The Timeline of Events in the Pacific Theater

Japanese conquest of Southeast Asia and Pacific

1941-12-07    Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor

1941-12-07    Japanese attack the Philippines, Wake Island and Guam

1941-12-07    Japanese attack Malaya, Thailand, Shanghai and Midway

1941-12-08    Japanese land near Singapore and enter Thailand

1941-12-10    Japanese invade the Phillipines

1941-12-10    Japanese seize Guam

1941-12-16    Japanese invade Britsh Borneo

1941-12-22    Japanese invade Luzon in the Phillipines

1941-12-23    Japanese take Wake Island

1941-12-25    Britsh surrender at Hong Kong

1942-01-02    Japanese invade Dutch East Indies and Dutch Borneo.

1942-01-02    Manila and U.S. Naval base at Cavite captured by the Japanese.

1942-01-07    Japanese attack Bataan in the Phillipines

1942-01-16    Japanese begin an advance into Burma

1942-01-19    Japanese take North Borneo

1942-01-23    Japanese take Rabaul on New Britain in the Solomon Islands

1942-01-23    Japanese also invade Bougainville, the largest island.

1942-02-14    Japanese invade Sumatra in the Dutch East Indies

1942-02-15    British surrender at Singapore

1942-02-19    Japanese invade Bali

1942-02-27    Japanese naval victory in the Battle of the Java Sea as the largest U.S. warship in the Far East, the HOUSTON, is sunk

1942-03-07    British evacuate Rangoon in Burma

1942-03-07    Japanese invade Salamaua and Lae on New Guinea.

1942-03-08    The Dutch on Java surrender to the Japanese

1942-03-23    Japanese invade the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

1942-04-09    U.S. forces on Bataan surrender unconditionally to the Japanese.

1942-04-18    U.S. 'Doolittle' B-25 air raid from the HORNET against Tokyo boosts Allied morale.

1942-04-29    Japanese take Central Burma

1942-05-01    Japanese occupy Mandalay in Burma

1942-05-03    Japanese take Tulagi in the Solomon Islands

1942-05-05    Japanese prepare to invade Midway and the Aleutian Islands

1942-05-06.   Japanese take Corregidor as General Wainwright unconditionally surrenders all U.S. and Filipino forces in the Philippines.

1942-05-07    Japan suffers its first defeat of the war during the Battle of the Coral Sea off New Guinea - the first time in history that two opposing carrier forces fought only using aircraft without the opposing ships ever sighting each other.

1942-05-12    The last U.S. troops holding out in the Philippines surrender on Mindanao.
1942-05-20    Japanese complete the capture of Burma and reach India.

The End Of The Japanese Conquests

1942-06-04   Turning point in the war occurs with a decisive victory for the U.S. against Japan in the Battle of Midway as squadrons of U.S. torpedo planes and dive bombers from ENTERPRISE, HORNET, and YORKTOWN attack and destroy four Japanese carriers, a cruiser, and damage another cruiser and two destroyers. U.S. loses YORKTOWN.

1942-09-27    British offensive in Burma.

1943-03-03    U.S. victory over Japanese in the Battle of Bismarck Sea.

1944-01-09    British and Indian troops recapture Maungdaw in Burma.

1944-02-20    U.S. Carrier-based and land-based planes destroy the Japanese base at Rabaul.

1944-04-17    Japanese begin their last offensive in China, attacking air bases in eastern China.

1944-06-05    The first mission by B-29 Superfortress bombers occurs as 77 planes bomb Japanese railway facilities at Bangkok, Thailand.

1944-08-03    U.S. and Chinese troops take Myitkyina after a two month siege.

1944-09-15    U.S. Troops invade Morotai and the Paulaus.

1944-10-20    U.S. Sixth Army invades Leyte in the Philippines.

1944-10-23    Battle of Leyte Gulf results in a decisive U.S. Naval victory.

1944-12-15    U.S. Troops invade Mindoro in the Philippines.

1945-01-04    British occupy Akyab in Burma.

1945-01-09    U.S. Sixth Army invades Lingayen Gulf on Luzon in the Philippines.

1945-01-11    Air raid against Japanese bases in Indochina by U.S. Carrier-based planes.

1945-02-03    U.S. Sixth Army attacks Japanese in Manila.

1945-02-16    U.S. Troops recapture Bataan in the Philippines.

1945-03-02    U.S. airborne troops recapture Corregidor in the Philippines.

1945-03-03    U.S. And Filipino troops take Manila

1945-03-10    U.S. Eighth Army invades Zamboanga Peninsula on Mindanao in the Philippines.

1945-03-20    British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma.

1945-05-20    Japanese begin withdrawal from China.

1945-06-18    Japanese resistance ends on Mindanao in the Philippines.

1945-06-28    General MacArthur announces the end of all Japanese resistance in the Philippines.

1945-07-05    Liberation of Philippines declared.

1945-08-30    The British reoccupy Hong Kong.

New Guinea campaign 

1942-07-21    Japanese land troops near Gona on New Guinea.

1943-01-02    Allies take Buna in New Guinea.

1943-01-22    Allies defeat Japanese at Sanananda on New Guinea.

1943-09-04    Allies recapture Lae-Salamaua, New Guinea.

1944-04-22    Allies invade Aitape and Hollandia in New Guinea.

1944-05-27    Allies invade Biak Island, New Guinea.

Aleutian Islands campaign 

1942-06-07    Japanese invade the Aleutian Islands.

1942-08-30    U.S. Troops invade Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands.

1943-05-10    U.S. Troops invade Attu in the Aleutian Islands.

