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
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