Describe the major battles and results in the Pacific theater of World War II.
1. Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941: The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; the U.S. suffered heavy losses of ships and planes, and entered the war.
2. Battle of Midway - June 4-7, 1942: U.S. forces destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers and several other ships, turning the tide of the war in the Pacific in favor of the Allies.
3. Guadalcanal Campaign - August 1942 - February 1943: U.S. Marines and other Allied forces invaded the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and engaged in a brutal six-month battle before ultimately driving out the Japanese.
4. Battle of Leyte Gulf - October 23-26, 1944: Considered the largest naval battle in history, the combined Allied fleet defeated the Japanese and secured their hold on the Philippines.
5. Battle of Iwo Jima - February 19 - March 26, 1945: U.S. Marines engaged in a month-long battle against Japanese forces on the island of Iwo Jima, resulting in significant casualties for both sides.
6. Battle of Okinawa - April 1 - June 22, 1945: Considered the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War, the U.S. and Allied forces engaged in a three-month-long battle against the Japanese on the island of Okinawa, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians.
7. Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - August 6 and 9, 1945: The United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.