The 1941-1945 war for dominance in the Pacific Ocean for Japan and the United States of America became the main arena of hostilities during the Second World War.

Preconditions for the war

In the 1920s and 1930s, geopolitical and economic contradictions between the growing strength of Japan 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, Netherlands - Indonesia). The states that controlled the region had access to vast natural resources and sales markets. Japan felt deprived: its goods were ousted from 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 a mobilization track. The course was openly proclaimed to establish a "new order in East Asia" and to create a "great East Asian sphere of common prosperity."

Even before the outbreak of World War II, Japan turned its efforts to China. In 1932, the puppet state of Manchukuo was created in occupied Manchuria. 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 forces Western states, limited themselves to verbal condemnation of these actions and the severing 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 the overwhelming successes of German troops in Europe, concluded a "Triple Pact" with Germany and Italy. And in 1941 a non-aggression pact was signed with the USSR. Thus, it became obvious that Japanese expansion was planned not to the west, towards the Soviet Union and Mongolia, but to the south - Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

In 1941, the US government extended the Lend-Lease Act 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, almost all of 1941 there were American-Japanese consultations, and even a meeting was planned between US President Franklin Roosevelt and Japanese Prime Minister Konoe, and later with General Tojo, who replaced him. Until recently, Western countries underestimated the power of the Japanese army, 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 act quickly and decisively, without delaying military campaign... In the summer of 1941, Japan imposed an agreement on the Joint Defense of Indochina on the collaborationist French Vichy government and occupied these territories without a fight.

November 26 japanese navy under the command of Admiral Yamamoto went to sea, and on December 7, 1941 attacked the largest American naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack was sudden, and the enemy was almost unable to offer resistance. As a result, about 80% of American ships (including all existing battleships) were disabled 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 the two 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 Malacca 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 an American military base on the island of Guam were captured. In early 1942, General Yamashita's units, making a sudden march through the Malay jungle, took possession of the Malay Peninsula and took British Singapore by storm, capturing about 80,000 people. In the Philippines, about 70,000 Americans were captured, and the commander of the American forces, General MacArthur, was forced, leaving his subordinates, to evacuate by air. In the beginning of the same year, resource-rich Indonesia (which was under the control of the Dutch government-in-exile) and British Burma were almost completely taken over. 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 greeted the Japanese army as liberators and provided it with all possible assistance. Especially strong was the support in Indonesia, coordinated by future President Sukarno. But the atrocities of the Japanese military and the administration soon prompted the population of the conquered territories to start guerrilla actions 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 find the key to the Japanese military codes, with the result that the Allies were well aware of the enemy's future plans. This was especially important during the largest naval battle in history - the Battle of Midway Atoll. The Japanese command expected to carry out a diversionary strike in the north, in the Aleutian Islands, while the main forces would capture the Midway Atoll, which would become a springboard for the capture of Hawaii. When, at the beginning of the battle on June 4, 1942, Japanese aircraft took off from the decks of aircraft carriers, American bombers, in accordance with a 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 were killed. The naval battle continued for two more days. After its completion, Japanese superiority at sea and air was finished.

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 staging area for the landing in Australia. Formally, the Japanese fleet was victorious, but the attacking forces were so exhausted that the attack on Port Moresby had to be abandoned.

For a further attack on Australia and its bombing, the Japanese needed to control the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands archipelago. The battles 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 conducted a special operation, as a result of which the plane with Yamamoto on board was shot down.

The longer the war went on, the more the economic superiority of the Americans began to affect. By mid-1943, they had set up monthly production of aircraft carriers, and outnumbered Japan in aircraft production three times. All the prerequisites for a decisive offensive were created.

Allied offensive and defeat of Japan (1944-1945)

Since late 1943, the Americans and their allies have consistently squeezed out Japanese troops from the Pacific islands and archipelagos, using a tactic of rapid travel from one island to another, called the "frog jump." The most major battle 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 the 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 the same year. As a result of these battles, the Japanese lost a large number of ships and aircraft, not to mention numerous casualties.

The small island of Iwo Jima was of great strategic importance. After its capture, the allies were able to carry out massive raids on the main territory of Japan. The worst 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 were able to capture it only three months later, at the cost of huge losses. Many ships were sunk or seriously damaged after attacks by suicide pilots - kamikaze. Strategists from the American General Staff, assessing the strength of the Japanese resistance and their resources, planned military operations not only for the next year, but also for 1947. But it all ended much faster due to the advent 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, mostly civilians, were killed. The losses were comparable to the damage from previous bombings, but the use of fundamentally new weapons by the enemy also dealt a huge psychological blow. In addition, on August 8, he entered the war against Japan Soviet Union, and the country had no resources for a war on two fronts.

