The Pacific World War 2 was a major theater of the global conflict that lasted from 1937 to 1945. It involved the military forces of Japan, China, the United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, France, and other allies and colonies. The Pacific World War 2 was marked by fierce naval battles, island hopping campaigns, aerial bombings, atomic attacks, and atrocities against civilians and prisoners of war.

The Pacific World War 2 had its roots in the Japanese expansionism that began in the early 20th century. Japan sought to establish a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere that would dominate the region and secure its access to natural resources and markets. Japan invaded China in 1937 and launched a brutal war that killed millions of Chinese people. Japan also formed an alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in 1940, known as the Axis powers.

The Pacific World War 2 officially began on December 7, 1941, when Japan launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack destroyed or damaged most of the US Pacific Fleet and killed over 2,400 Americans. Japan also attacked other targets in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, such as the Philippines, Malaya, Singapore, Hong Kong, Guam, Wake Island, and Midway Island. The US and its allies declared war on Japan the next day.

The Pacific World War 2 was fought on many fronts and involved numerous battles. Some of the most notable ones include:

• The Battle of Coral Sea (May 1942): The first naval battle in history where the opposing ships did not see each other. The US and Australian forces prevented a Japanese invasion of Port Moresby in New Guinea.
• The Battle of Midway (June 1942): A decisive victory for the US that crippled the Japanese carrier fleet and turned the tide of the war in the Pacific.
• The Guadalcanal Campaign (August 1942-February 1943): The first major land offensive by the US against Japan. The US Marines captured an airfield on Guadalcanal Island and fought off repeated Japanese attempts to retake it.
• The Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 1944): The largest naval battle in history that involved over 200 ships and thousands of aircraft. The US and its allies invaded the Philippines and destroyed most of the remaining Japanese fleet.
• The Battle of Iwo Jima (February-March 1945): A bloody battle that lasted for over a month. The US Marines captured a strategic island that was heavily defended by Japanese soldiers who fought to the death.
• The Battle of Okinawa (April-June 1945): The last major battle of the Pacific World War 2 that involved over half a million troops. The US forces faced fierce resistance from the Japanese army and kamikaze pilots who inflicted heavy casualties.

The Pacific World War 2 ended with the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945, following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9. The bombings killed over 200,000 people and demonstrated the devastating power of nuclear weapons. The formal signing of the surrender took place on September 2 aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The Pacific World War 2 claimed over 30 million lives and left behind a legacy of trauma, destruction, and geopolitical changes.