aircraft carrier A large ship with a flight deck from which aircraft may take off and land.
Allies The countries at war against Germany, Italy, Japan and their supporters.
atoll A ridge of coral rock and sand, rising just above sea level, enclosing an area of sea.
banzai A form of greeting, traditionally used by the Japanese to their emperor. A term also used to describe an open, near-suicidal charge by Japanese soldiers against an enemy.
battalion A military formation, made up of an average of around 750 men and under the command of a Lieutenant Colonel.
battleship The largest and most heavily-armed type of warship.
campaign A series of military operations in a particular theater of war.
civilians People who are not part of the armed forces of a navy, army, or air force.
Cold War The period of international tension between 1945 and 1991 when a high level of distrust existed between the U.S. and the USSR.
colonial Relating to a colony.
colony A country whose native population is denied true self-rule; ruled and inhabited by people who represent a foreign government.
conscripted Forced to join armed services.
convoy A group of merchant ships (or other vehicles) travelling together for mutual protection.
cruiser A warship that is less heavily armed than a battleship but which has greater speed.
destroyer A warship used to attack enemy shipping with torpedoes and to protect its own fleet from attack by warships and submarines.
division A military formation made up of an average of about 12,000 men; Japanese divisions were as large as 18,000 under a single command.
emplacement A platform for guns.
evacuate Withdraw from a place, such as the scene of battle, often because the situation is considered too dangerous.
exhume Dig up, unearth, especially the dead.
Filipinos People native to the Philippines.
garrison A fortified position in which troops and their equipment are stationed.
guerrillas Independent fighters who are not part of a regular government army but who conduct military action.
hypocrites People who say one thing but do another.
immunity Freedom from the normal consequences of a law.
impartial Fair, not favoring one side or another in a dispute.
imperialism A belief in the value of acquiring control over another country’s resources and the establishment of colonies, often considered part of the controlling country’s empire.
imports Goods brought into a country or a region from other countries.
incendiary bombs Bombs designed to create fires rather than to explode.
Indochina A region of southeast Asia, including modern Vietnam, which was a colony of France before World War II.
intelligence In a military sense, the collecting of information about the enemy.
interned Placed under a form of imprisonment whereby people are guarded and restricted to one place.
kamikaze Japanese suicide pilots who undertook missions against enemy ships.
killing zone An area where a concentrated amount of killing in the course of a battle takes place.
liberators People who free others from a state of captivity or political oppression.
Malaya Country in Asia, now called Malaysia, which was a British colony in 1941 when it was overrun by the Japanese.
Manchuria A Chinese state, a territory once disputed by China, Japan, and the Soviet Union, occupied by the Japanese in 1931.
marines Soldiers based on warships. Marines typically take part in amphibious operations, landing by sea to engage enemy forces on land.
medic Someone who provides medical care.
Mount Niitaka The highest mountain in Japan, the name of which was used as a code for the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
nationalists People who hold strong patriotic beliefs and who are very loyal to the nation to which they belong.
natural resources Sources of food and fuel, such as wheat or oil for example, that belong to a country or region.
Nazi Germany Germany, between 1933 and 1945, when the country was governed by Adolf Hitler and members of the Nazi party.
Netherlands (Holland) Country of the Dutch people in western Europe that lost control over its colonies in Asia after being defeated by Germany in 1940.
Netherlands East Indies Dutch colony in southeast Asia that became Indonesia when it achieved independence after World War II.
peninsula A piece of land surrounded by water on three sides.
Philippines A Pacific archipelago off southeast Asia made up of thousands of islands. It had a population of 17 million in 1941, and was an American colony but was on its way to achieving independence when the Pacific War broke out.
pincer movement An encircling movement that closes in on the enemy.
Siam Now the independent nation of Thailand, this country in Asia was invaded by the Japanese in 1941.
siege A military tactic that forces a group to surrender by surrounding them and preventing food and support from reaching them.
strategy A plan for the way military forces and resources are used in a military campaign.
supply lines Routes used to provide supplies and weapons during a war.
tactics The plan for the best way to achieve the aims of military strategy by using military forces when they are in actual contact with the enemy.
task force A unit of people and equipment organized for a special purpose.
theater of war A large geographical area where a series of major battles occur.
traumatic Describes an event that brings about a state of deep emotional shock.
tribunal A court of justice.
unconditional surrender A complete surrender of forces without any question or protest, and before any prior agreement, conditions, or terms of peace have been established.
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (also known as the Soviet Union), of which Russia was the leading power. It was disbanded at the end of 1991.
FURTHER INFORMATION
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
The following books look at the Pacific War as a whole or at some of the key episodes in the Pacific War:
Chrisp, Peter. The World Wars: The War in The Pacific. Raintree/Steck Vaughn, 2004.
