbal condemnation of these actions and the severance of some economic ties.

With the outbreak of World War II, Japan announced a policy of “non-participation in the conflict,” but already in 1940, after the stunning successes of German troops in Europe, it concluded the “Tripartite Pact” with Germany and Italy. And in 1941, a non-aggression pact was signed with the USSR. Thus, it became obvious that Japanese expansion was planned not to the west, towards the Soviet Union and Mongolia, but to the south - Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

In 1941, the US government extended the Lend-Lease Act to the Chinese government of Chiang Kai-shek opposing Japan and began supplying arms. In addition, Japanese banking assets were seized and economic sanctions were strengthened. Nevertheless, American-Japanese consultations took place almost throughout 1941, and even a meeting was planned between US President Franklin Roosevelt and Japanese Prime Minister Konoe, and later with General Tojo, who replaced him. Western countries Until recently, the power of the Japanese army was underestimated, and many politicians simply did not believe in the possibility of war.

Successes of Japan at the beginning of the war (late 1941 - mid-1942)

Japan experienced a serious shortage of resources, primarily oil and metal reserves; her government understood that success in the impending war could only be achieved if it acted quickly and decisively, without prolonging the military campaign. In the summer of 1941, Japan imposed the Treaty on the Joint Defense of Indochina on the collaborationist French government of Vichy and occupied these territories without a fight.

November 26 Japanese fleet under the command of Admiral Yamamoto went to sea, and on December 7, 1941, attacked the largest American naval base, Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. The attack was sudden, and the enemy was almost unable to offer resistance. As a result, about 80% of American ships were disabled (including all existing battleships) and about 300 aircraft were destroyed. The consequences could have been even more catastrophic for the United States if, at the time of the attack, their aircraft carriers had not been at sea and, thanks to this, had not survived. A few days later, the Japanese were able to sink two of the largest British warships, and for some time secured dominance over the Pacific sea lanes.

In parallel with the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese troops landed in Hong Kong and the Philippines, and ground troops launched an offensive on the Malay Peninsula. At the same time, Siam (Thailand), under the threat of occupation, entered into a military alliance with Japan.

By the end of 1941, British Hong Kong and an American military base on the island of Guam were captured. In early 1942, General Yamashita's troops made a surprise march through the Malayan jungle, captured the Malay Peninsula and stormed British Singapore, capturing about 80,000 people. About 70,000 Americans were captured in the Philippines, and the commander of the American troops, General MacArthur, was forced to leave his subordinates and evacuate by air. Early that year, resource-rich Indonesia (which was under the control of the Dutch government in exile) and British Burma were almost completely captured. Japanese troops reached the borders of India. Fighting began in New Guinea. Japan set its sights on conquering Australia and New Zealand.

At first, the population of the Western colonies greeted the Japanese army as liberators and provided it with all possible assistance. Support was especially strong in Indonesia, coordinated by future President Sukarno. But the atrocities of the Japanese military and administration soon prompted the population of the conquered territories to begin guerrilla operations against the new masters.

Battles in the middle of the war and a radical turning point (mid 1942 - 1943)

In the spring of 1942, American intelligence was able to pick up the key to Japanese military codes, as a result of which the Allies were well aware of the enemy's future plans. This played a particularly important role during the largest naval battle in history - the Battle of Midway Atoll. The Japanese command hoped to carry out a diversionary strike in the north, in the Aleutian Islands, while the main forces captured Midway Atoll, which would become a springboard for the capture of Hawaii. When Japanese planes took off from the decks of aircraft carriers at the beginning of the battle on June 4, 1942, American bombers, in accordance with a plan developed by the new commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Nimitz, bombed the aircraft carriers. As a result, the planes that survived the battle simply had nowhere to land - more than three hundred combat vehicles were destroyed, and the best Japanese pilots were killed. The naval battle continued for two more days. After its end, Japanese superiority at sea and in the air was over.

Earlier, on May 7-8, another major naval battle took place in the Coral Sea. The target of the advancing Japanese was Port Moresby in New Guinea, which was to become a springboard for the landings in Australia. Formally, the Japanese fleet won, but the attacking forces were so depleted that the attack on Port Moresby had to be abandoned.