On August 10, 1945, the Japanese government made a principled decision to surrender, which was announced by Emperor Hirohito on August 14. September 2 act of unconditional surrender was signed aboard the American battleship Missouri. The war in the Pacific, and, along with it, the Second World War, ended.

From late 1942 to early 1945, Allied forces fought Japan across the Pacific Ocean and on the beaches of tiny islands. By the end of 1942, the Empire of Japan had reached its maximum size, its troops were located everywhere from India to Alaska and on the islands in the south Pacific Ocean. The US Navy, under the command of Admiral Chester Nimitz, opted for the island-to-island strategy of attacking the Imperial Japanese Navy directly. The goal was to establish control over the strategically important islands and create a bridgehead from which bombers could strike against 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 early 1945, US forces were already 500 km from the main islands of Japan, and occupied Okinawa and Iwo Jima. In Okinawa alone, the fighting killed 100,000 Japanese, 12,510 Americans and between 42,000 and 150,000 civilians. After the capture of these islands in 1945, the next move of the US forces was a strike on the mother country of the Japanese Empire.

Other parts of the World War II episodes can be seen

(45 photos total)

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1. Four Japanese transports, knocked out by American ships and planes, docked on the banks of Tassafaronga and burn on November 16, 1942, west of the positions on Guadalcanal. These transports were part of an assault group that attempted to strike the island between November 13th and 14th, and were completely destroyed by coastal and naval artillery fire and aircraft. (AP Photo)

2. Under 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 Yamakadze. 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 jungle of New Guinea, December 18, 1942. Lieutenant Philip Wilson lost his boot while crossing the river and made a replacement with 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 Milna Bay area, where shortly before the Australians repulsed the Japanese attack. (AP Photo)

7. Japanese torpedo bombers and bombers, almost touching the water, come to attack American ships and transports, September 25, 1942. (AP Photo)

8. On August 24, 1942, the American aircraft carrier Enterprise was severely damaged by Japanese bombers. Several direct hits on the flight deck killed 74 people, among whom, presumably, was the photographer who took the picture. (AP Photo)

9. Survivors, picked up by the destroyer, are transferred to the rescue cradle aboard the cruiser, November 14, 1942. The US Navy was able to repel the Japanese attack, but lost the aircraft carrier and destroyer. (AP Photo)

11. The raid of US carrier-based aircraft on the Japanese-occupied Wake Island, November 1943. (AP Photo)

12. American Marines during the attack on the airfield on Tarawa Island, December 2, 1943. (AP Photo)

13. Onboard batteries of the American cruiser fire at the Japanese on Makin Island before the assault on the atoll on November 20, 1943. (AP Photo)

14. Fighters of the 165th Infantry Division land on Butaritari Beach in Makin Atoll after artillery barrage from the sea on November 20, 1943. (AP Photo)

15. The bodies of American soldiers on the coast of Tarawa are evidence of the brutality of the fighting that unfolded over this patch of sand during the invasion of the Gilbert Islands by US forces in late November 1943. In the three-day battle for Tarawa, about 1,000 Marines were killed and another 687 sailors sank in the area with the torpedoed ship Lisk Bay. (AP Photo)

16. US Marines during the Battle of Tarawa in late November 1943. Of the 5000 Japanese soldiers and workers based on the island, 146 were taken prisoner, the rest were killed. (AP Photo)

17. Infantrymen of I Company await orders to follow the retreating Japanese, September 13, 1943, Solomon Islands. (U.S. Army)

18. Two of twelve American A-20 light bombers off Cocas 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 the American air raid on Tonolei Bay, Bougainville Island, October 9, 1943. ... (AP Photo / U.S. Navy)

20. Two US Marines with flamethrowers are advancing on Japanese positions blocking the approach to Mount Suribachi, Fr. Iwo Jima, May 4, 1945. (AP Photo / U.S. Marine Corps)

21. A Marine discovers a Japanese family in a cave on Saipan Island on June 21, 1944. A mother, four children and a dog hid in a cave during the American invasion of the Mariana Islands. (AP Photo)

22. Columns of infantry landing ships behind the 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 beach Tanapag, about. Saipan, July 14, 1944, following a desperate attack on a U.S. Marine position. About 1,300 Japanese were killed in the operation. (AP Photo) #

