The War in the Pacific 1941-1945 saw the United States and its allies including England, Australia, New Zealand, and China engage in a brutal conflict against the imperialist forces of Japan. After Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the US was left with a crippled Pacific fleet and was forced to engage in a strategy of island hopping to reclaim lost territory from Japan. This strategy involved clearing Japanese forces from islands one by one to build up bases closer to Japan. Major battles included the Battle of Midway in 1942 which marked a turning point, as well as the long campaign to retake Guadalcanal from the Japanese that year. Fighting was intense as the Japanese refused to surrender and the Allies
