Important Battles in the Pacific Theater of War

1
Important Battles in the Pacific

Theater of War

• By Jeremiah R.

2
What were some of the Major
Battles

• Pearl Harbor- This Attack by the Japanese on
  an unsuspecting American Force led to the
  Americans entrance into the war.
  
• Midway- A Japanese ambush on an attacking
  American fleet. The Americans were able to halt
  the attack and launch a counter on the Japanese
  force. This was a major turning point and stopped
  the Japanese advance in the Pacific.
• Iwo Jima- This famous battle is most known for
  the raising of the flags by US Marines. Allies
  launched this attack to stop bombing and shipping
  by Japanese, but also gain the airfields located
  there.
• Tarawa- This attack was launched by the Americans
  because they needed a forward operations base to
  attack Japan and the Philippines

3
Where did most of the battles
take place

• Most battles took place in on Islands around the
  Pacific, and a lot of the fighting was done in
  the sea. Most of the very important battles were
  done at sea, but there were some major battles
  that took place on land. The battles were nearly
  split equally on the ground and in the sea.

4
What nations were involved in the battles in the
Pacific

• United States
• Japan
• Great Britain
• The
  United States and Japan
• 
  were the main countries
  in the
• 
  battle for the Pacific
  because
• 
  most of Britain's forces
  had been
• 
  defeated by December of
  1941.
  
  

5
What were some of the Campaigns during the battle
in the Pacific

• Campaigns
• Solomons Campaign
• Java Campaign
• Leyte Campaign

6
Why was the Battle in the Pacific one of the
Greatest Naval battles in history

• The battle in the Pacific was one of the greatest
  naval battles in history mainly because of the
  countries involved. Japan, the United States, and
  Britain probably had some of the most powerful
  navies in the world, and they were all the main
  countries partaking in the Pacific theater of
  war. The naval battles were very destructive
  throughout the region, and caused tremendous
  damage in the Pacific.

7
Who were some of the leaders of the Axis forces
in the Pacific

• Japanese Leaders- The Leader of the Japanese
  Naval forces was Isoroku Yamamoto. He was the
  mastermind behind the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
  Isoroku Yamamoto
• Japans second highest officer was Chuichi Nagumo.
  He was in charge of leading the attacks on Pearl
  Harbor. He also commanded Kido Butai which was
  the most powerful naval armada assembled during
  the first half of the war.

8
Who were Allied Leaders in the Pacific

• There was no American in charge in the Pacific
  Theater of Operations. The two head positions
  were the Commander in Chief Pacific Ocean Areas,
  and the Supreme Allied Commander South-West
  Pacific Area.
• Chester Nimitz held the position of Commander in
  Chief, and Douglas MacArthur was the Supreme
  Allied Commander in the area.

"I
Shall Return"
9
How the War in the Pacific was Ended

• The Americans were finally able to end the war in
  Japan by dropping two atom bombs on Nagasaki and
  Hiroshima. This decision is still a questionable
  one even today. The dropping of the A-bomb caused
  tremendous widespread death and destruction
  throughout Japan. The Japanese government had
  refused to surrender, so the United States
  eventually decided on the droppings of the bombs
  which brought a near immediate surrender by the
  Japanese.
• The Atomic Bombs dropped on Japan killed around
  200,000 people and ended the war.

10
Works Cited

• 1-30 Mar 2001. World War II, Hopefully the Last
  War. 02 Dec. 2004 ltwww.rockingham.k12.va.us/ems/WW
  II/WWII.htmlgt.
• 2-Military.com. 02 Dec. 2004 lthttp//www.military.
  com/gt.
• 3-9 November 2004. Pacific Theater of Operations.
  02 Dec. 2004 lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific
  _Theater_of_Operationsgt.
• 4-, . "Turning point Battle of Midway." The
  American Vision. Ed. . New York Glencoe, . 745.