Pacific War summary from 1941 to 1945.

Essay by nkewlUniversity, Bachelor's November 2005

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Pacific War summary.

December 7th, 1941 began World War 2 with the attack of the Japanese naval aviation against the American port, Pearl Harbor. The goal of the Japanese was to gain control of eastern Asia and the western Pacific. The Japanese believed that once the lands were under their control, with allies, and America, they would be able to sue for peace. But Japan did not see that it caused Americans to be angry and the Allied coalition islanded hoped its way across the pacific until the bombs flew over Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war.


Pearl harbor was attacked in 1941 with confidence. Their goals were met, they successfully bombed the island but, they did not destroy any American aircraft carriers in the port and they did not destroy the valuable American oil reserves. The attack allowed the American public opinion and American military to work together more than they could imagine.

The war started out good for the Japanese they discovered after attacking, there were no resistance flying back home, an entire Japanese army had successfully landed in northern Luzon. The bad news was telegraphed to Washington, by then it was December 8th, slow communication halted American generals to put more attacks on the Japanese.

The British also had a bad day on December 8th their royal navy force was in the area of Thailand and Malaya and before they could get to it, Japanese bombers sunk the ship in a couple of hours. By late December the British garrison at Hong Kong had surrendered, as well as U.S. marine garrison at the central pacific island of wake. The American army was stuck in the Philippines, and the British defenses in Malaya had been penetrated which led to a retreat in south Singapore.

1941 ended badly...