The Pacific War, one of the main battlefields of the Second World War, was a big collision between the democratic forces and the fascist forces in the widest sea area in the world, and its earth-shattering momentum was a masterpiece in the history of war. As many as 37 countries participated in the war, involving a population of more than1500 million, and the warring parties mobilized more than 60 million troops, which lasted for three years and several months. It is difficult to count casualties and losses.
belligerent/warring countries/states/nations
Allies participating in the Pacific War include the United States, China, Britain, British Indian Empire, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Dutch government in exile, Free France and the Soviet Union. As for the Axis countries, mainly Japan and its puppet regimes, including Manchukuo, Wang Jingwei and Thailand. In addition, Japan recruited many troops in its colonies (such as South Korea and Taiwan Province Province), and many pro-Japanese factions fought in China.
During World War II, Japanese imperialism launched the Pacific War in order to compete for colonies in the Far East and dominate Asia. 194 1 65438+February 8, 2008, the Japanese navy and air force suddenly attacked Pearl Harbor, and the US Pacific fleet suffered heavy losses. On the 8th, the United States and Britain declared war on Japan, 1 1 day, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, and the Pacific War broke out. In less than half a year, Japanese imperialism occupied Hong Kong, Malaya, the Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia and other places, and was in a temporary military advantage. In the Japanese-occupied areas, the people launched a national liberation war against the Japanese aggressors. 1June, 942, the United States won the naval battle of midway and gained the maritime initiative. After three years of hard struggle, the US military recovered the islands occupied by the Japanese in the Pacific Ocean. 1944, the anti-Japanese troops led by China * * * began a partial counterattack. 1In August, 945, the Soviet Union sent troops to the northeast of China, and China's army launched a full-scale counterattack. On August 6 and 9, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. 15 In August, Japanese fascists declared unconditional surrender, and on September 2, Japan signed an unconditional surrender, ending the Pacific War.
Pacific War Situation Map Detailed Pacific War Pacific War
The war of aggression launched by Japanese fascists during World War II. This war, with Japan as one side and the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and the countries of the Asia-Pacific anti-fascist alliance as one side, was an important part of the Second World War.
Historical background 1938 Japan's war of aggression against China entered a stalemate stage. At the same time, the struggle between Japan and the United States for Asia and the Pacific has become increasingly superficial. In order to dominate East Asia and compete for world hegemony, the Japanese ruling group has long determined the national policy of promoting North-South. 1940, Germany invaded western Europe. In the Far East, Britain, France and Holland are weak; The United States is too busy supporting the war against Germany to look east. Japanese militarism thinks this is a good opportunity to push south. In the same year, the Guards Cabinet threw out the plan of Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Circle in an attempt to establish a Japanese colonial empire including China, Korea, East Asia and even Oceania. 1940 In September, the German-Italian-Japanese alliance treaty was signed in Berlin. 1941April Before and after the start of the Japan-US negotiations, Japan successively occupied the whole Indian zhina, making it a strategic material supply base and a springboard to the south, further aggravating the contradiction between the United States and Japan. 194110/810, the cabinet of tojo hideki leaders was established. 65438+February 1 The headquarters meeting decided to go to war with the United States, Britain and the Netherlands. On the morning of the 8th (at 3: 20 Japanese time on the 8th and at 7: 50 Hawaiian time on the 7th), under the command of Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the joint fleet, the Japanese army attacked Pearl Harbor, the largest naval and air base of the United States in the Pacific Ocean. On the same day, the United States and Britain declared war on Japan and the Pacific War broke out.
At dawn on February 8th 194 165438+ after the war, Japan dispatched about 360 planes and 55 warships, led by Nan Yunzhong, and stormed the American warships and airports in Pearl Harbor twice in a row, sinking and injuring 19 warships, including 8 battleships, and destroying and injuring more than 260 aircraft. The us military was caught off guard, and the main force of the Pacific fleet was almost completely destroyed, killing and injuring more than 3,000 people. At the same time, more than 400,000 Japanese Southern Army troops under the command of Hisaichi Terauchi divided their forces to attack Hong Kong, Malaya, the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar. The Japanese army also attacked the strategic islands of some allies in the south-central Pacific Ocean, such as Guam, wake island, Bismarck Islands, New Britain and other places, and achieved the goal of establishing an air force forward base.
