what is the pacific theater ww2

The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean

, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania.

Full Answer

What were the casualties of the Pacific Theater?

The casualties sustained in the Pacific Theater of World War II numbered around 36 million — about 50 percent of the war's total casualties. The fighting in the Pacific Theater was wrought with the same hatred, nationalism, and war criminality that raged across Europe.

What battles were fought in the Pacific Theater?

• Makin Island raid 17–18 August 1942
• Battle of Tarawa 20 November 1943
• Battle of Makin 20–23 November 1943
• Battle of Kwajalein 14 February 1944
• Battle of Eniwetok 17 February 1944

What weapons were used in the Pacific Theater?

Water purification kits, mosquito headnets and gloves, and tree climbing spikes were also used in the South Pacific. The M-1 carbine was another weapon used extensively during the war in the Pacific. Several versions were produced, including the M-2, which was capable of full-automatic fire.

Who was in charge of the Pacific Theatre in WW2?

WWII was fought in two main areas: The European theater and the Pacific theater. The Pacific theater involved areas that were largely controlled by Japan. Japan wanted to become a world power and needed to be more self-sufficient to accomplish that goal, so in 1940, Japan teamed up with Italy and Germany and joined the Axis Powers.

What is the Pacific Theater during ww2?

The Pacific Theater was where a series of battles during World War II took place. Before the start of the war in the Pacific, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the American military base located on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. After the surprise attack, the United States declared war on Japan and joined World War II.

Why was the Pacific Theater Important?

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.

What happened at the Pacific Theatre?

The war culminated in massive Allied air raids over Japan, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, accompanied by the Soviet Union's declaration of war and invasion of Manchuria and other territories on 9 August 1945, causing the Japanese to announce an intent to surrender on 15 August 1945.

Where was the Pacific Theater ww2?

TaiwanPacific OceanIndian OceanPacific War/Locations

How did ww2 end in the Pacific theater?

The war was suddenly ended with the dropping of the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Why is it called the Pacific theatre?

During World War II (1939–45), the United States fought battles in several regions of the world. These regions were called theaters. Battles with the Japanese mostly occurred in the Pacific Theater, the waters and islands of the Pacific Ocean.

Who fought in the Pacific theater ww2?

In the Pacific Ocean theater, Japanese forces fought primarily against the United States Navy, the U.S. Army, which had 6 Corps and 21 Divisions, and the U.S. Marine Corps, which had only 6 Divisions.

Why was the Pacific war so brutal?

Why was the war in the Pacific so brutal ? Why was the war in the Pacific so brutal ? Because of the distance between the war theatres, warfare in the Far East and the Pacific region was of different manner in relation to Europe. The main burden was loaded on the back of the poor infantryman.

How many US soldiers died in the Pacific theater?

The total dead or missing were 41,592 for all U.S. Army ground troops in the Pacific and southeast Asia, with another 145,706 wounded. The Marine Corps and attached Navy corpsmen suffered total casualties of 23,160 killed or missing and 67,199 wounded.

What was fighting like in the Pacific theatre?

The fighting in the Pacific Theater was wrought with the same hatred, nationalism, and war criminality that raged across Europe. Perhaps it was for its raw barbarism that the Pacific War is often skimmed over in history class.

How many died in the Pacific theater?

More than 30 million soldiers and civilians were killed in the Pacific theater during the course of the war, compared with the 15 million to 20 million killed in Europe.

Why did the US join the Pacific Theater?

After the surprise attack, the United States declared war on Japan and joined World War II. The attack came because the United States had stopped trade of oil and other materials to Japan. The attack came as a surprise because the US government didn’t think that Japan would be so foolish as to attack American territory.

What was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific?

The bloodiest were the battles fought on the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

What happened in 1942?

On June 4th, 1942, the two navies fought again, this time in the Battle of Midway. Just like Japan had done to the United States at Pearl Harbor, the American Navy surprised the Imperial Japanese Navy and sank 254 aircraft and boats. US Marines landing on Iwo Jima. After the Battle of Midway, the Allies were able to continue fighting ...

