Pacific War Archives

In this painting by artist John Hamilton, the Japanese cruisers Mogami and Mikuma writhe under heavy American air attack on the last day of the Battle of Midway. Mikuma was sunk, but the seriously damaged Mogami managed to limp away to safety.

Pacific War

Mogami: Japan’s Luckless Cruiser

By David H. Lippman

She was the lead ship of her class, built under the 1930 London Naval Treaty, which imposed limits on cruiser, destroyer, and submarine tonnage for the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. Read more

Pacific War

Japan in World War II: Dealing With Known Unknowns

by Lt. Col. John W. Whitman, U.S. Army (ret.)

Planning a war requires assumptions. However, there should be as few assumptions as possible, otherwise one can assume away all one’s problems. Read more

Marines watch as a flame-throwing amphibious tractor fires at caves in the mountainous areas used by the Japanese during the fight for the Pacific island of Peleliu. The lowlands and the airport were quickly captured, but the Umurbrogol massif—a series of limestone and choral ridges rising as high as 300 feet took much longer. A moonscape of sinkholes, canyons and cliffs further fortified by Japanese engineers, the “Umurbrogal Pocket,” and the island, was finally declared secure 73 days after the Marines had landed.

Pacific War

Savage Struggle for Peleliu

By Joshua Shepherd

Amphibious landing craft carrying U.S. Marines plunged through heavy surf toward the beaches of Peleliu Island, a formerly inconspicuous tropical paradise in the Palau Islands. Read more

Pacific War

Death of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

By Phil Zimmer

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, intended to press ahead with his morale-boosting visits to forward units in the South Pacific in April 1943, despite dire warnings from subordinates of possible enemy ambushes. Read more

Pacific War

Hideki Tojo vs Isoroku Yamamoto: Conflict in the Military Ranks

By Eric Hammel

Three generations of Americans wrongly believe that General Hideki Tojo and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto were equally culpable in starting the Pacific War. Read more

Robert Taylor’s painting Valor in the Pacific shows Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers of the 499th Bomb Group, 20th Air Force, headed home to bases in the Marianas after dropping their cargoes of death and destruction on Tokyo. Low on fuel, their escort of P-51 Mustang fighters begins to turn away toward bases of their own.

Pacific War

Prelude to Iwo Jima: The Japanese Assault On B-29 Base On Marianas

By Michael P. Slater

From an altitude of 30,000 feet, the swift Japanese reconnaissance aircraft flew high over Saipan and Tinian, photographing the brisk and extensive engineering effort under way on the American airfields far below. Read more

Pacific War

VP-16 and Operation Forager

By Bruce Petty

A great deal has been written about the Battle for Saipan, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea, remembered today as having included “The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.” Read more

Pacific War

What Made the Dreaded Type 89 Knee Mortar So Damaging

By Robert Cashner

When it came to weapons production, the Imperial Japanese Army’s requirements often came in second to the needs of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Read more

Pacific War

Battle of the Bismarck Sea: A 15-Minute War in the South Pacific

By Sam McGowan

Most military historians consider the Battle of Midway to be the turning point of World War II in the Pacific. Read more

Marines inch their way up a battle-scarred hillside during heavy fighting on the southern end of Okinawa.

Pacific War

Survival at Sugarloaf: An Encounter of a Father and Son

By John Wukovits

One of the most heart-wrenching moments to occur on Okinawa involved a family with a proud Marine heritage. Read more

American Admirals William F. Halsey and Raymond A. Spruance defeated the Japanese in the Pacific but took different approaches to command.

Pacific War

The Pacific War: Bull Halsey & Raymond Spruance

By Michael Haskew

On the eve of the turning point of World War II in the South Pacific, the U.S. Navy’s most experienced aircraft carrier commander, Admiral William F. Read more