On December 7, 1941, the world learned about the new Japanese aggression. On this day, the armed forces of militaristic Japan treacherously, without declaring war, attacked the main bases of the United States and Great Britain in the Pacific Ocean and in Southeast Asia ( The war began at 13:20 on December 7, Washington time, at 3:20 on December 8, Tokyo time.).
War on pacific ocean- an integral part of the Second World War - was the result of the aggravation of imperialist contradictions, caused by the intensification of the desire of the Japanese ruling circles to seize colonies and establish economic and political control over China and other countries of the region. Japan's aggression was part of the general plan for the states to conquer the fascist-militarist bloc for world domination.
The war began with a powerful strike by the Japanese aircraft carrier formation against the ships of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, as a result of which the Americans suffered heavy losses. On the same day, Japanese aviation formations based on the island of Taiwan carried out massive air raids on Philippine airfields ( Taiheiyo senso shi (History of the Pacific War), vol. 4, pp. 140-141.).
On the night of December 8, the Japanese landed troops in the north of Malaya - in Kota Bharu. At dawn on the same day, Japanese aircraft subjected British airfields in Malaya and Singapore to a surprise bombardment, while Japanese troops landed in southern Thailand ( Taiheiyo senso shi (History of the Pacific War), vol. 4, pp. 141-143.).
The initial period of the war in the Pacific included the operations of groups created before hostilities, as well as a system of political, economic, diplomatic and military measures of the belligerent states aimed at mobilizing forces for the further conduct of the war.
Japan and England, which had been belligerents before, undertook the expansion of military production, the additional mobilization of material and human resources, the redistribution of forces between the theaters of military operations and the corresponding actions of a foreign policy nature.
In the United States of America, which had not previously participated in the war, during this period the transition of the economy to a war footing and the deployment of the armed forces was accelerated.
Although the Japanese attack caught the US military by surprise, the outbreak of war was not unexpected either by the government or by most of the American people ( R. Sherwood. Roosevelt and Hopkins, vol. I, p. 668.). And yet everyone in America was shocked by what happened at Pearl Harbor.
On the morning of December 8, President F. Roosevelt, speaking before both houses of Congress, announced the treacherous attack by Japan. Congress passed a resolution declaring war on her ( Congressional Record, vо1. 87, p1. 9, p. 9504-9506, 9520-9537.).
On December 11, Japan's Axis allies Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. In this regard, Roosevelt, addressing a message to Congress, announced the readiness of the United States to join those peoples of the world "who are determined to remain free" and by united efforts to achieve victory "over the forces of savagery and barbarism" ( Ibid., r. 9652.).
The defeat of the US Navy by the Japanese for the first time during the war was a heavy blow for the Americans. Roosevelt called the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor "a symbol of shame" for America ( Ibid., r. 9504.). As the vast scale of the losses came to light, the conviction grew stronger in the country that it was necessary to repay the national disgrace.
For the first time in the days of the war, despite the resolute tone of official statements, in the political circles of Washington, according to eyewitnesses, nervousness and confusion were noticeable ( R. Sherwood. Roosevelt and Hopkins, vol. I, p. 675.). At the same time, telegrams and letters poured into the White House from all over the country, expressing the desire of the American people to give a worthy rebuff to the aggressors. A public opinion poll showed that 96 percent of the population supported the decision of Congress to enter the war ( Public Opinion, 1935-1946. Princeton (New Jersey), 1951, b. 978.).
The National Committee of the US Communist Party issued a statement emphasizing that the act of aggression against the United States was committed not by Japan alone, but by a military alliance of aggressive states. The Communist newspaper "Daily Worker" in one of the leading articles wrote: "The Japanese strike reveals the plans of the Berlin-Tokyo-Rome alliance, aimed at seizing the whole world ..." ( Fighting Worlds: Selections from 25 Years of "The Daily Worker". New York, 1949, p. 40-41.) The American Communists, proceeding from the fact that the Axis states threaten the interests of freedom-loving peoples, called for the unification of the efforts of the entire nation for a decisive struggle against the aggressors.
In connection with the events at Pearl Harbor, the US working class declared its readiness to do everything to defeat the aggressors. The workers adopted resolutions calling for labor mobilization, voluntarily switched to an extended working week and worked selflessly, despite rising prices, freezing wages and increased exploitation in all branches of production.
Heads of the country's largest farmers' organizations also made statements of government support.
The rise of the national-patriotic movement in the USA was caused, first of all, by the perfidious attack of the Japanese. However, there was no unity in this movement. Between the broad masses of the people, on the one hand, and representatives of monopoly capital, on the other, there was a profound difference in understanding the goals of the outbreak of war. The largest monopolies wanted to use it to carry out their expansionist plans. Many in the establishment viewed the war as a means of establishing American dominance in the post-war world. The monopolists sought to shift the inevitable burdens of war onto the shoulders of the working people alone. They insisted on freezing wages, although the prices of basic commodities rose by the end of 1941 by 35 percent compared with the same period in 1940 ( R. Mikesell. United States Economic Policy and International Relations. New York, 1952, p. 85.).
Great moral support for the Americans in the difficult first months of the war in the Pacific was the news of the historic victory of the Soviet troops near Moscow. In a message received by the Soviet government on December 16, President F. Roosevelt reported "the general genuine enthusiasm in the United States about the success of your armies in defending your great nation" ( ). The American newspapers The New York Times and The New York Herald Tribune wrote about great importance victories Soviet army (G. Sevostyanov. Diplomatic History of the Pacific War, pp. 60-61.).
