Midway, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa

 

Midway

     The Battle of Midway was the turning point in the war against Japan. Japan’s strategy was to draw the American Pacific Naval fleet into one place where they could take them all out. The island of Midway was the perfect location.  If it was taken, Japan would have a clear shot at Hawaii and the rest of the Pacific.  However, Japan’s attack did not go to plan.  American codebreakers were able to decipher the Japanese radio transmissions, and they countered the attack effectively. Four Japanese warships were sunk on one day, June 4, 1942, causing Japan to withdraw from the battle.  It would prove to be the last time Japan would directly threaten American soil.

 

Guam

     As an important strategic position - making for the perfect base from which the U.S. could launch attacks on the rest of the Marianas Islands - the U.S. decided that it would be in its best interest to capture the island of Guam.  However, the island itself presented a problem.  It was bordered by reefs, cliffs, and heavy surf, making it very difficult for most attackers to invade.  On July 21, the invasion was launched.  Allied troops landed on both shores of a Western peninsula of Orote, cutting off the Japanese airfield there.

    The Japanese, using infiltration tactics, managed to get past American defenses in the first few days, but were always driven back and suffered heavy losses. Slowly, the Americans advanced, capturing a harbor and an airfield on the 30, cutting off Japanese supply lines.

    Counterattacks had exhausted the morale and resources of the Japanese.  By August, the Japanese were running out of food, and had very few tanks left. With such a huge advantage, Americans were almost guaranteed to win, and a few days later, they broke the Japanese line.  The japanese, however, refusing surrender, were almost entirely slaughtered.

 

Iwo Jima

     The battle of Iwo Jima was fought between the United States and Japan for the control of an island called Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was controlled by Japan, but the United States, in line with their Island Hopping Strategy (see below), wanted to capture the island.  Japan had a well-prepared defense, as they built many bunkers, hidden artillery, and long underground tunnels.  This was the first American attack on the Japanese islands. The Japanese prepared 22,000 soldiers to defend the island.  20,000 of the soldiers were killed and only 1,083 were taken prisoner.  The United States captured the island after a fierce battle. 

 

Okinawa 

     The battle of Okinawa took place on April 15.   The Americans wanted to go on a bombing raid on the industrial capital of Japan, and the airfields on the island were needed by Americans. The Americans underestimated how many Japanese soldiers were on the island.  The Japanese strategy was to fortify the southern part of the island. American fighter pilots were able to destroy 169 out of 193 Japanese Kamikaze planes launched against the American fleet.  The planes that did get through, however, caused a great deal of damage.  300 warships and 1,139 other ships gathered for invasion by America.  By April 20, resistance in the north was eradicated other than some guerrilla activity.  The island was declared secure by the Americans on July 2. 

 

Fighting in the Pacific 

 

 

American servicemen plant the American flag ion the island of Iwo Jima. 

 

 

The USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway

 

 

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Guadalcanal, Coral Sea

 

Guadalcanal 

          After the U.S. victory at Midway, Americans decided to invade the Solomon Islands. On August 7, 1942, the U.S. First Marine Division landed on Guadalcanal to find 2,200 Japanese soldiers, marking the beginning of the battle. The combined forces of the U.S. and Australia were defeated at Savo Island but gained control of Tulgi, Gavutu and Tanambogo. They also took over the Japanese airfield on Guadalcanal and changed the name from Lunga Point to Henderson Field. The Americans lost many submarines and aircrafts to Japan, but the U.S. was able to secure the perimeter of the Solomon Islands, cutting off a lot of Japanese supplies and gaining some valuable information.  After six months of fighting in the Solomon Islands, the U.S. and Australian forces were able to defeat the Japanese.

 

Coral Sea  

On May 1, 1942 the U.S.S. Lexington and the U.S.S. Yorktown met in the Coral Sea.  On May 3, the Japanese landed on Tulagi.  The battle began on May 7.  The battle was fought at sea, southwest of the Solomon Islands and eastward from New Guinea.  The two forces fought only 70 miles apart.  It was the first naval battle where the opposing forces did not come into visual contact.  The battle was also fought with only aircraft.  The Japanese had two sea forces and two air forces.  Japan wanted to capture Port Moresby to drive Australia out of the war. 

