War Events Timeline
The timeline shown below offers an outline of the battles, campaigns and other key events of the war in the Pacific and their relation to the events which took place in central and eastern Asia. The war in Asia had already been raging for years when the Pearl Harbor attack took place, hence the very high losses suffered by nations such as China.
Time Line 1941 Central & East Asia U.S. & The Pacific December 7 Pearl Harbor attacked December 8 Japanese landings in Thailand & Malaya. Hong Kong attacked
December 10 Sinking of British battleships Prince of Wales & Repulse First Japanese landings on Luzon, Philippines December 11 Battle for Jitra, Malaya. Japanese victory.
December 17 British withdraw to Perak River, Malaya
December 22 Main Japanese landings on Luzon, Philippines
December 23 Wake Island surrenders, Americans withdraw to Bataan, Philippines
December 25 Hong Kong surrenders
December 26 Japanese break Perak River line
1942 Central & East Asia U.S. & The Pacific January 7 British forces routed at Slim River crossing.
January 10 Japanese begin landing in Northern Dutch Indonesia
January 11 Japanese occupy Kuala Lumpur, Malaya
January 14 Australian Division ambushes Japanese at Gemas
January 15 Battle for Muar River crossing, Australians withdraw January 20 Japanese Southern Army invades Burma
January 21 Japanese bomb New Guinea
January 30 British withdraw to Singapore
February 14 Japanese land on Sumatra
February 15 Singapore surrenders. Major British defeat.
February 17 Japanese land on Bali
February 27 Battle of Java Sea, Allied naval forces defeated
February 29 Japanese land on Java
January/February Continuing Japanese attacks at Bataan, Philippines
March 21 Japanese advance into central Burma
April 5/9 Japanese carrier fleet raids Ceylon
April 8 Bataan surrenders. Major American defeat.
April 18 Doolittle raid on Tokyo
May 3 Tulagi-Moresby Operation, Battle of Coral Sea
May 5/6 Japanese enter China from Burma Attack & Surrender of Corregidor May 20 British complete withdrawal from Burma
June 4 Battle of Midway (Naval). Major Japanese defeat.
July 21 Japanese land at Buna, New Guinea
August 7 1st Marine Division lands on Guadalcanal
August 8/9 Naval battle of Savo Island
August 20 First U.S. Aircraft land on Guadalcanal
August 23 Naval battle of the Eastern Solomons
September 11 Australians stop Japanese offensive against Port Moresby, New Guinea
October 11/12 Naval battle of Cape Esperance
October 24 Naval battle of Santa Cruz
November 12/13 1st Naval Battle for Guadalcanal
November 13/14 2nd Naval Battle for Guadalcanal
November 30 Naval battle of Tassafaronga
December 21 British troops re-enter Burma
1943 Central & East Asia U.S. & The Pacific January 24 New Guinea secured by Allies
February 8 Japanese complete withdrawal from Guadalcanal
February Wingate begins operations against Japanese in Burma
April 18 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto dies
May Chinese Nationalists counterattack along the Yangtze
July 5 Americans land at New Georgia, Solomons
September 15 Australians capture Lae, New Guinea
October 3 Japanese launch "Rice Offensive" in Central China
November 1 Americans land at Bougainville, Solomons
November 20 2nd US Marine Division lands on Tarawa
December 31 Battle for Razabil
1944 Central & East Asia U.S. & The Pacific January Chinese offensive in Hukawng Valley
February 1 Amphibious assault of Kwajalein
February 3 Japanese Arakan Offensive
February 16 U.S. fleet raids Truk Atoll
February 18 Amphibious invasion of Eniwetok
March 7/15 Japanese Imphal (India)/Kohima (Burma) Offensive
March 22 Japanese stopped at Tamu, India
April 4 Turning point of Imphal Offensive
April 29 U.S. fleet raids Truk Atoll
June 15 Americans land on Saipan
June 19 Battle of the Philippine Sea (Naval)
July 5-13 Japanese retreat in Burma
September 15 1st Marine Division lands on Peleliu
October 20 Americans land on Leyte Island, Philippines
October 25 Naval battle of Leyte Gulf
November 24 First B-29 raid against Tokyo
November 25 First Kamikazes (Philippines)
1945 Central & East Asia U.S. & The Pacific January 9 Americans land on Luzon Island, Philippines
February Burma Road reopened
February 19 Amphibious assault of Iwo Jima begins
February 21 British breach Irrawaddy line in Burma
March 3 Last Japanese resistance in Manila ends
March 10 First Allied Fire Bombing on Japan (Tokyo)
April 1 Allied invasion of Okinawa
April 7 Japanese battleship Yamato sunk
April 12 President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies
May 3 Recapture of Rangoon, Burma
July Japanese retreat from Pegu Yomas
August 6 Atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan
August 9 Soviet Army invades Manchuria Atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan August 15 Emperor Hirohito announces surrender of Japan