World War 2 Timelines 1939-1945 - Pacific Islands 1944


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World War 2 on Film

Marines push on towards a Japanese oil dump on Saipan.

Pacific Islands!


02/01/1944	US Marines land at Saidor in northern New Guinea.
16/01/1944	Japanese forces make their last counter-attack on New Britain.
23/01/1944	Troops of the Australian 7th Division clear Shaggy Ridge in New Guinea.
25/01/1944	Australian advances in New Guinea are announced, with the Japanese cleared from the ‘Shaggy Line’.
31/01/1944	US forces attack the Marshall Islands, landing on Kwajalein, Roi and Namur. Land fighting begins in the Dutch New Guinea.


02/02/1944	U.S. Marines complete the capture of Roi and Namur in the Marshall Islands.
04/02/1944	US forces take Kwajalein Island in Marshall's, losing 486 killed and 1,495 wounded, but inflicting 8,386 casualties on the Japanese.
08/02/1944	The Australians complete the occupation of the Huon Peninsula in New Guinea.
10/02/1944	Australian and Americans troops link at Saidor in New Guinea.
11/02/1944	The Australians take Rooke Island between Huon and New Britain.
14/02/1944	The Americans announce that the Japanese remaining in Solomon's are now trapped.
16/02/1944	The U.S. Navy pounds the Japanese base at Truk in the Caroline's.
18/02/1944	U.S. Marines begin landing on Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
21/02/1944	U.S. Marines complete the capture of Eniwetok Atoll, suffering 339 dead.
22/02/1944	Heavy Japanese losses as the U.S. Navy bombards the Marianas in the Pacific.
27/02/1944	About 60,000 Japanese are reported to be trapped in New Britain and New Ireland, in the South West Pacific.
29/02/1944	The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division lands at Los Negros in the Admiralty Islands, capturing an airfield. MacArthur pays a visit.


03/03/1944	Japanese counter-attacks on Los Negros fail.
06/03/1944	U.S. Marines land at Talasea in New Britain.
07/03/1944	U.S. Marines secure Los Negros.
15/03/1944	The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division lands on Manus in the Admiralty Islands.
24/03/1944	The Japanese counter-attack on Bougainville is decisively beaten.


11/04/1944	The majority of New Britain is now held by the Allies.
22/04/1944	The allies land unopposed at Hollandia, on the northern coast of New Guinea.
24/04/1944	U.S. troops secure Hollandia and Aitape in New Guinea inflicting 9,000 Japanese casualties, while only suffering 450 dead themselves. Australians troops enter Madang in New Guinea.
26/04/1944	Australians troops occupy Alexishafen in New Guinea.
27/04/1944	The U.S. Army complete their capture of Hollandia's airfields and isolate 200,000 Japanese for the duration of war.


17/05/1944	U.S. troops land on Wake Island and the northern coast of New Guinea, 125 miles to the West of Hollandia.
19/05/1944	Wake is Island secured, during which 800 Japanese are killed.
27/05/1944	12,000 U.S. troops land on Biak in the Schouten Island Group, 350 miles West of Hollandia. MacArthur says, 'this marks the strategic end of the New Guinea campaign'.
29/05/1944	The first U.S. armoured battle of the pacific war occurs on Biak, with six tanks being involved. The Japanese manage to force the partial re-embarkation of U.S. forces.


07/06/1944	Mokmer airfield on Biak is captured by U.S. troops.
15/06/1944	U.S. Marines meet strong opposition to their Saipan Island landing despite the heavy bombardment of the Marianas islands during past week. USAAF B-29s from China pound the Yawata steel works in the first land based air attack on Japan.
16/06/1944	U.S. Marines repulse the Japanese counter-attacks on Saipan.