How many people died in the Pearl Harbor bombing?

The blasts killed over 129,000 people and left behind radiation that affected the cities for years after. On August 15th, 1945, Japan surrendered and, on September 2nd, signed the formal documents to put an end to the war. The Instrument of Surrender was signed aboard the USS Missouri, which you can explore at Pearl Harbor.

What was the purpose of the Japanese taking over Wake Island?

It intended to use these islands as bases from which to fight the Allies. At first, the United States and its allies were not able to stop Japan from taking these islands, but in May of 1942, the allied navies fought the Japanese in the Coral Sea, which lies between Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands

Why did the United States declare war on Japan?

The attack came because the United States had stopped trade of oil and other materials to Japan.

What was the Battle of the Coral Sea?

The Battle of the Coral Sea was in some ways a victory for both the Japanese and the Allies. The Japanese caused more damage, but the battle was the first time the Allies were able to stop an enemy advance. On June 4th, 1942, the two navies fought again, this time in the Battle of Midway. Just like Japan had done to the United States ...

When did the Pacific Theater end?

The battles in the Pacific Theater came to an end in early August 1945 after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan's mainland cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Japan surrendered.

Why were the battles in the Pacific Theater so difficult?

At first, American war efforts were focused on stopping the Germans in Europe, and American forces in the Pacific were expected to perform with less manpower and supplies. As a result, many American soldiers lost their lives.

What was the progress of the American forces in the Pacific?

Progress was slow at first, but with time and determination the American forces advanced. More men and supplies became available as American troops also gained ground in Europe. By the fall of 1944, the Americans in the Pacific had pushed the Japanese back to the Philippines.

How did the Americans get the Japanese back to Japan?

Beginning in February 1943, however, the Americans began to force the Japanese back to Japan through an “island-hopping” campaign. The Americans concentrated their efforts and their few resources on one island at a time, advancing island by island, liberating each one from Japanese forces.

What happened in the Pacific on December 7th 1941?

The war in the Central Pacific began with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Six months later an AAF task force took part in the Battle of Midway, in which a great Japanese fleet was defeated.

Where did the Japanese land in 1942?

In another effort to take Port Moresby the Japanese landed troops at Buna, Gona, and Sanananda in July 1942. At first the Allies could offer only feeble resistance to the enemy forces that pushed southward through Papua, but the Allies were building up their strength in Australia. By mid September Fifth Air Force had superiority in the air over New Guinea, and the Japanese drive had been stopped. The Allies then began to push the enemy back, with Fifth Air Force ferrying supplies and reinforcements to the troops fighting in the jungle. Buna was taken on 2 January 1943, and enemy resistance at Sanananda ended three weeks later.

What happened to the Japanese in New Guinea?

After the loss of Buna and Gona in New Guinea, the Japanese fell back on their stronghold at Lae. Their attempt to reinforce Lae by sea in March 1943 met with disaster when American and Australian planes sank most of the convoy in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Salamaua and Lae then became the objectives for an Allied advance along the northern coast of New Guinea. Fifth Air Force bombers attacked airfields at Wewak, 300 miles west of Lae, to neutralize them. The Allies dropped paratroops at Nadzab, just beyond Lae. Enemy resistance at Salamaua broke on 14 September 1943; Lae fell two days later. In the months that followed, MacArthur�s forces pushed westward, capturing some Japanese strongholds and bypassing others. After taking Hollandia in April 1944, the Allies attacked islands off the northern coast of New Guinea, taking Wakde and Biak in May, Owi in June, and Noemfoor in July. Sansapor on New Guinea also was gained in July. Aerial attacks on the Philippines began in August, and Morotai was seized in October to provide air bases for the invasion of the Philippines. Allied planes also bombed the oil center at Balikpapan and other targets in Borneo and Celebes.

How many American ships were sunk by the Japanese?

