Battle for the Pacific islands War in the Pacific Battle for the Pacific islands

The Pacific Front The same day as Pearl Harbor, Japanese bombers strike American airfields in the Philippines, Wake Island, and Guam—key American bases in the Pacific. American General Douglas MacArthur and his men are forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula west of Manila. Allied troops surrender on April 9, 1942 and are forced—many sick and near starvation—to march to a prison camp 60 miles away. This march was called the Bataan Death March because about 76,000 men started out on the walk and only 54,000 made it to the camp. The march occurred after the three-month Battle of Bataan.

May 1942: the Battle of the Coral Sea was fought May 1942: the Battle of the Coral Sea was fought. The Allies halt the Japanese advance on Australia. June 1942: the Battle of Midway, northwest of Hawaii, the U.S. navy destroys four Japanese aircraft carriers and hundreds of airplanes—marking a major Japanese defeat. The U.S. adopts a new strategy called island hopping. The U.S would gain certain key islands and use them as bases for leapfrogging to others, moving closer to the Philippines—and to Japan. Coral Sea Midway

June 1944: American forces capture Guam and other nearby islands. August—February 1943: U.S. fights fiercely for control of Guadalcanal and finally secures the island. June 1944: American forces capture Guam and other nearby islands. October 1944: The Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines—the biggest navel battle in history, 282 ships take part—is won by the Allies. Guadalcanal Leyte Gulf

The Atomic Bomb German-born physicist Albert Einstein warns President Roosevelt about the Nazis use of the atom. A top-secret operation called the Manhattan Project is launched so U.S. scientists could develop the atomic bomb first. The Potsdam Declaration is issued to Japan—warning that is Japan didn’t surrender, it faced “prompt and utter destruction.” The Japanese did not surrender. President Truman orders the use of the bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb is dropped on the city of Nagasaki. The bombs cause immense destruction—70,000 die in Hiroshima, 40,000 die in Nagasaki.