Although the Axis Powers were clearly losing ground throughout late 1944 and early 1945, Japan continued fighting for months after Germany surrendered, often exacting horrific casualties upon both Allied forces and their own civilian populations. The Allies turned to extreme measures in hopes of forcing the unconditional surrender which they sought, culminating in the first use of nuclear weapons in history.
Prime Minister Tojo Hideki planned two major offensives for 1944 which he hoped would reverse the Empire of Japan’s fortunes in the Pacific War while Allied forces continued to make costly but successful incursions onto Japanese territory.
Resistance grows in the Philippines as Allied forces in the Pacific continue making incursions onto Japanese territory. Meanwhile, a new offensive effort in China as well as a fresh German offensive against Russia threatens to tilt the war back in favor of the Axis Powers.
After their victory at the Battle of Midway, Allied forces in the Pacific took the initiative in the South Pacific. However, the ensuing Guadalcanal campaign would prove to be challenging both on land and in nearby waters.
While the first half of 1942 was characterized by small-scale raids and minor skirmishes between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific, the summer of 1942 witnessed one of the largest and most significant naval battles in world history as the Imperial Japanese Navy tried to lure US aircraft carriers into a trap only to find themselves trapped as a result.
With Imperial Japan’s military panicking over the oil embargo from the United States, the leaders of the Empire of Japan decided to respond by launching one of the most famous and deadliest surprise attacks in history.
As Nazi Germany took the offensive against Poland and the second World War began in Europe, Japan chose to continue its path of closely aligning with fascist western powers in hopes of obtaining powerful allies whom they believed would win this latest global conflict.
Japan’s colonial possessions throughout the south Pacific proved very profitable, but the close proximity to the colonies of the United States set both nations on a path toward eventual conflict.
The Japanese Imperial Army managed to take Wuhan but found it difficult to keep up their previous momentum as Chinese defensive efforts and counter-insurgency begin to wear on the Japanese supply line and threaten to reverse their previous gains.
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