24. A Japanese dive bomber is hit by an American PB4Y and crashes into the ocean near Truk Island on July 2, 1944. Senior Lieutenant William Janeshek, an American pilot, said that the shooter of a Japanese bomber first intended 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. A landing ship fires rockets at the coast of Palau as Alligator tracked transports move towards land, September 15, 1944. The amphibians were launched after artillery barrage and air strikes. Army and Marine assault troops landed on Palau on September 15, and by September 27 had broken 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 were taken prisoner. The Americans lost 1,794 people killed and about 9,000 wounded. (AP Photo / Joe Rosenthal / Pool)

27. Fragment bombs fall from a parachute onto a camouflaged Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-21 during an American Air Force raid on Buru Island airfield, October 15, 1944. Parachute bombs allowed more accurate bombing from low altitudes. (AP Photo)

28. General Douglas MacArthur (center), accompanied by officers and President of the Philippines Sergio Osmena (far left) on the banks of the island. Leite, Philippines, October 20, 1944 after being captured by American 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 the American air raid on October 16, 1944. A Japanese fighter enters the attack and bombers. The photo also shows the smoke from the wrecked ships. (AP Photo)

31. A Japanese torpedo bomber falls after a direct hit from a 5-inch projectile from the aircraft carrier Yorktown, October 25, 1944. (AP Photo / U.S. Navy)

32. US infantry transports heading for the shores of Leyte Island, October 1944. American and Japanese aircraft are conducting aerial combat over them. (AP Photo)

33. Photo belonging to the pilot-kamikaze 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 the Zero fighter before take off 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 survived as he was shot down by an American plane and was rescued by Japanese soldiers after an emergency landing. (AP Photo)

34. Japanese boarder going into a collision with the aircraft carrier Essex off the coast of the Philippines, November 25, 1944. (U.S. Navy)

35. Japanese boomber, moments before collision with the aircraft carrier Essex off the coast of the Philippines, November 25, 1944. (U.S. Navy)

36. Firefighters extinguish the deck of the aircraft carrier "Essex" after the fall of a Japanese bomber on it. Kamikaze crashed into the left side of the flight deck, where planes were filled and equipped. The explosion killed 15 people and wounded 44. (U.S. Navy)

37. Battleship Pennsylvania and three cruisers move in a wake column towards Lingaen Bay before landing in the Philippines in January 1945. (U.S. Navy)

40. Marines of the 28th Regiment of the 5th Division raise the US flag on the top of Mount Suribachi on about. Iwo Jima, 23 February 1945. The Battle of Iwo Jima was the bloodiest battle for the US MP Corps. Over 36 days of fighting, 7,000 Marines were killed. (AP Photo / Joe Rosenthal) #

41. An American cruiser fires at Japanese positions at the southern tip of Okinawa, 1945.

42. US invasion forces occupy a beachhead on the island of Okinawa, about 350 miles from the Japanese metropolis, April 13, 1945. Dropping supplies and military equipment ashore, the 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 the three-tiered bunker destroys the cliff edge structure and clears the path for the US Marines southwest along the coast of Iwo Jima April 1945. (AP Photo / W. Eugene Smith) #

44. The ship "Santa Fe" next to the banked aircraft carrier "Franklin", which was severely damaged by a fire that began after a bomb hit during the battle for Okinawa on March 19, 1945, off the coast of Honshu, Japan. More than 800 people died aboard the Franklin, and the survivors tried to put out the fires and did everything possible to keep the ship afloat. ... (AP Photo)

45. Aircraft from US Marine Corps' Hell 's Belles' squadron loom against the skies illuminated by anti-aircraft fire during a Japanese raid on Yonton Airfield, Okinawa, Japan, April 28, 1945. (AP Photo / U.S. Marine Corps) #

Military operations in the Atlantic and Western Europe

The struggle in the Atlantic and in Western Europe in the spring, summer and autumn of 1942 took place during a period of fierce battles on the Soviet - German front, where the enemy suffered huge losses. The failure of Germany's strategic plans in the war against the Soviet Union forced the Nazi command to continuously transfer ground forces and aircraft from Western Europe to the East, as well as revise the initial deployment of its fleet.

The weakening of German forces in the West directly influenced the course of hostilities in the Atlantic. Since the German - fascist leadership was forced to send the majority of the Wehrmacht's resources to the Soviet - German front, it could not allocate sufficient forces to solve important tasks in the Atlantic theater of operations and in the coastal regions of Western Europe. Thus, favorable conditions have been created for Great Britain and the United States for the accumulation of large groups in the British Isles. ground forces and aviation, as well as materiel for their subsequent use in the fight against Germany.

