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        World War Two started seventy years ago,   At the time the US entered WW2, the war had been going on for over
        two years and three months in Europe, five years in Africa, and ten years in China. Events at the time of US entry to that war:  
        1942 . Jan 25. Thailand declares war on the United Kingdom and United States.
          Jan 26. First US Army troops land at Northern Ireland escorted by Texas (BB-35), Wasp (CV-7).
          Jan 27. Australians warn that New Caledonia could be captured before US troopships, then underway, arrive.
            Submarine Gudgeon (SS-211) sinks Japanese submarine I-73.
          Jan 28. Conference of all Latin American nations, except Argentina and Chile, severe ties with Germany, Italy, and Japan.
      TABLE of CONTENTS                                 First Days     The book.
      Between the Wars
          The End of WWI leads to WW2
          Authorized Ship Construction, 1931-45
          Before We Were In, 1932-42
          Belligerent Acts before we were in.
      The Early Years     War: 1939 , 1940 , 1941.   Homefront : U.S.1941 , 1941 , 1942 , Population
          Attacks and Threats on U.S., 1939-45
        Relocation of Enemy Citizens   140KB     Loyalty Statistics     News     Timetable     Pictures     Germans     Murals
        Atrocity
        Fugos, the Balloon Bombs of WW2.
      Pearl Harbor :   Countdown   |   Attack   |   First Days
        Pearl Harbor Attack Fleet, - Japanese activity till destruction.
        Pearl Harbor Submarine Attack Force - Over thirty Japanese subs were there.
        U.S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor
        U.S. Fleet NOT at Pearl Harbor
        Aircraft at Pearl Harbor
          Pacific War, 1942 :     Jan , Feb , March , April , May , June , July , Aug , Sept , Oct , Nov , Dec.
        Raids in the Early Months , Jan-April. Carriers show their presence.
        Battles of Java Sea , Jan-Feb. Allied Asian fleet destroyed.
        Coral Sea , May 7-8 .   Japanese stopped.
        Midway June 4-6 .   Decisive victory.   And more details,   timeline, and big picture.
          A good website with the colorful story of the Battle of Midway
        Battle of Savo Island , Aug 9. U.S. loses screening force in 32 minutes.
          Savo Update - Corrections to naval history.
          Hudson Myth - refuted
          Guadalcanal - The first days.
        Battle of Eastern Solomon Sea , Aug 24. Air battle. US outnumbered 2:1; Jap fleet withdraws. [more off site]
        Submarine Attacks , Aug-Sept
        Battle of Cape Esperance , Oct 11. US wins cruiser fight, sort'a.
        Battle of Santa Cruz , Oct 25. Both air arms weakened.
        Naval Battles of Guadalcanal , Nov 12-15. Turning point.
        Battle of Tassafaronga , Nov 30. US cruisers outfought.
        Grand Strategy
        Animation - [off site].
      1943. Both Navies rebuild while marines and soldiers fight in the jungles. Marines take the Gilbert Islands. Jan'43 , Feb'43
      1944. Central Pacific retaken, MacArthur moves north. Marines take the Marshalls. Then the Marianas with the enemy air fleet decimated in the Philippine Sea "Turkey Shoot" and the Japanese battle fleet is destroyed at Leyte Gulf in the return to the Philippines. Japanese carrier Shinano. B-29 bombing starts from the Marianas.                     , Oct'44 , Nov'44 , Dec'44
      1945. Iwo Jima supports bombing of Japanese industry. Okinawa taken as a base for the invasion of Japan in the Fall. Kamikazes show resistance as the home islands are approached. The remaining Japanese fleet is destroyed in the shipyards.
          Jan , Feb , March , April , May , June , July , Aug , Sept , Oct - Dec , 1946
      The Final Months
        Suicide Attacks.
        Iwo Jima
        Okinawa
        Surrender, 1945, the final days.         Hiroshima         War End
        Speeches
        Operation Downfall : Olympic, Coronet - planned invasion of Japan.     short , long
        Magic Carpet, GI Bill
      People
        Vice Adm Frank Jack Fletcher - Task Force Commander
        Fletcher's Battles       Midway     early article     Pictures
        Fletcher Aftermath     Q&A     Early Life                 
          "Fletcher, Task Force Commander: the early days of the Pacific War" by James Bauer
            New:   Get it direct from the publisher   or   from our e-store   or   Amazon.    Feedback on the book.
        "The Days of Fletcher" -- Andrés Lazarús del Castillo releases here the introduction to his new book.   Website and Newsletter.
