In August 1945, the explosions of two nuclear bombs over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war that lasted for 4 years. Pacific, the main opponents in which were America and Japan. The confrontation between these two powers became an important component of the Second World War and had a significant impact on its outcome. At the same time, the current balance of power in the international arena is largely a consequence of those old events.

What caused the fire in the Pacific Ocean

The reason for the war between the United States and Japan lies in the conflict between these states, which escalated by 1941, and in Tokyo's attempt to resolve it by military means. The greatest contradictions between these powerful world powers arose in issues related to China and the territory of French Indochina - the former French colony.

Rejecting the doctrine proposed by the American government " open doors", Japan strove for its complete control over these countries, as well as over the territory of Manchuria that it had seized earlier. Due to Tokyo's stubbornness in these matters, the negotiations held in Washington between the two states did not bring any results.

But Japan's claims were not limited to this either. Tokyo, considering the United States, Great Britain and other colonial powers as its rivals, tried with all its might to oust them from the South Seas and the South East Asia, thus capturing the sources of food and raw materials located in their territories. It was about 78% of the world's rubber production, produced in these areas, 90% of tin and many other riches.

The beginning of the conflict

By the beginning of July 1941, despite the protests emanating from the governments of America and Great Britain, it seized the southern part of Indochina, and after a short time approached the Philippines, Singapore, Dutch India and Malaya. In response, it imposed a ban on the import of all strategic materials into Japan and at the same time froze Japanese assets in its banks. Thus, the war that broke out soon between Japan and the United States was the result of a political conflict that America tried to resolve with economic sanctions.

It should be noted that Tokyo's military ambitions extended up to the decision to seize part of the territory of the Soviet Union. This was announced in July 1941 at the imperial conference by the Minister of War of Japan Tojo. According to him, it was necessary to start a war with the aim of destroying the USSR and gaining control over its rich natural resources. True, at that time these plans were clearly impracticable due to the lack of forces, the bulk of which was directed to the war in China.

Pearl Harbor tragedy

The war between the United States and Japan began with a powerful strike on Pearl Harbor, inflicted by aircraft from the ships of the Joint Japanese Fleet, commanded by Admiral Yamamoto Isoroko. It happened on December 7, 1941.

Two air raids were carried out on the American base, in which 353 aircraft took off from 6 aircraft carriers. The result of this attack, the success of which was largely predetermined by its unexpectedness, was so devastating that it disabled a significant part of the American fleet and became a truly national tragedy.

In a short time, enemy aircraft directly at the berths destroyed 4 of the most powerful battleships of the US Navy, of which only 2 were rebuilt with great difficulty after the end of the war. Another 4 ships of this type received serious damage and were permanently disabled.

In addition, 3 destroyers, 3 cruisers and one minelayer were sunk or seriously damaged. As a result of the enemy bombing, the Americans also lost 270 aircraft that were at that time at the coastal airfield and on the decks of aircraft carriers. To top it all, torpedo and fuel storage facilities, piers, a shipyard and a power station were destroyed.

The main tragedy was the significant loss of personnel. As a result of the Japanese air raid, 2,404 people were killed and 11,779 wounded. After this dramatic event, the United States declared war on Japan and officially joined the anti-Hitler coalition.

Further offensive of the Japanese troops

The tragedy played out at Pearl Harbor incapacitated a significant part of the US Navy, and since the British, Australian and Dutch fleets could not compete with the Japanese navies, it received a temporary advantage in the Pacific region. Further hostilities Tokyo led in alliance with Thailand, a military treaty with which was signed in December 1941.

The war between the United States and Japan was gaining momentum and at first brought a lot of trouble to the F. Roosevelt government. So, on December 25, the joint efforts of Japan and Thailand managed to suppress the resistance of British troops in Hong Kong, and the Americans were forced, abandoning equipment and property, to urgently evacuate from their bases located on the nearby islands.

Until early May 1942, military success invariably accompanied the Japanese army and navy, which allowed Emperor Hirohito to take control of vast territories, including the Philippines, Java, Bali, Part of the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. At that time, about 130 thousand British troops were in Japanese captivity.

The turning point in the course of hostilities

The war of the United States against Japan developed differently only after the naval battle between their fleets, which took place on May 8, 1942 in the Coral Sea. By this time, the United States had already fully enjoyed the support of the forces of the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition.

