On the participation of the United States in World War II. Chapter Fourteen
The war for dominance in the Pacific 1941 - 1945 for Japan and the United States of America became the main arena of military operations during the Second World War.
Background of the war
In the 1920s and 1930s, geopolitical and economic contradictions grew in the Pacific region between Japan, which was gaining strength, 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 owned Indochina, Great Britain - Burma and Malaya, the Netherlands - Indonesia).
The states that controlled this region had access to huge natural resources and markets. Japan felt left out: its goods were squeezed out of 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 mobilization rails. The course was openly proclaimed to establish a "new order in East Asia" and create a "great East Asian sphere of shared 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 the Western states, which limited themselves to verbal condemnation of these actions and the rupture of some economic ties.
With the outbreak of World War II, Japan announced a policy of "non-participation in the conflict", but already in 1940, after the stunning successes of the German troops in Europe, it concluded the "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 law 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, American-Japanese consultations went on for almost the entire 1941, and even a meeting was planned between US President Franklin Roosevelt and Japanese Prime Minister Konoe, and later with General Tojo, who replaced him. Western countries underestimated the power of the Japanese army to the last, 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 acted quickly and decisively, without dragging out the military campaign. In the summer of 1941, Japan imposed the treaty "On the joint defense of Indochina" on the collaborationist French government of Vichy and occupied these territories without a fight.
November 26 japanese navy Under the command of Admiral Yamamoto, he went to sea, and on December 7, 1941, he attacked the largest American naval base, Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. The attack was sudden, and the enemy was almost unable to resist. As a result, about 80% of American ships were disabled (including all available battleships) 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 two of the 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 in the Malay 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 the American military base on the island of Guam were captured. At the beginning of 1942, units of General Yamashita, having made a sudden forced march through the Malay jungle, took possession of the Malay Peninsula and stormed British Singapore, capturing about 80,000 people. In the Philippines, about 70,000 Americans were captured, and the commander of the American troops, General MacArthur, was forced, leaving his subordinates, to evacuate by air. At 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 captured. 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 the Japanese army as liberators and provided it with all possible assistance. Support was especially strong in Indonesia, coordinated by the future President Sukarno. But the atrocities of the Japanese military and administration soon prompted the population of the conquered territories to begin partisan actions against new owners.
Battles in the middle of the war and a radical change (mid-1942 - 1943)
In the spring of 1942, American intelligence was able to pick up the key to the Japanese military codes, as a result of which the Allies were well aware of the future plans of the enemy. This played a particularly large role during the largest naval battle in history - the Battle of Midway Atoll. The Japanese command expected 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 capturing Hawaii. When Japanese aircraft took off from the aircraft carriers at the beginning of the battle on June 4, 1942, American bombers, in accordance with the 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 died. The naval battle continued for two more days. After its completion, Japanese superiority at sea and air was over.
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 a springboard for landings in Australia. Formally, the Japanese fleet won, but the forces of the attackers were so exhausted that the attack on Port Moresby had to be abandoned.
For a further attack on Australia and its bombardment, 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.
Of great importance for the course of the war was the death of the best Japanese warlord Admiral Yamamoto. On April 18, 1943, the Americans carried out a special operation, as a result of which the plane with Yamamoto on board was shot down.
The longer the war went on, the stronger the economic superiority of the Americans began to affect. By the middle of 1943, they had established a monthly production of aircraft carriers, and three times surpassed Japan in the production of aircraft. All the prerequisites for a decisive offensive were created.
The offensive of the allies and the defeat of Japan (1944 - 1945)
Since the end of 1943, the Americans and their allies have consistently pushed Japanese troops out of the Pacific islands and archipelagos, using the tactic of rapid movement from one island to another, nicknamed "frog jump". The largest battle of 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 autumn of that year. As a result of these battles, the Japanese lost a large number of ships and aircraft, not to mention numerous human casualties.
Of major strategic importance was the small island of Iwo Jima. After its capture, the allies were able to make massive raids on the main territory of Japan. The most terrible was the raid on Tokyo in March 1945, as a result of which 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 they were able to capture it only three months later, at the cost of huge losses. Many ships were sunk or seriously damaged by suicide bombers. Strategists from the American General Staff, assessing the strength of the resistance of the Japanese 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 appearance atomic weapons.
