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sUse these
resources to learn
about:
Battle of Midway / Island Hopping /
Battle of Guadalcanal
Battle of the Coral Sea
In the first seven months after Pearl Harbor the Japanese, at a surprisingly low cost, had gained control over a huge
area extending from Burma to the Gilbert Islands and from the Aleutians to the Solomons.
While the Japanese enjoyed the advantage of interior lines of communication, they had somewhat overextended
themselves. Once the Allies became strong enough to threaten their perimeter from several directions, the advantage
would be lost, since Japan did not have and could not produce enough planes and ships to defend in force at all points.
In view of this danger, the Japanese prepared plans for an attack against the still weak Allied line of communications
from the continental United States and Hawaii to Australia and for further expansion in the South Pacific. In May 1942
they launched a new offensive, moving to Tulagi from the northern Solomons, after which they began building an
airstrip at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal.
From there they hoped to disrupt the Allied line to Australia by seizing New Caledonia, the Fijis, and Samoa. At the
same time, to give added protection to Rabaul, they moved into western New Britain and northeastern New Guinea.
(Orders for invasions of New Caledonia, the Fijis, and Samoa were cancelled on July 11, 1942.)
The Japanese suffered their first major setback when they attempted an invasion by sea of Port Moresby on the
southeastern coast of New Guinea. Allied naval units intercepted the invading Japanese naval force in the Coral Sea on
May 7-8, 1942. This was a clash between carrier task forces in which the surface ships did not exchange a shot. Most
serious of the losses were the U.S. carrier Lexington and the Japanese carrier Shoho, while both sides suffered heavy
losses in planes. After two days of fighting, the Japanese task force broke off the engagement and withdrew northward.
Together with the Battle of Midway, the Coral Sea marked an important turning point in the war in the Pacific.
http://www.worldwar2history.info/Coral-Sea/
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U.S. Fights Back
US Rebuilds Navy
• Massive fleet of aircraft carriers and battleships – built in Bay Area
• New idea: fighter planes launched from ships!
US bombers surprise attack capital of Tokyo
• April 1942
• Fire damage, Japanese surprised & worried
Battle of Coral Sea
• May 1942
• A “tie”, but first time Japan is stopped
Battle of Midway
(June 4-6, 1942)
The decisive naval battle of World War II, turning America's
losing fight into a domination over the Japanese Navy. In early
June of 1942, despite Japan's military superiority, America
handed the Axis powers a crushing blow in the North Pacific,
near Midway Island. Although the Japanese did not learn until
too late, their planned sneak attack at Midway had been
discovered much earlier when America had deciphered the
Japanese code. Yamamoto's intentions were to invade Midway
Island and the Aleutian chain off Alaska. However these fixed
strategies allowed the American forces, headed by Chester C.
Nimitz, a more flexible attack plan. With such knowledge
America had the distinct advantage of suprise, but were still
highly outgunned. The Japanese fleet was massive, 200 ships in
all, including 8 carriers, 11 battleships, 22 cruisers, 65
destroyers, and 21 submarines. America had three carriers with 233 airplanes and no battleships. But as
America struck out swiftly, Japan suffered the loss of one heavy cruiser, four fleet carriers, and 330 aircraft-most of which sat idly on the decks of their respective carriers. America lost only 150 aircraft and one carrier.
The battle unfolded as so: Japan still believed they had a successful sneak attack in progress, and ordered
their dive bombers to attack Midway island (an American base). While all the readied aircraft were away at the
island, the still undiscovered American fleet launched their attack on the Japanese carriers. Despite the
suprise 35 of the 41 launched aircraft were shot down in the first round, but then the second wave hit with no
opposition. Three Japanese carriers sank in one hour. For the remainder of the day the Yorktown (US Carrier)
and the Hiryu (Japanese carrier) pounded on one another, until both had to be abandoned.
Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/18106/
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Battle of Midway
US Airfield on island
Code intercepted: Japanese Attack!
• Japan sends largest naval fleet ever
US plans ambush:
• Let Japanese send planes to attack island
• US sends planes to attack defenseless ships!
MASSIVE defeat to Japanese
• Japanese official: US has “avenged Pearl Harbor”
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Battle of Guadalcanal
On 7 December 1941, Imperial Japanese forces
turned their war on the Asian mainland eastward
and southward into the Pacific with simultaneous
attacks on Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, Wake,
Guam, Hong Kong, and the Malay Peninsula. The
rapid southward advance of Japanese armies and
naval task forces in the following months found
Western leaders poorly prepared for war in the
Pacific. Nevertheless, they conferred quickly and
agreed that, while maintaining the "German first"
course they had set against the Axis, they also had
to blunt Japanese momentum and keep open lines of communication to Australia and New Zealand. As the
enemy closed on those two island democracies, the Allies scrambled to shore up defenses, first by fortifying
the Malay Barrier, and then, after Japanese smashed through that line, by reinforcing an Australian drive north
across New Guinea. To make this first Allied offensive in the Pacific more effective, the Americans mounted a
separate attack from a different direction to form a giant pincers in the Southwest Pacific. This decision
brought American forces into the Solomon Islands and U.S. Army troops onto the island of Guadalcanal.
Of all enemy strong points in the South Pacific, that on Guadalcanal appeared most threatening because it lay
closest to Australia and to the South Pacific ferry route. If the Americans were going to blunt the Japanese
advance into the South Pacific, Guadalcanal would have to be the place, for no other island stood between the
Solomons and Australia.
Victory on Guadalcanal brought important strategic gains to the Americans and their Pacific allies but at high
cost. These gains cost the Americans 1,592 killed in action and 4,183 wounded, with thousands more disabled
for varying periods by disease. Entering the campaign
after the amphibious phase, the two Army divisions
Battle of Guadalcanal
lost 550 killed and 1,289 wounded. For the Japanese,
losses were even more traumatic: 14,800 killed in
battle, another 9,000 dead from disease, and about
Aug 1942-Feb 1943
1,000 taken prisoner. On Guadalcanal General
Hyakutake's troops gave American fighting men a
chilling introduction to the character of the Japanese
US Marines try to stop Japan from
soldier in this war: willing to fight to the death rather
building air base on Guadalcanal Island
than surrender. Both navies lost twenty-four ships
during the campaign but with a smaller industrial base
Japanese defend island to the death
to replace them, Japanese losses were more
significant. Even more costly to Japan was the loss of
over six hundred aircraft and pilots.
6 months of fighting, but US Wins
Source: http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/728/72-8.htm
•Brutal, bloody, terrible conditions
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