This battle went into world history as the first, in which the enemy ships did not approach each other, did not fire a single shot and did not even see each other. Everything fighting were carried out exclusively by naval aircraft based on them. It was, in essence, a clash between two aircraft carrier groups.

Despite the fact that during the battle none of the opposing sides managed to win a clear victory, the strategic advantage, nevertheless, turned out to be on the side of the allies. Firstly, this naval battle stopped the successful, until then, advancement of the Japanese army, with the victories of which the war between the United States and Japan began, and, secondly, it predetermined the defeat of the Japanese fleet in the next battle, which took place in June 1942 in the atoll area Midway.

In the Coral Sea were sunk 2 of the main Japanese aircraft carriers - "Shokaku" and "Zuikaku". This turned out to be an irreparable loss for the Imperial Navy, as a result of which the victory of the United States and its allies in the next naval battle turned the tide of the entire war in the Pacific.

Attempts to hold on to past conquests

Having lost 4 more aircraft carriers, 248 combat aircraft and its best pilots near Midway Atoll, Japan henceforth lost the opportunity to effectively operate at sea outside the coastal aviation cover zones, which became a real disaster for it. After that, the troops of Emperor Hirohito could not achieve any significant success, and all their efforts were aimed at holding the previously conquered territories. Meanwhile, the war between Japan and the United States was still far from over.

During the bloody and heavy fighting that lasted for the next 6 months, in February 1943, American troops managed to capture the island of Guadalcanal. This victory was part of a strategic plan to protect sea convoys between America, Australia and New Zealand. Later, by the end of the year, the United States and the allied states took control of the Solomon and Aleutian Islands, the western part of the island of New Britain, southeastern New Guinea, as well as being part of the British colony.

In 1944, the war between the United States and Japan became irreversible. Having exhausted its military potential and not having the strength to continue offensive operations, the army of Emperor Hirohito concentrated all its forces on the defense of the previously occupied territories of China and Burma, leaving further initiative in the hands of the enemy. This has caused a number of defeats. So, in February 1944, the Japanese had to retreat from the Marshalls, and six months later - from the Mariana Islands. They left New Guinea in September and lost control of the Caroline Islands in October.

The collapse of the army of Emperor Hirohito

The war between the United States and Japan (1941-1945) reached its climax in October 1944, when the victorious Philippine operation was launched by the joint efforts of the allies. except American army, Mexico also took part in it. Their common goal was to liberate the Philippines from the Japanese.

As a result of the battle that took place on October 23-26 in Leyte Gulf, Japan lost the main part of its navy. Her losses were: 4 aircraft carriers, 3 battleships, 11 destroyers, 10 cruisers and 2 submarines. The Philippines was completely in the hands of the Allies, but individual clashes continued until the end of World War II.

In the same year, possessing a significant superiority in manpower and equipment, American troops successfully carried out an operation to seize the island of Iwo Jima from February 20 to March 15, and Okinawa from April 1 to June 21. Both of them belonged to Japan, and were a convenient springboard for air strikes on its cities.

The raid on Tokyo, carried out on March 9-10, 1945, was especially devastating. As a result of the massive bombing, 250 thousand buildings were turned into ruins, and about 100 thousand people were killed, most of whom were civilians. In the same period, the war between the United States and Japan was marked by the offensive of the allied forces in Burma, and its subsequent liberation from Japanese occupation.

The first ever atomic bombing

After August 9, 1945 Soviet troops launched an offensive in Manchuria, it became quite obvious that the Pacific campaign, and with it the war (1945) between Japan and the United States, was over. However, in spite of this, the American government took an action that had no analogues either in previous or in subsequent years. On his order, a nuclear bombardment of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was carried out.

The first atomic bomb was dropped on the morning of August 6, 1945 on Hiroshima. It was delivered by a US Air Force B-29 bomber named Enola Gay in honor of the mother of the crew commander, Colonel Paul Tibets. The bomb itself was called Little Boy, which means - "Kid". Despite its affectionate name, the bomb had a capacity of 18 kilotons of TNT and claimed the lives, according to various sources, from 95 to 160 thousand people.

