The Pacific War - week by week

- 10 - Pacific War -Fall of Malaya, January 25 - February 1, 1942

We have been following the Malayan Campaign since the start of the war, seeing the British Empire continually prove that it was hardly prepared to defend its eastern possessions. After many lost battles and desperate rearguard actions, last week the complete pull out from Johor was finally ordered, signifying the fall of Malaya as the British defenders retreated into Singapore to protect their so-called eastern fortress, called the Gibraltar of the East. The situation thus looked bleak for the empire in which the sun never sets, with the Rising Sun looking like it could menacingly replace their hegemony in the East. But before that, the British defenders were determined to offer as much resistance as they could in Burma and Singapore, so the stage was set for one of the most important battles of the Pacific War.

- 9 - Pacific War -Invasion of New Britain & Ireland, January 18-25, 1942

Last week, the Japanese had commenced their most important operation: the capture of the Dutch East Indies and the important resources that it harboured; yet this week, they would also start a new operation for the invasion of the island of New Britain, further trying to interrupt the lines of communication between Australia and the US. And as the invaders continue their advance across Borneo and the Celebes, a major breakthrough is achieved at Malaya and the Philippines. Join us, as we delve into this critical point of the Pacific War

- 8 - Pacific War -Dutch East Indies under attack, January 11-18, 1942

After an entire month of fighting, and with both Malaya and the Philippines thrown against the ropes, the time had finally come for the final step of the Japanese advance. Now, the Dutch East Indies, the final link in their planned defensive chain across the Pacific, stood open for a Japanese attack. And as the Japanese prepared to execute one of their most bold and brilliant plans of invasion, the Malayan and Philippine fronts saw the start of strong Allied resistance.

- 7 - Pacific War -Battle of Slim River January 4-11, 1942

For the Japanese, the war was marching exceedingly well in these first few weeks. Poor preparations on behalf of the Allies had left their Pacific possessions in a very precarious state, with the Japanese rapidly capitalizing on this advantage to spread their rule across East Asia. The British in particular, focused on their front against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, demonstrated that they were hardly prepared to fight in these conditions and that not even their impressive fortress at Singapore could save them from the might of the Japanese firepower. The Malayan Campaign up to this point had been characterized by an ineffective command and a strain of poor strategic decisions that ended up giving the upper hand to the Japanese invaders; and today, we are going to see one of the biggest blunders in British history, as the Japanese decide to attack Malayan positions on the Slim River.

- 6 - Pacific War -Battle of Kampar December 28 - January 4, 1941-1942

In the previous week, we covered the fall of two of the first places the Japanese had attacked, Hong Kong and Wake Island, and we also watched General MacArthur’s forces start their catastrophic withdrawal into Bataan, where they would resist until reinforcements could arrive to save them. In Malaya, the British defenders were also in a difficult position, nearly thrown off the center of the peninsula. Today, we are going to continue our coverage over the events unfolding in the Malay Peninsula and in the Philippines, but first, we are going to take a quick detour to China, where major combat resumed for the first time since the attack on Pearl Harbor.

- 5 - Pacific War - Fall of Wake Island and Hong Kong December 21-28, 1941

For the last two weeks, the war had raged on in the Pacific after the unexpected Japanese attack against British and American possessions in the East. The Japanese soldiers had already achieved victory after victory, pushing their enemy back on Malaya, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Pacific islands. But this week would be one of Japan’s finest hours in the course of the war, as they finally overcame their enemy in Hong Kong, launched their main offensive on the Philippines, and struck an incredible victory against the only place in the Pacific that had managed to thwart their expansionist aims so far.

- 4 - Pacific War - Invasion of Borneo December 14-21, 1941

On December 7, 1941, the war had reached the Pacific to the surprise of the Allied nations, drastically changing the course of history forever. After its first week, smoke darkened the horizons of Pearl Harbor, hundreds of British soldiers laid dead on the battlefields of Malaya and Hong Kong, the Philippines and Wake Island had tasted their first blood, and Guam and the Gilbert Islands had already fallen into Japanese hands. The situation looked grim for the Allies, and this week would do nothing but confirm that the Rising Sun was really on the rise. So today, we are going to cover the continuation of the Japanese expansion across the Pacific and the start of the Battle of Borneo.

- 3 - Pacific War - The Blunder of the Philippines December 10, 1941

As the Rising Sun expanded across East Asia, the United States Pacific Fleet laid broken in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor. The British colonies had also been invaded, suffering defeat after defeat both in Hong Kong and in the Malayan Peninsula. But this would not be the end of the Japanese aggression, as the strategic American possessions in the Pacific were now up for grabs. Today, we are going to cover the initial landings in the Philippines, as well as the attacks against Guam and Wake Island.

- 2 - Pacific War - Invasion of Malaya December 8, 1941

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7 would always be remembered as the day of infamy in which the Japanese started the Pacific War. But at the same time, the Empire of Japan also began simultaneous offensives against British, Dutch, and American possessions in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Today we are going to cover some of these attacks in mainland Southeast Asia, primarily focusing on the invasion of Malaya and the British response against the Japanese aggression.

- 1 - Pacific War - Attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941

As we’ve seen in the previous episodes, the Japanese Empire had decided on war with the West since the embargo enacted by the US in July, 1941. The plans to simultaneously execute invasions on the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines and Malaya, as well as a preemptive attack on Pearl Harbor to destroy the American Pacific Fleet, had all been drafted back in September, with preparations carried out successfully by late November.