Pacific War

:The Pacific War (1937–1945) is not to be confused with the War of the Pacific (1879–1884). In Harry Turtledove's Timeline-191 fictional universe, the Pacific War refers to a 1932-34 naval conflict between Japan and the USA.

The United States enters the war

Until the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US had remained out of the Asian and European conflict. The America First Committee, 800,000 members strong, had until that day vehemently opposed any American intervention in the foreign conflict, even as America provided military aid to Britain and Soviet Union through the Lend-Lease program. Opposition to war in the United States vanished after the attack. Four days after Pearl Harbor, on December 11, Nazi Germany declared war on the United States, drawing America into a two-theater war. The United States, recognising that Germany had a significant industrial output, quickly decided on a "Germany first" strategy. In 1941, Japan had only a fraction of the manufacturing capacity of the United States, and was therefore perceived as lesser threat than Germany.

Related Topics:
America First Committee - Lend-Lease - December 11 - Nazi Germany

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

British, Indian, Dutch and Australian forces, already drained of personnel and matériel by two years of war with Nazi Germany, and heavily committed in the Middle East, North Africa and elsewhere, were unable to provide much more than token resistance to the battle-hardened Japanese. The Allies suffered many disastrous defeats in the first six months of the war. Two major British warships, HMS 'Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales were sunk by a Japanese air attack off Malaya on December 10, 1941. The government of Thailand formally allied itself with Japan on December 21. Hong Kong fell on December 25 and US bases on Guam and Wake Island were lost at around the same time.

Related Topics:
Matériel - Nazi Germany - Middle East - North Africa - HMS 'Repulse'' - HMS ''Prince of Wales'' - Sunk by a Japanese air attack - Malaya - December 10 - 1941 - Thailand - Japan - December 21 - Hong Kong - December 25 - Guam - Wake Island

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Following the Declaration by the United Nations on January 1, 1942, the Allied governments appointed the British General Sir Archibald Wavell as supreme commander of all "American-British-Dutch-Australian" (ABDA) forces in South East Asia. This gave Wavell nominal control of a huge, but thinly-spread force, covering an area from Burma to the Dutch East Indies and the Philippines. (Other areas, including India, Australia and Hawaii remained under separate, local commands.) On January 15, Wavell moved to Bandung in Java to assume control of ABDA Command (ABDACOM).

Related Topics:
Declaration by the United Nations - January 1 - 1942 - Archibald Wavell - ABDA - South East Asia - Burma - Dutch East Indies - Philippines - Bandung - Java

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

January saw the invasions of Burma, the Dutch East Indies, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the capture of Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Rabaul. After being driven out of Malaya, Allied forces in Singapore surrendered to the Japanese on February 15 1942; about 130,000http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/remembering1942/singapore/transcript.htm Indian, Australian and British troops became prisoners of war. The pace of conquest was rapid: Bali and Timor also fell in February. The rapid collapse of Allied resistance had left the "ABDA area" split in two. Wavell resigned from ABDACOM on February 25, handing control of the ABDA Area to local commanders and returing to the post of Commander-in-Chief, India.

Related Topics:
Burma - Dutch East Indies - New Guinea - Solomon Islands - Manila - Kuala Lumpur - Rabaul - February 15 - 1942 - Bali - Timor - February 25 - Commander-in-Chief, India

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At the Battle of the Java Sea, in late February and early March, the Japanese Navy inflicted a resounding defeat on the main ABDA naval force, under Admiral Karel Doorman. Allied commanders in Java surrendered.

Related Topics:
Battle of the Java Sea - Japanese Navy - Karel Doorman - Java

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The British under intense pressure made a fighting retreat from Rangoon to the Indo-Burmese border. This cut the Burma Road which was the western Allies' supply line to the Chinese National army commanded by Chiang Kai-shek. Filipino and US forces put up a fierce resistance in the Philippines until May 8 1942 when more than 80,000 of them surrendered. By this time, General Douglas MacArthur, who had been appointed Supreme Allied Commander South West Pacific, had relocated his headquarters to Australia. The US Navy, under Admiral Chester Nimitz, had responsibility for the rest of the Pacific Ocean.

Related Topics:
Rangoon - Burma Road - Chiang Kai-shek - Philippines - May 8 - 1942 - Douglas MacArthur - Chester Nimitz

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, Japanese aircraft had all but eliminated Allied air power in South-East Asia and were making attacks on northern Australia, beginning with a disproportionately large, and psychologically devastating attack on the city of Darwin on February 19, which killed at least 243 people. Japanese air power had also driven the British fleet out of Ceylon. (Air attacks on the US mainland were insignificant, comprising balloon-based materials and a submarine-based seaplane fire-bombing a forest in Oregon, September 9 1942.)

Related Topics:
Attacks on northern Australia - Attack on the city of Darwin on February 19 - Ceylon - Oregon - September 9 - 1942

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~