Another atomic bombing followed three days later. This time, her target was the city of Nagasaki. Americans, inclined to give names not only to ships or planes, but even to bombs, called her Fat Man - "Fat Man". This killer, whose power was equal to 21 kilotons of TNT, was delivered by the B-29 Bockscar bomber, piloted by the crew under the command of Charles Sweeney. This time, the victims were from 60 to 80 thousand civilians.

Japan surrender

The shock from the bombing, which ended the years of the US war with Japan, was so great that Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki appealed to Emperor Hirohito with a statement about the need to end all hostilities as soon as possible. As a result, already 6 days after the second atomic strike, Japan announced its surrender, and on September 2 of the same year the corresponding act was signed. The signing of this historic document ended the war between the United States and Japan (1941-1945). It also became the final act of the entire Second World War.

According to available data, the losses of the United States in the war with Japan amounted to 296,929 people. Of these, 169,635 are soldiers and officers of land units, and 127,294 are naval sailors and infantrymen. At the same time, 185,994 Americans were killed in the war with Nazi Germany.

Did America have the right to launch nuclear strikes?

Throughout all the post-war decades, disputes about the expediency and legality of nuclear strikes inflicted at the moment when the war (1945) between Japan and the United States was almost over, did not subside. As noted by most international experts, in this case, the fundamental question is whether the bombing, which claimed tens of thousands of lives, was necessary to conclude an agreement on Japan's surrender on terms acceptable to the government of President Harry Truman, or were there other ways to achieve the desired result?

Supporters of the bombing claim that thanks to this extremely brutal, but justified, in their opinion, measure, it was possible to force Emperor Hirohito to surrender, while avoiding the mutual casualties inevitably associated with the impending invasion of American forces in Japan, and the landing of troops on the island of Kyushu.

In addition, they cite statistical data as an argument, from which it can be seen that every month of the war was accompanied by mass deaths of the inhabitants of the countries occupied by Japan. In particular, it is estimated that for the entire period of the stay of Japanese troops in China from 1937 to 1945, about 150 thousand people perished among the population every month. A similar picture can be traced in the rest of the zones of Japanese occupation.

Thus, it is easy to calculate that without a nuclear strike, forcing the Japanese government to surrender immediately, each subsequent month of the war would claim at least 250,000 lives, which far exceeded the number of victims of the bombing.

In this regard, the now living grandson of President Harry Truman - Daniel Truman - in 2015, on the day of the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, recalled that his grandfather did not regret until the end of his days at the disposal given to him and declared the undoubted correctness of the decision. According to him, it has largely accelerated the end of the military confrontation between Japan and the United States. The world war could also have lasted for several more months, had it not been for such decisive measures by the American administration.

Opponents of this point of view

In turn, opponents of the bombing claim that without them the United States and Japan suffered significant losses in World War II, nuclear attacks cities is a war crime and can amount to state terrorism.

Many American scientists who personally took part in the development of this deadly weapon made statements about the immorality and inadmissibility of nuclear bombings. Its earliest critics are the prominent American atomic physicists Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard. Back in 1939, they wrote a joint letter to US President Roosevelt, in which they gave a moral assessment of the use of nuclear weapons.

In May 1945, seven leading American specialists in the field of nuclear research, led by James Frank, also sent a message to the head of state. In it, scientists pointed out that if America is the first to use the weapons they have developed, it will deprive it international support, will become an impetus for an arms race and in the future will undermine the chances of establishing control over this type of weapons in the world.

The political side of the issue

Leaving aside the arguments regarding the military expediency of an atomic strike on Japanese cities, it should be noted that there is one more likely reason why the American government decided to take this extreme step. We are talking about a demonstration of force with the aim of influencing the leadership of the Soviet Union and personally on Stalin.

When, after the end of World War II, there was a process of redistribution of spheres of influence between the leading powers that had defeated shortly before fascist Germany G. Truman found it necessary to clearly demonstrate to the world who at the moment has the most powerful military potential.

The result of his actions was the arms race, the beginning cold war and the notorious Iron Curtain that divided the world in two. On the one hand, the official Soviet propaganda intimidated the people with a threat allegedly emanating from "world capital" and created the United States, on the other hand, they never tired of talking about the "Russian bear" encroaching on universal human and Christian values. Thus, the atomic explosions that thundered over Japanese cities at the end of the war echoed throughout the world for many decades.