1943-05-31    Japanese end their occupation of the Aleutian Islands as the U.S. completes the capture of Attu.

Guadalcanal campaign 

1942-08-07    The first U.S. amphibious landing of the Pacific War occurs as 1st Marine Division invades Tulagi and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.

1942-08-08  U.S. Marines take the unfinished airfield on Guadalcanal and name it Henderson Field after Maj. Lofton Henderson, a hero of Midway.

1942-08-09  A major U.S. naval disaster off  Savo Island, north of Guadalcanal, as eight Japanese warships wage a night attack and sink three U.S. heavy cruisers, an Australian cruiser, and one U.S. destroyer, all in less than an hour. Another U.S. cruiser and two destroyers are damaged. Over 1,500 Allied crewmen are lost.

1942-08-21   U.S. Marines repulse first major Japanese ground attack on Guadalcanal.

1942-09-12    Battle of Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal

1942-10-11    U.S. cruisers and destroyers defeat a Japanese task force in the Battle of Cape Esperance off Guadalcanal.

1942-10-13    The first U.S. Army troops, the 164th Infantry Regiment, land on Guadalcanal.

1942-10-14    Japanese bombard Henderson Field at night from warships then send troops ashore onto Guadalcanal in the morning as U.S. planes attack.

1942-10-15    Japanese bombard Henderson Field at night again from warships.

1942-10-25    Battle of Santa Cruz off Guadalcanal between U.S. And Japanese warships results in the loss of the Carrier HORNET.
1942-11-13    U.S. and Japanese warships clash again off Guadalcanal resulting in the sinking of the U.S. Cruiser JUNEAU and the deaths of the five Sullivan brothers.

1942-12-31     Emperor Hirohito of Japan gives permission to his troops to withdraw from Guadalcanal after five months of bloody fighting against U.S. Forces

1943-02-01     Japanese begin evacuation of Guadalcanal.

1943-02-09     Japanese resistance on Guadalcanal ends.

Solomon Islands campaign 

1942-08-24    U.S. and Japanese carriers meet in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons resulting in a Japanese defeat.

1942-09-15    A Japanese submarine torpedo attack near the Solomon Islands results in the sinking of the Carrier WASP, Destroyer O'BRIEN and damage to the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA.

1943-06-21    Allies advance to New Georgia, Solomon Islands.

1943-08-06    Battle of Vella Gulf in the Solomon Islands.

1943-08-25    Allies complete the occupation of New Georgia.

1943-11-01    U.S. Marines invade Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.

1943-12-15    U.S. Troops land on the Arawe Peninsula of New Britain in the Solomon Islands.

1943-12-26    Full Allied assault on New Britain as 1st Division Marines invade Cape Gloucester.

Gilbert Islands campaign 

1943-11-20    U.S. Troops invade Makin and Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands.

1943-11-23    Japanese end resistance on Makin and Tarawa

Marshall Islands campaign

1944-01-31  U.S. Troops invade Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands

1944-02-07  U.S. Troops capture Kwajalein and Majura Atolls in the Marshall Islands.

Mariana Islands campaign

1944-06-15    U.S. Marines invade Saipan in the Mariana Islands

1944-07-21    U.S. Marines invade Guam in the Marianas.

1944-07-24    U.S. Marines invade Tinian

1944-07-25    American troops complete the capture of the Mariana Islands.

Iwo Jima campaign

1944-11-11     Iwo Jima bombarded by the U.S. Navy.

1945-02-19     U.S. Marines invade Iwo Jima.

1945-03-16     U.S. Marines capture Iwo Jima

Ryukyu Islands campaign

1944-10-11    U.S. Air raids against Okinawa.

1945-04-01    The final amphibious landing of the war occurs as the U.S. Tenth Army invades Okinawa.

1945-06-22    Japanese resistance ends on Okinawa as the U.S. Tenth Army completes its capture.

Japan campaign 

1945-03-09   Fifteen square miles of Tokyo erupts in flames after it is fire bombed by 279 B-29s.

1945-03-27   B-29s lay mines in Japan's Shimonoseki Strait to interrupt shipping.

1945-04-07   B-29s fly their first fighter-escorted mission against Japan with P-51 Mustangs based on Iwo Jima; U.S. Carrier-based fighters sink the super battleship YAMATO and several escort vessels which planned to attack U.S. Forces at Okinawa.

1945-05-25   U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff approve Operation Olympic, the invasion of Japan, scheduled for November 1.

1945-06-09   Japanese Premier Suzuki announces Japan will fight to the very end rather than accept unconditional surrender.

1945-06-15   The first bombing raid on Japan since the Doolittle raid of April 1942, as 47 B-29s based in Bengel, India, target the steel works at Yawata.

1945-07-10    1,000 bomber raids against Japan begin

1945-07-29    A Japanese submarine sinks the Cruiser INDIANAPOLIS resulting in the loss of 881 crewmen. The ship sinks before a radio message can be sent out leaving survivors adrift for two days.

1945-08-06   First Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima from a B-29 flown by Col. Paul Tibbets.

1945-08-08    U.S.S.R. declares war on Japan then invades Manchuria.

1945-08-09    Second Atomic Bomb is dropped on Nagasaki from a B-29 flown by Maj. Charles Sweeney -- Emperor Hirohito and Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki then decide to seek an immediate peace with the Allies.

1945-08-14     Japanese accept unconditional surrender; General MacArthur is appointed to head the occupation forces in Japan.

1945-09-02     Formal Japanese surrender ceremony on board the MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay as 1,000 carrier-based planes fly overhead; President Truman declares VJ Day.