Denenberg, Barry. Early Sunday Morning: The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows, Hawaii, 1941. Scholastic, 2003.
Earle, Jr. Rice. Strategic Battles in the Pacific: World War II. Lucent Books, 2000.
Grant, R.G. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hodder and Stoughton Children’s Division, 1999.
Klam, Julie and Dwight Jon Zimmerman. Victory in the Pacific. Smart Apple Media, 2003.
Stein, R. Conrad. World War II in the Pacific. Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2001.
Tames, Richard. Turning Points in History: Pearl Harbor. Heineman Educational Books, Library Division, 2000.
Nardo, Don. World War II in the Pacific (World History Series). Lucent Books, 2002
Yep, Laurence. Hiroshima. Apple, 1996.
The following books provide interesting, detailed accounts of Pacific War battles or campaigns:
Badsey, Stephen, ed. The Hutchison Atlas of World War II Battle Plans. Helicon, 2000.
Fuchida, Okumiya, Mitsuo, and Okumiyo, Masatake. Midway: The Japanese Story. United States Naval Institute, 2001.
Grove, Eric. Sea Battles in Close-Up: World War 2, Specialist Marketing International, 1988.
Leasor, James. Singapore: The Battle That Changed The War, 2001.
Moran, Jim and Gordon L.Rottman. Peleliu, 1944: The Forgotten Corner of Hell. Osprey Pub Co., 2002.
Warren, Alan. Singapore. Hambledon Press, 2003.
Wright, Derrick. Tarawa—A Hell of a Way to Die. Crowood Press, 2002.
Wright, Derrick. The Battle for Iwo Jima. Sutton, 2003.
Wright, Derrick. Tarawa 1943; The Turning of the Tide. Praeger Publishers, 2004.
The following books provide fascinating first-hand accounts by people who experienced the Pacific War, either as combatants or civilians:
Lewis, Jon E., ed. Eye Witness to D-Day: The Story of the Battle by Those Who Were There. Carol and Graf, 1994.
Cook, Haruko Taya and Theodore F. Cook, Japan At War: An Oral History. New Press, Reprint edition, 1993.
Terkel, Studs. The Good War. Pantheon Books, 1984.
The following books provide or include interesting accounts of the Pacific War as a whole, although some may include highly detailed information. In these cases, use the Table of Contents or Index to find out more about a particular battle or aspect of the war:
Spector, Ronald H. Eagle Against the Sun. Free Press, 1991.
Lewis, Jonathan and Ben Steele. Hell In The Pacific, Macmillan Pub. Ltd., 2001.
Ian Dear and M.R.D. Foot, eds. The Oxford Companion to World War II. Oxford University Press, 2001.
Van Der Vat, Dan. The Pacific Campaign, Berlinn Limited, 2001.
Horner, David. Inside the War Cabinet: Directing Australia’s War Effort, 1939-1945. Allen and Unwin, 1996.
RECOMMENDED VIDEOS
The following films, available on VHS or DVD, are set in the context of the Pacific War:
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Sands of Iwo Jima (1950)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
The following are documentaries about the Pacific War:
Chronicles of World War II, with Walter Cronkite: Vol. 2: The Pacific War Begins and Vol. 7: The Pacific Campaign (1981), 20th Century Fox
Hell in the Pacific (2001), Carlton Visual Entertainment
V Is for Victory—America Goes to War—Guadalcanal and the Pacific Counterattack (1998), Accord Media UK
Battle Cry: Objective Burma—Operation Pacific (2003), Warner Home Videos
RECOMMENDED WEB SITES
www.combinedfleet.com/map.htm
View maps and summaries of naval engagements in the Pacific War.
www.historyplace.com
Click on the World War II tab for photographs of U.S. troops in the Pacific War, a timeline, and features on Pearl Harbor and African Americans in the war.
www.iwm.org.uk/
The web site for the Imperial War Museum in London.
www.nimitz-museum.org/
Web site for the U.S. National Museum of the Pacific War.
www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWpacific.htm
Contains a helpful summary of the Pacific War with many useful links along the way.
Note to parents and teachers
Every effort has been made by the publishers to ensure that these web sites are suitable for children; that they are of the highest educational value; and that they contain no inappropriate or offensive material. The nature of the Internet, however, makes it impossible to guarantee that the contents of these sites will not be altered. We strongly advise that a responsible adult supervises Internet access.
PLACES TO VISIT
The National Museum of the Pacific War is the only institution in the continental United States dedicated exclusively to telling the story of the Pacific Theater battles of World War II. It is located at:
The National Museum of the Pacific War, 340 East Main Street, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624.
Other important museums in the United States include:
The Naval Historical Center, Washington Naval Yard, Washington, D.C. 20374 (www.history.navy.mil)
The USS Arizona Visitor Center, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii.