Pacific
Front
(287)1941
December
- 08
- The attack on Clark FieldOn 8 December 1941 Japanese bombers from Formosa destroyed half of the US air force in the Philippines at Clark Field and Iba, hours after news of Pearl Harbor.
- The Japanese invasion of ThailandOn 8 December 1941 the Japanese landed on the Thai coast and crossed from Indochina. After hours of fighting, Bangkok ceased fire and let them pass to Malaya.
- The Battle of Hong Kong beginsOn 8 December 1941 Japan attacked Hong Kong. In five days it took the New Territories and Kowloon, and the defenders withdrew to Hong Kong Island.
- The Malayan campaign beginsJust after midnight on 8 December 1941 the Japanese landed at Kota Bharu in Malaya and in Thailand. Five days later Yamashita's army beat the British at Jitra.
- 10
- The sinking of Prince of Wales and RepulseOn 10 December 1941 Japanese bombers from Indochina sank the battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Repulse off Malaya. 840 sailors were killed.
- The Japanese take GuamOn 10 December 1941 the Japanese landed on Guam, and after a brief fight in Agana Governor George McMillin surrendered the island. The same day they took Makin.
- 11
- The defence of Wake IslandOn 11 December 1941 the defenders of Wake atoll beat off a Japanese landing. Coastal guns sank the destroyer Hayate, and Marine fighters the destroyer Kisaragi.
- The Japanese invasion of Burma beginsIn mid-December 1941 the Japanese took Victoria Point in southern Burma; on 23 and 25 December their bombers struck Rangoon, setting off a flight from the city.
1942
January
- 11
- The Japanese take Kuala LumpurOn 7 January 1942 Japanese tanks shattered the 11th Indian Division at the Slim River. Wavell gave up central Malaya; on 11 January Kuala Lumpur fell.
- The torpedoing of USS SaratogaOn 11 January 1942 the Japanese submarine I-6 torpedoed the carrier Saratoga off Hawaii. Six sailors were killed and the ship was out of action for five months.
- The Japanese invasion of the Dutch East IndiesOn 11 January 1942 the Japanese landed on Tarakan and near Manado, where they first used paratroops. The fight for the oil of the Dutch East Indies began.
- 31
- The Japanese take MoulmeinOn 31 January 1942 the British garrison of Moulmein withdrew across the Salween and the Japanese 55th Division took the town. The road to Rangoon lay open.
- The retreat to SingaporeOn 31 January 1942 the last Commonwealth units crossed from Johor to Singapore Island and sappers blew up the Causeway. The Battle of Malaya was over.
February
- 20
- The Sittang Bridge disasterOn 23 February 1942 the British blew the Sittang bridge with most of the 17th Indian Division still on the far bank. The road to Rangoon lay open.
- The Japanese on Bali and TimorOn 19–20 February 1942 Japan took Bali and landed on Timor. Doorman lost a night battle in the Badung Strait, and on 23 February Sparrow Force surrendered.
March
- 08
- The Japanese at Lae and SalamauaOn 8 March 1942 the Japanese took Lae and Salamaua on the Huon Gulf unopposed. On 10 March aircraft from Lexington and Yorktown sank three transports offshore.
- The Japanese take RangoonOn 8 March 1942 the Japanese 33rd Division entered abandoned, burning Rangoon. The British army in Burma lost its only port, and China its supply route.
April
- 03
- The final offensive on BataanOn Good Friday, 3 April 1942, Homma's 14th Army attacked on Bataan. Mount Samat fell on 5 April, and by 8 April the starving defenders' front had collapsed.
- The bombing of MandalayOn Good Friday, 3 April 1942, Japanese bombers burned most of Mandalay. Accounts speak of some 2,000 dead, and the city emptied.
- 09
- The attack on TrincomaleeOn 9 April 1942 Nagumo's aircraft bombed the base at Trincomalee, then sank the carrier Hermes and the destroyer HMAS Vampire off the coast of Ceylon.
- Key eventThe fall of BataanOn 9 April 1942 General Edward King surrendered the forces on Bataan against orders. Some 75,000 men went into captivity; only Corregidor still held out.
- The Bataan Death MarchAfter Bataan fell on 9 April 1942 the Japanese drove some 76,000 prisoners north on foot to Camp O'Donnell. Thousands of men died on the way.
May
- 06
- The fall of CorregidorOn 6 May 1942, after a Japanese landing, Wainwright surrendered Corregidor. Homma forced him to extend it to all US and Filipino forces in the islands.
- Stilwell's walk out of BurmaOn 6 May 1942 General Joseph Stilwell abandoned his vehicles and led 114 people on foot from Burma to India. Two weeks later all reached Imphal alive.
