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Fun Trivia : Pacific War Encyclopedia FunTrivia

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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information

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    Pacific War

    Pearl Harbor was the headquarters of the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet. On December 7, 1941 who held that post?The Pacific War-Part I

      Husband E. Kimmel. Kimmel was found guilty of dereliction of duty. He published his side of the controversy in his book 'Admiral Kimmel's Story' in 1955.

    Who were the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy, respectively, at the outbreak of the war with Japan?The Pacific War-Part I

      Henry L. Stimson and Frank Knox. Stimson served as Secretary of War throughout WWII. He had also held that post in the Taft administration (1911-1913). Like Stimson, Knox was also a republican. Knox was a newspaperman by trade and rode with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders in Cuba.

    Who was the Commanding General, U.S. Army Hawaiian Department on December 7, 1941?The Pacific War-Part I

      Walter C. Short. Short was relieved of command after Pearl Harbor. He retired in 1942.

    Who was United States Ambassador to Japan on December 7, 1941?The Pacific War-Part I

      Joseph C. Grew. Grew began his diplomatic career in 1905. He was sponsored by Teddy Roosevelt because he had shot a Chinese tiger.

    Who was Chief of Naval Operations on December 7, 1941?The Pacific War-Part I

      Harold R. Starke. Starke was relieved as CNO in 1942 and became Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe.

    Who was Chief of the Japanese Naval General Staff at the outbreak of the war?The Pacific War-Part I

      Osami Nagano. Nagano studied law at Harvard. He died while on trial for war crimes in 1947.

    Who was the Japanese Ambassador to the United States on December 7, 1941?The Pacific War-Part I

      Kichisaburo Nomura. Nomura was a retired admiral. Saburo Kurusu had been the ambassador to Nazi Germany. Prior to the outbreak of hostilties, Kurusu was sent to Washington as a special envoy.

    What was 'Rainbow 5'?The Pacific War-Part I

      Basic U.S. Navy War Plan. There were five 'Rainbow' plans. Each assumed different alliances and strategies. 'Rainbow 5' assumed alliances with Great Britain and France, a 'Europe First' strategy, and a strategic defensive in the Pacific until the defeat of Germany.

    Who was the Japanese tactical mastermind of the attack on Pearl Harbor?The Pacific War-Part I

      Minoru Genda.

    What two U.S. aircraft carriers sortied from Pearl Harbor prior to the Japanese attack?The Pacific War-Part I

      Lexington and Enterprise. Saratoga was on the west coast for repairs. Lexington was ferrying aircraft to Midway and Enterprise was conducting search operations west of Hawaii.

    Who was Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet Intelligence Officer at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?The Pacific War-Part I

      Edwin T. Layton. Rochefort was commander of the Combat Intelligence Unit at Pearl Harbor. Layton remained at this post for the entire war. He was the only one of Kimmel's staff officers retained by Nimitz.

    The Combat Intelligence Unit in Hawaii was called?The Pacific War-Part I

      Station Hypo. Station Cast was at Corregidor in the Phillipines. The 'H' in Hypo stood for Hawaii.

    What did the U.S. Navy call the Japanese Navy's operational code?The Pacific War-Part I

      JN25. This code was broken repeatedly by cryptanalysts at OP-20-G.

    What was the name given to the Japanese diplomatic cipher?The Pacific War-Part I

      The Purple Code. This code was broken by Army Signal Intelligence in 1940.

    What was the name of Admiral Nagumo's flagship for the Pearl Harbor attack?The Pacific War-Part I

      Akagi. All four of these aircraft carriers were later sunk at the Battle of Midway.

    On September 24, 1941 the Japanese Foreign Ministry sent a message to the Japanese consulate in Honolulu requesting reports on ships at anchor in Pearl Harbor. What was this message called?The Pacific War-Part I

      Bomb Plot Message. Officials never appreciated the significance of this message.

    The Japanese diplomatic message which severed diplomatic relations with the U.S. contained how many parts?The Pacific War-Part I

      14. This message was being translated from Japanese to English at the Japanese Embassy while bombs were dropping on Pearl Harbor.

    Which naval battle is considered the greatest in History?World War Two Pacific

      Leyte Gulf. The Battle of Leyte Gulf. The Japanese lost thirty-four ships, including four aircraft carriers and three battleships. The U.S. lost six ships, including one light aircraft carrier (USS Princeton) and two escort carriers (USS Gambier Bay and USS St. Louis).