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This table shows the main events that took place during the Second World War. Legend Western European theater of war Eastern European theater of war Mediterranean theater of war African theater of war ... Wikipedia

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Japanese expansion to Far East,
in Southeast Asia and the Pacific
July 1937 - May 1942

Japanese invasion of China and the Far East
July 1937 - November 1941

July 8, 1937 Japanese Kwantung army started the battle on the Marco Polo Bridge. This day is considered to be the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War. On July 29, Japanese troops entered Beijing, and by the end of 1937 they had occupied the entire North China Plain. By 1941, Japan controlled everything big cities and railways northern and central China. The Kuomintang army, led by Chiang Kai-shek, retreated to the country's interior provinces. Chongqing became the provisional capital of China.

Expansion of the Japanese Empire. Pacific theater of operations on September 1, 1939

Pacific Area - The Imperial Powers 1939 - Map

In 1938, units of the Japanese Kwantung Army tried to cross the USSR border in the Far East near Lake Khasan, and were defeated.

In 1939, Japanese troops invaded oriyu territory Mongolia, but by the joint actions of the Soviet and Mongolian troops, they were surrounded and destroyed near the Khalkhin-Gol River. After this defeat, hostilities between the USSR and Japan did not take place until August 1945.

In 1940 the French administration Indochina allowed Japan to establish a "joint protectorate" of Japan and Vichy France over northern Indochina, which was occupied by Japanese troops.

The attack by the Japanese fleet on the American base at Pearl Harbor.
Fighting Japanese troops in the Pacific
and Southeast Asia in December 1941

On Sunday morning December 7, 1941, a Japanese carrier formation under the command of Vice Admiral Tuichi Nagumo attacked the main American naval base in the Pacific Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiian operation, as the Japanese called it, involved 353 Japanese carrier-based aircraft that took off from 6 Japanese aircraft carriers and sailed in two waves, as well as several midget submarines.

As a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, four American battleships were sunk (two were later raised and rebuilt), and four other battleships were seriously damaged. Three cruisers, three destroyers and a minelayer were also sunk or damaged. At the airfields of the air force base, the Americans lost, according to various sources, from 188 to 272 aircraft. The United States has declared war on Japan.

American battleship "Arizona" (USS Arizona BB-39) burned in Pearl Harbor
within two days after the attack by Japanese aircraft on December 7, 1941


The Archival Research Catalog of the National Archives and Records Administration under the ARC Identifier.

Even before the Japanese fleet attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States, Great Britain and the Dutch government-in-exile, which controlled the oil-rich Dutch East Indies, introduced embargo on oil and steel supplies to Japan.

Simultaneously with the attack on December 7, 1941, the American base at Pearl Harbor, Japan began fighting in Southeast Asia against Thailand, Malaya, the Philippines and Hong Kong. Due to the difference in time zones, this happened on December 8, 1941.

Government Thailand accepted a Japanese ultimatum and allowed Japanese troops to invade Malaya. Most of Thailand was occupied by Japan. On December 21, 1941, the Thai government signed a military alliance with the Japanese Empire, and in January 1942 declared war on the United States and England.

Because the attacks in the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia were sudden, Japan at the initial stage of the war in the Pacific theater of operations achieved significant results. British, Dutch, Indian, Filipino and Australian troops were unable to withstand Japanese expansion.

On December 10, 1941, in the South China Sea off the coast of Malaya, Japanese aircraft sunk British ships - the battleship Prince of Wales and the battle cruiser Repals, which tried to fire support the defense of Singapore against the Japanese offensive from the land side. After that, the Japanese fleet began to dominate the Indian Ocean.

Also on December 10, Japanese troops took the island. Guam in the western Pacific Ocean, carrying 547 US Marines, lightly armed, 1 minesweeper and 1 cargo ship. Most of the Americans were captured. At the same time, the Japanese lost only one soldier killed, and six were wounded. Later, Japanese troops built fortifications on the island and organized a base. Wake Atoll was taken on 23 December.

On December 25, 1941, Japanese troops captured Hong Kong... On December 8, 1941, the landing of Japanese troops (the 14th Japanese army, 57 thousand people) began on Philippines(Batan Island). On December 10, the Japanese made a landing on Kamigin Island and in northern part Luzon Islands. The defense of the Philippines was led by 31,000 Americans, concentrated mainly near the capital, and an almost 100,000-strong Philippine army covering a large coastline.

