Download WWII Pacific Theater - Campaigns

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WWII Pacific Theater - Campaigns
Wednesday, 08 October 2008
Last Updated Tuesday, 28 October 2008
1941 Operation Z
This is the main theatre campaign that starts on December 7, 1941 with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor followed by
landings and advancement in South East Asia including Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, and the Dutch East Indies.
Wage war across the massive expanse of the Pacific Ocean, from British occupied India, Tibet, Nepal and China in the
West to Midway and the West Coast of the US and Canada.1942 Midway
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway
The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle, widely regarded as the most important one of the Pacific Campaign of
World War II. It took place from June 4 to June 7, 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, five
months after the Japanese capture of Wake Island, and exactly six months to the day after Japan's attack on Pearl
Harbor. The United States Navy decisively defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll.1942 Kokoda Trail
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokoda_Track_Campaign
The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign
consisted of a series of battles fought from July 1942 to January 1943 between Japanese and Allied — primarily
Australian — forces in what was then the Australian territory of New Guinea.
The Kokoda Track itself is single-file track starting just outside Port Moresby on the Coral Sea and (depending on
definition) runs 60–100 kilometres through the Owen Stanley Ranges to Kokoda and the coastal lowlands beyond
by the Solomon Sea. The track crosses some of the most rugged and isolated terrain in the world, reaches 2,250 metres
at Mount Bellamy, and combines hot humid days with intensely cold nights, torrential rainfall and endemic tropical
diseases such as malaria. The track is passable only on foot; this had extreme repercussions for logistics, the size of
forces and the type of warfare that could be conducted
As part of their general strategy in the Pacific, the Japanese sought to capture Port Moresby. The port would have given
them a base from which they could strike at most of north eastern Australia, and control of a major route between the
Pacific and Indian Oceans. The first attempt by sea-borne amphibious invasion was thwarted by the Battle of the Coral
Sea. A month later, the Battle of Midway destroyed most of the Japanese carrier fleet, and reduced the possibility of
major amphibious operations in the south Pacific. The Japanese now resolved to mount an overland assault across the
Owen Stanley Range to capture Port Moresby, which might have succeeded against virtually no resistance, had it been
mounted in February.1944-45 Philippines
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines_campaign_(1944%E2%80%9345)
The Philippines campaign of 1944–45 was the Allied campaign to defeat Japanese forces occupying The
Philippines, during World War II. The invasion commenced on 20 October 1944 and hostilities continued until the war's
end.1944 Imphal and Kohima
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Imphal
The Battle of Imphal took place in the region around the city of Imphal, the capital of the state of Manipur in North-East
India from March until July 1944. Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and invade India, but
were driven back into Burma with heavy losses. Together with the simultaneous Battle of Kohima on the road by which
the encircled Allied forces at Imphal were relieved, the battle was the turning point of the Burma Campaign, part of the
South-East Asian Theatre of World War II.1944 Operation Stalemate
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Peleliu
The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and Japan in the Pacific
Theater of World War II, taking place between September and November 1944 on the island of Peleliu. The U.S. Forces,
originally consisting of only the 1st Marine Division, later relieved by the Army's 81st Infantry Division, fought to capture
an airstrip on the small coral island. U.S. Major General William Rupertus, commander of 1st Marine Division, predicted
that the island would be secured within four days, but due to Japan's well-crafted fortifications and stiff resistance, the
battle lasted for over two months. The battle remains one of the war's most controversial, due to its questionable
strategic value and high death toll. When considering the number of men involved, Peleliu had the highest casualty rate
of any battle in the Pacific War.1945 Operation Detachment
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From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima (February 19-March 26, 1945) was the United States capture of the island of Iwo Jima from
Japan, producing some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific Campaign of World War II.
The Japanese positions on the island were heavily fortified, with vast bunkers, hidden artillery, and 18 kilometers (11 mi)
of tunnels. The battle was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands and the Imperial soldiers defended
their positions tenaciously. Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers present at the beginning of the battle, over 20,000 were
killed and only 216 taken prisoner. The U.S. invasion, known as Operation Detachment, was charged with the mission of
capturing the airfields on Iwo Jima.
The battle was immortalized by Joe Rosenthal's photograph of the raising of the U.S. flag atop the 166 meter (546 ft)
Mount Suribachi by five Marines and one Navy Corpsman. The photograph records the second flag-raising on the
mountain, which took place on the fifth day of the 35-day battle. The picture became the iconic image of the battle and
has been heavily reproduced.1945 Operation Iceberg
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, also known as Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the
largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater of World War II.[1][2] The 82 day battle lasted from late March through
June 1945.
