Japanese troops land on the north east of New Guinea. Attempts to seize Port Moresby are halted by Australian forces after fierce battle.

US Marines invade Guadalcanal to prevent the Japanese building up a base which would threaten Australia. Japan responds with reinforcements. On February 8th, 1943, Japan abandons the island after heavy losses.

A Japanese convoy carrying reinforcements to New Guinea is intercepted and destroyed by Allied aircraft. Further reinforcement of New Guinea by Japan is limited, weakening their hold in the Southeast Pacific

US Marines land on Tarawa Atoll.  Despite heavy resistance and difficult terrain, the Atoll is secured in 4 days.  The seizure of Tarawa is the beginning of a new drive through the Central Pacific by the US Navy.

US troops land in New Britain. This bypasses and isolates Japanese forces in New Guinea and the base of Rabaul. This marks the development of “island hopping” where only key points need to be occupied whilst Japanese forces are left to “wither on the vine”.

US Marines land on Kwajalein Atoll.  Learning from the fighting on Tarawa, the US take the islands relatively easily. 

Trying to delay an expected Allied advance,  Japanese forces attack from Burma into India. In heavy fighting around Kohima and Imphal the Japanese are decisively defeated and by July are forced to withdraw. 

Japan launches an offensive into Southern China to remove bases for US long range bombers attacking Japan. The offensive also opens links between North China and Indochina.

US troops land on Saipan Island, securing it in 3 weeks. Using Saipan as a base, US bombers are now within range of Japan. Of the 31,000 Japanese garrison, only 921 surrender.  

The Japanese attempt to prevent further advances in the Pacific by destroying the US fleet in a major battle. Instead the Japanese navy suffers heavy loses in ships and aircraft. US pilots call it “The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”.

US troops land on Leyte.  Major fighting continues throughout the islands until June 1945. The invasion helps to block Japanese links to the Dutch East Indies and Malaya.

The Japanese Navy attempts to destroy the US invasion fleet off Leyte. Over three days the Japanese attacks are beaten off with heavy loss and fail to inflict major damage. The Japanese navy is effectively destroyed.  

British Empire forces begin a major offensive to clear Burma. After 5 months heavy fighting Rangoon falls to an amphibious attack just as the monsoon rains bring movement to a halt. 

US Marines land on Iwo Jima.  The island takes over a month to secure.  Of the 22,000 Japanese garrison, only 216 surrender.  Iwo Jima provides airfields for bombers attacking Japan, and is selected as the base for the aircraft carrying atomic bombs.

US troops land on Okinawa, the last island group before Japan itself is to be attacked. Japan resists strongly, and carries out the first kamikaze attacks. 10,755 of the Japanese garrison of 120,000, surrender; the first time a large number of Japanese became prisoners of war.  Over 100,000 civilians are killed.

An atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, destroying the city. It is estimated to have a death toll of 70,000 to 135,000 people.

3 days after Hiroshima, a second bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, this time killing roughly 60,000 to 80,000 people.

Soviet forces invade Japanese held Manchuria. After meeting tough resistance to begin with, the Soviet forces quickly breakthrough the defences  and rapidly overrun Manchuria and northern Korea.

Emperor Hirohito announces, via radio, Japan’s acceptance of the Allies’ surrender terms.  Some fighting continues in the Pacific due to communication problems. 

The formal document of Japanese surrender is signed aboard the Battleship USS Missouri, moored in Tokyo Bay. Other surrender ceremonies are held in the remaining Japanese held territories. 

Following France’s defeat by Germany, Japan moves troops into French Indochina. As well as gaining new bases in the south, this cuts off a major supply route to China.

Japanese troops seize large areas of north east China including the capital, Beijing. Coastal cities are also occupied in the following months.  Chinese forces are forced to withdraw west.  For China, this marks the start of the Second World War.