On the morning of December 22, Japanese forces launched a major invasion of the east coast. Luzon Islands in Lingaen Bay. On January 2, 1942, Japanese troops captured the capital of the Philippines, Manila. The main forces of the defenders withdrew to the Bataan Peninsula. After several attacks, on February 8, Japanese troops stopped their offensive.

On December 14, 1941, Japanese troops landed on Borneo(Kalimantan). At the end of December, they seized the main port in Borneo and the oil refinery Brunei.

During December 1941 - January 1942, the Japanese captured the entire Malacca Peninsula... On January 11, they occupied Kuala Lumpur, and then reached the narrow Strait of Johor (1-2 km wide), on the other side of which, on the island of Singapore, was the main British naval base in the Far East - the fortress of Singapore. The fortress had supplies of food and ammunition for six months.

Japanese battleships Yamashiro, Fuzo and Haruna in Tokyo Bay


Source: US Navy. Photo #: NH 90773.

Japanese expansion into Southeast Asia and the Pacific
January - May 1942

On January 11, Japan declared war on Holland. In January 1942, Japanese troops launched an offensive in Southeast Asia against Burma, the Dutch East Indies and the Solomon Islands. On January 21, Japanese troops invaded Burma. On January 23rd, Rabaul was taken on the island of New Britain.

On February 15, 1942, 35 thousand Japanese troops attacked an impregnable fortress from the sea Singapore, whose garrison numbered about 70 thousand people. British morale was shattered by defeats in defensive battles in the Malacca Peninsula. On February 8 and 9, Japanese troops crossed the Johor Strait, and on February 15, 1942, the Singapore garrison surrendered. 62 thousand people surrendered.

From January 1942, Japanese troops began a sequential seizure of the Dutch East Indies, having met almost no resistance on land. On January 11-12, the island of Tarakan was occupied. On January 7, Japanese troops landed on Celebes and by the end of January they completely occupied the island. On February 16, they captured Palembang, on February 20, the island of Bali. An imminent threat to Java was created. On February 19, Japanese troops landed on the island of Timor and occupied it on February 20.

IN naval battle in the Java Sea On February 27-28 and March 1, 1942, the Japanese fleet inflicted a crushing defeat on the allied Dutch-American-Anglo-Australian naval formation. In three days of fighting, the Allies lost 5 cruisers and 7 destroyers. The Japanese fleet had no losses.

On March 1, Japanese troops landed on the island. Java, and on March 5 they entered Batavia (Jakarta). March 9 surrendered allied forces on the island of Java, the army of the Dutch East Indies surrendered. Japanese troops occupy Indonesia, seizing oil fields and others natural resources countries.

On March 7, Japanese troops, breaking the weak resistance of British troops, captured the capital Burma Rangoon on the Indo-Burmese border. This complicated the position of Chiang Kai-shek's army defending China, as the Japanese cut the only land line of communication between China and the allies. By the end of May 1942, Japanese troops cleared Burma of the British and Kuomintang and reached the Indian border. In the upper reaches of the Saluan River, Japanese troops invaded China from the south. The onset of the rainy season stopped the further advance of Japanese troops in the region.

In late March Japanese aircraft carrier strike(5 aircraft carriers, 4 battleships, 2 heavy and 1 light cruisers, 11 destroyers and 6 tankers) Indian Ocean... In early April, the Japanese sank the British aircraft carrier Hermes, 2 cruisers and 2 destroyers.

On April 3, 1942, Japanese troops launched their last offensive against Philippines and began to push American and Filipino troops on the Bataan Peninsula. On May 5, the Japanese (2,000 men with tanks) landed on the fortified island of Corregidor in Manila Bay, where an American garrison of 15,000 men was stationed. On May 8, the garrison of Corregidor, the last point of resistance of the American forces, surrendered.

On the Bataan Peninsula, the Japanese took prisoners, according to various sources, from 60 to 80 thousand Filipinos and Americans. Another 15 thousand people were captured at Corregidor. Of these, about 10 thousand American soldiers.

During the capture of the Philippines by Japanese troops, the Americans lost about 30 thousand people, and their Filipinos - more than 110 thousand people. A large part of the Philippine army deserted. The Japanese troops lost more than 12 thousand people.

