Pacific Ocean theater of World War II

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Pacific Ocean campaign
Pearl Harbor – Wake Island – Doolittle Raid – Midway – Aleutian Islands – Guadalcanal – Solomon Islands – Gilbert and Marshall Islands – Marianas and Palau – Volcano and Ryūkyū Islands

Pacific War
China – Pacific Ocean – South-East Asia – South West Pacific – Japan – Manchuria (1945)

The Pacific Ocean theater was one of four major theaters of the Pacific War, between 1941 and 1945. It takes its name from the major Allied command in the theater, known simply as "Pacific Ocean Areas". The theater included most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands. It excluded mainland Asia, the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies, the Territory of New Guinea (including the Bismarck Archipelago) and the western part of the Solomon Islands.

Forces from the Empire of Japan mostly fought units from the United States in the Pacific Ocean theater. Army, navy and air units from New Zealand were also involved. The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Fiji and other countries also contributed ships, planes and/or soldiers.

The Japanese Combined Fleet was led by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, until he was killed in an attack by U.S. fighter planes in April 1943. Yamamoto was succeeded by Admiral Mineichi Koga (1943-44) and Admiral Soemu Toyoda (1944-45).

Admiral Chester Nimitz commanded the vast majority of Allied naval forces in the Pacific Ocean during the period 1941-45. The Allied Pacific Ocean Areas (POA) command was formed in March 1942. The POA was further divided into the North, Central, and South Pacific Areas, wtih subordinate commanders. Nimitz retained direct control of the Central Pacific Area (CENPAC).