#pacificwar

Battle of the Coral Sea: First Aircraft Carrier Battle in History

The Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval battle in history between aircraft carriers, took place between 4 and 8 May 1942 during the Second World War (1939-45). The Japanese navy hoped to occupy the eastern part of Papua and the Solomon Islands, but the US Navy was determined to prevent further Japanese expansion in the region. In the battle, the Japanese lost the light carrier Shōhō while the US Navy lost the carrier Lexington, one of only four carriers it possessed in the Pacific. The battle was a Japanese tactical victory given the tonnage sunk, but an Allied strategic victory since Japanese expansion had been halted. In addition, two Japanese carriers were so badly damaged they could not participate in the crucial Battle of Midway the following month, an absence which helped ensure a US victory, finally turning the tide of the Pacific War.

Japan's Expansion in the Pacific

In search of prestige, territory, new markets, and vital resources like oil, the Japanese military had been steadily expanding the Japanese Empire through the 1930s. By late 1941, Japan occupied Manchuria, Formosa (Taiwan), Korea, parts of coastal China, and French Indo-China (which included what is today Laos, Cambodia, and parts of Thailand).

In December 1941, Japan infamously launched its attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, home of the US Pacific Fleet. That same month, Japan launched attacks on the US-controlled Philippines, and British-controlled Malaya, Burma (Myanmar), and Hong Kong. With the US Navy temporarily crippled and the British distracted by events in other theatres of WWII, the Japanese Empire expanded dramatically. Singapore was captured in February 1942. Through March and April, Japanese forces ripped through the main islands of the Dutch East Indies (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Celebes, and New Guinea). It looked like Japan would soon control the entire western Pacific from northern China to Australia. All that remained to grab was Papua and the Solomon Islands. Once those islands were in Japanese hands, Australia would be fearfully exposed to Japanese air attacks. If Japan could then take Fiji, Samoa, and New Caledonia, further east in the Pacific, the US Navy would be completely cut off from its supply chain that began in Brisbane and Sydney.

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World War II - Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941

Today's vintage-style pinup art is another tribute to the late great Bill Randall with ‘Triple Threat’ and the very first time I've had a pinup with a trio of gals! Ruby stepped forward as the troops gave a cheer, Rose flashed a grin, “Best show of the year!” Belle just laughed as the whistles rang true, “They haven’t seen ladies since ’42!”

Did you know you can order many of the pinups you see posted here? Check out the Dietz Dolls online store where you can find military pinups, classic pinups, the propaganda pinup poster series, and lots more in sizes ranging from 8x10 prints to 20x30 posters! https://www.dietzdolls.com/catalog

WHOSE BACK WAS STABBED?: FDR’S SECRET WAR ON JAPAN — A Must-Read History Book by Koichi Mera

This is a book that will change the American perception of the Pacific War. One important question is: Who actually started the Pacific War? By examining recently discovered facts revealed through the declassification of official documents, the decoding of secret communications between the Soviet Union and its operatives, and findings from American and Japanese writers in recent decades, the author clarifies the role played by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and members of his cabinet in pushing Japan to the brink of war. Another notable analysis concerns the U.S. occupation of Japan immediately after the war. The author finds it as a spectacular success in politically castrating Japan. The impact is still clearly observable. Many Japanese have lost the sense of nationhood as a result.

The author examines the historical background of U.S.-Japan relations from the visit of Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853 to the present day. Utilized a wealth of Japanese as well as American materials, he presents a view of the history of the two countries. He finds that Japan was not very skillful in utilizing code-breaking or information-warfare, but tried to liberate colonies in Asia and Africa, and indeed her effort was successful and ultimately resulted in the loss of Western Colonies including India, Indonesia, Burma, and Malaysia. After reviewing nearly two hundred years of history, the author urges contemporary Japanese to be free from the self-incriminating view of history and to be confident that the nation is on a right track.

The “Trench Chopper”, “Trench Broom”, “Trench Sweeper” or as it is most widely known “The Tommy Gun”, was one of the most prolific weapons of the war. Designed in 1917, to act as the ultimate trench clearance weapon, it was brought into use by the United States Army in 1938 and served in the Pacific Campaign with the Marine Corps as well as Army units in the European theatre. Over 1.5 Million of these .45 calibre machineguns were manufactured during the war. With a fire rate of 700 Rounds Per Minute and a range of 150 meters these were perfect weapons for clearing out trenches and confined enemy fortications.

I’ve armed several of my Marines with these highly effective weapons, reaching being outfitted with 30 round box magazines. Two are firing, another firing while kneeling, another is firing from the hip and a fifth is crouching.

The left marine on the left has a bloody hand. Not shown in the photo is his bloody shoulder. The idea I have while painting him was that he got shot in his left shoulder and was trying to staunch the bleeding when the Japanese attacked again and he was forced to fire back.

