The 1941-1945 war for dominance in the Pacific Ocean for Japan and the United States of America became the main arena of military operations during the Second World War.

Preconditions for the war

In the 1920s and 1930s, geopolitical and economic contradictions between the growing strength of Japan and the leading Western powers - the United States, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, which had their colonies and naval bases there (the United States controlled the Philippines, France controlled Indochina, were growing in the Pacific region, Great Britain - Burma and Malaya, Netherlands - Indonesia). The states that controlled this region had access to vast natural resources and markets. Japan felt deprived: its goods were ousted from Asian markets, and international treaties imposed serious restrictions on the development of the Japanese fleet. Nationalist sentiments grew in the country, and the economy was transferred to a mobilization track. The course was openly proclaimed to establish a "new order in East Asia" and to create a "great East Asian sphere of common prosperity."

Even before the outbreak of World War II, Japan turned its efforts to China. In 1932, the puppet state of Manchukuo was created in occupied Manchuria. And in 1937, as a result of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the northern and central parts of China were captured. The impending war in Europe fettered the forces of Western states, which limited themselves to verbal condemnation of these actions and the severing of some economic ties.

With the outbreak of World War II, Japan declared a policy of "non-participation in the conflict", but already in 1940, after the overwhelming successes of German troops in Europe, concluded a "Triple Pact" with Germany and Italy. And in 1941, a non-aggression pact was signed with the USSR. Thus, it became obvious that Japanese expansion was planned not to the west, towards the Soviet Union and Mongolia, but to the south - Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

In 1941, the US government extended the Lend-Lease Act to the Chinese government of Chiang Kai-shek opposing Japan and began supplying weapons. In addition, Japanese banking assets were seized and economic sanctions were tightened. Nevertheless, almost all of 1941 there were American-Japanese consultations, and it was even planned to meet US President Franklin Roosevelt with Japanese Prime Minister Konoe, and later with General Tojo, who replaced him. Until recently, Western countries underestimated the power of the Japanese army, and many politicians simply did not believe in the possibility of war.

Japan's successes at the beginning of the war (late 1941 - mid 1942)

Japan experienced a serious shortage of resources, primarily oil and metal reserves; her government understood that success in the impending war could be achieved only if they act quickly and decisively, without dragging out the military campaign. In the summer of 1941, Japan imposed an agreement on the Joint Defense of Indochina on the collaborationist French Vichy government and occupied these territories without a fight.

On November 26, the Japanese fleet under the command of Admiral Yamamoto went to sea, and on December 7, 1941, it attacked the largest American naval base, Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack was sudden, and the enemy was almost unable to resist. As a result, about 80% of American ships (including all existing battleships) were disabled and about 300 aircraft were destroyed. The consequences could have been even more catastrophic for the United States if at the time of the attack their aircraft carriers had not been at sea and, thanks to this, had not survived. A few days later, the Japanese were able to sink the two largest British warships, and for some time secured dominance over the Pacific sea communications.

In parallel with the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese troops landed in Hong Kong and the Philippines, and ground forces launched an offensive in the Malacca Peninsula. At the same time, Siam (Thailand), under the threat of occupation, entered into a military alliance with Japan.

Until the end of 1941, British Hong Kong and an American military base on the island of Guam were captured. In early 1942, General Yamashita's units, making a surprise march through the Malay jungle, took possession of the Malacca Peninsula and took British Singapore by storm, capturing about 80,000 people. In the Philippines, about 70,000 Americans were captured, and the commander of the American forces, General MacArthur, was forced, leaving his subordinates, to evacuate by air. At the beginning of the same year, resource-rich Indonesia (which was under the control of the Dutch government-in-exile) and British Burma were almost completely taken over. Japanese troops reached the borders of India. Fighting began in New Guinea. Japan set its sights on conquering Australia and New Zealand.

At first, the population of the western colonies greeted the Japanese army as liberators and provided it with all possible assistance. The support in Indonesia, coordinated by future President Sukarno, was especially strong. But the atrocities of the Japanese military and the administration soon prompted the population of the conquered territories to start guerrilla actions against the new masters.

Battles in the middle of the war and a radical change (mid 1942 - 1943)

In the spring of 1942, American intelligence was able to find the key to the Japanese military codes, with the result that the Allies were well aware of the enemy's future plans. This was especially important during the largest naval battle in history - the Battle of Midway Atoll. The Japanese command expected to conduct a diversionary strike in the north, in the Aleutian Islands, while the main forces would capture Midway Atoll, which would become a springboard for the capture of Hawaii. When, at the beginning of the battle on June 4, 1942, Japanese aircraft took off from the decks of aircraft carriers, American bombers, in accordance with a plan developed by the new commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Nimitz, bombed the aircraft carriers. As a result, the planes that survived the battle simply had nowhere to land - more than three hundred combat vehicles were destroyed, the best Japanese pilots were killed. The naval battle continued for two more days. After its completion, Japanese superiority at sea and air was over.

Earlier, on May 7-8, another major naval battle took place in the Coral Sea. The target of the advancing Japanese was Port Moresby in New Guinea, which was to become a staging area for the landing in Australia. Formally, the Japanese fleet was victorious, but the forces of the attackers were so exhausted that the attack on Port Moresby had to be abandoned.

For a further attack on Australia and its bombing, the Japanese needed to control the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands archipelago. The fighting for it lasted from May 1942 to February 1943 and cost enormous losses to both sides, but in the end, control over it passed to the Allies.