American troops suffered heavy casualties, and the Navy, too, had heavy personnel losses as Japanese suicide flyers, the Kamikazes, sank some 25 American ships and damaged 165 others in a desperate attempt to save the Ryukyus. Among the nearly 35,000 American casualties were General Buckner, who was killed on 18 June.

What happened after Pearl Harbor?

A few hours after the raid on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the Philippines. Three days later Japanese troops landed on Luzon. America�s meager air power in the islands was soon destroyed. Unable to obtain reinforcements and supplies, MacArthur could do nothing more than fight a delaying action. Between 16 and 18 December the few bombing planes that remained were evacuated, by their crews, to Australia, where US air power in the Far East was to be concentrated. Other members of the air units took up arms and fought as infantrymen in the battle that ended, at Bataan and Corregidor, with the loss of the Philippines in May 1942.

Where did the Japanese land after the Philippines?

After Luzon had been invaded and Manila taken, a series of landings were made in the southern Philippines, on Palawan, Mindanao, Panay, Cebu, Negros, and other islands. In some places the Japanese offered little resistance; in others they held out for considerable time.

Where did MacArthur evacuate the planes?

Between 16 and 18 December the few bombing planes that remained were evacuated, by their crews, to Australia, where US air power in the Far East was to be concentrated.

What theater was involved in World War II?

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, ...

When did World War 2 start?

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.

What was the next major war between the United States and Japan?

The next major conflict between the United States and Japan in the Pacific was the Battle of Midway. The Battle of Midway occurred ...

Why did Japan go to the Battle of Midway?

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.

What were the major events that occurred during the Pearl Harbor attack?

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.

When was the Battle of Iwo Jima?

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.

Who was responsible for the Manhattan Project?

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.

What was the Pacific Theater?

The Pacific Theater of World War II was, as one historian put it, "hands down the war’s most hated theater in which to fight.". And as the hundreds of thousands of American men who had just enlisted were about to learn, it was going to be more brutal than anything they would see in Europe.

How many people died in the Pacific Theater?

The casualties sustained in the Pacific Theater of World War II numbered around 36 million — about 50 percent of the war's total casualties.

What was the last frontier in the Pacific Theater before the Japanese invasion?

An American ship launches rockets at Okinawa before the US invasion. Okinawa was considered the final frontier in the Pacific Theater before storming the Japanese mainland. They didn't have to, as after 82 days of warfare on Okinawa , the Pacific War would come to a close with the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

What was the name of the ship that was hit by a Japanese torpedo?

US Navy/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Smoke from antiaircraft guns fills the sky as aircraft carrier USS Yorktown is hit by a Japanese torpedo during the Battle of Midway. Pacific Ocean. June 6, 1942.

How many Japanese soldiers died in the Battle of Tarawa?

The Battle of Tarawa was among the first American offensives in the Pacific Theater of World War II. 4,690 Japanese soldiers were killed. US Marine Corps/Frederic Lewis/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. 9 of 37. Butch O'Brien, a spaniel mascot of the U.S. navy on board his ship in the Sea of Japan.

Why did Roosevelt ignore the Pearl Harbor memo?

The theory is that Roosevelt ignored this 26-page memo detailing Japan's possible motives because he wanted an excuse to enter a war against Japan.

Where were Japanese soldiers' bodies found?

One particularly brutal mass grave was found in the Mariana Islands. After the war ended and the Japanese began to collect their soldiers' remains, a mass grave of Japanese soldiers was found. 60 percent of the corpses were missing their skulls.

Where was the Pacific Campaign?

Alternative Title: Pacific Campaign. Pacific War, major theatre of World War II that covered a large portion of the Pacific Ocean, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, with significant engagements occurring as far south as northern Australia and as far north as the Aleutian Islands. U.S. troops advancing on Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, in 1943.

What was Japan's strategy in the Pacific?

Japan ’s strategy in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. The Japanese war plan, aimed at the American, British, and Dutch possessions in the Pacific and in Southeast Asia, was of a rather makeshift character. The first draft, submitted by the chiefs of the Army and Navy General Staff, was accepted by Imperial General Headquarters early in September ...