For a further attack on Australia and its bombing, the Japanese needed to control the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands archipelago. The battles for it continued from May 1942 to February 1943 and cost huge losses to both sides, but, in the end, control over it passed to the Allies.

The death of the best Japanese military leader, Admiral Yamamoto, was also of great importance for the course of the war. On April 18, 1943, the Americans carried out a special operation, as a result of which the plane with Yamamoto on board was shot down.

The longer the war went on, the more the American economic superiority began to show. By mid-1943, they had established monthly production of aircraft carriers, and were three times superior to Japan in aircraft production. All the prerequisites for a decisive offensive were created.

Allied offensive and defeat of Japan (1944 – 1945)

Since the end of 1943, the Americans and their allies have consistently pushed Japanese troops out of the Pacific islands and archipelagos using tactics fast movements from one island to another, nicknamed "frog jump". The most major battle This period of the war occurred in the summer of 1944 near the Mariana Islands - control over them opened the sea route to Japan for American troops.

The largest land battle, as a result of which the Americans under the command of General MacArthur regained control of the Philippines, took place in the fall of that year. As a result of these battles, the Japanese lost a large number of ships and planes, not to mention the numerous human casualties.

The small island of Iwo Jima was of great strategic importance. After its capture, the Allies were able to carry out massive raids on the main territory of Japan. The worst was the raid on Tokyo in March 1945, as a result of which the Japanese capital was almost completely destroyed, and losses among the population, according to some estimates, exceeded direct losses from the atomic bombings - about 200,000 civilians died.

In April 1945, the Americans landed on the Japanese island of Okinawa, but were able to capture it only three months later, at the cost of huge losses. Many ships were sunk or seriously damaged after attacks by suicide pilots - kamikazes. Strategists from the American General Staff, assessing the strength of the Japanese resistance and their resources, planned military operations not only for the next year, but also for 1947. But it all ended much faster due to the appearance atomic weapons.

On August 6, 1945, the Americans dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and three days later on Nagasaki. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese died, mostly civilians. The losses were comparable to the damage from previous bombings, but the enemy’s use of fundamentally new weapons also dealt a huge psychological blow. In addition, on August 8 he entered the war against Japan Soviet Union, and the country had no resources left for a war on two fronts.

On August 10, 1945, the Japanese government made a fundamental decision to surrender, which was announced by Emperor Hirohito on August 14. On September 2, the act of unconditional surrender was signed on board the American battleship Missouri. The War in the Pacific, and with it World War II, ended.

Pacific War Battle of the Coral Sea World War II photo
The clash in the Coral Sea on May 4-8, 1942 between the American-Australian and Japanese fleets became one of the largest naval battles of World War II.
In the spring of 1942, after a successful raid in Indian Ocean, the Japanese command put the occupation of the Solomon Islands and the southeastern part of New Guinea on the agenda. At the first stage, Port Moresby in New Guinea and the Tulagi Islands (Solomon Islands) were chosen as the two main targets of the Japanese fleet. Port Morsy was a strategically important airfield from which the American Air Force could threaten Rabaul and Kavieng. As for Tulagi, taking the island was simply necessary to begin the operation to capture New Caledonia and Fiji.

Japanese aircraft attack on the Australian cruiser Ostrelia

Capture of Tulagi

Japan troop schedule (only ships of the main classes are indicated)

4th Fleet: Admiral Inoue Shigeyoshi - light cruiser Kashima (flagship)
Tulagi Invasion Group: Rear Admiral Shima Kiyohide
Support Team: Rear Admiral Marumo Kuninori
- light cruisers "Tenryu" and "Tatsuta"
Cover group: Rear Admiral Goto Aritomo
- light aircraft carrier "Seho", cruisers "Aoba", "Kako", "Kinugasa", "Furutaka", destroyer "Sazanami"
Invasion Group Port Moresby: Rear Admiral Kajioka Sadamichi
- light cruiser "Yubari"
destroyers "Oite", "Asanagi", "Uzuki", "Mutsuki", "Mochizuki", "Yayoi"
carrier force: Vice Admiral Takagi Takeo
- aircraft carriers "Sekaku", "Zuikaku"
cruisers "Meko", "Haguro"
destroyer "Ushio", "Akebono", "Ariake", "Yugure", "Shiratsuyu", "Shigure"