On August 6, 1945, the Americans dropped atomic bomb to Hiroshima, and three days later - to Nagasaki. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese were killed, mostly civilians. Losses were comparable to the damage from previous bombings, but the use of a fundamentally new weapon by the enemy also dealt a huge psychological blow. In addition, on August 8, the war against Japan entered Soviet Union, and the country did not have the resources for a war on two fronts.
On August 10, 1945, the Japanese government made a decision in principle to surrender, which was announced by Emperor Hirohito on August 14. september 2 act of unconditional surrender signed on board the USS Missouri. The war in the Pacific, and with it the Second World War, ended.
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no chance, but we accept the challenge!
Beginning in 1931, the Japanese expanded their conquests at the expense of China. And they got stuck in China. They began to look for a way out, surrounding China from the south in an attempt to isolate it from outside world. After the defeat of France, the Japanese forced her to agree to the occupation of French Indochina. They put pressure on England to cut off supplies to China through Burma, and Churchill relented.
In response, Roosevelt on July 24, 1941, demanded the withdrawal of Japanese troops from Indochina. On July 26, all Japanese assets in US banks were frozen and an embargo was imposed on the export of oil to Japan. England took the same steps. It was followed by the Dutch government in London.
Churchill said: "Japan was deprived of the most important sources oil supply."
Everyone was sure that such a paralyzing blow would force Japan either to go to war, which was the only way out of the situation, or to abandon its policy. If you start a war, then with whom? Oil was also in the Dutch Indies (Indonesia).
Japan tried to negotiate the lifting of the oil embargo. The United States agreed to the cancellation on the condition that Japan withdraws its troops not only from Indochina, but also from China in general, for which the Japanese have been fighting for ten years! "No government, let alone the Japanese, could accept such humiliating demands and an absolute loss of prestige," wrote the British historian Liddell Hart.
In September 1941, a special commission of the Japanese concluded: the United States produces twenty times more steel than Japan, mines several hundred times more oil, produce five times as many aircraft, have five times the workforce, Japan's mobilized military potential will be only ten percent of America's. That is, there are no chances for a successful end to the war! And yet at the imperial conference
On December 1, 1941, which took place in an atmosphere of extreme secrecy, it was decided to start a war with America without a formal declaration of war and preliminary declarations. Japanese Prime Minister Prince Konoe, talking after the conference with the commander of the fleet, Admiral Yamamoto, hears from the admiral the phrase: "If we receive such an order, then I guarantee heavy battles (according to another version, Yamamoto promised a" chain of victories ") within the first six months , but I'm absolutely not sure what will happen if everything drags on for two or three years." Everything dragged on. Yamamoto died clutching a samurai sword to the last in a burning plane over New Guinea. The Americans did not forgive him the chain of victories.
Allies and opponents of Japan considered different variants possible actions of the Japanese. Except maybe what happened. This is an example of different mentalities!
USA:
let the Japanese
sit on the fence
and await developments!
In the United States (1941) there was a modest rearmament. Helped England by supplying weapons. The consequences of the Great Depression and the economic crisis of the late 1930s made themselves felt in the economy. A full-scale war could provide all Americans with work, on the one hand, and on the other hand, ensure dominance throughout the world. However, public opinion was largely against entry into the war. The Americans considered the war to be a purely European affair and did not consider it possible to shed their blood in the interests of Britain. Roosevelt, as the president elected by the people, was forced to reckon with this opinion. He understood that sooner or later the US would face Hitler. And, apparently, he was ready to allow even the death of the fleet in the Pacific Ocean, in order to change the opinion of society in favor of intervening in the war. Of course, he never spoke about it officially. Big politics is very far from morality and ethics. We add that this applies to any country.
On July 1, 1941, Roosevelt opined: The Japanese are fighting a desperate struggle among themselves, trying to decide where they need to jump - attack Russia, attack the southern seas (thus casting lots definitely in favor of an alliance with Germany) or sit on the fence and wait for development events, treating us more friendly. No one knows what the chosen direction will be, but it is terribly important for us to control the Atlantic to maintain peace in the Pacific. I simply do not have enough naval power to operate on both fronts - and every small episode in the Pacific means a decrease in the number of ships in the Atlantic.
