The Pacific Theater

On December 6th, 1941, Sargent Oliver Fisher was touring the ground of pearl harbor. He headed back to his office where he received a message from one of the soldiers on watch duty. He reported a suspicious sighting of Japanese boats. Oliver thought nothing of it and desired due to the Americans' neutrality in the war it could mean nothing for the base. Later that night a decided message arrived on Oliver's desk stating an action undertaken by Japanese forces would happen on the next day. Due to the vital importance of this message Oliver rushed it to Washington. He did not hear back from Washington, at 7:45 AM Oliver heard the first shots. He rushed toward the battle willing to aid his fellow soldiers in the battle. He thought it was lucky that the 3 aircraft carriers they had were at sea. And he dove into the battle taking down Japanese jets.

During the battle, he saw many of his fellow soldiers fail and fall out of the sky struck by the Japanese he was on Oahu. They received the worst of the attack by the Japanese, and by 10:00 AM the worst of the fighting had stopped. Only he was not alone, he was not even with a fellow soldier, but with a single Japanese prisoner, this was the only prisoner. The numbers slowly trickled in: 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 2404 military personnel and civilians killed. By the time the final count had been established he was in Washington with his Medal of Honor and the United States had officially declared war on Japan. Oliver would later serve with general Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines, where he would be taken prisoner by the Japanese. He would be captured by the Chinese on May 25, 1945, shortly after Japanese withdrawal. However, he would not return home until December 16, 1945, after being held by the Chinese.

Tripartite Pact is signed September 27, 1940

The tripartite pact sealed the alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan. This proved to be a setting stone for the later wartime alliances. The act was primarily against the Americans, as the still neutral America would be forced to reconsider joining the allies. The pact stated that should any of the countries who signed suffer an attack by a country that was not already involved in the war the others would provide mutual assistance. The pact recognized the 2 different influences, namely Germany and Italy in the “greater Europe” and Japan in the “Greater East Asia”. The pact proved significant after the attack on Pearl Harbor when the United States declared war on Japan. This in turn caused Italy and Germany to declare war on the United States. Furthermore, this caused the United States to join the allies and aid them in winning the war.

Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941

Pearl Harbor was the turning point of the United States' neutrality. On December 7th japan bombed the naval base, shortly after the current president FDR declared war on Japan. The tripartite pact caused Germany and Italy to also declare war on the United States. The United States joined the allies and proved to be of great importance in later events. Furthermore, the United States played a key role in the pacific theater and all the major battles waged in the pacific. The attack killed thousands of soldiers and civilians, it caused major damage to ships in the army. The attack harbored some good luck for the United States as all 3 aircraft carriers were at sea, and the most vital facilities such as oil storage, repair shops, and docks remained intact. The attack reminded the citizens of the United States that they stood together against the oppression, the Nazis infused on the world and the freedom they supported.

Singapore falls February 15, 1942

Singapore was a British stronghold, however, on February 15th it fell to British forces. The Japanese had plans to transfer the power of Singapore to its empire, and they set their plans into action on the eve of Pearl Harbor. The battle between the Japanese and British fought for 2 months, eventually the British abandoned their positions, withdrawing and leaving Singapore to the Japanese. The Japanese took more than sixty-two thousand prisoners, and more than half of them died. Along with the surrender, the British lost their footing in the east. Their main location of the action and where they could act from was lost. The British tried to keep up morale and calm, however, it is called the “worst disaster” in British history, and therefore greatly diminished confidence with the British. More importantly, it provided the Japanese a strategic point of operation until the war ended.

Battle of Midway June 4-7, 1942

The United States Navy and the Japanese empire fought in the battle of midway. It happened only 6 months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The success of the United States turned the tone of the pacific theater in favor of the U.S. The Japanese wanted to establish dominance in the Pacific, and they wanted to do this by replicating the success of Pearl Harbor. The islands of Midway served a significance in the United States Army as they harbored an important naval base, furthermore, the destruction of the island would have resulted in the loss of the rest of their naval fleet. The damage of the battle was extensive, the Japanese lost 3 thousand men, 300 aircraft, one cruiser, and 4 aircraft carriers. The Americans' losses were far less, and even better for them the Japanese abandoned their plan to expand into the Pacific and would remain defensive. This turning point for the Japanese and Americans greatly changed the outcome of the Second World War in the pacific.