The battle has been referred to as the "Typhoon of Steel" in English, and tetsu no ame ("rain of steel") or tetsu no bMfk
("violent wind of steel") in Japanese. The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of gunfire involved,
and sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island. The battle has one of the highest
number of casualties of any World War Two engagement: the Japanese lost over 100,000 troops, and the Allies (mostly
United States) suffered more than 50,000 casualties, with over 12,000 killed in action.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, wounded or attempted suicide. Approximately one-fourth of the civilian
population died due to the invasion.
The main objective of the operation was to seize a large island only 340 miles away from mainland Japan. After a long
campaign of island hopping, the Allies were approaching Japan, and Okinawa would serve as a springboard for the
planned invasion of the mainland islands. Although hastily converted to a base for air operations, the atomic bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused Japan to surrender just weeks after the end of the fighting at Okinawa and the invasion
never took place.1945 The Road to Mandalay
Following the defeat of the Japanese invasion of India in 1944, the allies are now poised to launch a major offensive to
liberate Burma.
Lieutenant-General Slim’s plan is to both liberate Burma and to destroy the Japanese army in the process so that
it cannot escape to fight again. To do this elements of his British Indian Fourteenth Army will pin Japanese forces around
Mandalay in place, while at the same time effecting a major crossing of the Irrawaddy to the southwest, crossing at both
Pakokku and Pagan before marching on Meiktila.
Meiktila is an important Japanese supply centre, the loss of which will seriously impede their ability to supply their forces
at Mandalay.
Therefore once the allies have a unit in occupation of Meiktila, Japanese supply to the north will be affected.
Once Japanese forces have been destroyed in the Mandalay area, Fourteenth Army is to march on Rangoon, thus
completing the liberation of Burma.
Lieutenant-General Kimura’s Burma Area Army will have to fight hard to hold Mandalay and also to contain the
allied bridgeheads over the Irrawaddy, while at the same time they will face strong pressure from US and Chinese forces
to the north east.1941-42 Philippines
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Philippines_(1941-42)The Battle of the Philippines was the
invasion of the Philippines by Japan in 1941–42 and the defense of the islands by Filipino and United States
forces. Although the result was a Japanese victory, the perseverance of the defenders delayed Japanese attacks on
other areas and assisted Allied counterattacks in the South West Pacific theatre, from late 1942.
The defending forces outnumbered the Japanese invaders by 3:2, but were poorly trained and equipped, while the
Japanese used their best first-line troops at the outset of the campaign.
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The Japanese 14th Army also concentrated its forces in the first month of the campaign, enabling it to swiftly overrun
most of Luzon.
The Japanese high command, believing this had won the campaign, made a strategic decision to advance by a month
their timetable of operations in Borneo and Indonesia, withdrawing their best division and the bulk of their airpower in
early January 1942.[3] This, coupled with the decision of the defenders to withdraw into a defensive holding position in
the Bataan Peninsula, enabled the Americans and Filipinos to successfully hold out for four more months.1942
Guadalcanal
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalcanal_Campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal, was fought between August 7, 1942, and
February 9, 1943, in the Pacific theatre of World War II.
Fought on the ground, at sea, and in the air, this was a strategically significant, and decisive, campaign which pitted
Allied forces against Imperial Japanese forces. The fighting took place on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the
southern Solomon Islands, and was the first major offensive launched by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan.
The Guadalcanal campaign marked the first significant strategic combined arms victory by Allied forces over the
Japanese in the Pacific theatre. For this reason, the Guadalcanal campaign is often referred to as a "turning point" in the
war. The campaign marked the beginning of the transition by the Allies from defensive operations to the strategic
offensive while Japan was thereafter forced to cease strategic offensive operations and instead concentrate on strategic
defense. Building on their success at Guadalcanal and elsewhere, the Allies continued their campaign against Japan,
ultimately culminating in Japan's defeat and the end of World War II.1944 Operation Ichi-GoFrom Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ichi-Go
Operation Ichi-Go was a series of major battles between the Imperial Japanese Army forces and the National
Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, fought from April to December 1944.
It consisted of three separate battles in the Chinese provinces of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi, which were the Japanese
Operation Kogo or Battle of Central Henan, Operation Togo 1 or the Battle of Changheng, and Operation Togo 2 and
Togo 3 or the Battle of Guilin-Liuzhou respectively. The two primary goals of Ichi-go were to open a land route to French
Indochina, and capture air bases in southeast China from which American bombers were attacking the Japanese
homeland and shipping.
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