Roosevelt was cunning or did not understand the Japanese character? And the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are retribution for what was expected, but did not happen. Most likely he was cunning, understood and believed that they would not stand it and attack. Thus, the US will be unwittingly drawn into the war.
On November 26, 1941, Washington presented Japan with a ten-point document in the form of an ultimatum. In particular, Japan was required to withdraw all troops from China and Indochina. It's like demanding surrender without a war.
Japan responded on December 7 with aircraft carrier strikes on the US naval base in Hawaii. The Japanese attack took the American fleet by surprise! Didn't they really think that the Japanese would decide on this, after everything that was demanded of them ?! The losses were heavy. Churchill contacted Roosevelt. "Now we are all in the same boat," said the American president. Public opinion in the United States was stirred up and demanded revenge for the shameless, predatory attack!
On December 8, Great Britain declared war on Japan.
England:
madness - for the sake of surprise
Churchill, in his memoirs, assesses the most dangerous option for England as follows: the major American statesmen who surrounded the President and enjoyed his confidence were no less acutely aware than I was of the formidable danger that Japan would attack British or Dutch possessions on Far East and will carefully bypass the United States and that, as a result, Congress will not authorize a declaration of war by America. Regarding Japan's declaration of war by the United States, Churchill says: “It was impossible for a reasonable person to imagine that Japan would agree to declare war. I was sure that such a reckless move on her part would ruin the life of a whole generation of the Japanese people, and my opinion was fully confirmed. However, madness is such a disease that in war gives the advantage of surprise.
The Japanese chose surprise.
Germany:
Hitler and his staff were amazed
Hitler, as if guessing Churchill's opinion, continued through diplomatic channels to persuade the Japanese to strike without further delay on Malaya and Singapore, that is, on the most important British bases, without worrying about the United States. These demarches with persuasion began in February and March (1941), that is, before the American oil embargo. Most of all, Hitler wanted Japan to attack England and in no case get involved in a war with the United States. The Germans assured Tokyo that if Japan acted vigorously against Malaya and the Dutch Indies, the Americans would not dare to move. When the Japanese chose to attack the United States and bombed the American fleet in Hawaii, Hitler was extremely impressed. Churchill writes that "Hitler and his staff were amazed." Hitler ordered submarine fleet to attack american ships even before the official declaration of war by the United States. This was followed by the Japanese offensive in the Pacific. The world split into two opposing coalitions, the war took on a worldwide character.
Indeed, why Japan
attacked the US?
The samurai did not find another way out. The mentality did not allow to wipe oneself and "sit on the fence" when there is a global redistribution of the world. Could the Mikado government accept the US ultimatum and allow mass hara-kiri of the samurai as a protest against surrender without a fight - this expression of public opinion in Japanese. In 1945, such protests took place, apparently on a smaller scale, given the many defeats when the Japanese were herded to their islands, and it was clear that the war was lost. They also had their own ideas about the "crazy", from the European-American point of view, the beginning of the war. Probably, they hoped for an early victory of Germany over the USSR, and then England. Indirectly, Japan, attacking the United States, diverted forces from the help of England and the USSR, which helped Germany. The Japanese chose an indirect and directly paradoxical way out of a hopeless situation, that is, they did what was least expected of them. attacked himself strong opponent. And they lost. Without too much pathos, we note that this happened because our people did not break down either in 1941 or in 1942 - the most difficult years of the war. Happy Victory Day!
In the summer of 1941, due to the intensification of the aggressive aspirations of the Japanese militarists, the contradictions between the major imperialist powers in the Pacific continued to escalate. The ruling circles of Japan, assessing the military-political situation in the world, believed that with the attack of fascist Germany on the USSR, favorable opportunities were opening up for the implementation of their broad plans of conquest in the Pacific Ocean, in East and Southeast Asia.
Contradictions between Japan and the United States on the question of China and French Indochina acquired the greatest acuteness. The Japanese government claimed a monopoly position in these countries, strongly rejecting the American doctrine of " open doors". It insisted that the United States refrain from providing any kind of support to China, thereby recognizing it as a sphere of Japanese interests, and also agreed with the presence of Japanese troops in Indochina.
The United States was ready for a certain time to come to terms with Japan's capture of Manchuria, but insisted on stopping Japanese aggression in China and objected to the presence of Japanese troops in northern Indochina. Therefore, at the US-Japanese talks held in Washington, a "dead end" situation was created. Each side considered the demands placed on it unrealistic.
