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The primary Japanese objective as it moved to war was seize control of China. This was clear from an early point with the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95). And the Japanese made in clear with their Twent-One Demands (1915). This was different thas the NAZI General-Plan Ost. They did not want to replace the Chinese population, although they did attempt to colonize Manchuria after they seized it. They did want to control Chinese markets and gain access to Chinese natural resources. The Chinese refused to surrender
The Japanese decided that the way to finally win the war in China was to go to war with Britain and America. It is the military battle campaigns that interest most readers about World War II. The Pacific War began with the Japanese carrier strike on Pearl Harbor (December 1941). Of course the Japannese had neen at war for a decade beginning with the invasion of Manchuria (1931) and a full-scale war with China (1937). The Japanese offensive was of unprecedented scale and scope, The Imperial Navy committed its ebtire fleet: 10 battleships, 6 regular carriers, 4 auxiliary carriers, 18 heavy cruisers, 20 light cruisers, 112 destroyers, 65 submarines, and 2,274 combat planes. The Pacific War would be the greatest naval war in history. And what the Japanese threw at the Americans would be a fraction of the Big VBlue Fleet that the Amerucans would eventuallyb deploy. With the American fleet immobilized at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese were able to sweep through the Southwest Pacific and Southeast Asia. Guam was quickly taken. Resistance at Wake Island surprised the Japanese, but after the initial assault was repulsed, a second assault took the island. MacArthur's defense of the Philippines was compromised when most of his planes were destroyed on the ground at Clarke Field. General MacArthur commanded the most important American military force west of Pearl. The subsequent campaigns can be viewed on a chronological, operational, and theater basis. World War II consisted of land, naval, and air operations. Japanese land operation were primarily in China, Burma India Theater (CBI), especially China. Here we are talking about the troop dispositions and not the importance of the operations. The problem for the Japanese is that even after 6-months of stunning successes, the American refused to ask for an armistice. This mean that Japan would have to fight the Pacific War with an army that was primarily deployed in China and only limited capabilities to transport it to the Pacific or even to adequately supply the units already deployed there. It is a little difficult to talk about the land operations in the Pacific war because so much of it was amphibious operations on relatively small islands. The Pacific War is best known for some of the greatest naval battles in history. The Imperial Army scored some major victories beginning with Pearl Harbor. And this was the case even after Midway. Unlike the Imperial Army, the Imperial Navy was well trained and had some excellent ships and weaponry. The Japanese gave as much as they received in the naval battles around Guadalcanal (August-September 1942). Radar was of great assistance to the depleted American fleet. But by 1943 the overwhelming American superiority in both ships and aircraft mean that the Imperial Navy could no longer go toe to toe with the Americans. There is no best way to view the camaigns, it depends on one's interest. Some readers like a chronological view and may have an interest in specific years. Others are interested in an operational assessment because of specific interests in land, sea, and air operations. And other readers have specific theater interests. The Japanese calculated that America could not efferctively conduct a two-ocean war. They were amazed at the ability of the Americans to produce new ships and bring to the Pacific. And then after y=the German U-boats were dealt with (mid-1943) the U.S. Navy and eventually the Royal Navy could increasingly concentrate on the Pacific.
With the American fleet immobilized at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese were able to sweep through the Southwest Pacific and Southeast Asia. Guam was quickly taken. Resistance at Wake Island surprised the Japanese, but after the initial assault was repulsed, a second assault took the island. MacArthur's defense of the Philippines was compromised when most of his planes were destroyed on the ground at Clarke Field. General MacArthur commanded the most important American military force west of Pearl. His handling of the defense of the Philippines was disappointing at best, bordering on incompetence. He failed to strike back at the Japanese in the hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor by bombing Japanese bases in Formosa. He also allowed much of the available aircraft to be destroyed on the ground. 【Schom】 The horror of the Bataan Death March created an image of the Japanese military in the American mind that fueled a hatred for the Japanese. 【Schom】 Hong Kong quickly fell. The Japanese also seized the oil-rich Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia). Allied naval forces fought a series of engagements to stop the Japanese, but could not match the powerful Japanese naval forces. Nimitz and Halsey tried to distract the Japanese with hit an run carrier raids. The Japanese moved south from Indo-China, seizing Malaya and then the bastion at Singapore. The Repulse and Prince of Wales are lost in the defense of Singapore. Then they moved west through Thailand and defeating the British in Burma. Within a few months the Japanese had carved out the huge empire with enormous resources that they had long coveted. The Japanese then targeted New Guinea in preparation for a move south to Australia. All that remained to stop them were four American carriers.
