MILESTONES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 99, 21 August 1945, Page 2

MILESTONES

REVIEW OF NIPPON'S AGGRESSION THE PACIFIC WAll 1941 Dec 7—Japanese attack Pearl Harbour and other points in the Pacific. B—British8 —British and United States declaration of war against Japan 10 —Prince ol W r ales and Repulse sujik off Malaya. 11 —Germany and Italy declare war on U.S.A. 13 —Guam captured by Japanese. 24—Wake Island captured by Japanese, 25—Hongkong surrendered to the Japanese. 1942 Jan 2—Manila captured by the Japanese. 21 —Battle of Macassar Straits. Feb 27 —Battle of Java Sea. Mar B—Rangoonß—Rangoon occupied by the Japanese. 17—General Mac Arthur assumes command of United Nations forces. April 9 —Batan captured by the Japanese, 18—Tokyo bombed by U.S.A.A.F. May I—Fall1 —Fall of Mandalay. G —Corregidor surrenders to the Japanese. 7-<8 —Naval Battle of the Coral Sea. June 3—Dutch Harbour Alaska. f • bombed by Japanese. Landings in Aleutians follow. 4-6—Battle of Midway: 10 Japanese warships sunk and 10 damaged; U.S.S. York town sunk. Aug 7—U.S. forces land at Guadalcanar and Tulagi. 8-o—Naval battle of Save Island. Sept 30—Japanese forced back over Owen Stanley Range New Guinea. Oct 11-12—Naval battle of Cape Esperance. Eight Japanese ships, four cruisers and four destroyers sunk. 25-26—Naval battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. U.S. aircraftcarrier Hornet, sunk. Nov 13-15—Naval battle of Guadalcanal Japanese lasses: 2 bat-> tlesliips 8 cruisers G destroy--1 j » ers 8 4 cargo ships sunk; 2 battleships* 1 cruiser, 7 destroyers damaged. U.S. losses: 2 cruisers 7

destroyers sunk. Dec 15—Buna village (New Guinea) occupied by Australians. 1943 Jan 11 —United States and Great Britain relinquish extraterritorial rights in China. Feb 9—Guadalcanar completely oc'cupied by U.S. forces. Enemy losses about 50 000. •3 Mar I—Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Japanese losses: 12 transports, 7 destroyers 3 cruisers 82 planes. U.S. losses: 1 bomber, 3 fighters-. 2—Japanese occupy North Burma April -21—Japanese exccute some of the eight American airmen who participated in raid on Tokyo ? April 18 ? 1942. May 4—Japanese attack % north and south l of the border between Hupeh and Hunan provinces between Ichang and Tunting Lake. 29 —Organised resistance by Japanese on Attu ends. 29—Chinese counter attack Japanese between Ichang and Tunting Lake. June 24—Macassar (Netherlands East Indies) heavily bombed by Allied planes in 2000 mile raid. July s—Naval battle at night in Kula Gulf. U.S. carrier Helena sunk. Japanese losses: 5 or 6 light cruisers; 5 destroyers sunk. Aug I—Burma1 —Burma granted "independence" by Japan declares war on the Allies. G- —Munda (New Georgia) captured. 7—Naval action at night in tlie Vella Gulf (off' Kolombangara), One Japanese cruiser and 2 destroyers sunk. 10—New Zealanders capture Vella La veil a. Nov 21—Americans land in Gilberts. 1944 Feb I—Americana1 —Americana invade Marshall^. Mar IG—Ja panose hivad-j .Mampar, April 7 —Australians capture Madang

j May 15—British counter offensive in j Burma opens. June 16 —Americans invade Marianas Oct 20 —Americans return to Pirlip pines. 1945 Feb 4 —Manila recaptured. 19 —Two Jima invaded. April I—Okinawa invaded. 3 —Borneo invaded. May 3—British recapture Rangoon. Aug s—First5 —First atomic bomb dropped on Japan. B—Russia8 —Russia declares war on Japan Aug 15—Japan surrenders to Allied, powers.