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Japanese Approach to
Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941
The Imperial Japanese Navy fleet attacking Pearl Harbor launched a total
of 423 aircraft in two waves against American military targets on the Hawaiian
Island of Oahu. |
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Attack on Pearl Harbor:
December 7, 1941
Commander Fuchida led the first wave of torpedo bombers against the US
Pacific Fleet ships at anchor in
Pearl Harbor. Their first objective was to strike at the battleships. |
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The Fall of
Hong Kong: December 9 - 25, 1941
Japanese armed forces began the invasion of the New Territories of Hong
Kong, from occupied China, on December 8th at 0800. Eliminating this
Allied naval base was a priority. Most of the territory was captured
by the evening of December 9th. The poorly equipped British and
Commonwealth garrison forces surrendered on December 25th. |
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Invasion of
Malaya: December 8, 1941 - January 31, 1942
The British possession of Malaya was a major source of rubber and tin.
At its tip was the powerful naval base on the island of Singapore. Veteran
Japanese troops of the 25th Army landed in the north and pushed through
the jungle terrain. British armed forces, though nominally more numerous, were
poorly equipped and inexperienced and were defeated by the end of
January 1942. |
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Sinking Force
Z: December 8-10, 1941
The British battleships Prince of Wales and Repulse were
sent to the Pacific by Churchill to provide a deterrent to Japanese
aggression. Sailing from Singapore to attack the Japanese invasion forces in
Malaya, they were discovered by a Japanese submarine and later sunk
within two hours by an air strike involving about 90 planes. |
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Invasion of
Burma: January 15 - May 15, 1942
Japanese military attacks into Burma surprised the Allies and a rout ensued. The
aggressive campaign inexorably pushed the British, American, Chinese and
Burmese military units, based in Burma, into India and cut their land route into
southern China. |
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Invasion of
the Philippines: December 10, 1941 - May 3, 1942
The American controlled Philippine islands represented a serious threat
to Japanese expansive intentions in the Pacific and were therefore
targeted for invasion. General MacArthur initially commanded the Allied
forces. Japanese General Homma's diversionary landings in the north of the
main island of Luzon failed to divide the defenders who nonetheless
could not cope with the main landings at Lingayen Gulf. By the end of
December most of the island was occupied. |
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Conquest of
Bataan: January 7 - April 9, 1942
By mid-January American and Filipino armed forces in the Philippines had
retreated into the mountainous Bataan Peninsula of Luzon as well as
holding the island of Corregidor immediately to the south, blocking
Manila Bay. General Homma wrongly believed the defenders almost defeated and
launched assaults that depleted his forces. A protracted period of
trench warfare followed. The American command surrendered on April 9th. |
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