World War II began with the NAZI invasion of Poland (1939). Historians often note the earlier Japanese seizure of Manchuria (1931) and invasion of China (1937). Japan did not expect a major Chinese response. Nor did the Japanese anticipate the ability of China to resist their invasion. After a year of major battles, the Chinese withdrew into the interior where the Japanese did not have the logistical ability to pursue, Instead they used their air force to bomb Chunking and other Chinese cities ans seized Chinese ports to cut off China from outside assistance. War is expensive and after 4 years of continued war, Japan was suffering because of the continuing economic drain of the war in China . In addition, the Americans were beginning go aid China and putting increased pressure on Japan to withdraw from China. The American oil boycott forced Japan to make a decision--war or a negotiated peace. They chose war and approved Admiral Yamamoto's plan to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet in harbor at Pearl. The spectacular carrier attack on Pearl Harbor was a huge tactical success, but finally brought America with its massive industrial power into the War. Pearl Harbor was followed by stunning series of military successes, achieving what Japan had wanted--seizure of the Southern Resource Zone (SRZ). As Yamamoto predicted, spearheaded by a powerful carrier force, Japan in 6 months swept over Southeast Asian and the central Pacific with largely ineffective opposition. The British position in the Far East was based on Singapore. The fall of Singapore shocked the world and opened the way for the invasion of Burma. Japan also attacked the American forces in the Philippines, destroying most of the Air Corps planes on the ground, even though MacArthur had reports of the attack on Pearl Harbor several hours before the Japanese struck his air fields. America soon learned of Japanese atrocities during the Bataan Death, fueling American hatred of the Japanese. Japanese paratroopers successfully seized the Dutch oil field in tact. Japan then invaded New Guinea in preparation for an assault on Australia. But unanticipated was that the United states showed no sign of asking for an armistice. And almost to the day, the still depleted American Pacific Fleet achieved a major success at Midway, sinking much of the First Air Fleet (June 1942). Much attention is given to Adm. Yamamoto whose plans failed. Often Adm. King who formulated the winning strategy is ignored. After Midway, King was intent on following up Midway with an offensive operation as soon as possible. The result was Guadalcanal (August 1942). The 6 month campaign was the turning point of the War, It was the beginning of island campaign beginning in the South Pacific and then a second campaign in the Central Pacific. This led to the seizure of the Marianas which gave the Americans the ability to open up a strategic hoping campaign (June 1944). The awesome power of the United States is shown by the fact that America was able to launch massive amphibious invasions in Europe and the Pacific at the same time. The Marianas was followed by the beginning of the liberation of the Philippines (October 1944). This and the American submarines cut Japan off from the raw materials of the SRZ. The final two operations were Iwo Jima to support the strategic bombing campaign (February 1945). And Okinawa to prepare for the invasion of the Home Islands (April 1945). Finally the atomic bombs forced Japan to surrender, preventing a terrible blood letting if an invasion had been necessary.
World War II consisted of land, naval, and air operations. Japanese land operation were primarily in China, Burma India Theater (CBI), especially China. Here we are talking about the troop dispositions and not the importance of the operations. The problem for the Japanese is that even after 6-months of stunning successes, the American refused to ask for an armistice. This mean that Japan would have to fight the Pacific War with an army that was primarily deployed in China and only limited capabilities to transport it to the Pacific or even to adequately supply the units already deployed there. It is a little difficult to talk about the land operations in the Pacific war because so much of it was amphibious operations on relatively small islands. The Pacific War is best known for some of the greatest naval battles in history. The Imperial Army scored some major victories beginning with Pearl Harbor. And this was the case even after Midway. Unlike the Imperial Army, the Imperial Navy was well trained and had some excellent ships and weaponry. The Japanese gave as much as they received in the naval battles around Guadalcanal (August-September 1942). Radar was of great assistance to the depleted American fleet. But by 1943 the overwhelming American superiority in both ships and aircraft mean that the Imperial Navy could no longer go toe to toe with the Americans. The Japanese admirals generally avoided battle, hoping vainly that fortified island garrisons could repel American invasions (1943) Then the strategic importance of the Marianas and Philippines forced the Imperial Navy to battle and was destroyed in the process and ceased to be an important force. Often loss in the fleet actions, is the importance of the submarine campaign. There had been air operations in World War I, but they were still minor. This was not the case in the Asia-Pacific theater. Most of the island hopping invasions were designed to seize islands where air based could be built. The Japanese Zero surprised Allied commanders, but actually the American Wildcat out-classed the Zero in Pacific aerial combat. The Zero's effectiveness and range came at a cost, no defensive armament and self-sealing tanks. When a new generation of American aircraft reached the Pacific, the Zero was totally outclassed. This began to be seen in the Solomons (1943) and then starkly on display in the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot (1944). With the destruction of the Japanese carriers, attention turned to the Air Force bombers. B-29 Superfortress was a shock to the Japanese. They had assumed that American bombers did not have the range to reach the Home Islands. The fall of the Marianas which provided bases fir the B-29 was a game changer. There were efforts to bomb from China, but flying material and supplies over the hump was absurd. It would take some time, but the B-29 would turn Japan's wood and paper cities into mounds of glowing cinders even before the atomic bombs.
The primary Japanese objective as it moved to war was seize control of China. This was clear from an early point with the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95). And the Japanese made in clear with their Twent-One Demands (1915). This was different thas the NAZI General-Plan Ost. They did not want to replace the Chinese population, although they did attempt to colonize Manchuria after they seized it. They did want to control Chinese markets and gain access to Chinese natural resources. The Chinese refused to surrender
The Japanese decided that the way to finally win the war in China was to go to war with Britain and America. This extended the War to Southeast Asia and the Pacific. What the Japanese called the Southern Resource Zone. The Allies called the Asian part of the campaign, the China, Burma, India theater (CBI). The Japanese managed to seized Malaya, Singapore and Burma, but were stopped at the Indian border. The Pacific part of the theater was the scene of some of the greatest naval battles of history. They enjoyed a substantial superiority in forces, but were unable to defeat the depleted American Pacific Fleet. The Japanese had a major problem with the land engagements. Most of their army was in China and they had only a limited capability to move them into the Pacific. And the Japanese Army commanders that engaged the Americans proved inept, wasting their men in frontal assaults against entrenched American troops supported by artillery. After Guadalcanal, the Japanese land operations were almost entirely defensive in the Pacific.
Schom, Alan. The Eagle and the Rising Sun: The Japanese-American War 1941-1943 (Norton, 2003).
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