The Soviet people followed with sincere sympathy the struggle of the United States against the Japanese aggressors. JV Stalin, in a letter to F. Roosevelt on December 17, wished "success in the fight against aggression in the Pacific Ocean" ( Correspondence of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, vol. 2, p. 16.).
War on Japan was also declared by Great Britain, Canada, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Kuomintang China, and a number of Latin American states. Most of the population was involved in the World War the globe. By the end of 1941, the coalition of states fighting against the countries of the aggressive bloc had most of the industrial and raw material potential of the world at its disposal. The general political situation and the balance of forces in the international arena have changed in favor of the freedom-loving peoples.
The American government vigorously began to implement measures of an economic and military nature aimed at repelling Japanese aggression. It revised the original plans for the production of weapons and military equipment for 1942. Military spending was immediately increased: in December 1941 they amounted to $ 1.8 billion (28 percent more than the previous month), and from January to April 1942 increased from $2.1 billion to $3.5 billion ( Statistical Abstract of the United States 1942, p. 194.). In the first half of 1942, the US armed forces received 11 percent more aircraft, almost 192 tanks, and 469 percent more guns (without anti-aircraft guns) than in the whole of 1941. ( R Leighton, R Coakley. Global Logistics and Strategy 1940-1943, p. 728.).
The war in the Pacific prompted the United States to intensify military cooperation with other states - opponents of Japan. In mid-December 1941, at the suggestion of President Roosevelt, conferences of military representatives of the United States, Britain, China and Holland were held, indicating the desire of the United States to attract the armed forces of its allies to actively counter the Japanese offensive, to organize their interaction under American leadership.
Of great importance for the further strengthening of the Anglo-American alliance was the confirmation of the ABC-1 plan at the Arcadia conference at the end of December 1941. This plan, developed by the military headquarters of England and the United States as early as March 1941, provided for the retention of only such positions that would ensure the vital interests of the USA and England during the period of their concentration of forces for the defeat of Germany.
"An agreement was signed between the governments of the USSR and Great Britain on joint actions in the war against Germany. Moscow, July 12, 1941"
"Meeting of US President F. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister W. Churchill on board the British battleship Prince of Wales. August 1941"
"Signing documents of the conference of representatives of the USSR, Great Britain and the USA. Moscow, 1941."
"Meeting of the Inter-Allied Conference. London, September 1941."
"Signing of the military agreement between Germany, Italy and Japan. Berlin, January 1942"
"The death of an American tanker attacked by a German submarine. March 1942"
"English cruiser "York" in battle. 1941"
"The sinking of an English ship by the Nazis in the Atlantic. 1941."
"British generals A. Wavell (right) and C. Auchinleck. 1941."
"English tanks in North Africa. November 1941"
"English convoy arrived on the island of Malta"
"Italian prisoners of war captured by the British, North Africa, 1941"
"At the headquarters of E. Rommel. North Africa. November 1941."
"English tanks in the battle of Es-Sallum. 1942"
"Fascist aviation bombardment of the island of Malta. January 1942"
"Offensive of Italian tanks in Libya. 1942"
"Emperor Hirohito receives a parade of troops. Tokyo, December 1941."
"Minister of War, then Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo. 1941"
"Japanese bombers prepared to attack British troops. December 1941"
"The concentration of Japanese naval forces off the coast of Malaya. December 1941"
"Military figures of militarist Japan Isoroku Yamamoto. 1941"
"Military figures of militarist Japan Osami Nagano. 1941"
"American ships after the Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor. December 1941."
"Japanese tanks on the streets of captured Manila. 1941"
"American bomber attacks Japanese warship"
"Victims of the Japanese bombing of Singapore. 1942."
"Battle in the oil fields in Burma"
"Japanese troops in Burma"
"English patrol in the jungles of Malaysia. 1942"
"States and military figures of Great Britain. From left to right: (sitting) V. Beaverbrook, K. Attlee, W. Churchill, A. Eden, A. Alexander; (standing) C. Portal, D. Pound, A. Sinclair, Margesson, J. Dill, G. Ismay, Hollis"
"President F. Roosevelt signs the declaration on the entry of the United States into the war. December 1941"
"General J. Marshall (fourth from right) with his staff"
"Great Britain launched the mass production of Spitfire fighters. 1941."
"Meeting at a shipyard in Brooklyn before sending workers to Pearl Harbor to repair US Pacific Fleet warships damaged by a Japanese attack"
The allies considered the defense of the Hawaiian Islands, Dutch Harbor (Alaska), Singapore, the Dutch Indies, the Philippines, Rangoon and routes to China ( M. Matloff, E. Snell. Strategic planning in the coalition war of 1941 - 1942, p. 142.).
In the first weeks after the tragedy at Pearl Harbor, the US military leadership took steps to contain the onslaught of the Japanese in the South and Southwest Pacific and ensure the protection of Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands and the Panama Canal Zone from a possible Japanese invasion. Two infantry divisions and a number of anti-aircraft artillery units were hastily transferred to various areas of the US Pacific coast and to the Panama Canal zone. The American command decided to urgently send 36 heavy bombers and ammunition to Hawaii ( M. Matloff, E. Snell. Strategic planning in the coalition war of 1941 - 1942, p. 102.).
In January 1942, a joint committee of the chiefs of staff of the United States and Great Britain was created, whose task was to coordinate the military efforts of the two states and establish military cooperation with other allied powers. From the United States, the committee included R. Stark, E. King, J. Marshall and G. Arnold; from Great Britain - D. Dill, D. Pound, A. Brook and Ch. Portal.