        "Los Dias de Fletcher" --   Bookstores     Website in Spanish
        Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher -- the first Adm Fletcher
        Admiral Thomas C. Hart
        Admiral J. O. Richardson
        Bauer, USN
        Charles Lindberg, civilian technician
        Corpsmen with Marines
        Gerald Ford
        Presidents Lyndon Johnson and John Kennedy were commissioned Navy officers before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford soon joined and received Navy commissions in 1942. George Bush was commissioned in June 1943 during naval flight training. James Carter graduated from Naval Academy in 1946.   Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower were Army officers. Ronald Reagan was Army Air Force captain. William Clinton was draft dodger. George W. Bush was fighter pilot. Barack H. Obama has fired more cruise missiles than any other Peace Prize winner.
      Ships:
        Ship Types 1942 and 1945 - Brief description of ship types early and late in the war.
                Types Named - how ship types were named. And IJN.
        Lists. Brief Descriptions.   Pictures, Links. Notes
        Fleet Carriers Carrier History Fleet CarriersCV/CVL
        Escort Carriers Escort Carriers Escort CarriersCVE
        Battleships Battleships Battleships BB
        Cruisers Cruisers Cruisers CA,CL
        Destroyers Destroyers, etc.DD/DE
        Submarines 1941   Submarine War
        Auxiliary Ship types notesSpecial Ships

        Carrier Movements - Pacific, 1942
        British Lend-Lease Escort Carriers
        Japanese Carriers and Seaplane Carriers - with Chronology.     Naval Aircraft
        Japanese Battle Fleet.     Destroyer Losses.     I-400 supersub
        Royal Navy
          Eastern TFs 1942             Eastern Task Forces discussion
          Ships of Eastern Fleets     Pacific Fleet, Task Force 57, 1945
          British Battleships             British Fleet Carriers
        Lend Lease - 2nd draft.   DDs for Bases
            Ship Names         USSR Ship Names
        U.S. Warship Count, 1945.
        Ship Losses by year.     Carriers Sunk
      Namesake Ships
        USS Parle ( DE-708) - more detail on my ship: the last WW2 DE.
      Naval Air
        Naval Aircraft Types, 1942       Aircraft at Pearl Harbor       Brewster F2A Buffalo
        Naval Aircraft Lists, 1942         Naval Air History                   Early Flying Machines
        US Army Air Corps                      Pearl Harbor Defense           Pearl Harbor Pilots
        Carrier Operations                     Japanese Naval Aircraft
      Reference Section:
        Maps. -- overview
        Dud Torpedoes
        First Usage
        Jet Aircraft Development - over 2,000 jets before war ended.
        Link to Photos -- all generations
        Mine Warfare
        Admirals of Nov 1940
      Essays
        Ideas that did - and didn't - work
        Be Prepared.          One must fight with what is on hand.
        Why Pearl Harbor?   2
        Stories of some who were there.
        Stories from Readers.
        Rest of the Story.
        Basic English : international language
        Rabaul Historical Society - Requests info on Jap subs.
        Bits and Pieces
        FDR Conspiracy
        Population Mix of the USA
        FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions ⇦ Find your ship ↩ ; your father ↩
        Q and A
        About this website, books, and citation.
        Feedback on the book "Fletcher, Task Force Commander", companion to this website.
        Miscellaneous, Subsidiary Pages -about 30 pages that you might have missed.
      • I was ordered, in error, to serve on the pocket battleship Graf Spee, . . . Battle . . . Escape to Japan . . . Captured on blockade runner . . . POW #1 . . . Helmut's Story (35 pp)    
      • There were other Enemy Alien Civilian Seamen during WWII, captured at sea before the US was in the war, and interned for the duration,.
      • The family listened to the news of the raid in disbelief; Valerie had married a career sailor and was living in Pearl Harbor.
      • I was almost 15 years old when the Japanese soldiers walked into Malang.
        From now on I was a slave for the Japanese Army."
      • "On the morning of December 7, 1941, I was eleven years old. These are
        my memories of the bombing and the days that followed." - Yvonne's story.
      • "As we approached our landing site, White Beach, our LST grounded on a sandbar
        some 20 yards from shore." -- Larry's story, Tami Air Field, Hollandia, DNG, 1944.
      • "A few seconds later "The Ghost Ship" lights were turned off and BLAMM!, heavy gunfire killed the silence, starshells were floating over the Vincennes and exploding shell fire caused the aircraft on its catapults to burst into flame !" -- Daniel's story, aboard Quincy, Savo Island, Aug 1942.
      World War T (Terrorism / Today )    
      Fleet News
      US Fleet Ships with pictures,
      How the Iraq War was Fought
      Editorials & References

      WWW WW2PACIFIC.com      
      About this page: WW2 - Menu to World War II in the Pacific, the early years.
          These are some areas in which I find an interest and that seem little known or of possible help in understanding the period.
      Updated Dec 7, 2010 -- add Feedback on our new book
        May 25, 2010 -- add Hudson myth at Savo Island.
        October 25, 2009 -- add Royal Navy
        July 10, 2009 -- add 1939,40,41
        Oct 11, 2008 -- add Helmut Ruge of the         Graf Spee.
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      URL : http://www.ww2pacific.com/ww2.html