FDR uses Lend Lease Act to help the nations fighting the Axis powers. This begins before the U.S. officially joins the war.
December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor
Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech calling for war after Pearl Harbor
USS Hornet regrouping with the remnants of the U.S. fleet after Pearl Harbor
Participants of the "Doolittle Raid" - a surprise bombing of Tokyo just months after Pearl Harbor. The attack was a shocked the moral of Japan.
U.S. Navy planes attack the Harbor in Rabaul in the South Pacific
USS Reuben James attempting to cross the Atlantic ocean to Britain
Marines land at Guadalcanal, 1942.
Japanese aircraft carrier and battleships being attacked during the Battle of the Coral Sea. None of the American or Japanese ships came into direct contact - all fighting was done through the use of airplanes from aircraft carriers.
Dive-bomber being shot down during the Battle of Midway. Midway is often considered to be the turning point of the fighting in the Pacific. The Japanese had planned a surprise attack in order to capture the island of Midway and use it as a base. American intelligence intercepted messages and prepared for the attack. Four Japanese aircraft carriers were destroyed, thus crippling the Japanese forces and their ability to attack. Only one U.S. carrier, the USS Hornet, was destroyed. After this battle, the United States would no longer be on the defensive end of the war.
The USS Hornet was struck by two wave of Japanese torpedo bombers and dive bombers. Although the damage to it was extensive, it was not sunk. When it was determined that the ship could not be saved, it was decided that the ship must be destroyed. However, the US Navy could not manage to sink the ship - numerous torpedoes and hundreds of rounds from cannon barrages did not successfully sink the ship. Eventually, the burning ship was ditched because of approaching Japanese forces.
M4 Sherman tanks were often converted to use flamethrowers. This was necessary to clear out the Japanese resistance on islands. Japanese soldiers were infamous for never surrendering - they would hide in caves until killed.
American forces attack the island of Iwo Jima in February of 1945. As the attack began, the Japanese did not fire. Instead, they allowed the American troops to gather on the beaches, and the suddenly began a massive attack. The 20,000 of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers were killed, and there were 25,000 American casualties. The island would be used as an emergency landing base for B-29 bombers returning from Japan.
The Battle of Okinawa was the final major land battle in the Pacific. Okinawa is only 350 miles away from mainland Japan, and so it was to serve as a staging point for an invasion. During the battle, kamikaze pilots helped to inflict the largest amount of damage the navy had ever received. The fierce resistance helped convince the American government that an invasion of Japan would be horrible. Instead, nuclear force would be used.
As the U.S. advanced throughout the Pacific islands, they were able to build airfields closer and closer to Japan. Throughout 1945, strategic bombing missions were carried out throughout mainland Japan. One night, Tokyo was bombed with incendiary bombs. Most of the city was burned.
Hiroshima after the "Little Boy" uranium nuclear bomb was detonated
Nagasaki after the plutonium nuclear bomb was detonated