NationStates Jolt Archive

What do you think was the most important battle in the Pacific theater?

That's pretty obvious, isn't it?

If you discount Pearl Harbour, I'd say Midway.

Midway by far, it was the turning point in the war.

Kwajalein, of course..

Nah, Midway.

My personal answer is probably Midway. Cdr. Rochefort's codebreaking combined with Nimitz's risk proved vital in 3 US carriers defeating 4 Japanese carriers, which had more experienced pilots.

After losing most of the PACFLT at Pearl and then the LEXINGTON at Coral Sea, the US was scratching the bottom and on the defensive. The defeat of Vice-Admiral Nagumo's feared Kido Butai stopped Japanese offensives in their tracks and allowed the US to take the offensive in later battles like Leyte Gulf.

Midway was a turning point. The US got a huge boost in morale from it. In 10 minutes Wade McCluskey sunk the heart of the Japanese Navy. It is without argument the greatest 10 minutes in US Navy history.

I would say Iwo Jima comes in as a close 2nd in terms of importance. The capture of Iwo Jima was necessary for the invasion of Okinawa. its capture allowed the US to bomb Japan continuosly. The Marines fought bravely. Nimitz was quoted after the battle saying "Uncommon valor was a common virtue." The Marines success has been immortalized by the image of raising the flag at Mt. Suribachi.

One interesting not on Midway is that we actually got somewhat lucky. The Japanese had 2 of the 6 carriers of the Kido Butai damaged at Coral Sea. The Japanese decided rapid repairs weren't necessary so Nagumo sailed with 4 of his carriers.

The US on the other hand had the YORKTOWN even more heavily damaged at Coral Sea. The US made quick repairs and had her turned around and out to sea after 48 hours. Repairs should've taken months. The result was that YORKTOWN was able to fight at Pearl Harbor, but the repairs would not allow her to take many hits in the battle. Nimitz took a gamble and won. He increased the US chance at victory by sacraficing the YORKTOWN as the jury rigged repairs would make it virtually impossible for her to be restored to 100% of her structural integrity even if she wasn't scratched at MIDWAY. Had she survived the battle, she likely would've been taken back to Pearl and used for parts as the FRANKLIN was after being heavily damaged at Iwo Gima.

If the Japanese had taken the effort to repair their carriers quickly as the US did with Yorktown, they would have a 6-3 majority over the US. They would most likely win the battle in that case, and their 2 damaged carriers would likely have ben able to be restored to 100% unlike the YORKTOWN as they received less damage at Coral Sea.

...The Marines success has been immortalized by the image of raising the flag at Mt. Suribachi.
Well, if they hadn't won, it would've been kinda embarrassing, having more than double the troops, many, many ships and planes and all the rest of it...

Well, if they hadn't won, it would've been kinda embarrassing, having more than double the troops, many, many ships and planes and all the rest of it...
It was a hard battle to win even with greater numbers. I've read some good books on the battle. The Japanese defense system was nothing short of amazing. It's actually amazing we didn't receive higher casualties during the battle given the network of tunnels pillboxes, and hidden artillery.

Two important contenders are not listed, but their inclusion will depend on how widely you define the Pacific Theater. If you define it widely to include all of the war against Japan, then they certainly fit. And even if you define it narrowly, they can be considered significantly important outside events.


The Battle of Halhin Gol (aka the Nomonhan Incident) was the decisive battle of the undeclared Soviet-Japanese Border War of 1939. If the Japanese had won there, it would have completely changed the entire course of the war. The battle convinced the Imperial General Staff in Tokyo that the army's "North Strike Group" was not the way to go. If the "North Strike Group" had won out, the Japanese would have attacked the USSR. And that might well have lead to the US entering the war later, if at all. In addition, it would have given Germany a much better chance of defeating the USSR.

The second contender would be the two simultaneous battles of Kohima and Imphal. These two battles were the turning point of Japan's attempt to break into India. If Japan had managed to win, it is quite possible that British rule in India might have collapsed and Japan would have gained access to much needed raw materials.

Battle of Pearl Harbor.

1. Started the Pacific War
2. Got Americans pissed
3. Caused very little permanent damage to USA (all but 3 ships were back in service by the end of the war)

Pearl Harbour wasn't really a battle as much as it was a surprise attack. Sure, the ground forces started hurling anti-aircraft battery into the sky but most of the shells just came down in Honolulu or places OTHER than their intended targets.

By the same criteria, why not include the nuclear attacks on Japan?

Pearl Harbour wasn't really a battle as much as it was a surprise attack. Sure, the ground forces started hurling anti-aircraft battery into the sky but most of the shells just came down in Honolulu or places OTHER than their intended targets.

By the same criteria, why not include the nuclear attacks on Japan?

Well the course of the war was pretty well decided by that point. Just as it was before the battles of Iwo-jima (or correctly "Io-to") and Okinawa.

Well the course of the war was pretty well decided by that point. Just as it was before the battles of Iwo-jima (or correctly "Io-to") and Okinawa.

The victor war was decided the moment Japan bombed Pearl.

The victor war was decided the moment Japan bombed Pearl.

