Battle of the Pacific
By Max Lake
Thesis
The battle of the pacific was a crucial element in the victory of World War II and helped change the tempo of the war entirely. There were some key victories in the pacific and some terrible losses. These victories crippled Japan's navy incredibly and helped cause the United States to win the battle of the Pacific.
The Battle of Midway
June 7, 1942
There were many components to this battle and it was a key victory for the allies. All three aircraft carriers fought together; Enterprise, Hornet and Yorktown.
The Americans were assuming that there were going to be 4 or 5 Japanese carriers.(1) Midway was an attempt by the Japanese to wipe out the American pacific fleet. The commander, Yamamoto was sure that the carriers would be too late and it would be an easy victory. The Americans surprised him though and they ambushed the four Japanese carriers, winning the battle. (2)
The Battle of Saipan
June 15th-July 9 1944
The battle of Saipan was a major battle because it led to the advance of Americans onto the main islands of Japan. It is also known as the Battle of the Philippine. Three of Japan's aircraft carriers were destroyed in this battle and over 500 Japanese planes. (1)Over 25,000 Japanese soldiers died by the time the battle ended. There were around 13,500 casualties for the Americans.(4) Only a handful of American generals made it out unscathed.(5)
Causalities at Saipan Info graph
The Battle of Leyte Gulf
October 1944
This battle is also known as the second battle of the Philippine Sea. The Japanese attacked the Americans with 3 different naval groups. They used a decoy to evade the U.S third fleet. The Japanese forces got to the Suriago strait but he U.S seventh fleet demolished the first force and made the second and third forces retreat. When the allies invaded Leyte island, the Japanese were sent out but in an unorthodox way because of their fuel problem. It is also because they had many different people trying to join up and there was a lot of confusion and miscommunication. On october 24th, Admiral Kurita Takeo ordered his men to interecept the allies and the Japanese troops were demolished in naval combat (7).Realizing he didn't have the necessary amount of soldiers after his main fleet got demolished, Admiral Takeo retreated from the Leyte Gulf.(8) For the Japanese there was a tremendous amount of carnage, four aircraft carriers, three battleships, eleven destroyers and several hundred planes were alldestroyed(9). The battle of Leyte gulf destroyed basically what was left of the Japanese Pacific fleet and also stopped almost all trade to the main islands(10).
The Philippines Campaign
January-March 1945
Mindoro Dec 12-28
The allies surprised the Japanese who thought they would take over other islands first(11). The reason for this invasion was to establish a secure airbase so the aircraft could protect the men invading the inner islands(12). There were only two landing craft damaged and that was by the kamikaze's. With the victory of Mindoro, the Japanese lost Manila which was a main transport harbor.(13)
Luzon jan 9- Aug 15
General MacArthur lead the attack on Luzon(14). There were paratrooper dummies dropped as decoys, minesweepers and many more reconnaissance missions leading up to the battle(15). This battle was much harder than the previous victory at Mindoro. (16)There were kamikaze airplanes that killed hundreds and damaged over 12 destroyers(17). On march 3rd, the city of Manila was declared secure and the allies had taken over a city crucial to Japan.(18)
Two Quotes from MacArthur while standing on a ship
"Intrinsically it is but a barren, war-worn rock, hallowed, as so many places [are], by death and disaster. Yet it symbolizes within itself that priceless, deathless thing, the honor of a nation. Until we lift our flag from its dust, we stand unredeemed before mankind. Until we claim again the ghastly remnants of its last gaunt garrison, we can but stand humble supplicants before Almighty God. There lies our Holy Grail.(19)"
"The last time I was here, they were all Japs, and instead of watching them we were running for cover. But George [Kenney], what have you done to Corregidor? I could hardly recognize it when we passed it! It looks as though you had lowered it at least forty feet."(20)
Mindanao March 10 1945
There was a guerrilla warfare fight up until the end of the war in Mindanao but the battle wasn't too big and the allies won it.(21)
Iwo Jima Feb-March 1945
February 19, American troops invaded a small island called Iwo Jima. It took over a month but the men succeeded and rose the flag which is the iconic picture(22). There were around 21,000 Japanese stationed on that island it was an impressive victory(23). The victory also inspired the men to keep on fighting. It also inspired the people at the homefront. (24)
Battle of Okinawa April 1945
Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific. It was the final battle of the gruesome war. Okinawa was so horrendous that it caused President Truman to give the go ahead on dropping the atomic bomb on Japan(25). Okinawa lasted 82 days, 287,000 U.S troops clashed against 130,000 Japanese. The reason of the invasion was because there were important air bases crucial to the advancement of Americans. In the end, there were over 77,000 Japanese soldier casualties and for the allies there were over 65,000. There was also over 100,000 civilian casualties. (26)