Battle of Okinawa April 1 - June 15, 1945

Known as one of the bloodiest battles during the second world war, this battle was the last major battle. The United States landed on the island as a final push toward Japan. The capture of the island was part of a complex plan to invade nearby islands. Although the allies won it resulted in heavy casualties on both sides of the battle. The large casualties of the Japanese were due to the superstition that the Americans took no prisoners of war, and therefore many Japanese soldiers committed suicide. The Mexicans also greatly weakened by the battle were in no condition to fight in Japan. President Truman, therefore, dropped 2 atomic bombs as the Japanese did not surrender after the first. The battle and the effects of the battle remain to be one of the greatest in history.

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki August 6&9, 1945

It was the first time atomic weapons were used in warfare. Due to the bombing, tens of thousands of people died some died due to the radiation, and others by the actual bomb. One day after the bombing Japan surrendered, and it officially marked the end of the Second World War. Hiroshima was the primary target as it served to be of great military value. Stimson was originally considered but removed after further consideration due to cultural significance, Nagasaki was added in its place. It was thought that the bomb dropped on Nagasaki was the only one in the Americans' arsenal, but this soon proved false. 2 days after the bombing of Hiroshima the Soviet Union declared war against japan. On the day of the Soviet invasion, there was still no surrender from the Japanese. The second bomb was sent to Kokura but visibility was so poor they had to turn to their secondary target. The overall impact the bomb had on human lives is immeasurable, let alone the extent it would have on later warfare.

The mounting United states and Japanese tensions resulted in an inevitable war between the 2 world powers. The tensions began during the Great Depression in the 1930s Japan remedied its economic problems by invading neighboring china causing mass killings and rapes. Due to Japanese expansion, the United States decided to pass economic sanctions against Japan. These included trade embargoes on oil, aircraft, and metals. Instead, the United States gave support to Guomindang forces. The United States warned Japan that sizing further territory would lead to the United States' interference. Washington and Japan negotiated as the U.S. hoped that the embargo would halt the expansion of Japan. The Japanese stubbornness riled its people against further western interference in its affairs. Japan’s egotistical stance in the afire led it to believe the war was inevitable. To defend its reputation as a major world power it appeared to be the only solution and to achieve the upper hand in the war Japan staged a surprise attack.

Pearl Harbor, was not only chosen for a cause to provoke war with the United States but also because it was a main base for the United States naval fleet. The base, so far away from the Japanese mainland, was never considered for a possible point of attack and therefore left undefended. The easy target was not the only target, the morale of the United States pacific naval fleet, and islands in the South Pacific, being the focal point of the attack. The United States believed Japan would be incapable of staging multiple attacks, and therefore the U.S. army’s unconcerned stance resulted in the underestimation of Japanese forces. The result of the attack led to the United States' involvement in the second world war and joining forces with the allies. The Japanese signed the tripartite pact, therefore, siding with the Germans and Italians, further involving the United States. Eventually, this would lead to the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and hundreds and thousands of lives were lost.

The Japanese relied heavily on oil from the United States, and the sanctions imposed by the U.S. greatly impacted their lives, after Japan seized French Indonesia. Furthermore, due to Japanese expansionism, the Japanese wanted to take the United Kingdom’s Southeast Asian colonies such as Singapore. This would inevitably lead to the involvement of the United States, and the position of their naval fleet would result in the United States having the upper hand in the pacific theater which the Japanese avoided.

Overall the attack on Pearl Harbor was due to a long-standing feud between Japan and the United States. This feud began as Japan expanded into neighboring territories, resulting in the imposing of sanctions. Pearl Harbor was chosen with the aim being to destroy American fleet units, hoping to prevent American interference with further Japanese expansion. It aimed to increase time for the Japanese to build their naval fleet and to decrease the morale of the Americans as well as hinder America's ability to mobilize its naval forces. However the disadvantage for the Japanese would be that the ships would be in shallow water and easily repairable, and the crew would be on land meaning many would survive. Furthermore, the naval aircraft carriers would all be out at sea leaving the United States with their main ability for attack intact. Finally, the important facilities of the United States received no damage. The attack successfully decreased morale but left much intact for the Americans, and led to their involvement in the war.