But the case was not limited to controversy on this issue. Japan sought to oust its imperialist rivals - the United States, Great Britain and other colonial powers - from Southeast Asia, the South Seas and seize the sources of raw materials and foodstuffs that were under their control. Japan was especially attracted Natural resources Southern Indochina, Malaya, Dutch Indies, Philippines. She was interested in obtaining oil, tin and rubber. Malaya and the Dutch Indies accounted for 78 percent of the world's rubber production and 67 percent of tin. In 1940, about 9 million tons of oil were produced here. 90 per cent of the tin and nearly 75 per cent of the rubber exported from these countries were to the United States (702).
The growing claims of the Japanese monopolies and the military to the "ownerless" colonies of France and Holland, the American and British possessions in the Pacific Ocean and the territory of all of China led to a further aggravation of the contradictions between Japan, on the one hand, and the United States and Great Britain, on the other.
Washington did not think of weakening its positions in the Pacific, did not want to cede to the Japanese the Dutch, French and other colonies, which were claimed by the American imperialists themselves. Therefore, the US government rejected the Japanese proposals (703) put forward during the negotiations and testifying to Tokyo's desire to establish hegemony in China, Southeast Asia and the countries of the South Seas.
The American position aroused discontent among the Japanese ruling circles. On June 25, after a meeting of the council for coordinating the actions of the headquarters and the government, Japanese Prime Minister Konoe and the chiefs of the general staffs of the army and navy Sugiyama and Nagano reported to the emperor on the recommendation of the council when deciding on the occupation of bases in South Indochina "not stop at the risk of war with the United States and Great Britain" (704) . On July 2, an imperial conference was held in Tokyo, convened in emergency cases to resolve important issues of state policy. It approved the "Program of the Empire's National Policy in Accordance with Changes in the Situation", which officially confirmed Japan's course towards establishing Japan's dominance in the Pacific Ocean and East Asia by force of arms (705) .
The program called for "continue to make efforts to resolve the conflict in China" and "continue to push south" (706) despite the possibility of war with Britain and the United States. The attack on the USSR was made by the Japanese leadership dependent on changes in the situation on the Soviet-German front. “If the German-Soviet war,” the program pointed out, “develops in a direction favorable to the empire, it will solve the northern problem by resorting to armed force” (707). However, at that time, Japan was not yet fully prepared for big war. Therefore, the Japanese military-political leadership decided to complete preparations for military operations in a short time, while continuing to negotiate in Washington.
Japan's next aggressive step in the south was its occupation of the southern part of Indochina. In July 1941, by concentrating troops for this, she exerted diplomatic pressure on Vichy France. In response, the US government announced the expansion of a system of licenses for oil exports to Japan from the US East Coast states (708) . But this measure did not stop the Japanese militarists. By forcing France to sign an agreement on the use of military bases in southern Indochina by the Japanese armed forces on July 23, Japan actually occupied the area (709) .
With the release of the Japanese armed forces to the approaches to Malaya, Singapore, the Dutch Indies and the Philippines, the Roosevelt government on July 25, 1941 imposed an embargo on oil exports to Japan and froze all Japanese assets in the United States. So did the UK and the Netherlands. For its part, the Japanese government did the same with the assets of these countries (710) .
On August 1, 1941, an American ban on the export to Japan of all important strategic materials came into force. Military measures were also taken: the Philippine army came under the control of the American command, and a group of American military advisers went to China.
In this way, " economic war"and the military measures of the parties were an expression of the further aggravation of the contradictions between Japan and the United States.
At the same time, the ruling circles of Japan carefully followed the events on the Soviet-German front, clarifying the military-political line towards the Soviet Union.
Some influential figures in Japan advocated an immediate war with the USSR. At meetings of the Council for Coordination in June-July 1941, Foreign Minister Matsuoka, Minister of the Interior Hiranuma, member of the Supreme Military Council Prince Asaka and others made such a proposal. The Chairman of the Privy Council Hara at the Imperial Conference on July 2 stated: “I ask the government and the high command to attack the USSR as soon as possible. The Soviet Union must be destroyed." Minister of War Tojo supported Hara's opinion, but noted that Japan's immediate entry into the war with the USSR was hampered by a lack of forces and the ongoing "Chinese Incident" (711) . Tojo recommended attacking the USSR at the moment when it, "like a ripe persimmon, is ready to fall to the ground."
