Battle for the Pacific
The last page of Pacific War discussed Japanese conquest in Asia. However, most of the US activity in the Pacific War was on islands of the Pacific Ocean. This section will give you an overview of Japanese conquest in the Pacific Islands and information about important naval battles of the Pacific War. Read on!
Overview of Japanese Conquest in the Pacific
The main reason for Japanese conquest in the Pacific Islands was to obtain natural resources which they used to help Germany in the war in Europe and conquer East Asia. In the map to the left, some of the Islands they conquered were Borneo, the Wake Islands, parts of the Philippines, Dutch East Indies, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
The Fight for Dutch East Indies; The Wake Islands
The main reason that the Japanese were so attracted to the Dutch East Indies was for their oil. Japan had no native source of oil. When the United States cut off oil exports to Japan as mentioned earlier, Japan lost 90% of its oil. The Dutch East Indies, presently known as Indonesia, were under the rule of the Netherlands. They were the number four producer of oil in the world. Japan needed that oil. On December 17, 1941, Japan bombed Borneo. They lead attacks on Sumatra as well. The Netherlands declared war on Japan. The Japanese were too powerful for the Dutch and Australian forces defending the Dutch East Indies. The Japanese had superiority in the air. Their armies were better equipped. The Dutch East Indies were mostly occupied by the Japanese by the end of 1942.
On December 8, 1941, the Japanese attacked the American Military base at Wake Island. The main purpose of the attack was to further weaken the Americans. The Japanese gained controlled of Wake Island and the US had to retreat.
On December 8, 1941, the Japanese attacked the American Military base at Wake Island. The main purpose of the attack was to further weaken the Americans. The Japanese gained controlled of Wake Island and the US had to retreat.
The Fight for the Philippines
Like the Dutch East Indies, the Japanese wanted the Philippines for its rich natural resources. It began its occupation of the Philippines on December 10, 1941. It began to lead attacks on Luzon, Philippines. When the US retreated to Bataan, Philippines on December 23 because of their loss in the Philippines, the Japanese began to attack Bataan. The Philippines were captured by the end of 1942.
Other Islands
The Japanese conquered many islands for the purpose obtaining natural resources. Among the islands they conquered were the Andaman Islands, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Aleutian Islands, Sumatra, and Borneo.