At the beginning of March 1942, F. Roosevelt proposed to W. Churchill to allocate zones of responsibility for the USA and Great Britain for waging war with the Axis countries. As a result of the agreement, the Pacific Ocean, China, Australia, New Zealand and Japan became the zone of the Americans; The Indian Ocean, the Near and Middle East - the British, and Europe and the Atlantic constituted a zone of joint responsibility ( M. Matloff, E. Snell. Strategic planning in the coalition war of 1941 - 1942, pp. 193-195.)).
On March 30, the US President appointed General MacArthur as commander-in-chief of the American armed forces: in the southwestern zone of the Pacific Ocean (Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines), in the rest of the Pacific Ocean - Admiral Nimitz ( M. Matloff, E. Snell. Strategic Planning in the Coalition War of 1941 - 1942, pp. 199-200.). Thus, the leadership of military operations in the Pacific basin passed into the hands of the Americans.
In connection with the outbreak of war, the governments of the United States and Britain sought to induce Chiang Kai-shek to activate fighting in order to pin down as many Japanese forces as possible in China and thereby weaken their offensive capabilities. However, the degree of activity of the Kuomintang troops largely depended on the material assistance of the United States. Therefore, the government of Chiang Kai-shek was very interested in Burma, through which the allied military supplies to China were carried out. For its defense, Chiang Kai-shek at the end of December 1941 proposed using the 5th and 6th Chinese armies ( J. Butler, J. Guayer. Big strategy. June 1941-August 1942, p. 310.). These forces were small and poorly armed, and serious disagreements arose between the Kuomintang and the British command. Therefore, Chinese troops in Burma did not have any significant impact on the course of hostilities. Subsequently, China completely passed into the sphere of responsibility of the United States.
So, with the beginning of Japan's aggression against the USA, England and the Dutch Indies, the world war spread to the vast expanses of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Southeast Asia, India, the South Seas and Australia.
The United States of America and Great Britain became involved in the war with Japan when their military preparations had not yet been completed. However characteristic feature The armed conflict between these countries and Japan was due to the inequality of the military-industrial potentials of the parties: the United States and Great Britain many times surpassed it in economic power, which was of decisive importance in a protracted war.
The major successes achieved by the armed forces of Japan in the first operations were due mainly to the suddenness of the Japanese attack and the unpreparedness of the United States and Great Britain to repel the blows of the aggressor.
The powerful onslaught of the Japanese prompted the American government to take urgent military measures and accelerate the restructuring of the entire economic and political life of the country for waging a big and protracted war.
From late 1942 to early 1945, Allied forces fought Japan across the Pacific and on the beaches of tiny islands. By the end of 1942, the Empire of Japan reached its maximum size, its troops were everywhere from India to Alaska and the islands in the South Pacific. The US Navy, under the command of Admiral Chester Nimitz, preferred the strategy of rushing from one island to another, attacking the Imperial Japanese Navy directly. The goal was to establish control over the strategically important islands and create a springboard from which bombers could strike at Japan. The Japanese defending the islands fought desperately, sometimes turning into suicidal counterattacks and inflicting significant losses on the allies. At sea, submarines and kamikaze pilots attacked the US fleet, but still could not stop its advance. By the beginning of 1945, US forces were already 500 km from the main islands of Japan, and occupied Okinawa and Iwo Jima. In Okinawa alone, 100,000 Japanese, 12,510 Americans, and between 42,000 and 150,000 civilians died during the fighting. After the capture of these islands in 1945, the next move of the US forces was an attack on the mother country of the Empire of Japan.
Other parts of issues about the Second World War can be seen
(Total 45 photos)
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1. Four Japanese transports, shot down by American ships and aircraft, landed on the shore of Tassafarong and are burning, November 16, 1942, west of positions on Guadalcanal. These transports were part of an assault group that attempted to attack the island between November 13th and 14th and were completely destroyed by coastal and naval artillery and aircraft fire. (AP Photo)
2. Under the cover of a tank, American soldiers advance through Bougainville, Solomon Islands, March 1944, tracking down Japanese forces that have entered their rear at night. (AP Photo)
3. Torpedoed Japanese destroyer Yamakaze. Photo through the periscope of the American submarine "Nautilus", June 25, 1942. The destroyer sank five minutes after being hit, there were no survivors. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
4. American reconnaissance group in the jungles of New Guinea, December 18, 1942. Lieutenant Philip Wilson lost his boot while crossing the river and made a replacement from a piece of turf and backpack straps. (AP Photo/Ed Widdis)
5. The corpses of Japanese soldiers who were part of the mortar crew are partially buried in the sand. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, August 1942. (AP Photo)
6. An Australian soldier looks at the typical landscape of the island of New Guinea in the area of Milna Bay, where shortly before this the Australians repulsed the Japanese attack. (AP Photo)
7. Japanese torpedo bombers and bombers, almost touching the water, come in to attack American ships and transports, September 25, 1942. (AP Photo)
8. On August 24, 1942, the American aircraft carrier Enterprise was heavily damaged by Japanese bombers. Several direct hits on the flight deck killed 74 people, among whom, presumably, was the photographer who took this picture. (AP Photo)