What countries did the Japanese control during the Pacific War?

Pacific War: Japanese-controlled areas of China. The Japanese seized Manchuria in 1931 and occupied much of the coast and North China Plain by 1941. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

How many ships were in Pearl Harbor?

For Pearl Harbor, 6 regular carriers (all that the Japanese Navy then had), 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, and 11 destroyers were allocated. Since surprise was of the essence, a Sunday, December 7, was chosen as the date for the attack.

What was the target time for the Pearl Harbor attack?

The target time was dawn, December 7, in Hawaii (early morning, December 8, in parts of the Western Pacific on the other side of the International Date Line ). Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as seen from a Japanese aircraft during the attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet, December 7, 1941.

What was the Japanese fighter that was made in 1940?

In 1940, simultaneous efforts were made to strengthen air and submarine forces. Mitsubishi Zero. Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter, which began production in 1940. Its excellent maneuverability and exceptional range allowed it to outperform all other fighters that it encountered in the first years of World War II.

What was the Japanese Navy's plan to destroy the enemy's fleet?

In the event of war with the United States, the plan called for the Japanese Navy to destroy the enemy’s Far Eastern fleet at the out set of hostilities, to occupy Luzon and Guam in cooperation with the Army, and then to intercept and destroy the main enemy fleet when it sailed to Far Eastern waters.

When did World War 2 take place in the Pacific?

World War II in the Pacific. Click through this timeline to better understand how the Axis and Allies engaged in conflict throughout the Pacific between 1935 and 1945 . Grades.

What was the turning point of the Pacific War?

U.S. aircraft stop a Japanese invasion of Midway, a U.S. base that guards Hawaii. The Allied victory at the Battle of Midway is the turning point of the Pacific War.

How many people are involved in the Manhattan Project?

The U.S., Canada, and the U.K. embark on the development of nuclear weapons in a top-secret program called the Manhattan Project. More than a billion dollars, 130,000 people, and 30 research and production facilities are utilized.

How many people died in the Pearl Harbor attack?

Damage includes eight battleships, three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, one minelayer, 188 aircraft, and a devastating 2,403 lost lives.

What is the government of occupied Japan?

The government of Occupied Japan reduces the political power of the emperor and establishes a parliamentary democracy and independent civil society.

What is the theatre of conflict?

Saved by 77 educators. A "theatre" of conflict is the geographic place where military events occur. World War II had two primary theatres: The European Theatre and the Pacific Theatre. The Pacific Theatre of World War II was largely defined by the territories of the Empire of Japan.

Where did the Japanese surrender?

Groups of American and Filipino forces surrender to the Japanese in Luzon, Philippines. The Japanese force the prisoners to walk from the tip of the Bataan Peninsula to POW camps about 105 kilometers (65 miles) inland, facing disease, starvation, and frequent beatings.

What was the Pacific War?

The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast Pacific Ocean theater, the South West Pacific theater, the South-East Asian theater, the Second Sino-Japanese War, ...

What were the main areas of the Pacific War?

Between 1942 and 1945, there were four main areas of conflict in the Pacific War: China, the Central Pacific, South-East Asia and the South West Pacific. US sources refer to two theaters within the Pacific War: the Pacific theater and the China Burma India Theater (CBI). However these were not operational commands.

How many British soldiers died in the Pacific War?

Between the Malayan Campaign (130,000 discounting some 20,000 Australians), Burma Campaign (86,600), Battle of Hong Kong (15,000), and various naval encounters, British Empire forces incurred some 235,000 casualties in the Pacific Theater, including roughly 82,000 killed (50,000 in combat and 32,000 as POWs). The Royal Navy lost 23 warships in the Pacific and Indian oceans: 1 battleship, 1 battlecruiser, 1 aircraft carrier, 3 cruisers, 8 destroyers, 5 submarines, and 4 escorts. There were significant indirect losses to the British Empire territories of India and Burma as a result of the war. These included 3 million deaths in the Bengal famine of 1943 and 0.25 to 1 million deaths in British Burma.