1942 from may to June, Japan attacked Solomon islands, east new guinea and midway island in order to cut off the ties between the United States and Australia. In the Battle of Coral Sea (May 7-8) and the Battle of Midway Island (June 4-5), Japan suffered heavy losses. On August 7 of the same year, the US military began a partial counterattack and landed on Guadalcanal Island in Solomon Islands to launch a long-term battle. As the United States mastered the air and sea control rights, the Japanese army suffered heavy losses, with 24,600 deaths, more than 30 ships and more than 300 planes. The remnant soldiers were forced to leave the island in February 1943. After the Battle of Guadalcanal, the situation was relatively calm, and the US military only launched a limited attack in the Pacific Ocean (such as retaking Artu1943 in the Aleutian Islands in May); Although the Japanese army fought back, it was in vain. In April of the same year, Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese navy, was killed in an ambush by an American plane. 1June, 943,165438+1October, the allied forces began a big counterattack, under the command of C. W. Nimitz and D. MacArthur respectively, attacking the Japanese-occupied areas from the central Pacific Ocean and the southwest Pacific Ocean. 1944 During the spring and summer, the United States successively seized the Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands and Mariana Islands under Japanese mandate. The Battle of Leyte Bay broke out in June 5438+10, and the Japanese naval and air forces were completely lost. 1945 1 American troops landed in Luzon Island and occupied Manila in March. From March to June of the same year, American troops occupied Iojima and Okinawa and approached Japan. In May, Germany surrendered unconditionally. In order to keep the country and North Korea, Japan mobilized an unprecedented war and clamored for "decisive battle at home". On July 26th, the heads of government of China, the United States and Britain issued the Potsdam Proclamation, urging Japan to surrender unconditionally. Japan refused to accept it. On August 6 and 9, the United States dropped only two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing a large number of casualties. On August 8th, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, sending 654.38+0.57 million troops, more than 3,400 planes and more than 5,500 tanks, and advancing to the northeast of China in three ways. On the 9th, the Soviet army launched a general attack on the Japanese Kwantung Army. At the same time, it entered the southern part of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands. 10 In June, the People's Republic of Mongolia declared war on Japan. At the same time, under the leadership of China, the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army and other anti-Japanese armed forces launched a comprehensive counterattack against the Japanese army. Due to exhaustion, Japan was forced to declare its surrender on August 15. On September 2, a signing ceremony was held on the Missouri. The countries of the anti-fascist alliance won the final victory in the Pacific War.
[Edit this paragraph] Important battles in the Pacific War
The attack on Pearl Harbor was 194 1 12. On the morning of February 7th, imperial japanese navy's aircraft carrier and mini submarine suddenly attacked the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy in Pearl Harbor and the airport of the US Army and Navy in Oahu. The Pacific War broke out. The attack finally involved the United States in World War II. This is the first time that another country attacked American territory after the Sino-Mexican War in the19th century. This incident is also known as the Pearl Harbor incident or the attack on Pearl Harbor.
background
Japan began to develop into Southeast Asia in A.D. 194 1, which aroused the anxiety of the big countries in this region. In the past ten years, the dissatisfaction of these countries with Japan's foreign expansion was limited to submitting diplomatic protests at most, but in July of 194 1, the colonial governments of the United States, Britain and the Netherlands announced that it was forbidden to transport strategic materials to Japan, especially steel and oil. This step is a threat to Japan's economy and military, with the aim of forcing Japan to limit its activities in Southeast Asia and return to the negotiating table. US President franklin roosevelt ordered the fleet to be stationed at Pearl Harbor (this is a direct threat to Japan, because it is much closer to Japan than the west coast of the United States). Roosevelt thought this decision was very important. When Admiral Richardson protested this decision, he fired Richardson. However, the response of the United States and other countries seems to only strengthen the Japanese military's decision to occupy and use this area. Japan's oil production is very small, and the storage of refined oil is even less, so the embargo is a very serious problem for Japan.