9. Survivors, picked up by a destroyer, are moved on a life cradle aboard a cruiser, November 14, 1942. The US Navy was able to repulse the Japanese attack, but lost an aircraft carrier and a destroyer. (AP Photo)
11. US carrier-based aircraft raid on Japanese-occupied Wake Island, November 1943. (AP Photo)
12. US Marines during an attack on the airfield on the island of Tarawa, December 2, 1943. (AP Photo)
13. The on-board batteries of an American cruiser fire at the Japanese on Makin Island before storming the atoll on November 20, 1943. (AP Photo)
14. Soldiers of the 165th Infantry Division land on the Butaritari beach of Makin Atoll after artillery preparation from the sea on November 20, 1943. (AP Photo)
15. Bodies american soldiers on the coast of Tarawa is evidence of the ferocity of the fighting that unfolded over this patch of sand during the invasion of US forces into the Gilbert Islands in late November 1943. During the three-day battle for Tarawa, about 1,000 marines died, and another 687 sailors sank in the place with the torpedoed ship "Liscom Bay". (AP Photo)
16. US Marines during the Battle of Tarawa in late November 1943. Of the 5,000 Japanese soldiers and workers based on the island, 146 were taken prisoner, the rest were killed. (AP Photo)
17. Infantrymen of company "I" waiting for the order to follow the retreating Japanese, September 13, 1943, Solomon Islands. (U.S. Army)
18. Two of the twelve American A-20 light bombers near Kokas Island, Indonesia, July 1943. The lower bomber was hit by anti-aircraft guns and crashed into the sea. Both crew members were killed. (USAF)
19. Japanese ships during an American air raid on Tonoley Bay, Bougainville Island, October 9, 1943. . (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
20. Two American Marines with flamethrowers advance on Japanese positions blocking the approach to Mount Suribachi, about. Iwo Jima, May 4, 1945. (AP Photo/U.S. Marine Corps)
21. Marine discovers a Japanese family in a cave on the island of Saipan, June 21, 1944. A mother, four children and a dog hid in a cave during the American invasion of the Marianas. (AP Photo)
22. Columns of infantry landing ships behind a tank landing ship, before the assault on Cape Sansapor, New Guinea, 1944. (Photographer's Mate, 1st Cl. Harry R. Watson/U.S. Coast Guard)
23. The bodies of Japanese soldiers on the Tanapag beach, about. Saipan, July 14, 1944 after a desperate attack on US Marine positions. During this operation, about 1,300 Japanese were killed. (AP Photo)
24. A Japanese dive bomber is shot down by an American PB4Y aircraft and falls into the ocean near Truk Island, July 2, 1944. First Lieutenant William Janeshek, an American pilot, said that the gunner of the Japanese bomber was first about to jump out with a parachute, and then sat down and did not move until the explosion, when the plane fell into the ocean. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
25. Landing craft bombard the coast of Palau with rocket shells, Alligator tracked transports move towards land, September 15, 1944. Amphibians were launched after artillery preparation and air strikes. Army and Marine assault troops landed on Palau on September 15, and by September 27 broke Japanese resistance. (AP Photo)
26. Marines of the 1st division next to the bodies of their comrades on the beach of Palau, September 1944. During the capture of the island, 10,695 of the 11,000 Japanese defending the island were killed and the rest taken prisoner. The Americans lost 1,794 killed and about 9,000 wounded. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal/Pool)
27. Fragmentation bombs from a parachute fall and a camouflaged Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-21 during an American Air Force raid on the airfield of Buru Island, October 15, 1944. Parachute bombs allowed for more accurate bombing from low altitudes. (AP Photo)
28. General Douglas MacArthur (center), accompanied by officers and Philippine President Sergio Osmen (far left) on the shore of about. Leyte, Philippines, October 20, 1944 after being captured by US forces. (AP Photo/U.S. Army
29. The corpses of Japanese soldiers after an attempted bayonet attack on the island of Guam, 1944. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal)
30. Smoke over the docks and railway depot in Hong Kong after an American air raid on October 16, 1944. The Japanese fighter goes on the attack and the bombers. Also in the photo you can see the smoke from the wrecked ships. (AP Photo)
31. Japanese torpedo bomber falls after a direct hit by a 5-inch shell from the USS Yorktown, October 25, 1944. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
32. Transports with American infantry are sent to the shores of the island of Leyte, October 1944. American and Japanese planes are engaged in dogfights above them. (AP Photo)
33. Photo by kamikaze pilot Toshio Yoshitake (right). Next to him are his friends (from left to right): Tetsuya Yeno, Koshiro Hayashi, Naoki Okagami and Takao Oi in front of a Zero fighter before takeoff from the Choshi airfield east of Tokyo, November 8, 1944. None of the 17 pilots who took off that day with Toshio survived, and only Toshio managed to survive, as he was shot down by an American plane and, after an emergency landing, he was rescued by Japanese soldiers. (AP Photo)
34. Japanese bomber going to collide with the aircraft carrier "Essex" off the coast of the Philippines, November 25, 1944. (U.S. Navy)
35. Japanese bomber, moments before the collision with the aircraft carrier "Essex" off the coast of the Philippines, November 25, 1944. (U.S. Navy)
36. Fire brigades extinguish the deck of the Essex aircraft carrier after a downed Japanese bomber fell on it. The kamikaze crashed into the left side of the flight deck, where there were refueled and equipped aircraft. The explosion killed 15 people and injured 44. (U.S. Navy)
37. The battleship "Pennsylvania" and three cruisers are moving in a wake column to the Gulf of Lingayen before the landing of troops in the Philippines in January 1945. (U.S. Navy)
40. Marines of the 28th regiment of the 5th division raise the US flag on top of Mount Suribachi on about. Iwo Jima, February 23, 1945. The battle for Iwo Jima was the bloodiest for the US MP Corps. In 36 days of fighting, 7,000 Marines were killed. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal)