The actions of the Allied bomber aviation against the targets of Germany and the European countries occupied by it turned out to be less effective than expected and could not seriously undermine the military and economic potential of the Third Reich. The "air offensive" of the Anglo - American aviation of 1942, in essence, was just a kind of rehearsal on the eve of more serious strategic attacks by the US and British aviation on the aggressor in the subsequent years of the war. In the summer, air supremacy over Western Europe passed to the Allies, which created favorable conditions for landing and other operations.

Air bombing of German targets was mainly carried out by British aviation. The most active British bombers operated in May - July. Despite the great destruction of residential and industrial buildings, numerous human casualties, the bombing could not disrupt the work of the military industry, undermine the German economy. Even the first massive raid on Calien was not as effective as it was presented and widely publicized by the command of the British Air Force.

In accordance with the agreement between the United States and Great Britain, from the second half of October, the main efforts of the US 8th Air Force were aimed at striking submarine bases in the Bay of Biscay (Brest, Saint Nazaire, Lorient, Nantes). In this regard, the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces in Europe, General D. Eisenhower, pointed out to K. Spaatsu on October 13 that he considers “the defeat of submarines one of the main conditions for victory in the war” and that of all the tasks of the US Army aviation “none should be above the task of inflicting defeat on submarines. " The first such raid on October 21 involved 90 bombers. However, due to poor flight preparation and bad weather, only 15 aircraft reached their targets. The raid on November 9 of 43 American bombers on Saint Nazaire also did not give significant results.

Since spring, the British command has intensified the actions of the naval and air forces, especially the coastal command aviation, on enemy coastal communications and in the fight against submarines in the coastal zone. With the accumulation of experience, the increase and improvement of the aircraft fleet, the effectiveness of air attacks increased. If in the first four months of 1942, 5 enemy ships were sunk (losses in this case amounted to 55 aircraft), then in May - already 12 ships with the loss of 43 aircraft.

The active mine laying by the British aviation of the bomber and coastal command also expanded considerably. For seven months, mines blew up 150 enemy ships with a total tonnage of more than 148 thousand brt. The losses of the British mine - torpedo aviation were still great - 118 aircraft.

The main task that the parties tackled during this period was the struggle for Atlantic communications. Germany continued to successfully carry out the serial construction of submarines, which were practically the only means of intense struggle on these important communications. An increase in the number of operating boats and an increase in their quality condition were hampered by the restructuring of military production in order to meet the needs of the armed forces on the Soviet - German front.

In May - October, the enemy's actions in the Atlantic to destroy the transport ships of the United States and Great Britain were the most effective in the entire war. For six months, the losses of countries and neutral states in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas (except for the Mediterranean) amounted to 676 ships, of which 85% were from the actions of German submarines. At the same time, the average monthly losses of submarines have tripled. If in the first half of the year the German submarine forces lost 22 boats, then in the second - 66 (in May - October 55 were sunk).

In the fall of 1942, fascist submarines were driven out of the coastal zone of the western part of the Atlantic Ocean and transferred their operations to its central and southern regions. Even large boats operating in the remote southern regions of the Atlantic required regular supplies of fuel and ammunition. However, there was not enough special supply boats in the German fleet, not to mention the fact that their exit to the sea through the blockaded zone was becoming difficult.

Military operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa

In the spring of 1942, the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa were still the arena of armed struggle between Great Britain, on the one hand, and Nazi Germany and Italy, on the other. The United States has not yet taken a direct part in this struggle, although it has provided assistance to Great Britain.

As a result of the winter offensive of the German - Italian troops in North Africa, the British 8th Army was placed in unfavorable conditions: enemy aircraft dominated the communications in the Mediterranean; there was a real threat of the capture of the island of Malta. By the spring, the position of British troops in this theater was dire. In April 1942, W. Churchill, at a closed session of the House of Commons, noted that the enemy had the opportunity to seize Libya, Egypt and Palestine almost unhindered. Under these conditions, the British War Cabinet insistently demanded that an offensive operation be planned for the British 8th Army. However, the commander-in-chief of the forces in the Middle East, General K. Auchinleck, asked for a postponement due to the unpreparedness of the troops for such actions. The further deterioration of Britain's position in the African-Mediterranean theater of war forced the British government to turn to the United States for urgent military assistance.

