Pacific Theater WWII

Pacific Theater

The Pacific Theater during World War II is generally regarded as the area of military confrontation between the Allied powers and Imperial Japan. The Pacific Theater consists of the entire operational expanse of the war from the Aleutian Islands in the north to Australia in the south, including island chains such as the Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls, and Marianas. The China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater is also considered a major component of the Pacific Theater.

Carlson’s Marine Raiders participate in rigorous training with rubber boats along a Hawaiian beach. A month later, the Raiders were in action on the Japaese-held island of Makin.

Pacific Theater

Evans Carlson Forms Carlson’s Raiders

By Michael D. Hull

One of America’s earliest heroes in World War II was the tall, soft-spoken son of a Connecticut Congregational minister who distinguished himself in some of the fiercest fighting in the South Pacific. Read more

A twin-boomed P-38 Lightning flies over snow-capped mountain peaks. With its tremendous range and firepower, the P-38 saw service in every major theater of World War II.

Pacific Theater

What Made the Lockheed P-38 Lightning So Special?

By Sam McGowan

Due largely to their use in the postwar U.S. Army Air Forces and present proliferation among the air show community, the North American P-51 Mustang is thought of by many as the most important American fighter of World War II. Read more

A rescuer's memories shed light on the USS Indianapolis (CA-35), and the shark-infested nightmare the crew endured.

Pacific Theater

Memories from the USS Indianapolis (CA-35)

By A.B. Feuer

The story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis minutes after midnight on August 30, 1945, by torpedoes fired from the Japanese submarine I-58, remains one of the most publicized tragedies of World War II. Read more

Pacific Theater

Survival: The Story of the USS Franklin

By Chuck Lyons

The USS Franklin was not a lucky ship. In March 1945, off the Japanese mainland, the Essex-class aircraft carrier was hit by two 550-pound bombs that struck her flight deck and penetrated into the hangar deck. Read more

Pacific Theater

Literally Cutting Down Your Enemy in a Vought F4U Corsair

By Christopher Miskimon

The Battle of Okinawa raged not only on the island itself but in the skies overhead. Japanese aircraft attacked the invading Americans not only through conventional bombing attacks but also by using the dreaded Kamikaze—suicide pilots who turned their planes into guided missiles to inflict more damage. Read more

Fire from the guns of the Australian cruiser HMAS Perth splits the darkness in the opening moments of the Battle of Sunda Strait on February 25, 1942. The Australian vessel and the American cruiser Houston were lost in action against the Japanese.

Pacific Theater

Heroic Fight Against Long Odds

By John Wukovits

The haggard American sailors aboard the limping cruiser hoped that the journey upon which they had just embarked was the long-expected voyage back to the United States. Read more

From Around the Network

  • Using modified B-25 bombers to develop skip-bombing, the U.S. Air Force found it to be an effective technique against Japanese shipping.

    WWII

    Modified B-25 Bombers Pioneered The Skip-Bombing Tactic
    Read More
  • German officers and enlisted personnel stand in front of Oflag 64, a former reform school for boys that was converted into a somewhat unique prison camp for American officers during World War II.

    WWII

    Life In a Unique Nazi POW Camp
    Read More

  • Civil War

    Photo Essay: Camping With the Union Army of the Potomac
    Read More

  • Military Games

    Squad Finally Takes The Fight Out Of Early Access
    Read More