The Japanese began landing on Tulagi Island on the morning of May 3. The island was occupied without resistance, since the small Australian garrison and reconnaissance post had been evacuated the day before: the Australian command saw no point in defending the island. Japanese soldiers began building a seaplane base and communications point on the island. The covering group, as expected, went to Bougainville to move to Port Moresby after refueling. The main forces of the 17th Operational Group (primarily its carrier force) under the command of Fletcher, having received intelligence information about the enemy’s position, turned to Guadalcanal. On May 4, planes from the Yorktown launched an unexpected attack on the ships of Rear Admiral Sima. The American bombers that appeared in the air, flying under the cover of fighters - 60 aircraft in total - came as a complete surprise to the Japanese. The Japanese destroyer Kikuzuki and three minelayers were sunk, four more ships were seriously damaged, and four Japanese seaplanes were lost. American losses were minimal: a bomber and two fighters. Having picked up their pilots from the water, American ships went south without getting involved in further battle. Having received news of this attack, Admiral Takagi's carrier group moved to the Solomon Islands, from which it was separated by 650 km. However, the reconnaissance planes he sent ahead were unable to detect the enemy. On the morning of May 6, having bypassed the island of San Cristobal, Japanese aircraft carriers entered the Coral Sea.

Pacific War Battle of the Coral Sea World War II facts:
Allied troop schedule (only ships of the main classes are indicated)

17th Task Force: Vice Admiral Jack Fletcher
Task Force 17.2: Rear Admiral Thomas Kincaid
- cruisers "Minneapolis", "New Orleans", "Astoria", "Chester", "Portland",
destroyers Phelps, Devi, Farragut, Alvin, Monaghan
Task Force 17.3: Rear Admiral John Gregory Craik
- cruisers “Ostreilia”, “Chicago”, “Hobart”,
destroyers Perkins and Walk
Task Force 17.5: Rear Admiral Aubrey Fitch
- aircraft carriers "Yorktown" and "Lexington",
destroyers "Morris", "Anderson", "Hamman", "Russell"
Task Force 17.6: Captain John Phillips
- destroyers “Sime”, “Worden”
Task Force 17.9: Commander George DeBaun

Schedule of Allied and Japanese troops

The naval battle in May 1942 was the first clash of aircraft carrier fleets in which the enemy ships never came into combat contact, limiting themselves only to airstrikes.
The two-day battle in the Coral Sea began in the early morning of May 7, 1942, after a plane scrambled from the Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku was discovered 350 km to the south at 05:42. American aircraft carrier, which was accompanied by three destroyers. The direct leadership of the Japanese aircraft carriers in battle was carried out by the commander of the 5th carrier division, Rear Admiral Hara Chuichi, who immediately received orders from Admiral Takagi Takeo to attack with all available enemy forces.

Battle of the Coral Sea. Soryu (aircraft carrier) Hiryu. Japan

BATTLE OF MAY 7
The attack, which began at 06:10, was led by the commander of the Shokaku air group, Lieutenant Commander Takahashi Kakuichi. 78 aircraft took part in it. A little later - at 06:40 - a seaplane from the cruiser Kunigasa discovered another American aircraft carrier, which was accompanied by 10 ships. But Khara no longer had the strength to attack them.
Although the first attack by Japanese aviation was successful, it was only in the sense that the fleet command would have liked to see it. When Japanese planes reached the target area at 09:35, there was no American aircraft carrier there. Instead, the tanker Neosho was discovered there, which was accompanied by the destroyer Sime. The Japanese sank them, after which they were forced to return to the aircraft carrier. At this time, American aircraft launched a massive strike, in which 71 aircraft took part, against the cover group. Their target was the light aircraft carrier Seho, which was left practically without air cover. She soon sank, becoming the first Japanese aircraft carrier sunk by the US Air Force in the Pacific War. But if the first Japanese attack could still be called successful, then the second, which began at 14:30, was a complete failure.

American aircraft strafing a Japanese aircraft carrier during the Battle of the Coral Sea

This time Takahashi led a group of 27 aircraft. Not only were they caught in a storm and forced to turn back without reaching their target, but on the way back they were hit by American fighters, who shot down nine Japanese planes. When they reached their aircraft carriers in the dark, only six aircraft were able to land successfully, the rest fell into the water.
An air raid organized by the Japanese on the air base on Rabaul, in which 44 aircraft took part, brought absolutely no results, although the Japanese pilots themselves erroneously reported that they had sunk one American battleship and damaged a British one.