41. An American cruiser shelling Japanese positions on the southern tip of Okinawa, 1945 with its main caliber.
42. American invasion forces occupy a beachhead on the island of Okinawa, about 350 miles from the Japanese metropolis, April 13, 1945. Unloading supplies and military equipment ashore, landing craft filled the sea to the horizon. US Navy warships are visible in the background. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard)
43. The destruction of one of the caves associated with a three-tiered bunker, destroys the structure on the edge of the cliff, and clears the way for the US Marines to the southwest along the coast of Iwo Jima April 1945. (AP Photo / W. Eugene Smith)
44. The ship "Santa Fe" next to the tilted aircraft carrier "Franklin", which was heavily damaged by a fire that started after a bomb hit during the battle for Okinawa on March 19, 1945, off the coast of Honshu, Japan. More than 800 people died on board the Franklin, and the survivors tried to put out the fires and did their best to keep the ship afloat. . (AP Photo)
45. Aircraft squadron "Hell" s Belles "US Marine Corps loom against the sky, illuminated by anti-aircraft fire, during the Japanese raid on the airfield Yonton, Okinawa, Japan, April 28, 1945. (AP Photo / U.S. Marine Corps)
The war for dominance in the Pacific Ocean 1941 - 1945 for Japan and the United States of America became the main arena of military operations during the Second World War.
Background of the war
In the 1920s and 30s, geopolitical and economic contradictions grew in the Pacific region between Japan, which was gaining strength, and the leading Western powers - the United States, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, which had their colonies and naval bases there (the United States controlled the Philippines, France owned Indochina, Great Britain - Burma and Malaya, the Netherlands - Indonesia). The states that controlled this region had access to huge natural resources and markets. Japan felt left out: its goods were squeezed out of Asian markets, and international treaties imposed serious restrictions on the development of the Japanese fleet. Nationalist sentiments grew in the country, and the economy was transferred to mobilization rails. The course was openly proclaimed to establish a "new order in East Asia" and create a "great East Asian sphere of shared prosperity."
Even before the outbreak of World War II, Japan turned its efforts to China. In 1932, in occupied Manchuria, a puppet state Manchukuo. And in 1937, as a result of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the northern and central parts of China were captured. The impending war in Europe fettered the forces of the Western states, which limited themselves to verbal condemnation of these actions and the rupture of some economic ties.
With the outbreak of World War II, Japan announced a policy of "non-participation in the conflict", but already in 1940, after stunning successes german troops in Europe, concluded the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy. And in 1941, a non-aggression pact was signed with the USSR. Thus, it became obvious that the Japanese expansion was planned not to the west, to the side Soviet Union and Mongolia, and to the south - Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.
In 1941, the US government extended the lend-lease law to the Chinese government of Chiang Kai-shek opposing Japan and began supplying weapons. In addition, Japanese banking assets were seized and economic sanctions were tightened. Nevertheless, American-Japanese consultations went on for almost the entire 1941, and even a meeting was planned between US President Franklin Roosevelt and Japanese Prime Minister Konoe, and later with General Tojo, who replaced him. Western countries underestimated the power of the Japanese army to the last, and many politicians simply did not believe in the possibility of war.
Japan's successes at the beginning of the war (late 1941 - mid-1942)
Japan experienced a serious shortage of resources, primarily oil and metal reserves; her government understood that success in the impending war could be achieved only if they acted quickly and decisively, without dragging out the military campaign. In the summer of 1941, Japan imposed the treaty "On the joint defense of Indochina" on the collaborationist French government of Vichy and occupied these territories without a fight.
On November 26, the Japanese fleet under the command of Admiral Yamamoto went to sea, and on December 7, 1941, attacked the largest American naval base, Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. The attack was sudden, and the enemy was almost unable to resist. As a result, about 80% of American ships were disabled (including all available battleships) and about 300 aircraft were destroyed. The consequences could have been even more catastrophic for the United States if, at the time of the attack, their aircraft carriers had not been at sea and, thanks to this, had not survived. A few days later, the Japanese were able to sink two of the largest British warships, and for some time secured dominance over the Pacific sea lanes.
In parallel with the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese troops landed in Hong Kong and the Philippines, and ground forces launched an offensive in the Malay Peninsula. At the same time, Siam (Thailand), under the threat of occupation, entered into a military alliance with Japan.
Until the end of 1941, British Hong Kong and the American military base on the island of Guam were captured. At the beginning of 1942, units of General Yamashita, having made a sudden forced march through the Malay jungle, took possession of the Malay Peninsula and stormed British Singapore, capturing about 80,000 people. In the Philippines, about 70,000 Americans were captured, and the commander of the American troops, General MacArthur, was forced, leaving his subordinates, to evacuate by air. At the beginning of the same year, it was almost completely captured rich in resources Indonesia (which was under the control of the Dutch government-in-exile) and British Burma. Japanese troops reached the borders of India. Fighting began in New Guinea. Japan set its sights on conquering Australia and New Zealand.
At first, the population of the western colonies met the Japanese army as liberators and provided it with all possible assistance. Support was especially strong in Indonesia, coordinated by the future President Sukarno. But the atrocities of the Japanese military and administration soon prompted the population of the conquered territories to begin guerrilla operations against the new masters.