In accordance with the line worked out with respect to the Soviet Union, Japan intensified military preparations against the USSR: during the summer of 1941, the size of the Kwantung Army was almost doubled (712) . At the same time, Japanese provocations continued on the Soviet border. Japan obstructed shipping in order to disrupt the transportation from the USA of materials needed by the USSR (713) .
The Soviet government, resolutely opposing Japan's violation of the Neutrality Pact, strove at the same time not to succumb to provocations.
Further aggravation of the contradictions between Japan, on the one hand, and England and the United States, on the other, was caused by Tokyo's pressure on Thailand in early August 1941. The Japanese demanded that the Thai government provide them with military bases and the right to control the production of tin, rubber and rice. In response to this move, the United States, in negotiations with Japan, made a proposal to neutralize French Indochina and Thailand (714). British Foreign Secretary Eden, speaking in the House of Commons in early August, warned that the occupation of Thailand by the Japanese would have "grave consequences" (715) .
On August 17, Roosevelt received the Japanese ambassador and presented him with a memorandum in which, in very harsh terms, the actions of Japan, which had embarked on the path of aggression in the South Seas (716) , were condemned.
Tokyo became increasingly convinced that Japan would not be able to achieve its goals through negotiations with the United States and Great Britain. On September 6, at the suggestion of the high military command, at the imperial conference, the “Principles for the implementation of the state policy of the empire” were approved, which determined a decisive course for war against the USA, Great Britain and the Dutch Indies, if Japan’s demands were not accepted at the negotiations by the beginning of October (717) . On the same day, Japanese Prime Minister Konoe invited US Ambassador Gru to his place and told him of his intention to meet with Roosevelt. However, due to the Japanese government's stubborn unwillingness to give up its claims in China and French Indochina, on October 2, Hull handed Nomura a memorandum rejecting Tokyo's proposal to meet the president with Konoe (718) .
The American response caused an increase in aggressive sentiments in Tokyo. On October 9, at a meeting of the council for coordination, the military leaders stated that, in their opinion, there were no grounds for continuing negotiations at the present time and that Japan should decide to go to war (719).
On the question of the prospects for further negotiations with the United States, disagreements arose between the premier and Japanese military leaders. Therefore, on October 16, Konoe's cabinet was forced to resign (720). The government, which came to power on October 18, headed by General Tojo, set out to speed up the preparations for the war. On November 5, an imperial conference was held, at which it was decided to start hostilities against the USA, Great Britain and Holland in early December, but not to stop negotiations in Washington for the time being (721) . In the course of negotiations continued on November 17, the Japanese side softened some of its previous demands for the sake of appearances. She offered to leave her troops in Northern China, Inner Mongolia and Hainan Island "within the necessary period" after the conclusion of a peace agreement between Japan and China. Japan promised to evacuate troops from Indochina only "after the settlement of the Chinese incident" or the establishment of a "just peace" in the Far East (722).
As expected, the negotiations did not lead to any results. On November 17, Prime Minister Tojo, speaking at the opening of the emergency session of Parliament, declared that the freezing of Japanese funds by the United States, Great Britain and the Netherlands was "a hostile act, not inferior in nature to an armed attack" (723) . The lower house of the Japanese Parliament adopted a resolution stating: “It is clear that the main cause of the current conflict between the Axis Powers and the British, American and Soviet peoples is the insatiable desire of the United States for world domination ... But the patience of the Japanese is not inexhaustible, it has a limit » (724) .
Statements made in the Japanese Parliament further aggravated relations between Japan and the United States. The draft agreement handed over to Hull by Ambassador Nomura and Special Representative of the Japanese Government S. Kurusu, who arrived in Washington, was received coldly by the American side. On November 26, Hull presented two commemorative notes (725) to the Japanese ambassador in response to Japan's proposals. The United States demanded that it return to the situation that existed before the Manchurian Incident of 1931, withdraw troops from China and French Indochina, stop supporting the government of Manchukuo and the Nanjing government, and annul the tripartite pact (726) .
The Japanese aggressive circles took the American response as an ultimatum. The Imperial Conference made the final decision to start a war against the USA, Great Britain and the Dutch Indies
US-Japanese War 1941-1945 was very difficult and had serious consequences. What are the reasons for this bloody war? How did it go and what were the consequences? Who won the US-Japanese War? This will be discussed in the article.
US-Japanese Controversy and the Causes of the War. The contradictions between America and Japan have a long history since the 19th century, when the Americans imposed unequal trade agreements on the Japanese. But after the First World War, the situation escalated even more, as there was a struggle between these states for spheres of influence in the Asia-Pacific region. So, since 1931, Japan continues to conquer China and creates the state of Manchukuo on its territory, which was actually completely controlled by the Japanese. Soon, all American corporations were forced out of the Chinese market, which clearly weakened the position of the United States. In 1940, the trade agreement between the United States and Japan was terminated. In June 1941, Japanese troops captured French Indochina. Soon, in response to the aggression, on July 26, the United States imposed an embargo on the import of oil to Japan, later England joined the embargo. As a result, Japan faced a choice: either continue the redistribution of territories in this region and enter into a military conflict with the United States, or retreat and recognize the United States as the leading role in this region. The causes of the US-Japanese War are now clear. Japan, of course, chose the first option.
USA. The American government considered the option of war with Japan, in connection with this, active preparations were made for the army and navy. Thus, a number of military-economic reforms were carried out: a law on military service was adopted, and the military budget increased. On the eve of the war with Japan, the number of personnel american army was equal to one million eight hundred thousand people, of which Navy there were three hundred and fifty fighters. The number of US Navy ships was 227 ships of various classes and 113 submarines.
Japan. Japan, in 1941, conducting military operations in China, was already preparing to start a war with America. Japan's military budget at this time was over 12 billion yen. The strength of the Japanese army before the war was 1,350,000 in the land army and 350,000 in the navy. The size of the military fleet increased and amounted to 202 ships and 50 submarines. In aviation, there were one thousand aircraft of various classes.
Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, US entry into World War II: a history. The attack on Pearl Harbor is a surprise, without a declaration of war, an attack by the air and navy of the Japanese imperial army on American warships and an air base, which were located in the Hawaiian Islands, on December 7, 1941.
The decision to go to war with the United States was made at a meeting of Japanese ministers with the Emperor on December 1, 1941. For the active promotion of the Japanese army in the Asia-Pacific region, it was necessary to destroy its Pacific Fleet, which was stationed in full force on the island of Oahu. For this purpose, a preventive strike on the US Navy base was chosen. The essence of the attack was to take advantage of the effect of surprise, with the help of aircraft that took off from aircraft carriers, to make a powerful raid on the base. Ultimately, on December 7, 1941, two air raids were carried out with a total number of 440 Japanese aircraft.
US losses were catastrophic, with 90% of America's Pacific fleet actually destroyed or disabled. In total, the Americans lost 18 ships: 8 battleships, 4 destroyers, 3 cruisers, losses in aviation were equal to 188 aircraft. Losses in personnel also amounted to catastrophic numbers, about 2400 people were killed and 1200 wounded. Japan's losses were an order of magnitude smaller, 29 aircraft were shot down and about 60 people died.
As a result, on December 8, 1941, the United States, led by President Franklin Roosevelt, declared war on Japan and officially entered WWII.
First stage: Japanese victory Immediately after the attack on the Pearl Harbor base, in the wake of success and taking advantage of the confusion and confusion of the United States, the islands of Guam and Wake, which belonged to America, were captured. By March 1942, the Japanese were already off the coast of Australia, but they could not capture it. In general, during the four months of the war, Japan achieved outstanding results. The Malaysian peninsula was captured, the territories of the Dutch West Indies, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and southern Burma were annexed. Japan's victories at the first stage can be explained not only by military factors, but successes are also largely due to a well-thought-out propaganda policy. Thus, the population of the occupied territories was told that Japan had come to liberate them from bloody imperialism. As a result, in December 1941 - March 1942, Japan occupied territories of more than 4 million square kilometers with a population of 200 million people. At the same time, she lost only 15 thousand people, 400 aircraft and 4 ships. The loss of the United States only taken prisoner amounted to 130 thousand soldiers.
