War in the Pacific By Dr. Seuss

February 13, 1942

23 March 1942, Operation 'Ironclad' 23 March 1942, Operation 'Ironclad'. Because of Churchill's fear that the island of Madagascar could become something of a 'halfway house'between the Japanese in the Indian Ocean and the Axis powers in the Middle East, he mounts Operation 'Ironclad', aimed at occupying that island. 1-30-42

2-4-42

3-17-42

18 April 1942, The Doolittle raid, starting from Carrier "Hornet" with North American B-25B Mitchells, on Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan. After the winter at the Eastern front, German/Russia front for the new offensive. 4-20-42

4 May 1942, (till 8 May). Japanese and American navies clash in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Japanese lost carrier "Shoho" and heavily damage carrier "Shokaku"; American lost carrier "Lexington", a tanker and a destroyer. 5-7-42

15 January 1942, Japanese troops (16th Army) invade Burma 15 January 1942, Japanese troops (16th Army) invade Burma. Slim, General Sir William (1891-1970) Slim served in France, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia during the First World War. He transferred to the Gurkha Rifles in 1920 and became a regular officer. In 1940-41 he led British and Indian troops in Eritrea, Syria, Iraq and Iran. maintaining morale and discipline during the retreat from Rangoon to Imphal. William Slim was sent to take up, maintaining morale and discipline, a corps command in Burma in 1942, where British forces were reeling under the Japanese onslaught. The situation was desperate but Slim conducted a steady withdrawal while in close contact with the enemy. Promoted to army command, commander of the Fourteeth Army in December 1943, Slim concentrated on improving the welfare of his men, reducing disease and building up an adequate supply chain. He cleverly repulsed the last Japanese assaults against Imphal and Kohima in 1944, before going on the offensive himself. Outflanking the Japanese on the Irawaddy River, Slim regained the strategic initiative. The subsequent British advance through central Burma, in which Slim used armor and mechanized formations in extremely difficult terrain, was a masterpiece of military skill, rewarded by the capture of Rangoon and the defeat of the Japanese in Burma. After the war he served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1948-52). 5-13-42

5-23-42

6-10-42

8-30-42

9-04-42

10-23-42

12-15 November 1942, The Air-Sea battle of Guadalcanal Naval Battles of Guadalcanal; the turning point in the Pacific. The Japanese send 11.000 men to Guadalcanal in 11 transports escorted by destroyers. Another Japanese force of 2 battieships, 2 cruisers and 14 destroyers is sent to bombard Henderson Field. There are also 2 carriers in the area. With just 5 cruisers and 8 destroyers, US Admiral Callaghan moves to locate the ships heading for the position offshore of the airfield. When the 2 fleets engage the Japanese lose 2 cruisers and many of their other ships are damaged; the Americans lose 2 cruisers and 4 destroyers. Although the Americans should have used their superior radar to secure an even greater advantage, the Japanese transports are forced to turn away. On 14 November Admiral Tanaka attempts a new approach for his troops bound for Guadalcanal. The US carrier Enterprise is back on duty and her aircraft join with those from Henderson Field to attack the Japanese ships. 7 transports and 2 warships are lost, but Tanaka sails on, now receiving protection from a new formation consisting of the battleship Kirishima, 4 cruisers and 9 destroyers under the command of Admiral Kondo. The Americans have also reformed their fleet, deploying the battleships Washington and South Dakota and 4 destroyers. In the middle of the night the 2 forces clash. The naval action off Guadalcanal sees South Dakota retiring damaged early on, but Washington sinking Kirishima. Tanaka manages to land 4.000 troops but the hazards of surface approach and landing will see the Japanese resorting to submarine-borne supply in future. 11-18-42

12-7-42