Battles in the middle of the war and a radical change (mid-1942 - 1943)
In the spring of 1942, American intelligence was able to pick up the key to the Japanese military codes, as a result of which the Allies were well aware of the future plans of the enemy. This played a particularly large role during the largest naval battle in history - the Battle of Midway Atoll. The Japanese command expected to conduct a diversionary strike in the north, in the Aleutian Islands, while the main forces would capture Midway Atoll, which would become a springboard for capturing Hawaii. When Japanese aircraft took off from the aircraft carriers at the beginning of the battle on June 4, 1942, American bombers, in accordance with the plan developed by the new commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Nimitz, bombed the aircraft carriers. As a result, the planes that survived the battle simply had nowhere to land - more than three hundred combat vehicles were destroyed, the best Japanese pilots died. The naval battle continued for two more days. After its completion, Japanese superiority at sea and air was over.
Earlier, on May 7-8, another major naval battle took place in the Coral Sea. The target of the advancing Japanese was Port Moresby in New Guinea, which was to become a springboard for landings in Australia. Formally, the Japanese fleet won, but the forces of the attackers were so exhausted that the attack on Port Moresby had to be abandoned.
For a further attack on Australia and its bombardment, the Japanese needed to control the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands archipelago. The fighting for it lasted from May 1942 to February 1943 and cost huge losses to both sides, but, in the end, control over it passed to the allies.
The death of the best Japanese commander, Admiral Yamamoto, was also of great importance for the course of the war. On April 18, 1943, the Americans carried out a special operation, as a result of which the plane with Yamamoto on board was shot down.
The longer the war went on, the stronger the economic superiority of the Americans began to affect. By the middle of 1943, they had established a monthly production of aircraft carriers, and three times surpassed Japan in the production of aircraft. All the prerequisites for a decisive offensive were created.
The offensive of the allies and the defeat of Japan (1944 - 1945)
Since the end of 1943, the Americans and their allies have consistently pushed Japanese troops out of the Pacific islands and archipelagos, using the tactic of rapid movement from one island to another, nicknamed "frog jump". The largest battle of this period of the war took place in the summer of 1944 near the Mariana Islands - control over them opened the sea route to Japan for American troops.
The largest land battle, as a result of which the Americans under the command of General MacArthur regained control of the Philippines, took place in the fall of that year. As a result of these battles, the Japanese lost a large number of ships and planes, not to mention the numerous human casualties.
Of major strategic importance was the small island of Iwo Jima. After its capture, the allies were able to make massive raids on the main territory of Japan. The most terrible was the raid on Tokyo in March 1945, as a result of which the Japanese capital was almost completely destroyed, and the losses among the population, according to some estimates, exceeded the direct losses from the atomic bombings - about 200,000 civilians died.
In April 1945, the Americans landed on the Japanese island of Okinawa, but they were able to capture it only three months later, at the cost of huge losses. Many ships were sunk or seriously damaged by suicide bombers. Strategists from the American General Staff, assessing the strength of the resistance of the Japanese and their resources, planned military operations not only for the next year, but also for 1947. But everything ended much faster due to the appearance of atomic weapons.
On August 6, 1945, the Americans dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and three days later on Nagasaki. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese were killed, mostly civilians. Losses were comparable to the damage from previous bombings, but the use of a fundamentally new weapon by the enemy also dealt a huge psychological blow. In addition, on August 8, the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan, and the country did not have the resources for a war on two fronts.
On August 10, 1945, the Japanese government made a decision in principle to surrender, which was announced by Emperor Hirohito on August 14. On September 2, an act of unconditional surrender was signed aboard the USS Missouri. The war in the Pacific, and with it the Second World War, ended.
In August 1945, the explosions of two nuclear bombs over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the 4-year-long war in the Pacific, in which America and Japan were the main opponents. The confrontation between these two powers became an important component of the Second World War and had a significant impact on its outcome. At the same time, the current alignment of forces in the international arena is largely a consequence of those long-standing events.
What caused the fire in the Pacific
The reason for the war between the United States and Japan lies in the conflict between these states, which escalated by 1941, and Tokyo's attempt to resolve it militarily. The greatest contradictions between these powerful world powers arose in matters related to China and the territory of French Indochina - a former French colony.
Rejecting the doctrine proposed by the American government " open doors”, Japan sought its complete control over these countries, as well as over the territory of Manchuria that it had previously captured. Due to Tokyo's persistence on these issues, the talks held in Washington between the two states did not bring any results.
But Japan's claims were not limited to this. Tokyo, considering the USA, Great Britain and other colonial powers as its rivals, tried with all its might to oust them from the region of the South Seas and Southeast Asia, thus capturing the sources of food and raw materials located on their territories. It was about 78% of the world rubber production produced in these areas, 90% of tin and many other riches.
The beginning of the conflict
By the beginning of July 1941, despite the protests coming from the governments of America and Great Britain, it captured the southern part of Indochina, and after a short time came close to the Philippines, Singapore, the Dutch Indies and Malaya. In response, it imposed a ban on the import of all strategic materials into Japan and at the same time froze Japanese assets in its banks. Thus, the war that soon broke out between Japan and the United States was the result of a political conflict that America tried to resolve with economic sanctions.
It should be noted that Tokyo's military ambitions extended all the way to the decision to seize part of the territory of the Soviet Union. This was announced in July 1941 at the imperial conference by the Minister of War of Japan, Tojo. According to him, it was necessary to start a war with the aim of destroying the USSR and gaining control over its rich natural resources. True, at that time these plans were clearly unrealistic due to the lack of forces, the bulk of which was sent to the war in China.
