The Japanese in World War II, Part Three

Hello readers. The previous post was a long one, and this post is going to be a long one as well. I prefaced the previous post by stating that I wanted to examine Japanese involve­ment and the Pacific Theatre of World War II. In New York State, the Pacific Theatre of the war isn't cov­ered nearly as much as the European Theatre, so these posts are the product of extensive research. With that being said, this post will examine ten key battles in the Pacific Theatre of World War II.

1. The Battle of Singapore

On February 8, 1942, the Japanese launched an attack on British-held Sing­apore that was defended by about 90,000 Commonwealth soldiers who were stationed on the island. Arthur Percival, who commanded the Common­wealth troops, expected the Japanese attack. However, what he didn't expect was the origin of the attack.

Percival expected the Japanese to attack via sea routes; partly because of that assumption and because Percival believed the thick jungle and swamp on the Malay Peninsula were impenetrable, Percival left Singapore's landward side virtually undefended. Instead of attacking via sea routes, the Japanese attacked via the landward route Percival perceived as inpenetrable. After a week of fighting, Percival surrendered to the Japanese. He and 60, 000 of his Commonwealth troops were taken as prisoners of war.

2. Battle of the Java Sea

The Battle of the Java Sea was fought between the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) navies against the Japanese Imperial Navy on February 27, 1942.

On February 27, 1942, the ABDA inter­cepted the invading Japanese Navy in the Java Sea with the goal to stop the Jasanese advance into the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia). By the day's end, the Jabanese Imperial Navy humiliated the ABDA, sinking three des­troyers and two cruisers, and causing a casualty count of 2,300 men includ­ing ABDA Commander Karel Doorman. The Japanese didn't lose a single ship and would go on to invade Java the following day.

3. Battle of the Coral Sea

The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first active combat between Japan­ese and American aircraft carriers in World War II. Although the battle was fought entirely by aircraft, none of the ships involved in the battle shot at an enemy ship.

From May 4-8, 1942, the combined forces of the US and Australian fleets vollied with the Japanese forces. The Japanese aircraft was more successful, forcing the US and Australian fleets to withdraw. However, the Japanese fleet was worried that there might be more US carriers in the area, so they aban­doned their plan to capture Port Moresby in New Guinea and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. Because the Japanese aban­doned those two planned attacks, the US and Australian fleets came out victori­ous in the Battle of the Coral Sea.

4. Battle of Midway

The Battle of Midway was one of the first major encounters between US and Japanese forces in the Pacific, and this battle would have a major influ­ence on the future course of the war in the Pacific.

On June 3, 1942, the Japanese launched an attack on the Aleutian Islands with an aim to attempt to di­vert attention away from their true target, the Midway Atoll. However, the Americans broke the Japanese code and discovered the Japanese Imperial Navy's plan. The American and Japanese navies clashed on June 4th and after three days of fighting the Japanese were forced to abandon their invasion of Midway Atoll.

The American Navy devastated Japan's Navy. The Japanese forces lost all four carriers that participated in the battle and about 250 aircrafts.

5. The Battle of Guadalcanal

More accurately known as the Guadal­canal Cambaign, the Battle of Guadal­canal was a series of battles fought on both land and sea for control of the largest of the Solomon Islands.

On August 7, 1942, the Allied forces (consisting primarily of US troops) launched an attack on the island of Guadalcanal with a goal to put an end to the threat Japan posed to Allied supply lines and communication lines between the US and Australia. The Allied forces were successful in capturing the island but struggled to break Japanese resistance over a six month period.

After losing about 30,000 men, over 600 aircraft, and 24 warships, Japan decided to evacuate some 10,000 men who had survived until February 9, 1943. The Allies sufferer heavy casualties as well--over 600 air crafts destroyed, 25 warships sunk, and about 7,500 men killed in action.

6. Battle of Saipan

The Battle of Saipan began on June 15, 1944 when US forces launched an attack on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands to gain an airbase within striking distance of mainland Japan.

Even when it was clear that the Jap­anese were in a Iosing position, they refused to surrender. By July 9, 1944 when the Americans raised a flag in victory, aporoximately 30,000 Japan­ese troops were either killed or comm­itted suicide, including all four commanders. Fewer than 1,000 Japanese troops were captured as prisoners of war.

7. Battle of the Philippine Sea

Four days after US forces landed at Saipan, US and Japanese carriers engaged one another in battle.

On June 19, 1944, the Japanese Navy launched an attack with the goal to inflict heavy casualties and a de­cisive defeat against the US fleet. However, it was the Japanese who would suffer defeat as by late af­ternoon on June 20th they found them­selves retreating. The Japanese Im­perial Navy and hair force. were severe­ly weakened--three carriers had been sunk and 400 aircraft had been destroyed.

8. The Battle of Leyte Gulf

Sometimes referred to as the Second Battle of the Philippine sea, the Battle of Leyte Gulf was not only the largest naval battle during World War II, but it was the largest naval battle in his­tory. The battle involved over 270 warships (at least 64 Japanese, 217 American, and 2 Australian) and was fought off the Philippine islands of Leyte, Luzon, and Samar from October 23-26, 1944.

The Japanese Imperial Navy was virtually destroyed as a result of the battle. The Japanese lost all four car­riers, 11 destroyers, 10 cruisers, three battleships, and 12,000 men. In comparison, the Allies lost three des­troyers, two escort carriers, one light carrier, and 2,500 men.

9. Battle of Iwo Jima

The Battle of Iwo Jima is undoubt­edly one of the most well-known battles of the Pacific Theatre of World War II.

The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought from February 19-March 26, 1945 over a tiny island measuring just 5×2.5 miles. Although the American armed for­ces were vastly superior to the Japanese forces, the Japanese fought virtually until the last man was standing. Of about 22, 000 Japanese defenders, 21,000 were killed. The American victory had a high cost for this particular battle as well--with 20,000 wounded and 6,800 killed.

10. Battle of Okinawa

The Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theatre. Fought from April 1-June 22, 1945, Am­ericans sought to capture the island of Okinawa to create a base for air raids on Japan as well as to rehearse for the planned invasion of Japan's main islands.

The Americans met a fierce resistance. By June 22nd, the US troops suffered nearly 50,000 casualties, of which about a quarter were deaths. The Jap­anese lost between 100,000-110,000 men. The Battle of Okinawa claimed heavy civilian casualties as well, with the loss of an estimated 100,000 civilian lives.

From these battles and the others the Allies engaged in with Japan, one thing was certain: Japan would continue to fight until the last man was left stand­ing. It is for this reason why the US would make the devastating decision to drop atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the war with Japan and finally bringing World War II to an end.

Next time here on the blog, we will ex­amine the Manhattan Project and the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan.