![]() During March, the Dutch had been overwhelmed in Sumatra and Java, with their vital oilfields falling into Japanese hands.īy May, British resistance in Burma had collapsed, and their forces were in the final stages of a humiliating rout back to the Indian frontier. The vital port of Rabaul, at the tip of New Britain, had been lost in February as well, giving the Japanese a crucial base near the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. The British had been crushed in Hong Kong, Malaya, and Borneo, ending with the humiliating surrender of Singapore in February. Practically the entire western Pacific basin was now under Japanese control. Official US Navy photograph courtesy of the US Navy Naval History and Heritage CommandĪt the beginning of May, 1942, the Japanese Empire was wrapping up the triumphant initial campaigns which had initiated its war in the Pacific. Top image: USS Yorktown (CV-5) conducts aircraft operations in the Pacific sometime before the battle. ![]()
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