The death of the best Japanese commander, Admiral Yamamoto, was also of great importance for the course of the war. On April 18, 1943, the Americans conducted a special operation, as a result of which the plane with Yamamoto on board was shot down.

The longer the war went on, the more the economic superiority of the Americans began to affect. By mid-1943, they had set up monthly production of aircraft carriers, and outnumbered Japan by three times in aircraft production. All the prerequisites for a decisive offensive were created.

Allied offensive and defeat of Japan (1944-1945)

Since late 1943, the Americans and their allies have consistently squeezed out Japanese troops from the Pacific islands and archipelagos, using a tactic of rapid travel from one island to another, called the "frog jump." The largest battle of this period of the war took place in the summer of 1944 near the Mariana Islands - control over them opened the sea route to Japan for American troops.

The largest land battle, as a result of which the Americans under the command of General MacArthur regained control of the Philippines, took place in the fall of the same year. As a result of these battles, the Japanese lost a large number of ships and aircraft, not to mention the numerous human casualties.

The small island of Iwo Jima was of great strategic importance. After its capture, the allies were able to carry out massive raids on the main territory of Japan. The worst was the raid on Tokyo in March 1945, as a result of which the Japanese capital was almost completely destroyed, and the losses among the population, according to some estimates, exceeded the direct losses from the atomic bombings - about 200,000 civilians died.

In April 1945, the Americans landed on the Japanese island of Okinawa, but were able to capture it only three months later, at the cost of huge losses. Many ships were sunk or seriously damaged after attacks by suicide pilots - kamikaze. Strategists from the American General Staff, assessing the strength of the Japanese resistance and their resources, planned military operations not only for the next year, but also for 1947. But it all ended much faster due to the advent of atomic weapons.

On August 6, 1945, the Americans dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and three days later on Nagasaki. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese people, mostly civilians, were killed. The losses were comparable to the damage from previous bombings, but the use of fundamentally new weapons by the enemy also dealt a huge psychological blow. In addition, on August 8, the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan, and the country did not have the resources for a war on two fronts.

On August 10, 1945, the Japanese government made a principled decision to surrender, which was announced by Emperor Hirohito on August 14. On September 2, the act of unconditional surrender was signed aboard the American battleship Missouri. The war in the Pacific, and, along with it, the Second World War, ended.

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Military operations in the Atlantic and Western Europe

The struggle in the Atlantic and in Western Europe in the spring, summer and autumn of 1942 took place during a period of fierce battles on the Soviet - German front, where the enemy suffered huge losses. The failure of Germany's strategic plans in the war against the Soviet Union forced the Hitlerite command to continuously transfer ground forces and aircraft from Western Europe to the East, and also to revise the initial deployment of its fleet.

The weakening of Germany's forces in the West directly influenced the course of hostilities in the Atlantic. Since the German - fascist leadership was forced to send the majority of the Wehrmacht's resources to the Soviet - German front, it could not allocate sufficient forces to solve important tasks in the Atlantic theater of operations and in the coastal regions of Western Europe. Thus, favorable conditions have been created for Great Britain and the United States for the accumulation of large groupings of ground forces and aviation in the British Isles, as well as material resources for their subsequent use in the fight against Germany.

The actions of the Allied bomber aviation against the targets of Germany and the European countries occupied by it turned out to be less effective than expected, and could not seriously undermine the military and economic potential of the Third Reich. The "air offensive" of the Anglo - American aviation of 1942, in essence, was just a kind of rehearsal on the eve of more serious strategic attacks by the US and British aviation on the aggressor in the subsequent years of the war. In the summer, air supremacy over Western Europe passed to the Allies, which created favorable conditions for landing and other operations.

Air bombing of German targets was mainly carried out by British aviation. The most active British bombers operated in May - July. Despite the large destruction of residential and industrial buildings, numerous human casualties, the bombing could not disrupt the work of the military industry, undermine the German economy. Even the first massive raid on Calien was not as effective as it was presented and widely advertised by the command of the British Air Force.

In accordance with the agreement between the United States and Great Britain, from the second half of October, the main efforts of the US 8th Air Force were aimed at strikes against submarine bases in the Bay of Biscay (Brest, Saint Nazaire, Lorient, Nantes). In this regard, the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces in Europe, General D. Eisenhower, pointed out to K. Spaatsu on October 13 that he considered “the defeat of submarines one of the main conditions for victory in the war” and that of all the tasks of the US Army aviation “none should be above the task of defeating submarines. " The first such raid on October 21 involved 90 bombers. However, due to poor flight preparation and bad weather, only 15 aircraft reached their targets. The raid on November 9 of 43 American bombers on Saint Nazaire also did not give significant results.

Since spring, the British command has intensified the actions of the naval and air forces, especially the coastal command aviation, on enemy coastal communications and in the fight against submarines in the coastal zone. With the accumulation of experience, the increase and improvement of the aircraft fleet, the effectiveness of air attacks increased. If in the first four months of 1942, 5 enemy ships were sunk (losses in this case amounted to 55 aircraft), then in May - already 12 ships with the loss of 43 aircraft.

The active mine laying of the British aviation of the bomber and coastal command also expanded considerably. For seven months, 150 enemy ships with a total tonnage of more than 148 thousand brt were blown up by mines. The losses of the British mine - torpedo aviation were still great - 118 aircraft.

The main task that the parties tackled during this period was the struggle for Atlantic communications. Germany continued to successfully carry out serial construction of submarines, which were practically the only means of intense struggle on these important communications. An increase in the number of operating boats and an increase in their quality condition were hampered by the restructuring of military production in order to meet the needs of the armed forces on the Soviet - German front.

