CANADA

UNITEDSTATES

ALASKA (U.S.)

S O V I E T U N I O N

M O N G O L I A

C H I N A

PHILIPPINES (U.S.)

MANCUKUO(MANCHURIA)

KOREA

J

A

P

A

N

THAILANDFRENCHINDOCHINA

MALAYA(BR.)

BRIT. N. BORNEOBRUNEI (BR.)SARAWAK (BR.)

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

DUTCHBORNEO

A U S T R A L I A

N.E. NEW GUINEA(AUST.)

NEW GUINEA(NETH.)

KAMCHATKAPENINSULA

SAKHALIN ISLAND

KURIL ISLANDS

HOKKAIDO

HONSHU

SHIKOKUKYUSHU

BONIN ISLANDS

VOLCANO ISLANDSRYUKYU ISLA

NDS

FORMOSA

HAINAN

LUZON

SU

MA

TR

A

J A V A

CELEBES

MOROTAI

CAROLINE ISLANDS

MARIANA ISLANDS

TRUK ISLANDS

ADMIRALTY ISLANDSHALAMERA

SAMARLEYTE

MINDORO

PALAWAN

PALAU ISLANDS

NEW IRELAND

SOLOMON ISLANDSNEW BRITAIN

MARSHALL ISLANDS

GILBERT ISLANDS

JOHNSTON ISLAND

OAHU

MAUI

KODIAK

BIKINI

MAKIN

NEW HEBRIDES

ESPIRITU SANTO

YAP

FIJI ISLANDS

HAWAIIN ISLANDS (U.S.)

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (U.S.)

HAWAII

TIMORFLORES

Ulithi

Darwin

Cairns

Port Moresby

Lae

San Francisco

Vancouver

Sitka

Sapporo

Khabarovisk

Harbin

Vladivostok

Mukden

Peking

Port Arthur

Seoul

PusanTokyo

YokohamaKobe

OsakaHiroshima

NagasakiNanking

Shanghai

Wenchow

Foochow

Amoy

SwatowCanton

Changsha

Hanoi

Saigon

Bangkok

Chunking

Davao

Menado

Sansaporo

SPRUANCE (Spring)

SPRUANCE(Spring-Summer 1944)

HALSEY(Under MacArthur, Fall 1942 Spring 1943)

MacArthur(Spring-Summer)

SPRUANCE(Winter 1944)

GHORMELY(Summer 1942)

PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS(NIMITZ)

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA(MacARTHUR)

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA(MacARTHUR)

SOUTHWEST ASIA AREA(MOUNTBATTEN)

SPRUANCE

(Spring 1

943)

HALSEY

(Summer 1944)

This area was underBritish Strategic Direction.

Japanese Perimeter(July 1942)

Japanese Perimeter(July 1942)

OKINAWA 1945

IWO JIMA 1945

PHILIPPINE SEA 1944

BATAAN-CORREGIDOR 1942

LEYTE GULF 1944

HONG KONG 1941

SAIPAN 1944

TINIAN 1944GUAM 1944

PELELIU 1944

ENIWETOK 1944

KWAJALEIN 1944

TARAWA 1943

WAKE ISLAND 1941

BIAK 1944

RABAUL 1943

KAVIENG 1943

BOUGANVILLE 1943

CORAL SEA 1942

EMPRESS AUGUSTA BAY 1943

KOLOMBANGARA 1943

GUADALCANAL 1942-43

JAVA SEA 1942

SINGAPORE 1942

PEARL HARBOR 1941

MIDWAY 1942

KISKA 1942

ATTU 1942

Allied Command BoundariesJapanese Command Boundaries

Allied Routes

Territory Controlled by Allies (1942)

KEY

Territory Controlled by Japanese (1942)

Allied Victory Japanese Victory

PHASE ONEFrom 7 Decemeber 1941, until June 1942, the Japanese successfuly attackedthe Pacific Fleet’s base at Pearl Harbor, took Wake Island and Guam, invadedand conquered the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaya, and seized the Britishbase of singapore. They conquered Burma thereby cutting off China fromall overland routes to the western allies, and seized the Netherlands Eastindies and British Borneo, thereby securing a much needed source of oil. The Japanese advance came to a halt with the American victories at the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942) and the Battle of Midway (June 1942).

PHASE TWOThe second phase was one of a realative stalemate. From June 1942 until late 1943, neither side could muster the land, sea or air required to take theoffensive and seized the initiative from the other. the Battle of Guadal Canalis a good example of this stalemate.

PHASE FOURDuring the later stages of the war the army Air Force, operating from theMariana Islands and flying the B-29 Superfortress, had begun to fire bombthe cities of Japan. These raids culminated with the droping of the atomicbombs at Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and Nagasaki three days later. Japansurrendered to the Allies on 2 September 1945.

PHASE THREEThe third phase from mid 1943 to September 1945, can be characterized as the period of Allied ofensives. Two drives were under American control; General MacArthur’s Southwest Pacific campaign and Admiral Nimitz’s CentralPacific campaign. MacArthur’s drive was a series of army amphibious operations up the Solomon Island chain and along the northern coast of NewGuinea, with the Philippine Islands as the ultimate objective. Nimitz’s strategywas designed to move directly towards Japan and draw the Imperial Navyinto a decisive fleet engagement as happend at the Battles of the Philipne Sea(June 1944) and Leyte Gulf (October 1944). MacArthur’s and Nimitz’s campaigns merged into one for the invasion of the Philippines. Afterwards theCentral Pacific campaign continued with the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

FAR EAST AND PACIFIC, 1941-1945

MAJOR OPERATIONS OF WORLD WAR TWO IN THE PACIFIC THEATER

SCALE OF MILES HISTORY DEPARTMENTUSMA

Frank Martini

N 0 300 600 900 1200

A B C D

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

BA C D