What major events happened in 1942?
1942
- Germany suffers setbacks at Stalingrad and El Alamein.
- Singapore falls to the Japanese in February – around 25,000 prisoners taken.
- American naval victory at Battle of Midway, in June, marks turning point in Pacific War.
- Mass murder of Jewish people at Auschwitz begins.
Why did the US attack the island of Guadalcanal?
The Allied plan to invade the southern Solomons was conceived by U.S. Admiral Ernest King, Commander in Chief, United States Fleet. He proposed the offensive to deny the use of the islands by the Japanese as bases to threaten the supply routes between the United States and Australia and to use them as starting points.
Why was Guadalcanal called the island of Death?
Guadalcanal was an “island of death from starvation” after Japanese troops saw their supply lines of food and weapons cut, said Suzuki, 97. But they quickly became short of food as they had been sent to the island on the assumption that they could take food from captured Allied forces.
Why was Guadalcanal significant?
Guadalcanal marked the decisive Allied transition from defensive operations to the strategic initiative in the Pacific theater, leading to offensive operations such as the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and Central Pacific campaigns that eventually resulted in Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II.
Why was Guadalcanal important to the US?
[10] From victory at Guadalcanal, the Allies were able to launch the Central Pacific drive and subsequent offensive operations against which the Japanese could only defend with fewer and fewer naval, aerial, and army assets. Guadalcanal, not Midway, probably turned the tide irreversibly for the Allies in the Pacific.
What was 1942 Famous?
Important events of 1942, including the battle of El Alamein in North Africa (pictured to the left). Japanese forces start to attack the Philippines. The Allies in the south-west Pacific set up a combined force ABDA (American, British, Dutch and Australia) under the command of General Sir Archibald Wavell.
What is the peculiarity of 1942?
9 August – Indian leader, Mohandas Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces. August – Newly married couple Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi are arrested for their participation in Quit India movement. 16 October – Hurricane and flooding in Bombay: 40,000 dead.
What did marines eat on Guadalcanal?
The men ashore were left without sufficient medical provisions, and very little of their own food. Following their rapid capture of the airfield the day after landing, the Marines seized large stores of Japanese rice. Rice became the main item on the menu until early November for the Marines ashore.
What is Guadalcanal called today?
Guadalcanal (/ˌɡwɑːdəlkəˈnæl/; indigenous name: Isatabu) is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the second by population (after Malaita).