World War Two: Part III
Image taken from johnwukovits.com
After Hitler’s reign of terror in Europe was put to an end, the Allies’ attention turned completely to the war in the pacific. While the war against the Nazis was raging, on the other side of the globe, the Japanese had been putting up tough resistance in their campaign to control the pacific islands. Unlike the war in Europe, this war focused strictly on jungle tactics and ambushes. The United States Marines had never fought against any enemy with this much ferocity.
The fight against the Japanese was a slow arduous task that put the tough veteran Marines to the test. The war in the pacific started the day after Pearl Harbor. Japanese forces invaded the Phillipine islands and other small islands in the Pacific. Within weeks, the whole of the Pacific had fallen to the Japanese. The allied forces of Ameria, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand were taken completely by surprise. The Japanese air force began bombing Australia targeting coastal bases.
The Americans put their navy to the utlimate test during the Battle of Midway which marked a turning point of the war. The Japanese came to realize that their forces were not invincible as they thought. Allied forces landed on the island of Guadalcanal during 1942. This would be the first land based battle of the Pacific. After many months of hard fighting, the Americans took the critical airfield on the island. From this point, the American forces split in two. Some would take the fight into the central pacific, while the rest of the forces would concentrate on the southern and eastern pacific area.
The next critical battle was the Battle of Tarawa. During this battle, thousands of young marines lost their lives on this island which was not much bigger than a few football fields. This event did not go over well with the American people. The United States would need a victory which would aid them in public relations. That battle would be fought on Iwo Jima. This rocky patch of land was one of the worst battles in history. Thousands of marines lost their lives, not to mention almost the entire Japanese garrison on the island was completely. During this battle, a picture was taken of six marines raising a flag. This image created a symbol of hope to the American people and the rest of the world.
The war was going completely in the Allies’ favor. The Phillipines were retaken. The last and crucial battle would be fought on the island of Okinawa. It was the final island before the assault on Japan could begin. Thousands of ships, planes, and soldiers went to battle on this jungle-ridden island. With some of the most fierce resistance of the entire war, Okinawa became a symbol of American fortitude in battle. The outcome went once again in the Marines’ favor. The next plan was to either invade Japan and risk millions of casualties or use some other means of force.
The Japanese government and military refused to surrender, viewing it as a disgrace to their country. President Truman authorized the use of the atomic bomb. In the space of one month, two atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thousands of innocent civilians lost their lives within seconds of the explosion. The Japanese finally submitted to the will of the allies rather than face another horrific attack that could kill many more. With the surrender of Japan, World War Two officially came to an end.