The crew of the Lexington escapes from the damaged aircraft carrier photo

On the morning of May 8, Takahashi decided to first conduct a massive reconnaissance, and only then take any steps. His actions soon bore fruit. At 07:25 he received news of the discovery of two aircraft carriers, escorted by 10 escort ships.
Takahashi attacked American aircraft carriers. The attack cost the Japanese 26 aircraft and the lives of their best pilots, including Lieutenant Commander Takahashi himself. However, the result of the attack was impressive - both American aircraft carriers were disabled: the Lexington was later sunk, and the Yorktown was barely delivered to Pearl Harbor.

Two-day Battle of the Coral Sea

At 09:20 a group consisting of 69 aircraft
Almost at the same time as Takahashi attacked the Americans, Japanese aircraft carriers were hit by 80 American aircraft. The Americans' success was significantly less: only the Sekaku received three hits, and its seaworthiness was not affected. After this, both Fletcher and Hara decided to end the battle. The latter, having received an order from Admiral Inoue Shigeyoshi to cancel the operation against Port Moresby, took his ships to Truk. Zuikaku's belated attempt to locate and finish off the damaged Yorktown yielded nothing.
Losses of the parties at bLithuania in the Coral Sea photo

Resultsbit you are in the Coral Sea in the Pacific War photo
Despite the fact that the losses were approximately equal, and from a tactical point of view, the American-Australian fleet was defeated, it managed to win a strategic victory.
Firstly, the Japanese were forced to abandon the capture of Port Moresby, and Secondly, both Japanese aircraft carrier were unable to take part in the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942, which played a huge role in the war in the Pacific. The loss of a significant number of well-trained naval aviation pilots also played a role.

Japanese sailors picked up by a mother ship after the Battle of the Coral Sea, May 31, 1942

Frederick Sherman, commander of the USS Lexington, later wrote

“The Battle of the Coral Sea was a turning point in the war and a historical milestone. It proved the predominant importance of the aircraft carrier. This battle [...] marked the beginning new era in the war at sea and the end of the Japanese offensive. This fight taught us a lot. We have become convinced that it is necessary to significantly improve the fire-fighting equipment on our warships. We became convinced that it was necessary to introduce more fighter aircraft into the regular composition of our aircraft carriers. We saw that we needed to improve the technique of targeting fighters and intercepting attacking aircraft at large distances from our ships. All these lessons learned from the battle in the Coral Sea brought invaluable benefits in subsequent battles."

War in the Pacific

Background

More from late XIX centuries Japan pursued an aggressive foreign policy aimed at domination in the region. In the 1930s, Japan's claims sparked an armed conflict with China. In 1937, this conflict escalated into a full-fledged war, in which Japan won victory after victory and China suffered huge losses. Japanese interests extended to almost all of eastern and southern Asia and to Pacific region, which was the reason for tense relations with Holland, Great Britain and the United States, which had their own interests there, as well as colonies. In September 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy on cooperation in rebuilding the world order.

Events

December 7, 1941- Japanese aircraft and navy attacked the American military base at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands, causing significant damage to it. After this, the United States declared war on Japan and began to take an active part in the battles of World War II.

December 1941 - May 1942- Japan leads successful fighting in Hong Kong, Thailand, the Dutch East Indies, Malaysia, Burma and other regions, inflicting defeats on local as well as American, British, Dutch, Australian and Chinese troops. In May 1942, local and American troops in the Philippines surrendered. After this, Japan controlled virtually all of Southeast Asia and northwestern Oceania.

June 4-6, 1942- Battle of Midway Atoll. The United States defeated Japan, sinking four Japanese aircraft carriers and destroying about 250 aircraft. This battle is considered by many historians to be a turning point in the Pacific theater of operations, after which Japan lost the initiative.

August 1942 - February 1943- Battle for the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Both the United States and Japan suffered significant losses, but overall the United States confirmed its military superiority, after this battle it finally switched from defense to attack.

October 1944- the beginning of the use of kamikaze tactics (suicide pilots who rammed enemy ships).