I don't know if I'd go quite that far. If the question is narrowly defined, I'd put the turning point at Midway. If Japan had succeeded there (ie finished off the U.S. Pacific Fleet), Hawaii would have been easily taken. The US would have faced a much more difficult war. And Japan might well have been able to finish and (more importantly) consolidate the "South Strike" plans.

I don't know if I'd go quite that far. If the question is narrowly defined, I'd put the turning point at Midway. If Japan had succeeded there (ie finished off the U.S. Pacific Fleet), Hawaii would have been easily taken. The US would have faced a much more difficult war. And Japan might well have been able to finish and (more importantly) consolidate the "South Strike" plans.
we could have just brought macarthur to the philipines in a raft, had him whisper "i have returned" and then go back and motor back to america

while we just protect washington, oregon, cali...nevada, and arizona.

we could have just brought macarthur to the philipines in a raft, had him whisper "i have returned" and then go back and motor back to america

while we just protect washington, oregon, cali...nevada, and arizona.
Um... that's what Japan wanted actually. They never launched the war with the idea of conquering the US, or even defeating the US. It was to force us to retreat from Asia and give it to Japan.

Um... that's what Japan wanted actually. They never launched the war with the idea of conquering the US, or even defeating the US. It was to force us to retreat from Asia and give it to Japan.
WHAT

WHAT

YOU ARE SHITTING ME

the japs..anese totally wanted to be in the white house

you can't fool me

i watched 'why we fight' and i saw the tanaka memorial in washington d.c.

The Mariannna's was the true turning point . It forced the government to resign . It eliminated the Japanese air force as an offensive threat . It gave the US bases to bomb the mainland of japan at their leisure and destroy what was left of Japanese industry and infastructure ..along with their cities .
It destroyed the offensive power of the Japanese navy . From then on what was left could only fight all or nothing defensive battles ...and that resulted in the battle for Leyte gulf and their destruction . It brought the US Navy that much closer to Japans supply lines and not only did it make the elimination of Japans ability to feed and supply itself , it trapped hundreds of thousands of troops to starve in their garrisons with no hope of resupply and kept those veteran troops from being used to garrison future targets...imagine Iwo Jima with 50,000 to a hundred thousand more Japanese veteran troops defending it . Japan was doomed from the minute American troops landed on Guam , Tinian and Saipan . I personaly think Japan was doomed the minute they attacked Pearl Harbor ...but hey ..WTF is a few years ..

I don't know if I'd go quite that far. If the question is narrowly defined, I'd put the turning point at Midway. If Japan had succeeded there (ie finished off the U.S. Pacific Fleet), Hawaii would have been easily taken. The US would have faced a much more difficult war. And Japan might well have been able to finish and (more importantly) consolidate the "South Strike" plans.

Japan did not have the sea lift capability to invade and stay in Hawaii , Midway may have prolonged the war afew months and at a later date cost a few more casualties but the US already had in production and comming on - line an overwhelming amount of air craft carriers and new design air craft that would have replaced the losses even if the Mid Way force was wiped out ten times over . Japan was doomed when they bombed pearl harbor .

Midway was a great turning point. The Leyte Gulf could rival Midway as a great battle, though. It had more forces engaged and left the Japanese carrier fleet without aircraft. Further, it allowed for the capture of the Marianas Islands and those, in turn, provided a base of operations against Japan.

I just realized I've been to every one of those islands, except Iwo Jima. And they're kind of like Civil War battlefields. Unless you're a serious scholar of the battle, one battlefield looks a lot like the next. Same thing with these islands.

Midway demonstrated to both side what had happened with the tide of battle, and the Mariannas Turkey Shoot consolidated the picture. The nuclear bombing of Japan was a carefully staged event to prevent the actual; invasion of the Japanese mainland, an effort that would have cost 1 to 2 million lives, estimated. The first, and I still pray , last use of nuclear weapons in combet.

Peleliu.

Peleliu.
Every time I read about these battles, I get chills. Was Peleliu you choice because of the two years, or so, it took the Japanese to finally surrender?

Every time I read about these battles, I get chills. Was Peleliu you choice because of the two years, or so, it took the Japanese to finally surrender?
http://home.sprynet.com/~kier/peleliu.htm

Ok, I choose other though what I"m about to mention really wasn't a battle but it forced Japan to move up its timetable and it caused them to be rash about it.

What I am referring to, wasn't a battle but a raid. That raid was the Doolittle Raid of April 1942. This was done using B-25s off of the USS Hornet with the USS Enterprise running screen.

Though successful, it didn't do much structural damage to any of the cities that where hit.

However, this flew in the face of the Japanese Military Junta who stated that "no bombs shall land on Japan" (not an exact quote but that's the general idea)

After the bombing, the Japanese launched the assault down in the Coral Sea area and it failed even though the Japanese actually won the battle. After Coral Sea (and this took place in May 1942), they launched a diversionary assault on Alaska and the main attack on Midway. The Diversionary assualt was successful but the Battle of Midway (June 4-6) was a fiasco for them.

