The turning point of world war two in the pacific:
The Pacific Ocean stretches from the east coasts of Australia, Japan, China and Russia to the west coast of North and South America. Within this vast mass of water lie thousands of islands; on these small landscapes some of the most brutal and terrifying battles of World War Two took place. But not all the battles were fought on these islands. Many were fought in the air or at sea were some of the largest casualties occurred.
The soldiers who were in the ships had no way of saving them selves from the enemy; the enemy who they couldn’t see, only hear. The enemy they could not fight back, only wait for the outcome. They would lie in their bunks in the bottom of the ship, waiting, hearing the battle taking place above them and knowing that their lives rested in the hands of the men who were able to fight back. This is what the soldiers had to get through just to get to the island. As soon as they landed the enemy held most of the beaches and then the same soldiers who were lying in their bunks waiting to die would have to fight to push through to save not only themselves but also the friends that they had trained with.
One has to realize that while fighting against an enemy there are more dangers that just bullets and bombs. Fear is the most useful weapon in a war. And in the battle of the pacific would be used by both sides.
Pearl Harbor:
Pear harbor is one of the best-known battles and navel bases in the Second World War. It is known as the battle the brought America into the war. The bombing of one of America’s naval bases in the pacific islands created uproar from the American people demanding that those accountable for the bombing (the Empire of Japan) would be punished for their actions of war. The American people demanded blood and the president Franklin D. Roosevelt was willing to oblige. On December 7th the Empire of Japan attacked Pear Harbor. Later that day Roosevelt made a speech in which he declared:” Yesterday December 7th 1941 a date which will live in infamy. The united states of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of Japan”. The next day (8th of December 1941) the United States of America declared war on the empire of Japan. The declaration of war by America can be seen as the turning point of world war two because it was when America joined and Japan finally had an enemy who they could conceder a threat. The Japanese naval and air forces who attacked Pearl Harbor had no intention of taking the port but rather destroying it by any means necessary. This incorporated the German blitzkrieg and the Japanese kamikaze pilots. The blitzkrieg involved the aircraft bombing the entire area (with help from artillery) and once all of the bombs were used up flying as low as possible and using machine guns to finish off the survivors. The Japanese developed this to an extreme point. Once all of their bullets had run out they were to fly into a target, destroying both the target the plane and the pilot. This was extremely affective and the pilots believed that it was a great honor to do this and die for their country.
The conditions:
The conditions on which the battle for Pearl Harbor is as follows: the Japanese were declaring war on America but before doing so decided that it a preemptive strike to its new enemy was the best idea. Selecting the most tactically located and sized base the Japanese chose Pearl Harbor, Hawaii as their target. This is where the American pacific fleet was stationed and destroying them would be a great advantage to Japan in the war. Early in the morning of the 7th of December 1941 (the 8th of December in Japan) the battle of Pearl Harbor begun. The invasion was to be done in two waves. The first wave consisted of approximately 180 planes, full of ammunition, bombs and fuel. The second consisted of just over 170 planes (originally 360 were planed to fly but there where mechanical failures in four of the planes). The planes were to fly in and attack before returning to refill on fuel and ammunition. There were also 56 varied ships and submarines that were a part of the attack on the island.
Why was this the turning point of World War Two in the pacific?
It is the battle that not only brought America into the war but also the war in the pacific. The American president Franklin D. Roosevelt could not declare war without the support of the people. And when Pearl Harbor was attacked the American people were demanding that they go to war in retaliation to this unprovoked attack on American soil.
The Battle of Midway Island:
The battle of midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of World War Two in the Pacific. Midway while important in the Second World War is not necessarily the turning point in the war, though it crippled Japans navy it did not technically affect all of the aspects of the war. Japan was still in control of a lot of land in the pacific and was still a force to be reckoned with in the Pacific. The Japanese planed to take the island of midway and use it to launch an invasion of America and Canada.
The conditions:
The main Japanese fleet was sent to inflict more damage to the American fleet on the island of midway. The Japanese planed to attack the small but important American naval forces stationed at midway atoll but were instead met with a much larger force than expected, as American code breakers had been able to anticipate the location and time of the attack. The American navy sent out reinforcements to aid their troops stationed at midway. The plan was for a surprise attack to take place on the 4th of June 1942 to take the Americans by surprise and again crippling their Pacific navy. After the attack on the naval forces at Pearl Harbor a victory at Midway could ensure Japanese dominance in the Pacific Ocean. The American fleet arrived just in time to set up defenses against the invading force. They were able to successfully counter the Japanese attack and inflict a large amount of damage to the Japanese naval war machine. Affectively destroying the Japanese navy, inflicting large casualties and showing that America was ready to fight back against Japan.
Why was it was a turning point for world war two in the pacific?
The battle of Midway Island is thought to be the most important battle in the pacific campaign my many historians, some even call it the turning point of the war in the pacific theater. It was a major attack on Japanese naval forces and crippled the Japanese navy in such a way that in the three years of war yet to come there was no longer a superior Japanese navy in the pacific. The battle of midway is coincided the turning point because it was the first American offensive of World War 2. It allowed America to show that they were in the war to win and that they were a force to be reckoned with.
Guadalcanal:
The first American land based offensive in World War Two was to take the island of Guadalcanal, barely known before the War, Guadalcanal was to become one of the best known islands in the south west Pacific. Guadalcanal was the furthest island that the Japanese had taken in the pacific and the Allies saw this as a threat. With Australia and America on different sides of the Pacific Guadalcanal would be a vital trade route between the two main Allied forces in the Pacific. The Japanese also had their own reasons for taking Guadalcanal other than stopping the trade between America and Australia, they saw Guadalcanal as a launching point for attacks on Australia and New Zealand. This would allow them to not only take a large amount of land but after taking Australia they could turn their attention to America and not have to split their troops, making them a stronger armed force with better supplies.
With each force having their own reasons for attacking Guadalcanal the war was on, the Japanese were the first to take the island and built an airstrip, but they were soon under attack by American and Australian soldiers. The allied soldiers stormed the beach but took no resistance. After a few days the Japanese and the allies had a few encounters, with minimal casualties on both sides. Soon American supplies dropped, they had lost troops and supplies at sea. The Allies made an offensive at the airfield taking it but also taking many casualties in the attempt. The allies set up a camp close to the airfield while they waited for reinforcements. After loosing the airfield to the Allies the Japanese army bombed the airfield most days. Eventually the Japanese figured out were the Allies had set up camp and bombed it before sending their whole army stationed on the island towards them. Allied scouts saw the Japanese advancing and alerted the other allied troops. The allies set up a line with heavy machine guns and waited for the Japanese to attack, the allies may have had the element of surprise but they were gravely outnumbered and the line they had set up was their last line of defense. The allies and the Japanese fought and though there were times were either side the allies won the battle.
The soldiers fighting on Guadalcanal and other pacific islands like it not only had to fight the enemy, they also had to fight the island. With unfavorable weather conditions and an almost impenetrable forest plus the mountainous terrain and rocky cliff edges. The Pacific theater was fought in the worst conditions by both sides. The Japanese had training for it and even then found it a challenge, for every island had slightly different conditions that are not easily adapted to. The Allies on the other hand had no specific training for island conditions, they had not fought on islands before and most of the soldiers were new recruits and had never seen the ocean before joining the army. This was a major disadvantage to the Allies, who after Guadalcanal sent back troops to America who would train new recruits especially for island fighting. This would help them to reduce their casualties in future engagements. This would not be evident in the statistics as the further the Allies advanced the harder the Japanese fought. For example on the island of Okinawa more American casualties were taken then any other time in the Pacific theater of World War Two.
The most famous person to return to America and train new recruits was; John Basilone receiver of the Medal of Honor, American hero and gunnery sergeant for the American Marine Corps.
Why was it a turning point for World War Two in the Pacific?
It was the first land offensive in the Pacific and was the first time that the Japanese had lost land in World War Two. With the Allies gaining land and the Japanese on the back foot they were rushing to stop an Allied advance.