June
- 03
- The attack on Dutch HarborOn 3 and 4 June 1942 aircraft from Ryūjō and Jun'yō bombed Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians, opening the Aleutian campaign alongside Midway.
- The Battle of Midway beginsOn 3 June 1942 a Catalina sighted Japanese transports heading for Midway. B-17s hit no ship, and Nagumo's carriers were still hidden in the fog.
- 07
- The Japanese on Attu and KiskaOn 6–7 June 1942 the Japanese took Kiska and Attu unopposed. Attu's Aleuts were deported to Japan, and the US removed Aleuts from other islands.
- The end of the Battle of MidwayOn 5–7 June 1942 Yamamoto called off the Midway attack, US planes sank the cruiser Mikuma, and a Japanese submarine finished off Yorktown, which sank on 7 June.
July
August
September
- 15
- Americans in Port MoresbyOn 15 September 1942 the first company of the US 32nd Division flew into Port Moresby. Two regiments followed – one by air, the other by sea.
- The sinking of USS WaspOn 15 September 1942 the Japanese submarine I-19 torpedoed the carrier Wasp, covering a convoy to Guadalcanal. 193 men died and the blazing ship was scuttled.
October
November
December
- 15
- The fall of Gona and BunaOn 9 December 1942 the Australians took Gona, and on 14 December the Americans took Buna village. The Japanese fought on at Buna Station and Sanananda.
- The fighting for Mount AustenIn mid-December 1942 the Americans attacked Mount Austen on Guadalcanal. The 132nd Infantry stalled before the Japanese stronghold of the Gifu.
1943
January
February
March
- 02
- Key eventThe Battle of the Bismarck SeaOn 2–4 March 1943 Allied aircraft destroyed a convoy from Rabaul to Lae. Eight transports and four destroyers were sunk and nearly 3,000 Japanese killed.
- The Chindits cross the IrrawaddyIn early March 1943 Wingate’s Chindits blew up the railway in northern Burma and crossed the Irrawaddy. At the end of the month they were ordered back to India.
April
May
June
July
August
- 15
- The landing on Vella LavellaOn 15 August 1943 the Americans bypassed strongly held Kolombangara and landed on weakly held Vella Lavella – the first deliberate “leapfrog” in the Solomons.
- The landing on an empty KiskaOn 15 August 1943 more than 34,000 Americans and Canadians landed on Kiska. The Japanese had gone, but fog, mines and booby traps still killed many men.
September
October
November
- 25
- The Battle of Cape St. GeorgeOn the night of 25 November 1943 Captain Arleigh Burke's destroyers sank three of five Japanese destroyers returning from Buka, without loss to themselves.
- The raid on RangoonOn 25 November 1943 the Americans and the RAF opened a joint air offensive against Rangoon. On day one cloud stopped the Liberators; only B-25s hit a target.
December
1944
January
February
March
- 06
- Operation Thursday – the second Chindit expeditionOn the night of 5–6 March 1944 gliders of the US 1st Air Commando landed Wingate's Chindits deep in Burma. The second expedition behind Japanese lines began.
- The alarm in Western AustraliaOn 6 March 1944 the submarine USS Haddo reported Japanese warships near the Lombok Strait. The Allies put Perth and Fremantle on alert – in vain.
April
May
- 18
- The Myitkyina airfieldOn 17 May 1944 Merrill's Marauders and the Chinese 150th Regiment seized the airfield at Myitkyina by surprise. The town held out for almost three more months.
- The end of the fighting in the Admiralty IslandsOn 18 May 1944 General Krueger declared the Admiralty Islands operation over. Japanese stragglers still hid in the jungle; Seeadler Harbour became a fleet base.
June
July
August
- 10
- The end of the fighting on GuamOn 10 August 1944 the Americans declared organised resistance on Guam at an end. The next day General Obata died in the Mataguac caves.
- The raid on PalembangOn the night of 10–11 August 1944 B-29s from Ceylon attacked the Pladjoe refinery at Palembang and mined the Musi River. The refinery suffered little damage.
September
October
- 23
- Key eventThe Battle of Leyte Gulf beginsThe Battle of Leyte Gulf began on 23–24 October 1944. US submarines sank two of Kurita's heavy cruisers, and Halsey's aircraft sank the battleship Musashi.
- B-29s in the MarianasIn autumn 1944 B-29 bombers arrived on Saipan to raid Japan. The first landed on 12 October; the first raid on Tokyo came on 24 November. Tinian opened in 1945.
November
- 05
- The raid on SingaporeOn 5 November 1944 B-29s from India bombed the Singapore naval base, disabling its great dry dock for three months – the first of a series of raids.
- Kamikaze attack the carriersOn 5 November 1944 a kamikaze hit Lexington off Luzon. On 25 November suicide aircraft struck Intrepid, Essex, Cabot and Hancock.