At the end of June, two regional commands of the US ground forces were created: in the Middle East, with headquarters in Cairo, led by General R. Maxwell, and in Central Africa, with headquarters in Accra (commanded by General Sh. Fitzgerald). In North Africa, large numbers of American weapons and military equipment began to be transported.

The most important place in the strategic plans of the United States and Great Britain in the Mediterranean theater of operations was assigned to the defense of Malta and the delivery of aircraft, ammunition, and fuel to this strategically important island. The island of Malta remained the only link between Gibraltar and the English possessions in the eastern part Mediterranean Sea... Its airfields served as an intermediate base for bombers heading to the Middle East. The use of Malta would allow British convoys to be escorted through the central part of the sea, as well as disrupt German - Italian maritime traffic to Libya.

For the leader of the fascist bloc - Nazi Germany, the African - Mediterranean theater of war was not the main one. This determined the nature and scale of the use of its armed forces here throughout 1942. In accordance with these strategic concepts, the fascist German command carried out only occasional transfers of individual units and formations of the Wehrmacht to the theater.

The heroic garrison and the population of Malta withstood numerous enemy air raids, which lost 1126 aircraft here in the spring and summer (236 were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery). The losses of the British aviation amounted to 568 aircraft. Convinced that it was impossible to neutralize Malta by bombing alone, the German-Italian command decided to speed up the preparation of an operation to capture it. The operation was named "Hercules". But on May 4, a directive was issued, according to which the operation was suspended indefinitely.

On August 10, the enemy received information about the movement of a large British convoy from Gibraltar to the east. The next day, as the convoy passed through a curtain of 7 submarines deployed on the Balearic Islands-Tunis line, the German submarine U - 73 torpedoed the aircraft carrier Eagle, which sank. In the area of ​​Pantelleria Island, Italian destroyers and torpedo boats destroyed another of the remaining cruisers, the Mancheter, a tanker and two transports; On August 13, aviation sank 2 more ships with ammunition.

Later, as the combat effectiveness of the air and naval forces of Malta was restored, the strengthening of the British and the weakening of the German - Italian aviation in the theater, the losses of the Axis countries began to increase sharply.

After the winter offensive of the German - Italian troops in Cyrenaica, the British troops in February 1942 managed to gain a foothold on the El - Ghazala - Bir - Hakeim line. Both sides were accumulating forces and means for further struggle, but their capabilities in preparation for the upcoming battles were directed. The High High Command of the Wehrmacht in the spring assisted Rommel in providing large reserves for a new offensive in Africa.

By the beginning of October, the British command had created a strong grouping of troops in Egypt, which outnumbered the German - Italian troops by 1.2 times in infantry, more than 2 times in tanks and anti-tank guns, and more than 2.5 times in aircraft. The 8th Army possessed large reserves of fuel, food, ammunition and military equipment.

The plan of the German - Italian command to crush the British troops, enter Egypt, capture Alexandria, Cairo and the Suez Canal and thereby complete the capture of all of North Africa was thwarted. After the May - June offensive, the grouping of German - Italian troops in North Africa was significantly weakened, and there were no reserves to strengthen it. Superiority passed to the British forces. Favorable conditions were created for the preparation and conduct of a major offensive in North Africa.

Military action in the Pacific and Asia

The Pacific Ocean was the focus of imperialist, and primarily American - Japanese, contradictions in strategic plans The United States remained the main theater of operations. It so happened that a continuous stream of American troops and military equipment rushed to the Pacific Ocean, and not to Europe - the main theater of war, where the main forces of the aggressive bloc were located. This is how the main strategic principle - "Germany first", officially recognized by the leaders of Great Britain and the United States, was violated. They undoubtedly considered that victory over the entire fascist coalition was impossible until Germany was defeated, but they strove primarily to satisfy the interests of their monopolies, hoping that the Soviet Union would bind the main force of the aggressive bloc for a more or less long time. The United States strove to restore the lost positions in the Pacific Ocean, to strengthen and expand them, to achieve a dominant position in China. By the time the American armed forces were leaving the first strikes and gained the opportunity to move to a more persistent defense and even to separate active actions, the United States "decided not to give up the right to dispose of the Pacific cuisine to anyone."

Great Britain, interested in establishing control over all North African countries, tried not to attract special attention of the United States to Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.