In May - October, the enemy's actions in the Atlantic to destroy the transport ships of the United States and Great Britain were the most effective in the entire war. For six months, the losses of countries and neutral states in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas (except for the Mediterranean) amounted to 676 ships, of which 85% - from the actions of German submarines. At the same time, the average monthly losses of submarines have tripled. If in the first half of the year the German submarine forces lost 22 boats, then in the second - 66 (in May - October 55 were sunk).

In the fall of 1942, the fascist submarines were driven out of the coastal zone of the western part of the Atlantic Ocean and moved their operations to its central and southern regions. Even large boats operating in the remote southern regions of the Atlantic needed regular fuel and ammunition supplies. However, there was not enough special supply boats in the German fleet, not to mention the fact that their exit to the sea through the blockaded zone was becoming difficult.

Military action in the Mediterranean and North Africa

In the spring of 1942, the Mediterranean and North Africa were still the arena of armed struggle between Great Britain, on the one hand, fascist Germany and Italy on the other. The United States has not yet taken a direct part in this struggle, although it has provided assistance to Great Britain.

As a result of the winter offensive of the German - Italian troops in North Africa, the British 8th Army was placed in unfavorable conditions: enemy aircraft dominated the communications in the Mediterranean; there was a real threat to capture the island of Malta. By the spring, the position of British troops in this theater was difficult. In April 1942, W. Churchill, at a closed meeting of the House of Commons, noted that the enemy had the opportunity to seize Libya, Egypt and Palestine almost unhindered. Under these conditions, the British War Cabinet insisted on planning an offensive operation for the British 8th Army. However, the commander-in-chief of the forces in the Middle East, General K. Auchinleck, asked for a postponement due to the unpreparedness of the troops for such actions. The further deterioration of Britain's position in the African-Mediterranean theater of war forced the British government to turn to the United States for urgent military assistance.

At the end of June, two regional commands of the US ground forces were created: in the Middle East with headquarters in Cairo, led by General R. Maxwell, and in Central Africa, with headquarters in Accra (commanded by General Sh. Fitzgerald). In North Africa, large numbers of American weapons and military equipment began to be transported.

The most important place in the strategic plans of the United States and Great Britain in the Mediterranean theater of operations was assigned to the defense of Malta and the delivery of aircraft, ammunition and fuel to this strategically important island. The island of Malta remained the only link between Gibraltar and the English possessions in the eastern Mediterranean. Its airfields were an intermediate base for bombers heading to the Middle East. The use of Malta would allow British convoys to be escorted through the central part of the sea, as well as to disrupt German - Italian sea traffic to Libya.

For the leader of the fascist bloc - Nazi Germany, the African - Mediterranean theater of war was not the main one. This determined the nature and scale of the use of its armed forces here throughout 1942. In accordance with these strategic concepts, the fascist German command carried out only occasional transfers to the theater of individual units and formations of the Wehrmacht.

The heroic garrison and the population of Malta withstood numerous enemy air raids, which lost 1126 aircraft here in the spring and summer (236 were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery). The losses of British aviation amounted to 568 aircraft. Convinced that it was impossible to neutralize Malta by bombing alone, the German - Italian command decided to speed up the preparation of an operation to capture it. The operation was named "Hercules". But on May 4, a directive was issued, according to which the operation was suspended indefinitely.

On August 10, the enemy received information about the movement of a large British convoy from Gibraltar to the east. The next day, as the convoy passed through a curtain of 7 submarines deployed on the Balearic Islands-Tunisia line, the German submarine U-73 torpedoed the aircraft carrier Eagle, which sank. In the area of \u200b\u200bPantelleria Island, Italian destroyers and torpedo boats destroyed another of the remaining cruisers, the Mancheter, a tanker and two transports; On August 13, aviation sank 2 more ships with ammunition.

Later, as the combat effectiveness of the air and sea forces of Malta was restored, the strengthening of the British and the weakening of the German - Italian aviation in the theater, the losses of the Axis countries began to increase sharply.

After the winter offensive of the German - Italian troops in Cyrenaica, the British troops in February 1942 managed to gain a foothold on the El - Ghazala - Bir - Hakeim line. Both sides accumulated forces and means for further struggle, but their capabilities in preparation for the upcoming battles were directed. The High High Command of the Wehrmacht in the spring assisted Rommel in providing large reserves for a new offensive in Africa.

By the beginning of October, the British command had created a strong grouping of troops in Egypt, which outnumbered the German - Italian troops by 1.2 times in infantry, more than 2 times in tanks and anti-tank guns, and more than 2.5 times in aircraft. The 8th Army possessed large reserves of fuel, food, ammunition and military equipment.

The plan of the German - Italian command to defeat the British troops, enter Egypt, capture Alexandria, Cairo and the Suez Canal and thereby complete the capture of all of North Africa was thwarted. After the May - June offensive, the grouping of German - Italian troops in North Africa was significantly weakened, and there were no reserves to strengthen it. Superiority passed to the British forces. Favorable conditions were created for the preparation and conduct of a major offensive in North Africa.