None of this would've transpired if not for the slap in the face they received by the Doolittle Raid of 1942. This raid was, in reality, the true turning point of the War in the Pacific.

Peleliu.

Howas this the most important battle in the Pacific? It was totally not necessary to invade that island.

It was the battle that did not need to be fought.

It saved lives for future battles by showing what not to do when you are assaulting an Island .

Howas this the most important battle in the Pacific? It was totally not necessary to invade that island.

It was the battle that did not need to be fought.
True, but the tactics developed there were instrumental to the later device of "island hopping" and other tactics used throughout the remainder of the war. Not only that, but the tenacity of Japanese defense and the high level of US casualties reinforced the resolve of the Amercian military and general public.

It saved lives for future battles by showing what not to do when you are assaulting an Island .

Actually, that would've been Tarawa.

http://home.sprynet.com/~kier/peleliu.htm
In fact, that is the exact page that I found when I was reading about the battle. Seems like it was just a case of not letting Mac have his way. If that's it, a lot of Marines died so that a couple flags could settle a pissing contest.

The Palaus are an archipelago of coral islands southeast of the Phillipines. In 1944 they had lost all strategic significance both to the U.S. and to the Japanese. Admiral Chester Nimitz made the decision not to bypass the scheduled invasion over senior staff recommendations, reputedly rather than pass control of the 1st Marine Division back to Army General Douglas MacArthur for the Philippine campaign in light of the difficulty in gaining them back from the General after the Cape Gloucester, New Brittain campaign. Denying the Japanese the use of the tiny airfield so that they could not threaten the Phillipine invasion has also been offered as a reason.

In fact, that is the exact page that I found when I was reading about the battle. Seems like it was just a case of not letting Mac have his way. If that's it, a lot of Marines died so that a couple flags could settle a pissing contest.
Egos. Sigh. :(

changed my mind


Battle of the Solomon Sea

it inspired me to write a wicked cool paper on B-25s

Actually, that would've been Tarawa.

And that would be the OTHER island that showed what not to do when invading by ship...

Ok, I choose other though what I"m about to mention really wasn't a battle but it forced Japan to move up its timetable and it caused them to be rash about it.

What I am referring to, wasn't a battle but a raid. That raid was the Doolittle Raid of April 1942. This was done using B-25s off of the USS Hornet with the USS Enterprise running screen.

Though successful, it didn't do much structural damage to any of the cities that where hit.

However, this flew in the face of the Japanese Military Junta who stated that "no bombs shall land on Japan" (not an exact quote but that's the general idea)

After the bombing, the Japanese launched the assault down in the Coral Sea area and it failed even though the Japanese actually won the battle. After Coral Sea (and this took place in May 1942), they launched a diversionary assault on Alaska and the main attack on Midway. The Diversionary assualt was successful but the Battle of Midway (June 4-6) was a fiasco for them.

None of this would've transpired if not for the slap in the face they received by the Doolittle Raid of 1942. This raid was, in reality, the true turning point of the War in the Pacific.
You are very correct here in your analysis. Yamamoto would never have had his plan to invade Midway approved. Coral Sea would've happened anyways, but Midway might not have happened. Not enough credit can be given to Hypo for their code breaking though. That is what truly allowed Midway to be a success.

If we lost Midway, we may have lost the war. The Japanese never intended to take over the US. But, if we lost our carriers there, all we'd have would be the WASP and SARATOGA (both were in drydock during Midway.)

Hawaii would've likely been invaded as it would hurt our ability to strike back. After that, Japan would hope we sue for peace.

You are very correct here in your analysis. Yamamoto would never have had his plan to invade Midway approved. Coral Sea would've happened anyways, but Midway might not have happened. Not enough credit can be given to Hypo for their code breaking though. That is what truly allowed Midway to be a success.

If we lost Midway, we may have lost the war. The Japanese never intended to take over the US. But, if we lost our carriers there, all we'd have would be the WASP and SARATOGA (both were in drydock during Midway.)

Hawaii would've likely been invaded as it would hurt our ability to strike back. After that, Japan would hope we sue for peace.
why not sue for damages and psychological trauma instead? no court in the world would find the japs not liable

You are very correct here in your analysis. Yamamoto would never have had his plan to invade Midway approved. Coral Sea would've happened anyways, but Midway might not have happened. Not enough credit can be given to Hypo for their code breaking though. That is what truly allowed Midway to be a success.

If we lost Midway, we may have lost the war. The Japanese never intended to take over the US. But, if we lost our carriers there, all we'd have would be the WASP and SARATOGA (both were in drydock during Midway.)

Hawaii would've likely been invaded as it would hurt our ability to strike back. After that, Japan would hope we sue for peace.

Even if Japan won and all we had left were the hundreds of ships including many carriers in production or already being outfitted and by some miracle Japan could not only invade Hawaii successfully and actually WIN ..considering the distance between the west coast of the US vs. JAPAN and Hawaii , how would Japan STAY there ? And how could Japan under the most favorable condition imaginable ever have won a war against the US by military means ?
So how can you say with a straight face " we may have lost the war " ?
If the entire US was swallowed up by the earth maybe it might have been close .