03/07/1944	Prime Minister Curtin returns to Australia after the Commonwealth conference in Britain.
07/07/1944	Vice-Admiral Nagumo and General Saito, commit suicide as the Japanese position on Saipan deteriorates.
09/07/1944	U.S. Marines defeat the Japanese on Saipan after a final Banzai charge. 27,000 Japanese and 3,116 Americans were killed on Saipan.
18/07/1944	Buffeted by more than two years of military and naval defeats, Gen. Hideki Tojo is forced to resign his offices of prime minister, war minister and chief of the Imperial General Staff. While Tojo's removal strengthens somewhat the elements of the Japanese government inclined to seek peace, Tokyo's official policy of fighting to the end remains unchanged.
21/07/1944	U.S. Marines land on Guam, establishing beach-heads up to a mile inland.
22/07/1944	The last organised Japanese resistance on Biak ends.
24/07/1944	The U.S. 4th Marine Division (15,000 men) lands on Tinian.
25/07/1944	1,246 Japanese are killed in a Banzai charge in Tinian, another 3,000 die on Guam.
26/07/1944	President Roosevelt arrives in Hawaii for a conference on Pacific strategy with Gen. Douglas Macarthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz. FDR authorizes Macarthur's plan to liberate the Philippines instead of bypassing them, as desired by the Navy and Nimitz.
29/07/1944	The Orote Peninsula is secured on Guam.
31/07/1944	The last Japanese counter-attack on Tinian is annihilated. U.S. forces make further landings on the North West coast of Dutch New Guinea and begin a jungle push from Aitape.


01/08/1944	U.S. Marines complete the capture of Tinian Island losing 389 killed for 9,000 Japanese.
10/08/1944	Organised Japanese resistance on Guam finally ends with them suffering 18,250 killed and the U.S. more than 1,744 killed.


07/09/1944	U.S. Army forces supported by naval vessels land on Soepiori Island in the Schouten Is. off New Guinea.
15/09/1944	US Marines land on Peleliu Island in the Pacific, but suffer 1,100 casualties trying to establish a shallow beach-head.
21/09/1944	U.S. planes hit Manila in the Philippines destroying 357 aircraft.


02/10/1944	Martial law is lifted in Hawaii.
09/10/1944	Admiral Nimitz decides to invade the island of Iwo Jima, 700 miles to the South of Japan.
10/10/1944	U.S. B29 Superfortresses pound Formosa and Okinawa. The Formosa bombardment lasts seven days, during which over 650 Japanese planes are reported as destroyed.
13/10/1944	The Australian Liberal Party is formed.
16/10/1944	U.S. Rangers land on islands in an approach to Leyte Gulf, in the Philippines.
20/10/1944	The U.S. Sixth Army landings in the Philippines begin on the East Coast of Leyte, but the 60,000 men sent ashore encounter stiff Japanese resistance.


05/11/1944	U.S. planes pound the harbour at Manila in the Philippines and also destroy 249 Japanese aircraft.
24/11/1944	USAAF B29s from Saipan Island in Pacific, bomb Tokyo for first time, but to little effect.
25/11/1944	The last Japanese resistance in Peleliu ends. 14,000 Japanese are killed or captured for 9,300 U.S. casualties.
27/11/1944	B29 bombers from Saipan again pound Tokyo, but this time the Japanese reply with raids against the U.S. airbases on Saipan.


08/12/1944	A second Japanese airborne counter-attack on Leyte achieves some success against US airfields. The USAAF begins a 72-day bombardment of Iwo Jima Island 700 miles to the South of Japan.
10/12/1944	The U.S. 77th Infantry Division captures Ormoc on Leyte. Japanese make their last seaborne reinforcement of Leyte.
13/12/1944	The USAAF make the first damaging raid on Japanese industrial targets.
14/12/1944	U.S. troops capture an important Japanese supply post on Leyte, at the southern tip of the ‘Yamashita defence line’.
15/12/1944	A U.S. task force lands on Mindoro Island in the western Philippines without loss.
17/12/1944	U.S. troops capture San Jose airbase on Mindoro.
25/12/1944	The last Japanese port on Leyte is captured and MacArthur proclaims that Leyte is secure.