Military action in the Pacific and Asia

The Pacific Ocean was the focus of imperialist, and primarily American - Japanese, contradictions, and in the strategic plans of the United States it remained the main theater of military operations. It so happened that a continuous stream of American troops and military equipment rushed to the Pacific Ocean, and not to Europe - the main theater of war, where the main forces of the aggressive bloc were located. This is how the main strategic principle - "Germany first", officially recognized by the leaders of Great Britain and the United States, was violated. They undoubtedly considered that victory over the entire fascist coalition was impossible until Germany was defeated, but they strove first of all to satisfy the interests of their monopolies, hoping that the Soviet Union would bind the main force of the aggressive bloc for a more or less long time. The United States sought to restore the lost positions in the Pacific Ocean, to strengthen and expand them, to achieve a dominant position in China. By the time the American armed forces were leaving the first strikes and gained the opportunity to move to a more persistent defense and even to separate active actions, the United States "decided not to give up the right to dispose of the Pacific cuisine to anyone."

Great Britain, interested in establishing control over all North African countries, tried not to attract special attention of the United States to Europe and the Mediterranean.

In April 1942, an agreement came into effect between the United States and Great Britain regarding the division of strategic war zones. Under the agreement, the United Kingdom was responsible for the Middle East and Indian Ocean (including Malaya and Sumatra), and the United States for the Pacific Ocean (including Australia and New Zealand). India and Burma remained under the responsibility of Great Britain, while China remained under the responsibility of the United States. While recognizing the usefulness of restoring US military power in the Pacific for a greater cause, the British government feared completely losing its colonies and influence in Southeast Asia.

The first targets of capture, designated by the Japanese command, were Tulagi Island (Solomon Islands, north of Guadalcanal) and the Australian base in New Guinea, Port Moresby. Having mastered these points, Japan could have a strong position for basing its fleet and aviation and further increasing pressure on Australia.

As early as April 17, the American command received information about the intentions of the Japanese to land troops at Port Moresby and began to prepare to repel it. From the US Pacific Fleet, two aircraft carrier formations were sent to the Coral Sea under the general command of F. Fletcher, consisting of the heavy aircraft carriers Yorktuan and Lexington (143 aircraft), 5 heavy cruisers and 9 destroyers. However, they were soon called back, as intelligence reported on the preparation of Japanese forces for an operation to capture Midway Atoll.

Midway Atoll is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and due to its geographical location attracted the attention of both warring parties. It provided the United States with favorable conditions for deterring the enemy's eastward advance towards the Hawaiian Islands, as well as for active offensive operations against Japan in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and for conducting raids to defend Japan and continue its expansion in the Pacific Ocean.

To rule out the unexpected appearance of American forces, submarines were previously deployed between Hawaii and Midway Atoll, as well as near the Aleutian Islands.

The main forces of the Japanese Joint Fleet under the command of I. Yamamoto were deployed 600 miles northwest of Midway Atoll and had to act in such a way as to simultaneously provide support for the forces in the central and northern directions.

On the western and northwestern approaches to the atoll, 19 American submarines took up positions. By June 1, about 120 combat aircraft were concentrated on Midway, including heavy and dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. This atoll was well fortified: the shores and adjacent waters were mined; on the approaches to the atoll, systematic long-range aerial reconnaissance was carried out within a radius of up to 700 miles.

The Americans managed to reveal the plan of the enemy's operation, seize initiative and, most importantly, inflict significant damage on the Japanese fleet and aviation. As a result of the battle at Midway Atoll, the balance of forces of the fleet changed even more in favor of the United States. The Japanese had one heavy and four light aircraft carriers, while the Americans had three heavy ones.

In the struggle for Guadalcanal in the summer of 1942, the Americans suffered very significant losses in warships. The American command did everything to make up for them. Gradually, in the Solomon Islands region, the ratio of air and sea forces changed in favor of the United States.

The Japanese command sought to use the time before the rains began to reach the borders of India and China and create a threat of invasion. The cities of Tengchun and Longling were occupied. Japanese units tried to cross the Saluan River at the Huidong Bridge, but were stopped by six new divisions from the Chinese army. Another part of the Japanese troops by this time occupied Bamo, Myitkyin and several other cities of northern Burma, creating a threat to India.

The Japanese army, after occupying almost all of Burma in May, conducted a series of private offensives in China and consolidated its position in Asia. However, Japan's strategy was not definite and purposeful. The bulk of the ground forces remained in Manchuria and China, while the main forces of the fleet operated in the eastern and southern directions. Adventurism in strategy was the main reason for Japan's failure.

As a result of the battles in the Coral Sea and Midway Atoll, the struggle for Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands, the initiative in the war was gradually transferred to the Allies. The undivided domination of the Pacific has come to an end.

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Introduction

2. Preparing for war

2.1 US plans

2.2 Japan's plans

3. Pearl Harbor

Conclusion

Introduction

japan pacific war

War is one of the terrible things that mankind has invented. But, despite this, it has always attracted, and will continue to attract historians. Scientists have been studying the history of World War II for a long time, but this does not diminish the interest and demand for knowledge about the bloodiest war of the 20th century.

Relevance of this topic:On turn of XIX and XX centuries Japan entered the stage of monopoly capitalism, the process of its transformation into an imperialist power proceeded at an accelerated pace. The growing rivalry between the capitalist countries was noticeably manifested in the arms race and the implementation of the plan for the creation of a "Great Asia".

The war in the Pacific Ocean occupies a special place in the fate of mankind. The United States and Japan are separated by the Pacific Ocean. The contradictions between these countries affected the fate of the inhabitants of the Philippine Islands (US sphere of influence), China (Japan's sphere of influence), Southeast Asia (Great Britain's sphere of influence), and also had a significant impact on the course of World War II.

goal term paper: show the clash of interests, politics and diplomacy of Japan and the United States, as well as the prerequisites and reasons for the outbreak of the war in the Pacific.

