been the capital of China. The region around Shanghai was also captured, and Nanjing (Nanking), the capital was captured at the end of the year. The Japanese army indulged in the biggest slaughter ever known in history in Nanjing. Civilians were killed en masse for sport, and all females – from children to old women – were tortured and killed.
Guangzhou (Canton) and many other parts of China were overrun. The Chinese army, under Chiang Kai- shek retreated to the west to the hilly country from where they continued to fight the Japanese. Pearl Harbour On December , Japan attacked American naval installations in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, without warning. The idea was to cripple America’s Pacific fleet so that Japan would not face any opposition in its offensive against Southeast Asian countries.
Many battleships and numerous fighter planes were destroyed. The United States declared war on Japan, with Britain and China also joining in. This brought together both the Asia Pacific and the European war into one common cause. Most importantly, it brought the United States with its enormous resources into the war as a part of the Allies.
Pearl Harbour attack Japanese Aggression in Southeast Asia The Japanese had spectacular success in their plan to extend their empire throughout Southeast Asia. Guam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and Burma, all fell to the Japanese. Battle of Midway and Battle of Guadalcanal The US navy defeated the Japanese navy in the Battle of Midway, which turned the tide in favour of the Allies. The Battle of Guadalcanal in Battle of Guadalcanal World War II the Solomon Islands was a combined offensive involving the army and the navy, and lasted for several months.
Both were crushing defeats for the Japanese. After this, the American forces were able to re-take the Philippines. Gradually the Japanese were thrown out of most of their conquered territories. In , the combined British and Indian armies were able to push back the Japanese who attempted to invade