The Japanese government decided to occupy the resources of Southeast Asia as an answer to the embargo. They cannot assume that if they start to act, the United States will stand by and watch. That's why Isoroku Yamamoto considered destroying American power in the Pacific beforehand. The plan of Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese Joint Fleet, to attack the Pearl Harbor Naval Base is a tactical step to achieve this strategic goal. According to Japanese data, Yamamoto began to consider the attack on Pearl Harbor at 194 1. A few months later, after doing some preliminary investigation, he was allowed to start preparing for the operation. The Japanese navy strongly opposes such actions. Yamamoto threatened to retire if the operation was suspended. In the summer of 194 1, this action was officially approved at an imperial meeting attended by the Japanese emperor himself. 165438+ 10, at another imperial meeting attended by the emperor himself, the decision to send troops to the Pacific Ocean was approved. At the meeting in 165438+ 10, it was also decided that the United States would give up its action only if it fully agreed with Japan's main demands.
The purpose of the attack on Pearl Harbor is to (at least temporarily) eliminate the main force of the US Navy in the Pacific Ocean. Isoroku Yamamoto, the mastermind of the Pearl Harbor attack, believes that a successful attack can only bring strategic advantages for one year. Japan started to fight China from 193 1, before Japan occupied Manchuria. From 194 1 year 1 year, Japan began to plan a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor to gain strategic advantages. After some discussions and disputes within the navy, the Japanese navy began to conduct strict training on this operation in the middle of the year.
Part of Japan's plan is to suspend negotiations with the United States before the attack (and it must be before the attack). As of February 7, 65438, the diplomats of the Japanese ambassador in Washington have been having extensive discussions with the US Foreign Office, including the US response to Japan's invasion of Southeast Asia. Before the attack, the Japanese ambassador received a long telegram from the Japanese Foreign Ministry and was ordered to give it to Secretary of State Cordell Hull before the attack (afternoon 1 p.m. Washington time). However, the ambassador failed to decipher and print the long credentials in time. Finally, this declaration was submitted to the United States after the attack. This delay increased American anger at the attack, which is the main reason why President Roosevelt called this day a "shameless day". Admiral Yamamoto seems to agree with this view. The movie Tiger co-produced by Japan and the United States! Tiger! Tiger! He was quoted as saying, "I'm afraid we have awakened a sleeping giant, and now he is full of anger." Yamamoto himself may never have said this sentence, even so, he seems to really feel this way.
In fact, this credential was decoded by the United States before Japan submitted it to the United States. George catlett marshall immediately sent an urgent warning to Hawaii after reading the credentials, but the telegram had to be transmitted through the civil telecommunications bureau because of the chaos in the internal transmission system of the US military. It lost its "emergency" sign on the way. A few hours after the attack, a young Japanese-American postman sent the telegram to the US military headquarters.
Event process
165438+1On October 26th, the Japanese navy's fleet consisting of six aircraft carriers left Japan for Pearl Harbor under the command of vice admiral's Zhong Nanyun. On the way, the fleet maintained complete radio silence. In addition to these six aircraft carriers, the Japanese fleet also includes two battleships, three cruisers, nine destroyers and three submarines. In addition, eight oil tankers and two destroyers are only on standby in the North Pacific.
On the morning of February 8, 65438, this fleet plane bombed all American airports on Oahu and many ships moored at Pearl Harbor, including battleships there. Almost all the planes on the ground were destroyed, and only a few planes were able to take off and fight back. 12 Battleship was sunk or damaged. 188 planes were destroyed, 155 planes were destroyed, and 2403 American troops were killed. The battleship Arizona exploded and sank alone, killing thousands of people.
The first shot and the first victim of this battle were the attack of American destroyers on Japanese mini-submarines. The mini submarine was sunk. Japan sent a total of five mini submarines, intending to torpedo American ships after the air raid began. All five ships sank later, and only four were found later. Only one of the ten sailors on these five ships survived, and the wine roll and the man were caught. He was the first American prisoner in World War II.
The Japanese aircraft carriers involved in this attack are Chicheng (flagship), Kaga, Canglong, Longfei, Xianghe and Ruihe. These six aircraft carriers can carry 44 1 aircraft, including fighter planes, torpedo bombers, dive bombers and horizontal bombers, of which 55 were destroyed. These planes attacked in two waves. Lieutenant General Nan Yun decided to give up the third attack and withdraw his main force.
According to various reports and military documents released by the US and Japan, the process of attacking Pearl Harbor is as follows:
3:42: An American minesweeper found a periscope in front of Honolulu Port.
6:00: The aircraft carrier Enterprise, which is 370 nautical miles away from Pearl Harbor, sends a 18 reconnaissance plane to Pearl Harbor from 370 nautical miles away.
