Controlling the Ryukyu Islands would allow the Americans to finally sever Japan from its South Asian empire. 

US code breakers deciphering Japanese naval messages provided an opportunity for vengeance in April 1943 after intercepting the travel plans of Japan’s naval commander in chief, the mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In October 1944, the largest naval battle ever fought raged in the Pacific. The Battle of Leyte Gulf ended in American victory—but the outcome could have been very different.

When Jefferson Joseph DeBlanc entered Guadalcanal, the United States had been fighting a defensive campaign against Japanese attempts to retake Henderson Airfield and dominate the surrounding seas. 

NEW ORLEANS (June 5, 2007) – On June 6, the anniversary of the original D-Day invasion at Normandy, the National World War II Museum in N...