    Which is the first U.S. Navy ship named in honor of an African-American?World War Two Pacific

      USS Harmon DE-72. A mess attendant killed saving his shipmate's life during the Guadalcanal campaign, Leonard Roy Harmon was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and was the first black to have a ship named in his honor. His mother christened the destroyer escort USS Harmon DE-72 on July 25, 1943.

    Which was the last U.S. airfield to be captured by the Japanese?World War Two Pacific

      Laohokow, China, 1945. Laohokow, China, was captured near the end of March 1945. The U.S. Fourteenth Air Force destroyed anything of value prior to withdrawing, to deny Japanese use of the base.

    Which U.S. submarine is credited with sinking the largest aircraft carrier in the Japanese fleet?World War Two Pacific

      USS Archerfish SS-311. The largest aircraft carrier of any navy, became part of the Japanese fleet on 11 November 1944, when the Shinano (with a thirty-centimeter-thick deck over concrete) went on-line. However, this ship recorded the briefest period of sea duty of any major ship in the war. The U.S. submarine Archerfish SS-331 torpedoed her and she sank on November 29 in the Kumano Sea. The sinking of the 59,000-ton leviathan was the largest submarine kill of World War Two.

    Which was the first Japanese aircraft carrier sunk by the U.S. Navy in World War Two?World War Two Pacific

      Shoho. The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first naval battle in which opposing forces fought solely with carrier aircraft, the Shoho was sank on May 7, 1942.

    Which battle holds the distinction of being the biggest aircraft carrier engagement of World War II?World War Two Pacific

      The Battle of the Philippine Sea. Much larger than the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Coral Sea combined, the Battle of the Philippine Sea was the largest carrier duel of World War Two. The Allied fleet had fifteen carriers against the Japanese fleet strength of nine, overall fleet sizes were the Allies 112 ships, the Japanese 55 ships.

    How many U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and escort carriers were sunk in World War Two?World War Two Pacific

      Twelve. Five fast U.S. aircraft carriers, the Hornet, Lexington, Princeton, Wasp and Yorktown. Six escort carriers the Bismarck Sea, Block Island, Gambier Bay, Liscome Bay, Ommany Bay and St. Lo. Plus the navies first carrier the USS Langley sunk in the battle of the Java Sea, for a total of twelve U.S. carriers sunk in World War Two.

    Name the only state in the lower 48 that has never had a battleship named after it?World War Two Pacific

      Montana. Work was started on a battleship to be named USS Montana for World War One, and in World War Two a Montana-class was also begun, but in both cases the wars ended before the ships were built and christened. Plus there never was a battleship named for Alaska or Hawaii.

    On what island in the Central Pacific did US Marines make an heroic stand in December 1941?World War II - Pacific Theater

      Wake Island. US Marines repeatedly foiled Japanese attempts to invade and capture Wake Island in December 1941. Only the addition of Japanese reserve ships, planes, and troops turned the tide during the third week of the month. The survivng Marines spent the remainder of the war in Japanese POW camps, where many died.

    On what date did combined Japanese land, air, and naval forces assault the Philippine Islands?World War II - Pacific Theater

      December 8, 1941. Japanese attacks on both American and British colonies in Asia were coordinated with their December 7, 1941 attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. The attack on US forces in the Philippines occurred almost simultaneously, but, because of the International Date Line, the attack on the Philippines took place on December 8, 1941.

    What US Commander was the overall commander of US Army and Aircorps personnel in the Philippines when the Japanese invasion occurred?World War II - Pacific Theater

      Gen. Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur was in command of all US Army and Army Aircorps personnel and Filipino units on Luzon and the other Philippine islands. After he was evacuated to Australia, MacArthur was appointed CINC of all land and air forces in the Southwest Pacific.

    Dive bomber pilots from which US aircraft carrier drew first blood against three of the Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway?World War II - Pacific Theater

      The USS Enterprise. Lt. Cmdr. McClusky's divebombing squadron from the Enterprise spotted a lone Japanese destroyer. Using the ship's wake as a 'compass needle', he turned his squadron northeast, and began an attack that would turn the tide in the Pacific War.

    When did the Battle of Midway occur?World War II - Pacific Theater

      June 4 - 6, 1942. The Battle of Midway occurred less than two weeks after the Battle of the Coral Sea, during which the Yorktown was severely damaged. Crews at Pearl Harbor, working around the clock, patched her together so that she could fight at Midway along with the Enterprise and the Hornet.

    What 'watershed' event for US Ground Forces took place in the South Pacific in early August 1942?World War II - Pacific Theater

      US Marines invaded Guadalcanal. US Marines of the First Division went on the offensive for the first time, landing virtually unopposed on Guadalcanal.

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