Strong Men Armed

II.”) Washington: Government Printing Office, 1953.

STILWELL, GEN. JOSEPH w., and WHITE, THEODORE H. (ed.). The Stilwell Papers. Philadelphia and New York: William Sloane Associates, Inc., 1948.

STOCKMAN, CAPTAIN JAMES R. The Battle for Tarawa. (Marine Corps Historical Monograph.) Washington: Government Printing Office, 1947.

The War Reports of General of the Army George C. Marshall, General of the Army H. H. Arnold, and Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King. Philadelphia and New York: J. B. Lippincott Co., 1947.

TREGASKIS, RICHARD. Guadalcanal Diary. New York: Random House, 1943.

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CHRONOLOGY OF THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC

Only the major events of the Pacific War are listed in this chronol ogy. All dates are those obtaining in the place where the event occurred, which, in the vast majority of occurrences in the Pacific, happens to be the East Zone, or one day later than our own time. The few which took place this side of the International Date Line (180th Meridian)—West Zone time—are marked with an asterisk.

Also, to relate the Pacific to the war against the Axis Powers, a few of the important dates from Europe and Africa are carried in parenthesis.

1941

7 December*—Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor; Japanese surface force raids Midway Island.

8 December—First Japanese air attacks on Wake, Guam, Philippines; Hong Kong bombed; Thailand conquered.

8 December*—U.S. declares war on Japan.

9 December—Japanese land in Malaya.

10 December—Guam falls to Japan.

11 December*—U.S. declares war on Germany and Italy.

22 December—Japan invades Borneo to open Netherlands Indies Campaign.

23 December—Wake Island falls to Japan.

25 December—Hong Kong falls to Japan.

1942

23 January—Japanese invade New Britain, New Ireland, the Solomons.

24 January—U.S. Naval force batters Japanese troop convoy in Battle of Makassar Strait.

(26 January—First U.S. troops reach Northern Ireland.)

1 February—Gilberts and Marshalls bombed by U.S. carrier forces.

4 February—Allied fleet battered in Battle of the Java Sea.

16 February—Singapore falls to Japan.

8 March—Japan invades New Guinea (Lae, Salamaua, Finschhafen).

9 March—Java falls to Japan concluding Netherlands Indies Campaign.

9 April—Bataan falls to Japan.

18 April—Shangri-La raid (Army bombers flying off U.S. carrier decks) strikes Tokyo, other Japanese cities.

4-8 May—Battle of the Coral Sea turns back Japan from invasion of Port Moresby in New Guinea, vital to defense of Australia.

7 May—Corregidor surrenders to Japanese.

12 May—Last of U.S. troops surrender in Mindanao; Japanese declare Philippines secure.

3 June*—Japan bombs Dutch Harbor in Alaska, occupies Kiska and Attu in the Aleutians.

3-6 June—Japanese Navy decisively defeated by U.S. Navy in Battle of Midway; Japan loses initiative in Pacific War.

28 July—Japanese begin overland drive on Port Moresby from base at Buna-Sanananda.

7 August—U.S. Marines land at Tulagi-Guadalcanal (Guadalcanal secured 9 February 1943).

8-9 August—U.S. Navy staggered in Battle of Savo Island, withdraws from Tulagi-Guadalcanal.

17 August—U.S. Marines raid Makin Island.

(19 August—Canadian and British troops raid Dieppe in France.)

5 September—Australians halt Japanese attempt to invade Milne Bay in New Guinea.

(14 September—Germany opens Siege of Stalingrad.)

3 October—U.S. Marines occupy Funafuti in Ellice Islands.

(24 October—British Eighth Army opens El Alamein drive in Egypt.)

(8 November—British and American troops land in North Africa.)

12-15 November—Japanese repulsed in Naval Battle of Guadalcanal; crisis is passed ashore.

9 December—Command on Guadalcanal passes to U.S. Army.

1943

23 January—Australian—U.S. counterattack recaptures Buna-Sanananda from Japanese.

(23 January—Tripoli falls to Allies.)

9 February—Japanese resistance on Guadalcanal ends.

20 February—U.S. occupies Russell Islands.

2-4 March—Allied land-based planes inflict decisive defeat on Japanese attempt to reinforce New Guinea, sinking entire convoy in Battle of the Bismarck Sea.

11 May—U.S. Army attacks Attu( secured 30 May).

(11 May—German resistance in North Africa broken.)

21 June—U.S. Marines land at Segi Point, New Georgia, opening Central Solomons Campaign (campaign concluded 25 September).

(9 July—Allies land in Sicily.)

15 August—U.S.-New Zealand forces land on Vella Lavella in Northern Solomons.

(3 September—Italy surrenders.)

(9 September—Allies invade Italy.)

2 October—Australians retake Finschhafen in New Guinea.

27 October—New Zealanders land in Treasury Islands.

28 October—U.S. Marines make feint landing on Choiseul.

1 November—U.S. Marines assault Bougainville (airfield area at Cape Torokina secured 21 December).

5 November—First U.S. carrier strike at Rabaul.

20 November—U.S. Marines assault Tarawa (secured 23 November)

15 December—U.S. Army troops land at Arawe in New Britain.

26 December—U.S. Marines assault Cape Gloucester (airfield area secured 15 January 1944).