However, some American and Filipino forces in Mindanao and other southern islands went into the mountains and began guerrilla actions. All the islands of the Philippines were captured by Japanese troops in June 1942. The occupation of the Philippines lasted three and a half years.

Japanese expansion in the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia in 1939-1942

In the spring of 1942 Japanese aviation began to carry out raids on northern Australia, almost completely destroying the combat aircraft of the allies in Southeast Asia.

April 18, 1942 was held " Doolittle Raid"-" retaliation raid "on the Japanese cities of Tokyo, Yokohama and Nagoya, 16 American bombers B-25 from the aircraft carriers" Enterprise "and" Hornet ".

May 7-8, 1942 naval battle in the Coral Sea between the American squadron and the formation of Japanese ships aimed at securing the capture of Port Moresby, where a large Allied air base was located.

The US Navy lost the aircraft carrier Lexington, a destroyer, a tanker and 65 aircraft. Another aircraft carrier was damaged. The Japanese lost the light aircraft carrier Soho, a destroyer and 3 smaller ships and 69 aircraft. The heavy aircraft carrier and the destroyer were damaged.

The Japanese fleet won a tactical victory, but was unable to continue with the plan and attack Port Moresby in New Guinea. Soon, Japanese troops set up garrisons in the northern and central Solomon Islands. The Battle of the Coral Sea marked the ultimate line of advance for Japanese forces in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific.

Naval battle in the Coral Sea was the first aircraft carrier battle in history when enemy squadrons fought each other using only naval aircraft and were out of line of sight.

American aircraft carrier "Legsington" (USS Lexington)
burns during the battle in the Coral Sea

Public domain photo from history.navy.mil.

Japanese troops conducted a successful offensive from the attack on Pearl Harbor until May 1942. It was due to the surprise attack, as well as the numerical superiority in manpower and military equipment. From December 1941 to June 1942, Japanese troops occupied an area of ​​3,800 thousand square meters. km with a population of 150 million people. During the first six months of offensive operations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, Japanese troops suffered negligible losses - 15 thousand killed. After significant initial victories, it was decided to build on the success in the islands of New Britain and New Guinea, as well as to occupy New Caledonia, Fiji and Samoa and cut off communications between the United States and Australia.

Literature

History of the Pacific War (in five volumes). - Moscow: Publishing House of Foreign Literature, 1957, 1958.

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 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 to strike at the mother country of the Japanese Empire.

Other parts of issues about the Second world war can see

(45 photos total)

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1. Four Japanese transports, knocked out by American ships and aircraft, 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 team 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. A raid by 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 piece of sand during the invasion of the Gilbert Islands by US forces in late November 1943. During 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 a 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, after a desperate attack on the US Marine positions. 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 was going 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. American 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 boarder, moments before the 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 to Lingaen Bay before the 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 on 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, on April 13, 1945. Offloading supplies and military equipment, landing ships filled the sea to the very 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) #

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 controlled Indochina, were growing in the Pacific region, 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 the forces of Western states, which limited themselves to verbal condemnation of these actions and the severing of some economic ties.

With the outbreak of World War II, Japan declared a policy of "non-participation in the conflict", but already in 1940, after the stunning 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 it was even planned to meet US President Franklin Roosevelt with Japanese Prime Minister Konoe, and later with General Tojo, who replaced him. Western countries until recently, the power of the Japanese army was underestimated, 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 the Treaty on the Joint Defense of Indochina on the collaborationist French Vichy government and occupied these territories without a fight.

On November 26, the Japanese fleet 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 resist. 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 troops launched an offensive on 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 surprise 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 met Japanese army as liberators and provided her 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 future plans of the enemy. This was especially important during the largest naval battle in history - the Battle of Midway Atoll. The Japanese command hoped to conduct a diversionary strike in the north, in the Aleutian Islands, while the main forces would capture 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 the 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 fighting 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 three times in aircraft production. All the prerequisites for a decisive offensive were created.

Allied offensive and defeat of Japan (1944-1945)

Since the end of 1943, the Americans and their allies have consistently squeezed out Japanese troops from the Pacific islands and archipelagos, using tactics fast movements from one island to another, nicknamed "the jump of the frog." 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 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 planes, not to mention the numerous human 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 atomic bomb to Hiroshima, and three days later to 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.