The main objectives of this work are:

To reveal the essence and main directions of the Pacific policy of the USA and Japan;

Analyze the prerequisites and reasons for the start of the war.

To assess the role played by the Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor naval and air base in the Pacific War.

This work consists of an introduction, three chapters, conclusion and bibliography.

1. Reasons for the outbreak of the war in the Pacific

1.1 Aggravation of Japanese-American relations

On July 7, 1937, Japan attacked China. The Japanese - Chinese war began. Military operations unfolded over a vast territory, and soon the two largest ports of China - Shanghai and Tianjin - were captured.

The United States could not silently watch Japan's aggression against China. First, the Japanese aggression completely overturned US expectations that China would remain the largest potential market for world capitalism. Secondly, it meant that Japan was taking over the country, which was the most desirable object for the US capital investment. Thirdly, if, as a result of Japan's aggression, it was possible to master the richest Chinese market, then the import of cotton and scrap iron from America to Japan would cease, and this would mean the loss of the most important Japanese market for the United States. Fourth, by settling in China, Japan would seize extremely advantageous positions in order to tear off Southeast Asia from the United States, from where American capitalists received rubber, tin, quin, Manila hemp, and other critical strategic materials. Japanese seizure of China would also exacerbate the danger that the United States will completely lose markets in the Pacific. History of the Pacific War. In 5 volumes. T. 3.- M., 1958.- S. 191.

The United States provided material assistance to China. America did not want Japan to establish itself as a winner in the Far East. At the same time, she did not want a complete defeat of Japan. Providing military assistance to both Japan and China, the United States sought to let these countries bleed each other and establish their dominance in the Far East after the war.

The export of American raw materials to Japan, especially oil and scrap metal, for which private companies assumed responsibility, continued to contribute to the deterioration of the situation in the Far East.

From the point of view of Japan, trade ties with America, which until then was the main supplier of military materials for Japan, should have been disrupted. Under such circumstances, Japan could not silently wait for further developments.

After the failure of attempts to come to an agreement with the Chinese government to establish peace, Japan faced the prospect of a long war. To provide itself with the materials necessary for such a war, Japan turned its eyes to the resources of the countries of the South Seas.

The activation of the Japanese policy of advancing southward was facilitated by the favorable development of events on the fronts in Europe as a result of the expansion of German aggression.

The American government verbally protested against these new aggressive actions by Japan, which began advancing southward, but did not take any practical measures. History of the Pacific War. In 5 volumes. Vol. 3.- M., 1958.- S. 198.

For the United States, starting a war with Japan meant forever losing the opportunity at the last stage of the war to dictate the terms of a peaceful settlement to the world. Japan's inclusion in its sphere of influence Of the Far East meant for the United States to forever lose existing and potential sales markets. America has decided to pursue a middle line between these two courses of foreign policy.

Japan painfully felt the need to strengthen its international position, its position in relation to the United States and Britain.

The foreign policy of the Japanese government pursued two goals: to seize the resources of the countries of the South Seas and to temporarily soften relations with the Soviet Union, so that then, gaining time, to proceed to the direct implementation of aggression against the USSR. But it was abundantly clear that the advance southward had caused strong discontent in the American government. In retaliation for Japan's southerly advance, the US government decided on September 25, 1940, to provide China with an additional loan, and on September 26 announced a "ban" on the export of scrap metal and metals to Japan. It is quite understandable that the American government, before which in the then military situation did not face the question of life and death, still cherished the dream that Japan would nevertheless direct its aggression in a northern direction, and in the field of export of scrap metal and metal continued follow the Hattori T. Japan license system in the 1941-1945 war. - SPb., 2003. - P. 25.

But be that as it may, and such an action by the American government made one of the channels for supplying Japan with the most important materials for her extremely unstable.

Through their political and economic activities, behind which there was a clear hostility, the Americans strengthened Japan's resolve to end the Yankee arrogance they hated. Having enlisted the support of Hitler, she strove to use the international situation, which was favorable for her, World War: The View of the Vanquished, 1939-1945 - M .: Polygon, 2003. - P. 465.

1.2 Japanese-American negotiations

The advance of Japan to the south aroused strong dissatisfaction with the United States, but the American government was inclined to resolve these issues through ordinary diplomatic negotiations and did its best to avoid a direct clash with Japan. Since the ultimate goal of the Japanese government was aggression against the USSR, the advance to the south was only a means of securing itself with strategic resources to start this war. The Japanese government, for its part, also wanted to avoid, if possible, an armed conflict with the United States. This was the real reason for the Japanese - American negotiations.

Negotiations between the United States and Japan were doomed to failure, for both governments were reluctant to make any concessions and each only wanted to gain time. Washington knew that Japan's foreign ministry had scheduled the end of November for the talks to end, after which "events would develop automatically." On November 26, the United States handed the Japanese a note demanding the evacuation of troops from China. There was no hope that Japan would accept this demand. On November 27, the US Department of the Navy dispatched an alarming warning to Pearl Harbor stating that the Department believed it was possible for Japanese forces to move towards the Philippines, Malaya or Borneo. The Americans were so convinced by the Japanese preparations for the advance south that they did not attach importance to the possibility of the Japanese attacking in any other direction.

By December 6, it became known in Washington that the Japanese had handed over to their ambassador a note to be handed to the US government on the severance of diplomatic relations. It was also known that Japanese diplomats in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Batavia, Manila and Washington burn their secret documents and codes, which is usually done when war is imminent.