            During the fight the U.S lost an aircraft carrier, a destroyer, and a fleet oilier.  The U.S. also had damage to another aircraft carrier.  Japan lost a light carrier, a destroyer, and some small ships.  In the end the Japanese lost fewer weapons than the Americans.

 

 

Kamikaze pilots were Japanese pilots who believed that surrender would bring them deep shame,

and therefore that it would be better to attack in suicide missions. 

 

 

 

Letter from Ensign Arthur Burke

 

Transcription of Ensign Burke's Letter

June 8, 1942

Dearest Mom & Dan,

 

How's everything by you all? I am still allright.( Just to let you know).  Well, the Navy gave the Japs quite a licking, eh? It sure sounds like propaganda and exaggeration for (CENSORED-"Admiral Spruance"?) to say that all those Jap carriers, battleships, cruisers, and transports were sunk and damaged with US losses only a damaged (CENSORED-"carrier"?), doesn't it? But it is a very conservative communiqué. The Navy is making no false or colored statements and is being very careful not to have to take any statements back, so, incredible as it may seem, it's all true and as he says himself, all the returns aren't in yet. But I still (CENSORED-"shudder"?) to think of what might very well have been had (CENSORED-"our bombers been a few"?) minutes later in their (CENSORED-"dives. How many of our carriers"?) would have been (CENSORED-"sunk"?). Oh, well! Say hi to everyone for me, please. How are you making out, Dan? In the army yet? Honest folks, I am tired so I'll end this letter right here and write more when there is a chance of getting it off again.

               

Love, Art

Arthur T. Burke

 

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Island Hopping Strategy

  

     Following the battles of Guadalcanal and Papua, strategists in Washington, who had previously held to the belief that Japan could not be defeated until Germany was crushed, saw their recent success as an opportunity for a full scale assault on Japanese soil. Many generals and strategists came up with differing ideas on what should be done to best capture the island nation. However, the Navy's strategists came up with the idea best suited to the new front.

     The navy decided that the best way would be to drive straight across the Pacific, taking full advantage of their new fast carriers. Japan was weakest on their eastern coast, and by seizing some of their key or poorly defended naval posessions on the way, their front would be even further weakened. After capturing these bases, they could be used as "springboards" to launch further naval and air operations.  On another front, General MacArthur advanced northwest from New Guinea as Admiral Nimitz drove across the Pacific. In this manner, the Americans were able to keep the Japanese on their toes, as they would never know where we would strike next.  

 

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Bangladeshi Role in World War II

 

 

Bangladesh is a Southeast Asian country. The role of the subcontinent was in favor of independence. All the countries helped Japan to fight against the colonial powers.

 

Most important, many Southeast Asian nationalists saw the shifting power structures, the chaos, and crisis of rule during World War II as a time of opportunity. They took advantage of the Europeans’ absence to build up their independence movements. They seized the opportunity to advance their causes. They demonstrated their leadership competencies.

 

The most significant development of the World War II period in Southeast Asia was that Southeast Asia nationalists seized the opportunity for leadership and nationalist independence movements flourished.

 

After the 2^nd World War India became independent from the British in 1947. We the people of Bangladesh wanted to become independent. First of all, from the inspiration of being independent after the World War II, in 1952 we fought for our Mother Tongue against Pakistani ruler who wanted to impose “Urdu” upon the “Bangla” speaking people. After that, we the people wanted independence from Pakistan. After declaring the independence, we fought for nine months and became independent in 16^th December, 1971.

  

**All these were the inspiration of World War II. 

 

There are  two War Cemetery in Bangladesh. One is located  at Maynamati  in Comilla and another is  located in Chittagong.  Below is the information and  history of those two War Cemetery:

 

MAYNAMATI WARCEMETERY, Comilla, Bangladesh

 

Maynamati is some 7 kilometres from the centre of Comilla, which is on the railway line linking Dhaka to Chittagong. The cemetery is 1 kilometre down the road leading from Comilla to Sylinet and a short distance past the Cantonment Military Hospital.