October 1944 - August 1945- Philippine operation, which ended in the defeat of the Japanese and the liberation of the Philippines.

March 10, 1945- firebombing of Tokyo, which killed about 100 thousand people, mostly civilians.

August 6 and 9, 1945- nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed about 200 thousand people, not counting those who died later from exposure to radiation. The first and only use of atomic weapons in history (chronology of events in Hiroshima).

August 9, 1945- Fulfilling the promise made to the allies, the USSR declares war on Japan. The Soviet offensive in Manchuria ended with the defeat of the Kwantung Army, sharply worsening Japan's position.

Conclusion

Events in the Pacific Theater were an important part of World War II. First of all, they can be characterized as a confrontation between the USA and Japan. The fate of Japan in many ways repeated the German one: by the beginning of the war, it also had a powerful army and confidence in its right to aggressive territorial expansion, but its resources were not unlimited. At the same time, Japan did not have allies in the region, which reduced its chances of success and accelerated its defeat.

An important result of the war was the establishment of democratic order in Japan and the country's renunciation of imperial claims.

Abstract

December 6, 1941 Japanese troops attacked a US naval base in Hawaii Pearl Harbor, destroying the United States Pacific Fleet. The attack was sudden. Following this, the states of the anti-Hitler coalition declare war on Japan. In turn, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and a number of countries of the fascist bloc declare war on the United States.

The defeat of the American fleet and the absence of large military forces in the colonies European countries allowed Tokyo to carry out a lightning-fast seizure of territory South-East Asia, Indonesia and launch an offensive against the pearl of the British Empire - India, simultaneously occupying Burma.

By 1942, the Japanese managed to establish control over the vast majority of East and Southeast Asia, unleashing merciless terror in these territories (especially in China). Continuing territorial seizures, Japanese troops began to land on the islands of Oceania and the Philippines, threatening the security of Australia and New Zealand, which forced the latter to enter the war.

1943 was marked by the Battle of the Solomon Islands, as a result of which the United States wins.

Japanese-occupied territories were under constant attack partisan detachments, which did not give Tokyo confidence in the safety of its rear. The partisans under the command of the communist provided quite powerful resistance to the invaders Mao Zedong.

The protracted war was exhausting Japan. She could no longer successfully control the vast occupied territories. Trophies and minerals exported from the occupied lands were subjected to constant bombing by the Allied forces.

At the end of 1944, the Americans made a successful landing attempt on the Philippine Islands. Striking the center of the Japanese Empire, they mercilessly sank Japanese ships and submarines, shot down planes and took virtually no prisoners. The Philippines became a base for the United States Navy and Air Force.

In October 1944, a major naval battle took place in Leyte Gulf, in which the Japanese fleet was practically destroyed.

Beginning in 1945, American aircraft began bombing Japanese cities every day. The joint actions of the allies made it possible to liberate large areas of Asia and Oceania.

After the end of the war in Europe, following the Yalta agreements, according to which, after the defeat Hitler's Germany The USSR must declare war on Japan, and hostilities begin in the Soviet Far East.

Transferred from Europe, battle-hardened Soviet troops formed a powerful fist. In August 1945 Several operations began at once - in Northeast China, Korea, on Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands. Soviet strike was so strong that the Japanese troops were overwhelmed and fled in disarray, leaving vast areas behind.

6 and 9 August 1945of the year American command dropped on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki two atomic bombs, wiping them off the face of the earth. The Americans demonstrated to the whole world that they have a new type of weapon.

On September 2, 1945, the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed on the American battleship Missouri.

Second World War 1939-1945 ended.

Bibliography

Shubin A.V. General history. Recent history. 9th grade: textbook. for general education institutions. - M.: Moscow textbooks, 2010.
Soroko-Tsyupa O.S., Soroko-Tsyupa A.O. General history. Recent history, 9th grade. - M.: Education, 2010.
Sergeev E.Yu. General history. Recent history. 9th grade. - M.: Education, 2011.

Homework

Read §13 of A.V. Shubin’s textbook, pp. 137-139 and give answers to questions 3 and 4 on p. 142.
Why did the USSR enter the war with Japan only after the end of the war in Europe?
Was the atomic bombing of Japanese cities necessary at the end of the war?

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