2. Preparing for war

2.1 US plans

One of the consequences of the conclusion of the tripartite pact was the strengthening of the US military preparations in the Pacific. At the very beginning of October, American dive bombers began to arrive in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska and Hawaii. On October 5, 1940, the mobilization of all spare navies was announced in the United States. Naval ships concentrated off Hawaii were put on alert, and ships sent to San Diego for maintenance were ordered to return to Honolulu. Preparations were being made to send a cruising squadron on a "goodwill mission" to Australia and Indonesia. Another squadron of ships went out to the North Pacific to patrol between Hawaii and the Aleutian Islands. In connection with this regrouping of the naval forces, the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Richardson, wrote to the chief of the main naval headquarters, Admiral Stark, that the patrolling of American warships in the Pacific Ocean should "scare away" Japan and "somewhat reduce" its aggressive intentions G. N. Sevostyanov Preparing for war on the Pacific Ocean (September 1939 - December 1941) .- M .: AN SSSR, 1962.- P. 254-255. ...

War with Japan was becoming inevitable. The only question was when it would break out. It is quite understandable that in these conditions, both for the United States and for England, the war in China acquired an important meaning, distracting and exhausting the main forces of Japan.

To conduct active offensive operations (including preventive ones), it was necessary to base the US fleet at Pearl Harbor. However, at that moment the United States could not resort to such a strategy - the isolationists' positions in Congress were too strong. For President Roosevelt, who realized that the policy of isolation would lead America to lose in any outcome of the European (then still) war, the only way to overcome opposition resistance without splitting the country was to get the enemy to attack first. Roosevelt, believing that relations with the USSR would not allow the enemy to act actively, took an extremely tough position: on August 1, 1941, the American ban on the export of all important strategic materials to Japan came into force. Military measures were also taken: the Philippine army came under the control of the American command, and a group of American military advisers went to China. Causes of the war between Japan and the United States in 1941 // http://www.protown.ru/information/hide/5041. html.

Thus, the "economic war" and military measures of the parties were an expression of a further exacerbation of the contradictions between Japan and the United States, the oil embargo was backed up by an ultimatum demand to cleanse China.

As it became apparent that Japan was preparing forces to move south, the United States tried to align its military plans with those of its likely allies. At the ABC meeting held in Washington in early 1941, it was established that the United States would be responsible for the Pacific theater in the event of a war with Japan. The next conference in Singapore, held in April 1941, did not make any important decisions and limited itself only to recommendations for mutual support against possible aggression.

2.2 Japan's plans

On the eve of World War II, Japan - an ally of Germany and Italy - developed a plan for the creation of the "Great East Asian Sphere of Prosperity" - the sphere of domination of Japanese imperialism on a vast territory, including "Japan, Manchuria, China, the Coastal Territories of the USSR, Malaya, Dutch India, British East India, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Philippines, Pacific and Indian Oceans. " The propaganda of the creation of the "Great East Asian sphere of co-prosperity" was used to ideologically justify the creation of a military-political alliance with Germany and Italy in Europe, directed against the Soviet Union. The plans for the creation of the "Great East Asian Prosperity Sphere" aroused the alarm of other imperialist powers - England, France and Holland, as these plans threatened their colonies. However, the anti-Soviet course of Japanese foreign policy gave them hopes that Japan would unleash a war against the USSR, which would take on a protracted nature, weaken opponents and make it possible to eliminate Japan as a competitor and rival in world markets V.B. Vorontsov. US Pacific policy 1941-1945 ... - M., 1967 .-- S. 17.

Unlike American, Japanese strategic plans after the war became public. The main goal of the war was to create an economically independent Japanese Empire, surrounded by a reliable "defense belt". To achieve this goal, it was supposed to capture the area lying within the line connecting the Kuril and Marshall Islands (including Wake Island), the Bismarck archipelago, the islands of Timor, Java, Sumatra, as well as Malaya and Burma, to strengthen it, after which to persuade the United States to conclude peace (as an "argument", apparently, it was supposed to use terrorist raids). However, this ambitious plan could be realized only on one condition - "paralyzing" the main forces of the US fleet.

The first step towards the implementation of the grandiose plan of conquest was to be a surprise attack by Japan on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. This operation was designed by Admiral Yamamoto. Practical preparations for its implementation began in July 1941, when the Japanese navy began a rehearsal of an attack on the American navy in Kagoshima Bay.

3. Pearl Harbor

In the initial period of World War II, Japan's foreign policy was finally reoriented towards the southern, Pacific direction. Its ideological basis was the concept of the "Great East Asian Space" - it was the formation of a single military, political, economic, cultural space in Southeast Asia with close cooperation between Japan and Asian states freed from colonial dependence.

In the summer of 1941, in connection with the intensification of the aggressive aspirations of the Japanese militarists, the contradictions between the largest imperialist powers in the Pacific continued to intensify. The ruling circles of Japan, assessing the military-political situation in the world, believed that with the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR, favorable opportunities opened up for the implementation of their broad plans of conquest in the Pacific Ocean basin, in East and Southeast Asia.

Japan's only hope was a war that would exhaust its enemy, while in America, the majority of the population was against war, although the head of state wanted war. If war became inevitable, the first step in creating conditions under which attrition could begin was to force the leader to declare war against the will of the majority of the people. Japan could have accomplished this by carefully avoiding attacking any possession of America until the United States itself either directly acts of war or declares war on Japan. If President Roosevelt chose the second path and declared war on Japan, the American people could interpret his decision only as a willingness to drag chestnuts out of the fire for Britain, that is, to save the British Empire. But such a war, however carefully camouflaged, would hardly be popular with the American people.