In April 1942, an agreement came into effect between the United States and Great Britain regarding the division of strategic war zones. Under the agreement, the UK was responsible for the Middle East and Indian Ocean (including Malaya and Sumatra), and the United States for the Pacific (including Australia and New Zealand). India and Burma remained under the responsibility of Great Britain, while China remained under the responsibility of the United States. While recognizing the usefulness of restoring US military power in the Pacific for a greater cause, the British government feared completely losing its colonies and influence in Southeast Asia.

The first targets of capture, designated by the Japanese command, were Tulagi Island (Solomon Islands, north of Guadalcanal) and the Australian base in New Guinea, Port Moresby. Having mastered these points, Japan could have strong positions for basing its fleet and aviation and further increasing pressure on Australia.

As early as April 17, the American command received information about the intentions of the Japanese to land troops in Port Moresby and began to prepare to repel it. From the US Pacific Fleet, two aircraft carrier formations were sent to the Coral Sea under the general command of F. Fletcher, consisting of the heavy aircraft carriers Yorktuan and Lexington (143 aircraft), 5 heavy cruisers and 9 destroyers. However, they were soon called back, as intelligence reported on the preparation of Japanese forces for an operation to capture Midway Atoll.

Midway Atoll is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and, due to its geographical position, attracted the attention of both warring parties. It provided the United States with favorable conditions for deterring the enemy's eastward advance to the Hawaiian Islands, as well as for active offensive operations against Japan in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and conducting raids to defend Japan and continue its expansion in the Pacific Ocean.

To rule out the unexpected appearance of American forces, submarines were previously deployed between Hawaii and Midway Atoll, as well as near the Aleutian Islands.

The main forces of the Japanese Joint Fleet under the command of I. Yamamoto were deployed 600 miles northwest of Midway Atoll and had to act in such a way as to simultaneously provide support for the forces in the central and northern directions.

On the western and northwestern approaches to the atoll, 19 American submarines took up positions. By June 1, about 120 combat aircraft were concentrated on Midway, including heavy and dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. This atoll was well fortified: the shores and adjacent waters were mined; on the approaches to the atoll, a systematic long-range aerial reconnaissance was carried out within a radius of up to 700 miles.

The Americans managed to reveal the plan of the enemy's operation, seize initiative and, most importantly, inflict significant damage on the Japanese fleet and aviation. As a result of the battle at Midway Atoll, the balance of forces of the fleet changed even more in favor of the United States. The Japanese had one heavy and four light aircraft carriers, while the Americans had three heavy ones.

In the struggle for Guadalcanal in the summer of 1942, the Americans suffered very significant losses in warships. The American command did everything to make up for them. Gradually, in the area of ​​the Solomon Islands, the ratio of forces in the air and at sea changed in favor of the United States.

The Japanese command tried to use the time before the rains began to reach the borders of India and China and create a threat of invasion. The cities of Tengchun and Longling were occupied. Japanese units tried to cross the Saluan River at the Huidong Bridge, but were stopped by six new divisions from the Chinese army. Another part of the Japanese troops by this time occupied Bamo, Myitkyin and several other cities of northern Burma, creating a threat to India.

The Japanese army, after occupying almost all of Burma in May, conducted a series of private offensives in China and consolidated its position in Asia. However, Japan's strategy was not definite and purposeful. The bulk of the ground forces remained in Manchuria and China, while the main forces of the fleet operated in the eastern and southern directions. Adventurism in strategy was the main reason for Japan's failure.