Doolittle Raid: The First Audacious US Strike on Tokyo in WWII

The Doolittle Raid saw 16 US B-25 bombers hit Tokyo and other targets in Japan on 18 April 1942. This was the first time that Japan's home islands had been bombed since Japan's infamous attack on Pearl Harbor the previous December, an act of aggression which had brought the United States into the Second World War (1939-45). Although the damage of the Doolittle Raid was slight in the grand scheme of the Pacific War, it had demonstrated a feature common to most theatres of a conflict already three years old: that no cities and no civilians anywhere were safe from air attacks.

Revenge for Pearl Harbor

Japan launched a devastating surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. A few hours later, Japan declared war on the US. The next day, another Japanese raid destroyed the majority of the 35 B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft belonging to the USAAF on Luzon Island in the Philippines. The US declared war on Japan in response, but with its Pacific Fleet in tatters, launching a counterattack was out of the question for the moment. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), though, pushed for some sort of military reaction. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff came up with a plan to attack Japan directly. Although Roosevelt was later credited with the idea, the Doolittle Raid was, according to Admiral Ernest J. King (1878-1956), Commander-in-Chief of the US Navy, dreamt up by one of his operations officers, Captain Francis S. 'Frog' Low.

The idea of the Doolittle Raid was a surprise attack on Japan. Only one aircraft carrier needed to be committed, but by using specially adapted bombers, the ship would not have to get so close to Japan that the carrier itself could be threatened by enemy patrols. The Doolittle Raid, later named after its leader, Lt-Colonel James H. Doolittle (1896-1993), but initially simply called Special Aviation Project No. 1, would involve 16 North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers which would take off from the aircraft carrier Hornet and strike Tokyo, then the third largest city in the world, as well as certain other targets. The strategic value of the raid would be very limited given the small number of aircraft involved, but it would demonstrate both to Japan and the US public that the US armed forces were capable of striking at the very heart of the enemy. Just like the attack on Pearl Harbor, shock value would far outweigh possible material damage.

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The Attack on Pearl Harbor: Why the US Entered WWII

A Japanese carrier force attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, O'ahu, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941 and so brought the United States into the Second World War (1939-45). The surprise attack, made before war was officially declared, caused over 3,500 casualties and destroyed or seriously damaged 18 ships, including eight battleships. Crucially, the US aircraft carriers were not in Hawaii at the time, and vital supply dumps and repair facilities were left intact. As a consequence, the US Navy was eventually able to recover. Japan, having taken over most of Southeast Asia in 1942, was gradually pinned back during the Pacific War to hold only its own islands. Japan surrendered in August 1945 following the dropping of two atomic bombs. The US had gained the ultimate revenge.

The Japanese Empire

By late 1941, Japan's military government had already occupied Manchuria, Formosa (Taiwan), Korea, parts of coastal China, and the north of French Indo-China (which included what is today Laos, Cambodia, and parts of Thailand). A setback to Japanese expansion came in the summer of 1939 when its forces were defeated by those of the USSR in the border region between Manchuria and Outer Mongolia. The Japanese army suffered 18,000 casualties at the Battle of Nomunhan (aka Khalkhin Gol). This defeat gave the Japanese navy one more argument in its favour that the Pacific should be Japan's next area of conquest.

The expansion of Japan's military required massive quantities of raw materials which Japan simply did not have. Nor could the Japanese buy these resources. A US embargo on oil, gasoline, iron ore, coal, copper, steel, lead, tin, rubber, and nickel was imposed in order to induce Japan to withdraw from China and protect US interests in places like the Philippines. British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) also restricted oil sales to Japan. Japanese financial assets in US banks were frozen, severely limiting Japan's ability to buy oil. By mid-1941, Japan felt obliged to acquire the resources it needed through conquest.

In April 1941, a Soviet-Japanese non-aggression pact was signed, which permitted Japan to concentrate on its growing empire to the south. In July 1941, Japan attacked southern Indo-China. On 1 December 1941, the Japanese government decided it would declare war on the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands. The Japanese military government felt that, sooner or later, these states would declare war on Japan anyway if it continued its expansion in the Pacific, particularly if it attacked the oil-rich areas of British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. An attack on the US's allies Britain and the Netherlands would surely provoke the US into finally entering the war.

A preemptive strike on the US Navy, it was hoped, would allow Japan to dominate this theatre of WWII. The destruction of as many US ships as possible would be essential since the Japanese Navy could not compete with the numerically larger US Navy and the much more powerful economy of the US in the long term. An attack plan had been devised by Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku (1884-1943), Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet. A large aircraft carrier group would sail secretly to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, home of the US Pacific Fleet. Japanese planes would then use newly developed torpedoes to sink US aircraft carriers and battleships while they were still in port.

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