Pearl Harbor tragedy
The war between the United States and Japan began with a powerful blow to Pearl Harbor, inflicted by aircraft from the ships of the United Japanese Navy, commanded by Admiral Yamamoto Isoroko. It happened on December 7, 1941.
Two air raids were made on the American base, in which 353 aircraft took off from 6 aircraft carriers. The result of this attack, the success of which was largely predetermined by its surprise, was so devastating that it disabled a significant part of the American fleet and became a truly national tragedy.
In a short time, enemy aircraft destroyed 4 of the most powerful battleships of the US Navy directly at the berths, of which only 2 were restored with great difficulty after the end of the war. Another 4 ships of this type were seriously damaged and were put out of action for a long time.
In addition, 3 destroyers, 3 cruisers and one mine layer were sunk or seriously damaged. As a result of enemy bombing, the Americans also lost 270 aircraft that were at that moment on the coastal airfield and on the decks of aircraft carriers. To top it all off, torpedo and fuel depots, piers, a ship repair yard and a power plant were destroyed.
The main tragedy was the significant loss of personnel. As a result of the Japanese air raid, 2,404 people were killed and 11,779 were wounded. After this dramatic event, the United States declared war on Japan and officially joined the anti-Hitler coalition.
Further advance of the Japanese troops
The tragedy that unfolded at Pearl Harbor disabled a significant part of the US Navy, and since the British, Australian and Dutch fleets could not seriously compete with the Japanese navy, it gained a temporary advantage in the Pacific region. Tokyo conducted further military operations in alliance with Thailand, a military treaty with which was signed in December 1941.
The war between the United States and Japan was gaining momentum and at first brought a lot of trouble to the government of F. Roosevelt. So, on December 25, the joint efforts of Japan and Thailand managed to suppress the resistance of the British troops in Hong Kong, and the Americans were forced, abandoning their equipment and property, to urgently evacuate from their bases located on nearby islands.
Until the beginning of May 1942, military luck invariably accompanied the Japanese army and navy, which allowed Emperor Hirohito to take control huge territories, which included the Philippines, Java, Bali, part of the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. About 130,000 British troops were then in Japanese captivity.
Fracture in the course of hostilities
The US war against Japan took a different turn only after the naval battle between their fleets, which took place on May 8, 1942 in the Coral Sea. By this time, the United States was already fully supported by the forces of the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition.
This battle is in world history as the first, in which the enemy ships did not approach each other, did not fire a single shot, and did not even see each other. All combat operations were carried out exclusively by naval aircraft based on them. It was, in essence, a clash of two aircraft carrier groups.
Despite the fact that none of the opposing sides managed to win a clear victory during the battle, the strategic advantage, nevertheless, turned out to be on the side of the allies. Firstly, this naval battle stopped the successful, so far, advancement of the Japanese army, with the victories of which the war between the USA and Japan began, and, secondly, it predetermined the defeat of the Japanese fleet in the next battle, which took place in June 1942 in the area of the atoll Midway.
In the Coral Sea, 2 main Japanese aircraft carriers, Shokaku and Zuikaku, were sunk. It turned out for Imperial Navy irreparable loss, as a result of which the victory of the United States and its allies in the next naval battle turned the tide of the entire war in the Pacific.
Attempts to hold on to past gains
Having lost 4 more aircraft carriers, 248 combat aircraft and its best pilots near Midway Atoll, Japan was no longer able to operate effectively at sea outside the cover zones of coastal aviation, which became a real disaster for it. After that, the troops of Emperor Hirohito could not achieve any serious success, and all their efforts were directed to holding the previously conquered territories. Meanwhile, the war between Japan and the United States was still far from over.
During the bloody and heavy fighting that lasted over the next 6 months, in February 1943, American troops managed to capture the island of Guadalcanal. This victory was part of a strategic plan to protect the sea convoys between America, Australia and New Zealand. Later, before the end of the year, the United States and allied states took control of the Solomon and Aleutian Islands, the western part of the island of New Britain, southeast New Guinea, and also were part of the British colony.
In 1944, the war between the United States and Japan became irreversible. Having exhausted their military potential and not having the strength to continue offensive operations, the army of Emperor Hirohito concentrated all its forces on the defense of the previously occupied territories of China and Burma, giving further initiative into the hands of the enemy. This caused a number of defeats. So, in February 1944, the Japanese had to retreat from the Marshall Islands, and six months later - from the Mariana Islands. In September they left New Guinea, and in October they lost control of the Caroline Islands.
The collapse of Emperor Hirohito's army
The war between the USA and Japan (1941-1945) reached its climax in October 1944, when the victorious Philippine operation was undertaken by the joint efforts of the allies. In addition to the American army, Mexico also took part in it. Their common goal was to liberate the Philippines from the Japanese.
As a result of the battle that took place on October 23-26 in Leyte Gulf, Japan lost the main part of its navy. Her losses were: 4 aircraft carriers, 3 battleships, 11 destroyers, 10 cruisers and 2 submarines. The Philippines was completely in the hands of the allies, but separate clashes continued until the end of World War II.
In the same year, having a significant superiority in manpower and equipment, American troops successfully carried out an operation to capture the island of Iwo Jima from February 20 to March 15, and Okinawa from April 1 to June 21. Both of them belonged to Japan, and were a convenient springboard for air strikes on its cities.