As a result of the battles in the Coral Sea and Midway Atoll, the struggle for Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands, the initiative in the war was gradually transferred to the Allies. The undivided domination of the Pacific has come to an end.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, aircraft from Japanese aircraft carriers attacked airfields on Oahu and ships anchored in Pearl Harbor. 4 battleships, 2 destroyers, 1 minelayer were sunk. 4 more ships of the line, 3 light cruisers and 1 destroyer were seriously damaged. The losses of the American aviation amounted to 188 aircraft destroyed, another 159 were seriously damaged. The Americans lost 2,403 people killed (of which more than 1,000 aboard the exploded battleship "Arizona") and 1,178 wounded. The Japanese lost 29 aircraft - 15 dive bombers, 5 torpedo bombers and 9 fighters. 5 midget submarines were sunk. Losses in people amounted to 55 people. Another - Lieutenant Sakamaki - was taken prisoner. He swam to shore after his midget submarine hit the reef. 4 years later ... On the morning of August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber "Enola Gay" under the command of Colonel Paul Tibbets dropped the "Little Boy" atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima with the equivalent of 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT. Three days later the atomic bomb "Fat Man" was dropped on the city of Nagasaki by pilot Charles Sweeney. The total death toll ranged from 90 to 166 thousand people in Hiroshima and from 60 to 80 thousand people in Nagasaki. On August 15, 1945, 6 days after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan announced its surrender. The act of surrender, which formally ended the Second World War, was signed on September 2, 1945. Archival photographs from the Second World War in the Pacific theater of operations in sequel. Salvation of the crew of the ship "West Virginia", December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Civilians killed eight miles from Pearl Harbor.
Japanese torpedo plane.
Wreckage of American aircraft.
Downed twin-engine Japanese bomber, Solomon Islands.
August 1942, American offensive against Japanese positions, Solomon Islands.
October 1942. Solomon islands.
American reconnaissance aircraft.
General Douglas MacArthur in an SUV in the jungle of New Guinea.
Air reconnaissance over Alaska.
November, 1942. Solomon Islands. American soldiers killed in Papua New Guinea.
US aircraft bomb Salamau, New Guinea. January 1943, Solomon Islands.
Guinean aborigines help the Americans in every possible way.
Sergeant Greenwood in the cockpit of his plane. Shot down 19 Japanese airplanes. Blood transfusion on board the air hospital.
Four American tankmen.
The Americans bomb the Japanese fleet in New Britain.
Bombardment of Rangoon harbor and ammunition ships.
The Navajo Indians fought in the Solomon Islands.
The United States Marine Corps has landed on the New Guinea Islands.
January 1944, New Guinea.
The soldiers are resting.
March 1944. Solomon islands.
Falling Japanese plane.
Preparing to land at Cape Sansapor, New Guinea.
Over the Mariana Islands. Cebu harbor attack, Philippines.
American soldiers in the Philippines.
Loading bombs into B-29.
American troops in the Philippines in 1945.
Preparing graves for those killed during the attack on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. A Japanese soldier lay for 36 hours pretending to be dead with a grenade in hand. Having received a promise from him not to resist, the American treated him to a cigarette.
B-29 landed at the Ivo Jime airfield, hit during a raid over the Japanese islands.
Tracers in the sky over Okinawa. The explosion of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki, three days after a similar explosion in Hiroshima.
The consequences of a nuclear explosion.
Lifeless Hiroshima. Celebration in New York at Time Square after the surrender of Japan.
Marine and air parade.
On September 2, 1945, on board the American flagship battleship Missouri, which arrived in the waters of Tokyo Bay, Japanese Foreign Minister M. Shigemitsu and Chief of the General Staff General Y. Umezu, US Army General D. Macarthur, Soviet Lieutenant General K. Derevyanko, Admiral of the British Fleet B. Fraser on behalf of their states signed the "Act of Japan's unconditional surrender."
Ivo Jim.

War in the pacific

Background

Since the end of the 19th century, Japan has carried out an aggressive foreign policy aimed at dominance in the region. In the 1930s, Japan's claims became the cause of an armed conflict with China. In 1937, this conflict escalated into a full-fledged war in which Japan won victory after victory, and China suffered huge losses. Japanese interests extended to almost the entire eastern and South Asia and the Pacific region, which was the reason for tensions with the Netherlands, Great Britain and the United States, which had their own interests there, as well as the colonies. In September 1940, Japan signed the Triple Pact with Germany and Italy on cooperation in rebuilding the world order.

Developments

December 7, 1941- Japanese aircraft and navy attacked the American military base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, causing significant damage to it. After that, the United States declared war on Japan and began to take an active part in the battles of World War II.

December 1941 - May 1942- Japan is conducting successful hostilities in Hong Kong, Thailand, the Dutch East Indies, Malaysia, Burma and other regions, defeating local, as well as American, British, Dutch, Australian and Chinese troops. In May 1942, local and American troops surrendered in the Philippines. After that, Japan controlled virtually all of Southeast Asia and northwest Oceania.

June 4-6, 1942- Battle of Midway Atoll. The United States defeated Japan by sinking four Japanese aircraft carriers and destroying some 250 aircraft. This battle is considered by many historians to be a turning point in the Pacific theater of operations, after which Japan lost the initiative.

August 1942 - February 1943- Battle for the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Both the United States and Japan suffered significant losses, however, in general, the United States confirmed its military superiority, after this battle, finally moving from defense to attack.

October 1944- the beginning of the use of kamikaze tactics (suicide pilots who rammed enemy ships).

