Asia Pacific 1945: Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa

Political map of East Asia and the Western Pacific on 08 May 1945 (WWII: Victory Over Japan: Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa), showing the following events: Japanese coup in French Indochina; First US firebombing attack kills more than 80,000 in Tokyo; Battle of Iwo Jima; Battle of Okinawa; Soviet Union denounces Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact of 1941; Battle of Tarakan; Operation Dracula; V.E. Day.

By now the United States was ready to advance on the Japanese home islands. In February, US forces landed on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, followed two months later by Okinawa in the Ryukyus. In both cases, the Japanese defended ferociously, mounting numerous suicide attacks. The fighting in Okinawa alone saw over 200,000 deaths, including 95% of the Japanese defenders and as much as half of the civilian population.

Main Events

9 Mar 1945 Japanese coup in French Indochina

In Operation Bright Moon, Japan launched a surprise attack against French colonial garrisons across French Indochina, successfully preempting any attempt those forces might make to mount an uprising in favor of the Allies. French colonial power in Indochina was dismantled and replaced over the following months by Japanese-backed states—the Empire of Vietnam and the Kingdom of Kampuchea.in wikipedia

9–10 Mar 1945 First US firebombing attack kills more than 80,000 in Tokyo

First US firebombing attack kills more than 80,000 in Tokyoin wikipedia

26 Mar 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima

US secures Iwo Jimain wikipedia

1 Apr–21 Jun 1945 Battle of Okinawa

US captures Okinawain wikipedia

5 Apr 1945 Soviet Union denounces Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact of 1941

Soviet Union denounces Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact of 1941in wikipedia

1 May 1945 Battle of Tarakan

Australia lands on Tarakan, Dutch Borneoin wikipedia

3 May 1945 Operation Dracula

In Operation Dracula, British forces mounted an amphibious and airborne attack on Rangoon, capital of Japanese-occupied Burma, in an attempt to secure it before the arrival of the monsoon later in May. With the main body of British forces fighting the Japanese only 70 km away in Pegu, Gurkha units made a parachute drop on Elephant Point at the mouth of the Rangoon River on 1 May and secured the coastal batteries. The following day, the 26th Indian Division arrived from the Bay of Bengal, capturing Rangoon itself on 3 May.in wikipedia

8 May 1945 V.E. Day

Following the German signing of the Act of Surrender on 7 May 1945 in Reims, France, and on 8 May in Berlin, Germany, a public holiday—Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day—was celebrated in Allied countries to mark the Allies’ formal acceptance of Germany’s surrender and the end of World War II in Europe.in wikipedia