6: 10: Lieutenant General Nan Yun ordered the first wave to take off after receiving the attack order. The Japanese fleet is now located 220 nautical miles north of Oahu.
6:20: The first wave 183 bombers and fighters take off for Pearl Harbor.
6:30: An American supply ship found a submarine outside Pearl Harbor. This discovery was transmitted to an American destroyer "Ward" and a reconnaissance plane was sent to the local area.
6:45: The destroyer Ward attacks the submarine. The submarine was sunk.
6: 53: The destroyer Ward reported that the submarine was attacked.
7:02: A radar station located in the north of Oahu found an unknown plane at 132 nautical mile of the island.
7: 10: the radar station reported to the air defense command that an unknown aircraft was found.
7: 15: The report of submarine attack arrives at the US military command. At the same time, 167 the second wave of Japanese planes took off.
7:20: The U.S. air defense command thinks that the unidentified plane is a B- 17 bomber from the mainland, and he orders the radar station to close.
7:40: The first wave reaches the north shore of Oahu.
7:49: The first wave of commanders gave the order to attack.
7:53: The first wave of commanders issued "Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! " The news reported that the sneak attack was successful.
7: 55-8: 25: The first attack of torpedo bombers and dive bombers.
7: 58: The US Navy issued a warning to all ships: "Pearl Harbor was attacked by air. This is not an exercise! "
8:00: The B- 17 bomber of the continental United States and the reconnaissance plane of Enterprise arrive at Pearl Harbor at the same time, but they are unprepared and unable to intervene.
8:02: The battleship Nevada begins to fire at the aircraft attacking from starboard. Two planes were shot down. The stern of the Nevada was torpedoed. Nevada was the only battleship that tried to escape from Pearl Harbor, but it had to run aground on the beach after being hit many times to prevent the ship from sinking.
8: 08: Radio KGMB stops its program and calls on all soldiers to return to their posts.
8: 10: The ammunition depot in the front of the battleship Arizona was hit and exploded. Arizona sank in nine minutes, killing 80% of the crew.
8: 12: Hawaiian supreme commander walter short reports to the entire Pacific fleet and Washington: "The battle with Japan began with the attack on Pearl Harbor."
8: 17: The American destroyer Helm was the first American ship to attack a submarine in Pearl Harbor.
8: 26: Honolulu Fire Brigade reported that 3 people were killed and 6 people were injured (possibly hit by anti-aircraft gun bullets).
8: 39: A seaplane found a submarine in the harbor and opened fire on it.
8: 40-9: 15: Bomber attack.
8:40: An American destroyer collided with a Japanese submarine and began to drop depth charges. The submarine floated up after being injured. A local radio station reported the air strikes in Japan.
8:50: The commander of the second wave of attacks gives an attack order.
8:54: The second attack begins. 54 bombers and 78 dive bombers attacked, and 36 fighters protected air superiority.
9:00: A Dutch ocean-going ship is the first ally to participate in the war.
9: 15—9:45: dive bomber attack.
9:30: Ships outside the port and north of the island are attacked.
From 9:45: The attack is weakened.
10:00: The first wave of aircraft returned to the fleet parked in the north of the island 180 nautical mile.
1 1: 15: the governor of Hawaii announced the state of martial law on the radio.
It is reported that the Japanese army has landed in Oahu.
12: 10: the us reconnaissance plane flew to the north of the island, but did not find any enemy planes or ships.
12:40: the governor of Hawaii and the president of the United States agreed to introduce wartime laws and establish military government rule in Hawaii.
13:00: The captain of the Japanese flight team and Lieutenant General Nan Yun discuss the possibility of the third wave attack.
13:30: Nanyun ordered to return.
The governor of Hawaii signed the wartime law.
Global direct consequences of the Pacific War
As far as its strategic purpose is concerned, the attack on Pearl Harbor is a brilliant victory in the short and medium term, and its result far exceeds the farthest imagination of its planners. In the whole history of war, such achievements are rare. In the following six months, the US Navy was insignificant in the Pacific battlefield. Without the threat of the US Pacific Fleet, Japan's power over other big countries in Southeast Asia is completely negligible. Since then, it has occupied the whole Southeast Asia and the southwest Pacific Ocean, and its influence has been extended to the Indian Ocean.