| Time Line: |
| 1941 |
Central & East Asia |
U.S. & The Pacific |
| December 7 |
|
Pearl Harbor attacked |
| December 8 |
Japanese landings in Thailand & Malaya.¹ 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 |
|
|
|
