Western Pacific Political Map, 1939


This is a map showing the Western Pacific on the eve of the Second World War. The Japanese had taken many of the German mandates north of the equator into their own empire. The Japanese were particularly concerned that American islands would be used by the US Navy to disrupt their operations southwards towards the oil rich Dutch East Indies. Hence their neutralisation of the US fleet at Pearl Harbour.


Pacific | Pacific Region Maps


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by Stephen Luscombe