Particularly devastating was the raid on Tokyo, carried out on March 9-10, 1945. As a result of the massive bombardment, 250 thousand buildings were turned into ruins, and about 100 thousand people were killed, most of whom were civilians. In the same period, the war between the United States and Japan was marked by the offensive of the allied forces in Burma, and its subsequent liberation from Japanese occupation.
The first atomic bombing in history
After August 9, 1945 Soviet troops launched an offensive in Manchuria, it became quite obvious that the Pacific campaign, and with it the war (1945) between Japan and the United States, was completed. However, in spite of this, the American government undertook an action that had no analogues either in previous or subsequent years. On his orders, a nuclear bombardment of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was carried out.
The first atomic bomb was dropped on the morning of August 6, 1945 on Hiroshima. She was delivered by a US Air Force B-29 bomber, named Enola Gay in honor of the mother of the crew commander, Colonel Paul Tibets. The bomb itself was called Little Boy, which means "Baby". Despite its affectionate name, the bomb had a capacity of 18 kilotons of TNT and claimed the lives of, according to various sources, from 95 to 160 thousand people.
Three days later, another atomic bombing followed. This time, her target was the city of Nagasaki. The Americans, who are inclined to give names not only to ships or planes, but even to bombs, called her Fat Man - "Fat Man". Delivered this killer, whose power was equal to 21 kilotons of TNT, bomber B-29 Bockscar, piloted by a crew under the command of Charles Sweeney. This time between 60,000 and 80,000 civilians became victims.
Japanese surrender
The shock of the bombing, which ended the years of the US war with Japan, was so great that Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki turned to Emperor Hirohito with a statement about the need for a speedy cessation of all hostilities. As a result, already 6 days after the second atomic strike, Japan announced its surrender, and on September 2 of the same year, an appropriate act was signed. The signing of this historical document ended the US-Japan War (1941-1945). It also became the final act of the entire Second World War.
According to reports, US losses in the war with Japan amounted to 296,929 people. Of these, 169,635 are soldiers and officers of ground units, and 127,294 are military sailors and infantrymen. At the same time, 185,994 Americans were killed in the war with Nazi Germany.
Did America have the right to launch nuclear strikes?
Throughout the post-war decades, disputes over the expediency and legitimacy of nuclear strikes carried out at a time when the war (1945) between Japan and the United States was almost over have not ceased. As most international experts note, in this case the fundamental question is whether the bombings that claimed tens of thousands of lives were necessary to conclude a Japanese surrender treaty on terms acceptable to the government of President Harry Truman, or were there other ways to achieve the desired result?
Supporters of the bombing claim that thanks to this extremely cruel, but, in their opinion, justified measure, it was possible to force Emperor Hirohito to surrender, while avoiding the mutual sacrifices inevitably associated with the upcoming American invasion of Japan and the landing of troops on the island of Kyushu.
In addition, they cite statistical data as an argument, from which it is clear that every month of the war was accompanied by a mass death of residents of the countries occupied by Japan. In particular, it has been calculated that for the entire period of the stay of Japanese troops in China from 1937 to 1945, about 150 thousand people perished among the population every month. A similar picture can be traced in other zones of Japanese occupation.
Thus, it is easy to calculate that without the nuclear strike that forced the Japanese government to surrender immediately, each subsequent month of the war would have claimed at least 250,000 lives, which far exceeded the number of victims of the bombing.
In this regard, the now living grandson of President Harry Truman - Daniel Truman - in 2015, on the day of the seventieth anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, recalled that his grandfather until the end of his days did not repent of the order given to him and declared the undoubted rightness decision. According to him, it greatly accelerated the end of the military confrontation between Japan and the United States. The World War could also last for several more months, if not for such decisive measures by the American administration.
Opponents of this point of view
In turn, opponents of the bombings say that even without them, the United States and Japan suffered significant losses in World War II, and to increase them at the expense of civilian casualties of two cities subjected to nuclear attacks is a war crime, and can be equated with state terrorism.
Many American scientists who personally took part in the development of this deadly weapon made statements about the immorality and inadmissibility of nuclear bombing. Its earliest critics are the prominent American atomic physicists Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard. Back in 1939, they wrote a joint letter to US President Roosevelt, in which they gave a moral assessment of the use of nuclear weapons.
In May 1945, seven leading American experts in the field of nuclear research, led by James Frank, also sent their message to the head of state. In it, scientists pointed out that if America was the first to use the weapons they developed, this would deprive it of international support, become an impetus for an arms race and undermine the chances of establishing world control over this type of weapon in the future.
The political side of the issue
Leaving aside the arguments concerning the military expediency of inflicting an atomic strike on the cities of Japan, one more probable reason why the American government decided to take this extreme step should be noted. We are talking about a demonstration of force in order to influence the leadership of the Soviet Union and Stalin personally.
When, after the end of the Second World War, there was a process of redistribution of spheres of influence between the leading powers, who had defeated shortly before Nazi Germany, G. Truman considered it necessary to clearly demonstrate to the world who at the moment has the most powerful military potential.
The result of his actions was an arms race, the beginning of the Cold War and the notorious Iron Curtain that divided the world into two parts. On the one hand, the official Soviet propaganda it intimidated the people with a threat allegedly coming from "world capital", and created the United States, on the other hand, they did not get tired of talking about the "Russian bear" that encroached on universal and Christian values. Thus, the atomic explosions that thundered over Japanese cities at the end of the war echoed around the world for many decades to come.