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Chester Nimitz
Person page: Chester Nimitz →
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1942
June
03
The Battle of Midway begins
On 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 end of the Battle of Midway
On 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
03
The Japanese on Guadalcanal
In early July 1942 the Japanese began building an airfield on Guadalcanal. On 2 July Washington ordered an offensive in the Solomons to forestall them.
August
17
The Makin Island raid
On 17 August 1942 Carlson’s Marines, landed from two submarines, struck the Japanese garrison on Makin. The withdrawal was a drama; nine men were left behind.
October
11
The Battle of Cape Esperance
On the night of 11–12 October 1942 Rear Admiral Scott's cruisers surprised off Guadalcanal a Japanese force sent to shell Henderson Field.
18
Halsey takes command in the South Pacific
On 18 October 1942 Nimitz relieved the exhausted Ghormley and gave the South Pacific to Vice Admiral Halsey. The news lifted morale on Guadalcanal.
1943
April
18
Key event
The death of Admiral Yamamoto
On 18 April 1943 American P-38 fighters shot down Admiral Yamamoto’s aircraft over Bougainville. The ambush was made possible by breaking a Japanese code.
November
16
The sinking of USS Corvina
On the night of 16–17 November 1943 the Japanese submarine I-176 sank the surfaced American submarine USS Corvina south of Truk. 82 men were lost.
20
Key event
The landing on Tarawa
On 20 November 1943 Marines landed on Betio in Tarawa atoll and Army infantry on Makin. The reef, low tide and bunkers turned the first day into a slaughter.
1944
January
31
The landing on Kwajalein
On 31 January 1944, after three days of air strikes and shelling, the Americans launched Operation Flintlock: they took Majuro and islets of Kwajalein atoll.
February
04
The capture of Kwajalein Atoll
By 4 February 1944 the Americans had taken Roi-Namur and Kwajalein Island in the heart of the Marshalls; the whole atoll was declared secure a few days later.
August
09
The dispute over the road to Japan
In summer 1944 the Americans argued over whether to strike Luzon or Formosa. Roosevelt favoured MacArthur, but the Joint Chiefs decided on 3 October.
10
The end of the fighting on Guam
On 10 August 1944 the Americans declared organised resistance on Guam at an end. The next day General Obata died in the Mataguac caves.
September
15
Key event
The landing on Peleliu
On 15 September 1944 the US 1st Marine Division landed on Peleliu in Palau. The fight against defenders hidden in caves lasted two and a half months.
23
The occupation of Ulithi
On 23 September 1944 a US 81st Infantry Division regiment took Ulithi atoll in the Carolines unopposed. Its lagoon became a vast forward base for the US fleet.
December
08
The bombardment of Iwo Jima
On 8 December 1944 B-29s, B-24s and cruisers struck Iwo Jima. From then on B-24s from the Marianas bombed it every day until the landing in February 1945.
1945
September
02
Key event
The 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.