December
1945
January
- 02
- The B-29 raid on BangkokOn 2–3 January 1945 B-29s from India attacked the Rama VI Bridge in Bangkok – the only rail crossing of the Chao Phraya – and put it out of action for a time.
- Kamikaze on the road to LuzonFrom early January 1945 kamikaze struck the fleet bound for Lingayen Gulf. Ommaney Bay was sunk; New Mexico, California and HMAS Australia were hit.
- 31
- The landings at Zambales and NasugbuOn 29 January 1945 XI Corps landed unopposed in Zambales to seal off Bataan; on 31 January the 11th Airborne Division came ashore at Nasugbu, south of Manila.
- The opening of the Stilwell RoadAt the end of January 1945 the Ledo Road joined the Burma Road. The first convoy from India drove into China and the land blockade of China was broken.
February
- 16
- The landing on CorregidorOn 16 February 1945 US paratroopers dropped on Topside and infantry landed below Malinta Hill. The battle for the fortress lost in 1942 had begun.
- Carriers over TokyoOn 16–17 February 1945 aircraft from Mitscher’s carriers struck airfields and aircraft plants around Tokyo – the first carrier attack on Japan’s capital.
- 23
- The flag on SuribachiOn 23 February 1945 Marines raised the US flag on the summit of Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Joe Rosenthal’s photograph of the second flag became a symbol of the war.
- The raid on Los BañosOn 23 February 1945 US paratroopers, amphibious tractors and Filipino guerrillas freed 2,147 internees from the Japanese camp at Los Baños.
March
- 03
- The end of the Battle of ManilaOn 3 March 1945 the Americans took the Finance Building, the last centre of resistance in Manila. A month of fighting cost the lives of some 100,000 civilians.
- The capture of MeiktilaOn 3 March 1945 the 17th Indian Division and 255th Tank Brigade took Meiktila, the Japanese supply hub in Burma. Fighting for it went on until late March.
- 09
- Key eventThe Tokyo raid of 9–10 MarchOn the night of 9–10 March 1945, 279 B-29s firebombed eastern Tokyo. The firestorm killed 80,000–100,000 people – the deadliest air raid in history.
- The Japanese coup in IndochinaOn 9 March 1945 the Japanese overthrew the French administration of Indochina and disarmed its army. On 11 March Emperor Bảo Đại proclaimed Vietnam independent.
April
- 01
- Key eventThe landing on OkinawaOn 1 April 1945 General Buckner's Tenth Army landed on Okinawa almost unopposed. The Japanese were waiting in fortifications in the south of the island.
- The capture of LegazpiOn 1 April 1945 the US 158th Infantry took the port and airfield of Legazpi on the Bicol Peninsula unopposed, opening the way to the San Bernardino Strait.
May
- 14
- The Nagoya raid of 14 MayOn 14 May 1945, 472 B-29s burned northern Nagoya and its castle by day. On 16/17 May the south burned; the two raids killed some 3,900 people.
- Fighting in the southern PhilippinesIn mid-May 1945 the US Eighth Army and Filipino guerrillas fought the Japanese on Mindanao, Negros and Cebu. The heaviest fighting was around Davao.
June
July
- 30
- Attacks on Kobe and NagoyaBy late July 1945 Kobe and Nagoya were attacked only by fighters and carrier aircraft – B-29s had already burned both cities in the spring.
- The sinking of the “Indianapolis”On 30 July 1945 the Japanese submarine I-58 sank the cruiser Indianapolis, which had delivered atomic bomb parts to Tinian. 316 of 1,195 men survived.
August
- 14
- The Kyūjō incidentOn the night of 14–15 August 1945 War Ministry officers seized the Imperial Palace to stop the surrender broadcast. The coup collapsed by morning.
- The last raids on JapanOn 14 August 1945 over a thousand US aircraft struck Japan in the last great B-29 operation; air combat still went on on 15 and 18 August.
- 17
- The proclamation of Indonesian independenceOn 17 August 1945 in Jakarta Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed Indonesia’s independence, forestalling the return of Dutch colonial rule.
- General Order No. 1On 17 August 1945 Truman approved General Order No. 1: to whom Japanese forces were to surrender, including the division of Korea at the 38th parallel.
September
- 02
- Key eventThe Japanese surrender on the “Missouri”On 2 September 1945, in Tokyo Bay, Japan signed the instrument of unconditional surrender aboard USS Missouri. The Second World War was over.
- The surrender of YamashitaOn 2 September 1945 General Tomoyuki Yamashita came down from the mountains near Kiangan and surrendered; on 3 September he signed the surrender at Baguio.
- The Vietnamese Declaration of IndependenceOn 2 September 1945, in Ba Đình Square in Hanoi, Hồ Chí Minh proclaimed the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, quoting the US Declaration.