Having launched a war with the United States without declaring, Japan with one blow resolved all the difficulties facing Roosevelt and secured the support of all Americans. The inexplicable stupidity of the Japanese is that by making the Americans the laughing stock of the world, Japan has dealt a blow more to their sense of dignity than to the navy. In the five months before the attack, America declared economic war on Japan, which, given the position of Japan, would inevitably lead to armed conflict. “Nevertheless, the Americans turned out to be so short-sighted that they, like green youths, were twisted around their fingers.” Quote: by J. Fuller. World War II. - See: Rusich, 2004 .-- P. 161..

In early 1941, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Joint Fleet, Admiral Yamamoto, proposed attacking Pearl Harbor in the event of a war with the United States in order to paralyze the US fleet and make it impossible for its intervention from the flank when Japan was busy conquering "living space in the southern seas." The details of the attack on Pearl Harbor were developed in the early fall of 1941, and on December 1, at a meeting with the emperor, the final decision was made on Japan's entry into the war.

The forces to attack Pearl Harbor, already at sea when the Imperial Council made the final decision, consisted of six aircraft carriers - Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku, and Zuikaku - accompanied by two battleships, three cruisers and nine destroyers. The ships followed the northern route to avoid detection by US aerial reconnaissance and to reduce the likelihood of encountering merchant ships. Even earlier, 27 submarines went to sea, of which 11 had aircraft on board, and 5 carried ultra-small submarines designed to penetrate into the harbor of Pearl Harbor.

On December 6, Japanese aircraft carriers received the latest data on ships stationed at Pearl Harbor, where at that time no one even suspected of an impending disaster. The warning received on November 27 indicated only that Washington believed it was possible for Japanese forces to move south, that is, to the Philippines or Malaya.

The calm situation on Sunday morning was somewhat disturbed at 06.45 when a destroyer sank a midget submarine on the outer roadstead of Pearl Harbor, but the report of this fact did not cause a general alarm. In fact, this report did not even indicate any danger to the ships sheltered in the harbor. Many officers were having breakfast and the ships were preparing for the usual shift of watch when the first Japanese planes appeared over the island. Their hostile intentions were finally revealed only at 07.55, when the first bombs began to fall. The main blow was struck at the ships of the line east of Ford Island. Despite the surprise of the raid, the American sailors quickly took their places at combat posts, but they failed to upset the enemy's plans. The attacks by torpedo bombers were followed by attacks by dive bombers. Most of the damage to the ships occurred during the first attack, which ended at about 08.30. Then, after a short break, a second wave of aircraft appeared, consisting of 170 bombers and fighters, choosing to attack ships that had not yet been damaged. Nimitz C., Potter E. War at Sea (1939-1945). - See: Rusich, 1999 .-- S. 310-311. The battleship Arizona sank shortly after the Japanese attack. It received several direct hits from torpedoes and bombs at the very beginning of the attack; the small ship-workshop "Vestal" standing near its side could not provide protection of the battleship. The ship went down in flames, taking more than a thousand crewmen with it.

The battleship Oklahoma, which was stationed together with the battleship Maryland, received three torpedo hits in the first seconds of the attack, immediately banked and rolled over. Oklahoma was completely destroyed. The battleship West Virginia stood outside the battleship Tennessee and was also torpedoed early in the attack. However, the crew's decisive actions to level the bank by flooding the opposite compartments prevented the ship from overturning. The crew continued to fight, as the ship landed on the ground in a shallow place. On the inside, the Tennessee received two bombs and was in danger of an explosion from burning oil on the Arizona, but fortunately the damage to this ship was not so serious. "Maryland" got off with only two direct hits from aerial bombs.

The battleship California stood alone. Having received hits from two torpedoes and one bomb, he sat on the ground on an even keel. The battleship Nevada, which also stood apart, was the only ship capable of moving. Despite being hit by a torpedo in the bow, he still set in motion and threw himself ashore under a hail of bombs so as not to sink in the fairway. The flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the battleship Pennsylvania, was docked and it was impossible to attack it with torpedoes. He fired so intensely at the planes that they could not reach him. As a result, he received only one bomb hit.

The main targets of the Japanese attack were the ships of the fleet, but they also attacked the airfields located in the area of \u200b\u200bthis base. The Americans hastily took some measures to protect the airfields, but the planes standing in close formation still suffered losses. In total, the Navy lost 80 aircraft, the Army Air Force lost 231 aircraft. After the attack, only 79 aircraft remained operational. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese lost 29 aircraft, not counting those that crashed when landing on aircraft carriers.

The total human losses of the United States amounted to 3,681 people. The Navy and the Marine Corps lost 2,212 people killed and 981 wounded, the army 222 people killed and 360 wounded. From the American point of view, the consequences of the attack on Pearl Harbor were less significant than they initially thought, and certainly much less than they might have been. The old ships sunk at Pearl Harbor were too weak to fight the newest Japanese battleships or accompany the new fast American aircraft carriers. After all these ships, except for "Arizona" and "Oklahoma", were raised and repaired, they were used only for shelling the coast. The temporary loss of battleships made it possible to free up well-trained personnel to staff the aircraft carrier and amphibious forces, in which there was a great shortage. With no ships of the line, the United States was forced to rely entirely on aircraft carriers, and this proved to be a decisive factor in the war at sea.