How long was China at war with Japan?

By April 1945, China had already been at war with Japan for more than seven years. Both nations were exhausted by years of battles, bombings and blockades. After Japanese victories in Operation Ichi-Go, Japan was losing the battle in Burma and facing constant attacks from Chinese Nationalist forces and Communist guerrillas in the countryside. The Imperial Japanese Army began preparations for the Battle of West Hunan in March 1945. The Japanese mobilized 34th, 47th, 64th, 68th and 116th Divisions, as well as the 86th Independent Brigade, for a total of 80,000 men to seize Chinese airfields and secure railroads in West Hunan by early April. In response, the Chinese National Military Council dispatched the 4th Front Army and the 10th and 27th Army Groups with He Yingqin as commander-in-chief. At the same time, it airlifted the entire Chinese New 6th Corps, an American-equipped corps and veterans of the Burma Expeditionary Force, from Kunming to Zhijiang. Chinese forces totaled 110,000 men in 20 divisions. They were supported by about 400 aircraft from Chinese and American air forces. Chinese forces achieved a decisive victory and launched a large counterattack in this campaign. Concurrently, the Chinese managed to repel a Japanese offensive in Henan and Hubei. Afterwards, Chinese forces retook Hunan and Hubei provinces in South China. Chinese launched a counter offensive to retake Guangxi which was the last major Japanese stronghold in South China. In August 1945, Chinese forces successfully retook Guangxi.

Where did the US Army advance in the war?

On 20 October 1944 the US Sixth Army, supported by naval and air bombardment, landed on the favorable eastern shore of Leyte, north of Mindanao. The US Sixth Army continued its advance from the east, while the Japanese rushed reinforcements to the Ormoc Bay area on the western side of the island. The US reinforced the Sixth Army successfully, but the US Fifth Air Force devastated Japanese attempts to resupply. In torrential rains and over difficult terrain, the US advance continued across Leyte and the neighboring island of Samar to the north. On 7 December US Army units landed at Ormoc Bay and, after a major land and air battle, cut off the Japanese ability to reinforce and supply Leyte. Although fierce fighting continued on Leyte for months, the US Army was in control.

Where did the Japanese advance in the Pacific?

From July 1942, a few Australian reserve battalions, many of them very young and untrained, fought a stubborn rearguard action in New Guinea, against a Japanese advance along the Kokoda Track, towards Port Moresby, over the rugged Owen Stanley Ranges. The militia, worn out and severely depleted by casualties, were relieved in late August by regular troops from the Second Australian Imperial Force, returning from action in the Mediterranean theater. In early September 1942 Japanese marines attacked a strategic Royal Australian Air Force base at Milne Bay, near the eastern tip of New Guinea. They were beaten back by Allied forces (primarily Australian Army infantry battalions and Royal Australian Air Force squadrons, with United States Army engineers and an anti-aircraft battery in support), the first defeat of the war for Japanese forces on land.

Which countries were allied with Japan?

The Axis -aligned states which assisted Japan included the authoritarian government of Thailand, which formed a cautious alliance with the Japanese in 1941, when Japanese forces issued the government with an ultimatum following the Japanese invasion of Thailand. The leader of Thailand , Plaek Phibunsongkhram, became greatly enthusiastic about the alliance after decisive Japanese victories in the Malayan campaign and in 1942 sent the Phayap Army to assist the invasion of Burma, where former Thai territory that had been annexed by Britain were reoccupied ( Occupied Malayan regions were similarly reintegrated into Thailand in 1943). The Allies supported and organized an underground anti-Japanese resistance group, known as the Free Thai Movement, after the Thai ambassador to the United States had refused to hand over the declaration of war. Because of this, after the surrender in 1945, the stance of the United States was that Thailand should be treated as a puppet of Japan and be considered an occupied nation rather than as an ally. This was done in contrast to the British stance towards Thailand, who had faced them in combat as they invaded British territory, and the United States had to block British efforts to impose a punitive peace.