Second stage: turning point in the war After the naval battle in May 1942 in the Coral Sea, although it ended in a tactical victory for Japan, which was won at a heavy price and was not as obvious as before, a radical turning point in the war occurred. Its date is considered to be the battle at Midway Atoll on June 4, 1942. On this day, the American Navy won its first major victory. Japan lost 4 aircraft carriers, against 1 American. After this defeat, Japan did not take any more offensive operations, and focused on the defense of previously conquered territories.
After winning the battle within six months, the Americans regained control of the island of Guadalcanal. Subsequently, the Aleutian and Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and the Gilbert Islands came under the control of the United States and its allies.
Final stage Wars: Defeat Japan In 1944, the outcome of the US-Japanese War was already a foregone conclusion. The Japanese were systematically losing their territories. The main task of the Japanese government was to protect China and Burma. But from late February to September 1944, Japan lost control of the Marshall, Mariana, Caroline, and New Guinea.
The culmination of the US-Japanese War was the victory in the Philippine operation, which began on October 17, 1944. Japan's losses during the offensive by the United States and its allies were catastrophic; three battleships, four aircraft carriers, ten cruisers, and eleven destroyers were sunk. The loss of personnel amounted to 300 thousand people. The losses of the United States and allies amounted to only 16 thousand and six ships of various classes.
At the beginning of 1945, the theater of operations moved to the territory of Japan itself. On February 19, there was a successful landing on the island of Iwo Jima, which was soon captured during fierce resistance. On June 21, 1945, Okinawa was captured.
All battles, especially on the territory of Japan, were very fierce, since most of the Japanese military personnel belonged to the samurai class and fought to the end, preferring death to captivity. Most a prime example the use of kamikaze detachments by the Japanese command can serve.
In July 1945, the Japanese government was asked to surrender, but Japan refused to accept the surrender, shortly after which American aircraft launched nuclear attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And on September 2, 1945, the signing of the act of surrender of Japan took place on board the Missouri. On this, the war between the United States and Japan was over, like WWII itself, although WWII officially ended for Japan in 1951 with the signing of the San Francisco Treaty.
Atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki To quickly end the war with Japan, the American government decided to use atomic weapons. There were several possible targets for bombing, the idea of bombing exclusively military targets was rejected immediately because of the possibility of a miss in a small area. The choice fell on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, since these territories had a good location, and their landscape features provided for an increase in the range of destruction.
The first city to which it was dropped nuclear bomb capacity of eighteen kilotons, became the city of Hiroshima. The bomb was dropped on the morning of August 6, 1945 from a B-29 bomber. Losses among the population amounted to about 100-160 thousand people. Three days later, on August 9, the city of Nagasaki was subjected to an atomic bombing, now the explosion power was twenty kilotons, according to various estimates, about 60-80 thousand people became victims. The effect of the use of atomic weapons forced the Japanese government to agree to surrender.
Outcome and consequences After the recognition of defeat on September 2, 1945, the occupation of Japan by American troops began. The occupation lasted until 1952, when the San Francisco peace treaty was signed and entered into force. After the defeat of Japan, it was forbidden to have a military and air fleet. The entire politics and economy of Japan was subordinated to the United States. In Japan, a new constitution was approved, a new parliament was formed, the samurai class was eliminated, but the imperial power officially remained, as there was a risk of popular unrest. American troops were stationed on its territory and military bases were built, which are located there at the present time.
Losses of the parties War Japan and the USA brought huge losses the peoples of these countries. The United States lost just over 106,000 people. Of the 27,000 American prisoners of war, 11,000 were killed in captivity. The losses of the Japanese side amounted to about 1 million soldiers and, according to various estimates, 600 thousand civilians.
Interesting Facts There are many cases when individual servicemen of the Japanese army continued to conduct military operations against the Americans after the end of hostilities. So, in February 1946, on the island of Lubang, 8 American soldiers of the US troops were killed during a shootout. In March 1947, about 30 Japanese soldiers attacked American soldiers on the island of Peleliu, but after they were told that the war was long over, the soldiers surrendered.
But most famous case this kind is the guerrilla war in the Philippine Islands junior lieutenant Japanese intelligence Hiro Onoda. For almost thirty years, he carried out about a hundred attacks on the American military, as a result of which he killed thirty and wounded a hundred people. And only in 1974 he surrendered to the Philippine army - in full uniform and well armed.