Focusing on warships, the Japanese did not attach importance to the destruction of warehouses and workshops. They also overlooked the fuel depots located next to the harbor, where 400,000 tons of fuel oil were stored. These reserves, which have been accumulating from year to year, would be very difficult to replace, in view of the fact that the United States has assumed an obligation to supply fuel, primarily to Europe.

Despite the triumph on the Japanese aircraft carriers, controversy immediately erupted over the additional attack. The planes were refueled and re-equipped. They were ready to strike again, but in the end it was decided not to risk it. Nagumo discussed this issue with his chief of staff, Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka, who concluded from intercepted radio messages that a large number of base bombers still survived (although this conclusion was completely wrong). Therefore, Kusaka believed that the Strike Aircraft Formation should get out of their range as soon as possible.

Japanese reconnaissance aircraft had a range of only 250 miles, so everything outside this zone remained unknown. There was also no news from submarines that could provide additional information. Returning pilots reported a thick cloud of smoke over Pearl Harbor, making it difficult for pilots to track down targets in the event of a third attack. The main argument is that there were no American aircraft carriers in Pearl Harbor. Where they were was a mystery, and the threat posed by them could be real. At 13.35 Nagumo ordered to retreat at full speed to the Marshall Islands.

The next day, the Strike Force was no longer within the range of the American bombers. Soryu and Hiryu, heavy cruisers Tone and Chikuma, and destroyers Urakaze and Tanikaze were separated to support the invasion of Wake. The rest of the Strike Force ships sailed at full speed to bases in the Inland Sea Yakovlev N.N. Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Fiction and fiction. M .: Politizdat.-1988.- P. 259.

Conclusion

The question of domination in the Pacific Ocean was of decisive importance in the event of any conflict between Japan and the United States (military, economic, political). In turn, this meant that the United States needed to come to terms with either the prospect of an accelerating naval arms race or the prospect of war. It must be said that it was a pleasant alternative. The United States was economically superior to Japan. And since the latter was also poor in energy resources - in particular, the arms race, supplemented by at least minimal trade restrictions, did not bode well for Japan. On the other hand, the Japanese fleet was inferior to the American one, so that, in principle, the Americans could, without particularly risking anything, go to a military solution to the conflict Pereslegin S. B., Pereslegin E. B. Pacific Prime Minister. - M. - 2001. - S. 49.

The United States has announced an embargo on the supply of strategic materials to Japan, primarily oil. After Britain and Holland joined the embargo, Japan was forced to start spending its very meager strategic fuel reserves. From that moment on, the Japanese government was faced with a choice - the earliest possible conclusion of an agreement with the United States or the beginning of hostilities. However, the scarcity of raw materials made it impossible to successfully wage a more or less prolonged war.

The Japanese command was faced with a difficult task: to defeat the fleet of the United States of America, capture the Philippines and force the Americans to conclude a compromise peace. We have before us a rather rare example of a global war with limited goals. At the same time, it was necessary to achieve the set goals quickly - the country simply did not have enough resources for a prolonged war.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was intended to neutralize the US Pacific Fleet, and therefore defend Japan's conquests in Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, where it sought access to natural resources such as oil and rubber.

It was the attack on Pearl Harbor that caused the United States to enter World War II - on the same day, the United States declared war on Japan, thereby entering the war.

What did the Pearl Harbor attack achieve? For Japan, this meant a war with the United States, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. The Japanese fleet was to neutralize the American Pacific Fleet and cut the Wake - Guam - Philippines supply line. The American fleet was indeed neutralized, but the absence of aircraft carriers in the harbor at the time of the attack reduced its period of passivity. The threat of a strike by American aircraft carriers on Japanese ships remained a cause for concern.

The brilliant victory of the Japanese could not be diminished by any losses suffered by the Japanese fleet. In any event, the deadly struggle between the Empire of Japan and the United States began with an attack against Pearl Harbor.

By 10 o'clock in the morning on December 7, the American fleet in the Pacific Ocean practically ceased to exist. If at the beginning of the war the ratio of the combat power of the American and Japanese fleets was 10: 7.5, now the ratio in large ships has changed in favor of the Japanese naval forces. On the very first day of hostilities, the Japanese won supremacy at sea and were able to conduct extensive offensive operations in the Philippines, Malaya and Dutch India. History of the Pacific War. In 5 volumes. T.Z. - M., 1958.S. 266.

List of sources used

1. Vorontsov V. B. Pacific policy of the USA 1941-1945.- M., 1967.- 322 p.

2. History of the Pacific War. In 5 volumes. T. 3.- M., 1958.- 398 p.

3. World War: The View of the Vanquished, 1939-1945. - M .: Polygon., 2003 .-- 736 p.

4. Nimitz C., Potter E. War at sea (1939-1945). - Smolensk: Rusich., 1999 .-- 592 p.

5. Pereslegin S. B., Pereslegin E. B. Pacific Premiere. - M., 2001 .-- 704 p.

6. The reasons for the war between Japan and the United States in 1941 //http://www.protown.ru/information/hide/5041.html

7. Sevostyanov G.N. Preparing for the war in the Pacific. (September 1939-December 1941) / G.N. Sevostyanov. - M .: AN SSSR., 1962. - 592 p.

8. Fuller J. The Second World War / trans. from English. - Smolensk: Rusich., 2004 .-- 544 p.

9. Hattori T. Japan in the war 1941-1945. - SPb., 2003.- 881s.

10. Yakovlev N.N. Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Byl and fiction. - Moscow: Politizdat., 1988. - 286 p.

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World War II in the Pacific. Participation of the peoples of the United States, Great Britain and other countries in the fight against the aggressor. Military operations in the Atlantic and Western Europe