The Pacific War 1941 to 1945

The Pacific War was a theatre of World War Two that covered the Pacific Ocean, East Asia and Southeast Asia, and resulted in the United States officially becoming part of the Allied Forces.

The Pacific War began on 7 December 1941 when Japan staged a surprise attack on Pearl Harbour, after which Germany and Italy also declared war on the nation. The Japanese attack had wiped out much of the United States fleet, leaving them relatively defenceless. This prompted the allies to group together and support Great Britain in a bid to protect their last source of military forces and defeat Germany.

Over the next four years, a series of attacks on US and Japanese territories resulted in the deaths of millions of people. The war was eventually brought to a close by the dropping of atomic bombs in Japan, and the country's subsequent surrender.

Click on the links below to find out more about the individual events that led to Japan's surrender to the United States: