World War II in the Pacific
Menu to The Early Years
- 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 leading to that war --
1940 Feb 6 . Three neutral ships sunk off England. .Several British ships and trawlers each day.
- Feb 7 . Heavy fighting in Summa sector and north east of Lake Ladoga, Finland.
Feb 8 . Third convoy of Canadian troops arrives in Britain.
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 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
- 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
- Savo Update - Corrections to naval history.
Guadalcanal - The first days.
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].
1944. Central Pacific retaken, MacArthur moves north. Japanese carrier. 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. B-29 bombing starts from the Marianas.
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
- Vice Adm Frank Jack Fletcher - Task Force Commander
Fletcher's Battles Midway early article
Fletcher Aftermath Q&A Early Years
"The Days of Fletcher" -- Andrés Lazarús del Castillo releases here the introduction to his new book. Website and Newsletter.
Los Dias de Fletcher -- bookstores
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. What is our next president?
- 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 Carriers | CV/CVL |
| Escort Carriers | Escort Carriers | Escort Carriers | CVE |
| Battleships | Battleships | Battleships | BB |
| Cruisers | Cruisers | Cruisers | CA,CL |
| Destroyers | Destroyers, etc. | DD/DE | |
| Submarines 1941 | Submarine War | ||
| Auxiliary | Ship types notes | Special 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
Royal Navy
- Eastern TFs 1942
Eastern Task Forces discussion
Ships of Eastern Fleets Pacific Fleet, Task Force 57, 1945
British Battleships British Fleet Carriers
Ship Names USSR Ship Names
U.S. Warship Count, 1945.
Ship Losses by year. Carriers Sunk
- USS Parle ( DE-708) - more detail on my ship: the last WW2 DE.
-
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
- Maps. -- overview
Dud Torpedoes
First Usage
Jet Aircraft Development - over 2,000 jets before war ended.
Photos -- all generations
- Ideas that did - and didn't - work
- 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.
Be Prepared. One must fight with what is on hand.
Why Pearl Harbor
Stories of some who were there.
Stories from Readers.
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 ↩ ; citation. ↩
Q and A
About this website, books, and citation.
Miscellaneous, Subsidiary Pages -about 30 pages that you might have missed.
|
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. Last updated October 25, 2009 -- add Royal Navy
- updated July 10, 2009 -- add 1939,40,41
updated on Oct 11, 2008 -- add Helmut Ruge of the Graf Spee.