 

Historical Information

Before the war Maynamati was a hamlet of a few dozen huts, but during the war a large military camp was established there. Several ordnance depots and a number of military hospitals, both British and Indian, were in the area, including Nos. 14 and 150 British General Hospitals; and the majority of the burials in Maynamati War Cemetery were from the various hospitals. Graves from isolated places in the surrounding country, and some from as far a field as Burma, were moved into the cemetery by the Army Graves Service and later on by the Commission; and it was found necessary to transfer also graves from small cemeteries at Dacca, Faridpur, Paksay, Saidpur, Santahan and Sirajgany, where they could not be maintained. The cemetery was started by the Army and laid out by the garrison engineer. It is dominated by a small flat-topped hill crowned with indigenous flowering and evergreen trees. Between the entrance and this hill lie the Christian graves, and on the far side of it are the Muslim graves. On a terrace about half-way up the hill, facing the entrance stands the Cross of Sacrifice, and on the other side a shelter looks over the Muslim graves to a tree-framed view of the countryside beyond. There are now over 700, 1939-45 war casualties commemorated in this cemetery.

 

The war casualties served in the forces of:

UK -357, Canada-12, Australia- 12, Newzeland-4, South Africa-1, Undivided India-178, Rhodesia- 3, East Africa-57, West Africa-86, Barma-1, Belzium-1, Poland-1, Japan-24. 

Undivided India in the context means the following countries: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

 

To see the pictures of the Maynamati War Cemetery pls. visit this site at : http://www.webbangladesh.com/photo/war_sem/war_sem_index.htm

 

 

CHITTAGONG WAR CEMETERY, Bangladesh

 

 

Chittagong War Cemetery is 22 miles north of the town and 5 miles from the port on a site which was formerly paddy fields, but is now being rapidly developed. It is a quarter of a mile from the main road and is reached by a short road turning off the main road. It was created by the army, and there were originally about 400 burials.

 

Historical Information

 

CHITTAGONG WAR CEMETERY Index No. PAK. 3 CHITTAGONG, a port on the Bay of Bengal, has a long history. It was a stronghold of pirates in the 15th century, and today is an important trading centre and the terminus of the Assam-Bengal Railway. It is the nearest port to Northern Burma and in May 1942, when a Japanese attack seemed probable, the port was closed and much of the equipment removed; but when the danger of the invasion of India receded somewhat the port was reopened, and was later developed to meet operational needs in Burma. By November 1943 additional moorings for deep sea ships had been obtained from Calcutta, and most of the cranes taken away in 1942 had been replaced. After the retreat from Burma in 1942 the area was used as a training centre, and towards the end of 1943 Chittagong became an advanced base for the Fourteenth Army which at that time was operating on the Arakan front. It was also a hospital centre, and among others No. 152 British General Hospital was at Chittagong from December 1944 until October 1945, when it moved to Ragoon.

 

 

Graves have since been transferred to this cemetery from the Lushai Hills (Assam) and other isolated sites, and from Chittagong Civil Cemetery; Chandragona Baptist Mission Cemetery; Chiringa Military Cemetery; Cox's Bazar New Military and Civil (Muhammadan) Cemeteries; Chittagong (Panchalaish) Burial Ground; Dacca Military Cemetery; Demagiri Cemetery; Dhuapolong Muslim Burial Ground; Dhuapolong Christian Military Cemetery; Dohazari Military and R.A.F. Cemeteries; Jessore Protestant Cemetery; Khulna Cemetery; Khurushkul Island Christian and Muhammadan Cemeteries; Lungleh Cemetery (Assam); Nawapara Cemetery (Assam); Patiya Military Cemetery, Rangamati Cemetery; Tezgaon Roman Catholic Cemetery; Tumru Ghat Military Cemetery and Tumru M.D.S. Hospital Cemetery. There are now, therefore, 755 burials in this 1939-1945 War cemetery, which are classified on the opposite page. The two non-war graves are those of seamen of the British Merchant Navy whose death was not due to war service. The civilians mentioned in the footnotes to the classification are a member of the Indian Civil Service and a member of the Civil Affairs Staff (Burma). The site upon which this cemetery lies includes on the south-eastern side a horseshoe shaped hill which forms a natural amphitheatre. This is clothed by evergreen and flowering shrubs and is a charming background to the lawn-like plots of graves marked by bronze plaques mounted on low pedestals.

 

To see the pictures of the Chittagong War Cemetery pls. visit this site at: http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=gmail&rls=gm&q=war%20semetry%2C%20chittagong&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

 

Thank you

Nasrin Anjuman Runi &

The students of the Rani Bilashmoni Govt. Boys High School

Gazipur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY