ABSTRACT
The German invasion of the Soviet Union brought Britain a powerful ally. Six months later, the Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor brought another. For the United States, war with Japan had been anticipated since 1907. For Japan, the war in China triggered a debate over the requirements of its conquests in Asia. The army sought access to the resources of Southeast Asia and the Dutch East Indies; the navy sought the elimination of American and British naval power in the Western Pacific as the prerequisite to the army’s ambitions. In December 1941 Japan sought to accomplish both simultaneously. The navy’s attack on Pearl Harbor was devastating to the American fleet, yet left its aircraft carriers unscathed. The army’s campaigns throughout the Western Pacific brought enormous resources and far-flung bases under Japanese control. However, naval power was central to Japan’s long-term prospects, and in June 1942 the United States inflicted a critical defeat on the Japanese navy at Midway. Thereafter, American forces seized the offensive initiative in the Pacific with operations at Guadalcanal. Although the United States was committed to a Germany-first policy, it began the greatest naval conflict of its history with Japan.