October 1944 - August 1945- The Philippine operation, which ended with the defeat of the Japanese and the liberation of the Philippines.

March 10, 1945- the bombing of Tokyo with incendiary bombs, which killed about 100 thousand people, mostly civilians.

6 and 9 August 1945- the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed about 200 thousand people, not counting those who died later from the effects of radiation. The first and only use of atomic weapons in history (chronology of events in Hiroshima).

August 9, 1945- fulfilling the promise given to the allies, the USSR declares war on Japan. The Soviet offensive in Manchuria ended in the defeat of the Kwantung Army, sharply worsening the position of Japan.

Conclusion

The events in the Pacific theater of operations were an important part of the Second World War. First of all, they can be described as a confrontation between the United States and Japan. The fate of Japan largely repeated that of Germany: by the beginning of the war, it also had a powerful army and confidence in its right to aggressive territorial expansion, but its resources were not unlimited. At the same time, Japan had no allies in the region, which reduced its chances of success and hastened its defeat.

An important result of the war was the establishment of a democratic order in Japan and the country's abandonment of imperial claims.

Abstract

December 6, 1941 Japanese troops attacked the US naval base in Hawaii Pearl Harbor by destroying the United States Pacific Fleet. The attack was sudden. Following this, the states of the anti-Hitler coalition declare war on Japan. In turn, the United States declares war on Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and a number of countries of the fascist bloc.

The defeat of the American fleet and the absence of large military forces in the colonies of European countries allowed Tokyo to carry out a lightning-fast seizure of the territory of Southeast Asia, Indonesia and launch an offensive on the pearl British empire- India, incidentally occupying Burma.

By 1942, the Japanese managed to establish control over the overwhelming part of East and Southeast Asia, deploying merciless terror in these territories (especially in China). Continuing territorial conquests, Japanese landings began to land on the islands of Oceania and the Philippines, threatening the security of Australia and New Zealand, which forced the latter to enter the war.

1943 marked by the Battle of the Solomon Islands, which is ultimately won by the United States.

The territories occupied by the Japanese were under constant attacks from partisan detachments, which did not give Tokyo confidence in the safety of its rear. Partisans under the command of a communist put up a fairly powerful resistance to the invaders. Mao Zedong.

The protracted war was draining Japan. She could no longer successfully control the vast occupied territories. Trophies and minerals exported from the occupied lands were constantly bombarded by the allied forces.

At the end of 1944, the Americans make a successful assault on the Philippine Islands.... Striking a blow to the center of the Japanese Empire, they mercilessly sank Japanese ships and submarines, shot down planes and practically did not take prisoners. The Philippines became the home base for the United States Navy and Air Force.

In October 1944, a major naval battle in Leyte Gulf, in which the Japanese fleet was practically destroyed.

Since 1945, american aviation began daily bombing Japanese cities. The joint actions of the allies made it possible to liberate large territories of Asia and Oceania.

After the end of the war in Europe, following the Yalta agreements, according to which, after the defeat of Nazi Germany, the USSR should declare war on Japan, hostilities begin in the Soviet Far East.

Moved from Europe, battle-hardened Soviet troops made up a powerful fist. In August 1945 several operations began at once - in Northeast China, Korea, on the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The Soviet blow was so strong that the Japanese troops were crushed and fled in disarray, leaving vast territories.

6 and 9 August 1945of the year the American command dropped on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki two atomic bombs, wiping them off the face of the earth. The Americans have demonstrated to the whole world that they have a new type of weapon.

On September 2, 1945, the Act of Japan's Unconditional Surrender was signed on the American battleship Missouri.

The second World War 1939-1945 ended.

Bibliography

1. A. V. Shubin General history. Recent history... 9th grade: textbook. for general education. institutions. - M .: Moscow textbooks, 2010.
2. Soroko-Tsyupa O.S., Soroko-Tsyupa A.O. General history. Recent history, grade 9. - M .: Education, 2010.
3. Sergeev E.Yu. General history. Recent history. Grade 9. - M .: Education, 2011.

Homework

1. Read §13 of the textbook Shubin A.V., pp. 137-139 and give answers to questions 3 and 4 on p. 142.
2. Why did the USSR enter the war with Japan only after the end of the war in Europe?
3. Was the atomic bomb necessary Japanese cities at the end of the war?

1. Internet portal Nb-info.ru ().
2. Militarymaps.narod.ru Internet portal ().
3. Internet portal Waralbum.ru ().