The Pacific War (1941-1945) Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions related to the course, strategies, and major battles of the Pacific War as detailed in the lecture notes.

Isolationism

The United States foreign policy that came to a sudden end following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, leading Congress to declare war on $8^{th} \text{ December } 1941$.

Singapore

The British ‘fortress’ that surrendered on $15^{th} \text{ February } 1942$, resulting in $130,000$ troops becoming prisoners of war and leaving Australia vulnerable to attack.

Battle of the Java Sea

A resounding naval victory for Japan in February $1942$ that ended Allied hope of stopping an invasion of the Dutch East Indies.

Corregidor

The island fortress at the entrance to Manila Bay where General Douglas MacArthur retreated before the Japanese completed their conquest of the Philippines on $6^{th} \text{ May } 1942$.

Victory disease

A term used by the Japanese to describe the arrogance results from early easy victories, which led to ambitious plans for extending the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere to Australia and India.

Doolittle Raid

An event on $18^{th} \text{ April } 1942$ where American carrier-based planes bombed Japanese cities, causing major damage and boosting US morale.

Battle of the Coral Sea

A carrier-based naval action on $7^{th}\text{-}8^{th} \text{ May } 1942$ which, despite heavier American losses, prevented the Japanese from taking Port Moresby and is credited with saving Australia.

Battle of Midway

Regarded as the turning point of the Pacific Conflict ($4^{th}\text{-}6^{th} \text{ June } 1942$) where the US destroyed $330$ planes and sunk all $4$ participating Japanese carriers after decoding their plans.

Kokoda Track

A rugged path in Papua where Australian forces conducted a fighting retreat against Japanese troops before turning the advance into a Japanese retreat toward beachheads like Gona.

Battle of Guadalcanal

Starting on $7^{th} \text{ August } 1942$, this battle in the Solomon Islands became a center of attrition that eventually forced a Japanese withdrawal in February $1943$ after they suffered $24,000$ casualties.

Battle of the Bismarck Sea

A $1943$ battle where Allied aircraft wiped out a Japanese convoy traveling from Rabaul to Lae, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Japanese reinforcement troops.

Operation Cartwheel

An Allied strategy commenced in June $1943$ involving a slow advance up the Solomons chain to isolate the vital Japanese base at Rabaul.

Island Hopping

Also known as ‘leap-frogging’, this strategy involved attacking only strategically important islands while bypassing others to leave them isolated and to 'wither on the vine'.

Battle of Leyte Gulf

A massive naval battle beginning on $19^{th} \text{ October } 1944$ during the invasion of the Philippines, notable for the first use of Kamikaze tactics by the Japanese.

Kamikaze

A desperate Japanese tactic where pilots attempted to crash their fighter planes into Allied warships to overcome the Allies' superiority in armaments.

Magic

The Allied intelligence decoding system used in $1942$ that provided a strategic advantage at battles such as Midway by revealing Japanese plans.

Tokyo Raids

Low-level night bombing attacks in $1945$ using firebombs that set Tokyo ablaze and resulted in the destruction of Japan's $5$ main cities.

Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

The imperial concept used by Japan to justify its expansion, which the Allies began to dismantle starting with the advance toward Rabaul and the Solomon Islands.