Battles of World War II
Krista Freed
Pacific Front
The Bataan Death March
During WWII, in April of 1942, the US surrendered the Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese. As a result, approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops were forced to march 65 miles to prison camps. During this march, the heat was intense, a limited amount of food and water was given to the marchers, and they were also victims of extremely harsh treatment by the Japanese guards. Thousands perished, that is why it's known as the Death March.
Afterwards...
Battle of Midway
Just 6 months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. defeated the Japanese in one of the most decisive and intellectual naval battles of WWII. Thanks to technological advances in code breaking, the U.S. was able to foresee the plans of Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, the Japanese fleet commander, to annihilate the remaining U.S. navy. The code breaking enabled Pacific fleet commander, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz to know the exact Japanese plans. The Battle of Midway was a major turning point for the U.S. as they continued to advance.
Island Hopping and the "Two Pronged Attack" Strategy
Walking away from the Battle of Midway in June 1942, the U.S. acquired naval superiority in the Pacific. Taking advantage of this, General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz launched the "Island hopping" campaign, in which the strategy was to capture Pacific islands one by one. MacArthur and Nimitz brilliantly devised a plan in which MacArthur would push northwest along the New Guinea coast and into the Bismarck Archipelago in order to liberate the Philippines, and Nimitz would cross the central pacific going from Gilbert, Marshall, Caroline, and Marianas islands. this plan was also known as the Two Pronged Attack strategy.
Flying Tigers
The 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air force, also known as the Flying Tigers, was composed of pilots from the US Air Corps, Navy, and Marine Corps. Their mission was to defend China against Japanese forces.
Battle of Iwo Jima
Americans were very ambitious about conquering the island of Iwo Jima, because it was only defended by 25,000 Japanese troops. Three U.S. marine divisions were fully equipped and prepared to take on this challenge, but the island was so fortified that the Americans had a difficult time. The Japanese fought from a network of caves, dugouts, tunnels, and underground installations that were difficult to find and destroy. In the end, the entire garrison was completely wiped out. American troops succeeded and proceeded to the next island.
Battle of Okinawa
European/African Front
"Closing the Ring" 1943-1944
President Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to implement an immediate blockade of supplies to Germany and to begin bombing German cities. The army would attack Hitler's troops at their weakest points first and slowly advance toward German soil. The plan was known as "closing the ring." That maneuver was finally executed in October 1942.
Invasion of Normandy (D-Day)
Battle of Bulge
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee airmen, sadly subject to racial discrimination both at home and abroad, were the first black servicemen to serve as military aviators in the U.S. armed forces, flying with distinction during World War II. There were 996 pilots and more than 15,000 ground personnel who served with the all-black units.