| 10 November 1775 |
Continental Congress authorizes raising of two battalions
of Marines |
| 11 July 1798 |
Congress reactivates Marine Corps |
| 10 June 1898 |
Battalion of Marines seizes Guantanamo Bay; preliminary
thinking on Advanced Base concept begin. |
| 13 July 1910 |
Marine School for Advanced Base Training established |
| 25 April 1915 |
Forst modern amphibious assault: Brisith land on Gallipoli |
| 27 April 1917 |
First Marine aviation unit formed: "Marine Aeromautic
Company, Advanced Base Force" |
| 28 June 1919 |
Treaty of Versailles gives Japan mandates for German
islands in Central Pacific |
| 23 July 1921 |
"Operations Plan 712" accepted by Major General Commandant,
establishing Marine Corps concept of strategy in the Pacific |
| 7 December 1933 |
Fleet Marine Force established |
| 15 January 1934 |
Tentative Manual for Landing Operations published |
| 1 September 1939 |
Germans invade Poland; World War II begins |
| 1940 |
|
| 7 May |
Pacific Fleet ordered by President to remain indefinitely
in Hawaiian waters |
| 5 July |
Export Control Act invoked against Japan to prohibit
exportation of strategic materials and equipment |
| 19 July |
President signs Naval Expansion Act containing provisions
for "Two Ocean Navy" |
| 29 September |
Midway Detachment, FMF arrives at Midway |
| 8 October |
U.S. advises its citizens to leave Far East |
| 1941 |
|
| 12 May |
Ambassador Nomura of Japan presents Secretary of State
Cordell Hull with Japanese proposal for a "just peace in the Pacific" |
| 27 May |
President declares a state of unlimited emergency; he
announces that the Atlantic Neutrality Patrol is extended and that
Pactic Fleet units have been transferred to the Atlantic |
| 12 June |
All Naval Reserve personnel not in deferred status are
called to active duty |
| 22 June |
Germany, Italy, and Romania declare war on Russia and
invade along a front from the Arctic to the Black Sea |
| 7 July |
1st Marine Brigade lands in Iceland. 1st Marine Aircraft
Wing forms at Quantico, Va. |
| 10 July |
2d Marine Aircraft Wing forms at San Deigo, Calif. |
| 15 August |
Naval Air Station, Palmyra Island, and Naval Air Facility,
Johnston Island established |
| 11 September |
President orders Navy to attack any vessel threatening U.S.
shipping |
| 14 November |
Marines are ordered to leave Shanghai, Peiping, and
Tientsin, China |
| 20 November |
Ambassador Nomura presents Japan's "final proposal" to keep
peace in the Pacific |
| 26 November |
Secretary of State submits final proposals for adjustment
of U.S.-Japanese relations |
| 27 November |
Adm Stark, CNO, sends war warning to commanders of the
Pacific and Asiatic Fleets |
| 30 November |
Japanese Foreign Minister Tojo rejects U.S. proposals for
settling Far East crisis |
| 7 December |
Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, et.al. |
| 8 December |
U.S.
declares war on Japan. Japan attacks Allied bases in the Pacific
and Far East, and lands on Batan Island north of Luzon, P.I., and on
east coast of Malay Peninsula. U.S. Marines and other Allied nationals
interned at Shanghai, Peiping, and Tientsin, China |
| 9 December |
Japanese occupy Tarawa and Makin Islands in Gilberts |
| 10 December |
Guam surrenders to Japanese landing force |
| 11 December |
U.S.
declares war on Germany and Italy. Wake Island defenders repulse
Japanese landing attempt. Japanese make additional landings in
Philippines |
| 20 December |
Adm E.J. King becomes Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet |
| 21 December |
Naval defense forces in Philippine Islands move
headquarters to Corregidor |
| 22 December |
Japanese land at Lingayen Gulf, P.I. |
| 23 December |
Wake Island surrenders to Japanese |
| 25 December |
British surrender Hong Kong |
| 26 December |
Manila, P.I., declared an open city |
| 31 December |
Adm C.W. Nimitz assumes command of Pacific Fleet at Pearl
Harbor |
| 1942 |
|
| 2 January |
Manila and Cavite, P.I., fall to Japanese |
| 11 January |
Japanese begin invasion of Netherlands East Indies |
| 22 January |
Allied forces evacuate Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea |
| 23 January |
Japanese occupy Rabaul, New Britain, and land at Kieta on
Bougainville in the Solomon Islands |
| 24 January |
Japanese land at Kavieng, New Ireland |
| 1 February |
U.S. carrier task forces raid Japanese positions in the
Gilbert and Marshall Islands |
| 6 February |
U.S. and Britain establish Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) |
| 8 February |
Japanese land at Gasmata, New Britain |
| 9 February |
Japanese land at Singapore |
| 15 February |
Singapore surrenders |
| 27 February |
Battle of Java Sea |
| 1 March |
Battle of Sunda Strait |
| 8 March |
Japanese land at Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea |
| 9 March |
Java surrenders to Japanese, ending conquest of Netherlands
East Indies |
| 10 March |
Japanese invade Finschhafen, New Guinea |
| 11 March |
Gen MacArthur leaves Philippines for Australia |
| 12 March |
U.S. forces arrive in New Caledonia |
| 26 March |
Adm King relieves Adm Stark as Chief of Naval Operation
(CNO) |
| 29 March |
Marines arrive at Efate, New Hebrides |
| 30 March |
Pacific Ocean divided into Pacific Ocean Areas under Adm
Nimitz, and Southwest Pacific Area under Gen MacArthur |
| 1 April |
Japanese occupy Buka Island, Solomons |
| 5 April |
Manus Island, Admiralties, occupied by Japanese |
| 9 April |
Bataan falls to Japanese |
| 18 April |
Doolittle raid strikes Tokyo, Yokosuka, Yokohama, Kobe, and
Nagoya |
| 2 May |
Japanese land on Florida Island, Solomons |
| 3 May |
Japanese occupy Tulagi, Solomons |
| 4-8 May |
Battle of the Coral Sea |
| 6 May |
Corregidor and Manila Bay forts surrender |
| 12 May |
Last U.S. troops in Philippines surrender on Mindanao |
| 28 May |
U.S. forces arrive at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides |
| 3 June |
Japanese bomb Dutch Harbor; land on Kiska and Attu, Western
Aleutians |
| 4-6 June |
Battle of Midway |
| 14 June |
First echelon of 1st Marine Division arrives at Wellington,
New Zealand |
| 19 June |
VAdm Ghormley assumes command of South Pacific Area and
South Pacific Forces |
| 25 June |
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill conclude
conference in Washington; decision reached for combined efforts to
develop atomic bomb |
| 18 July |
Amphibious Force, South Pacific Area, is established under
command of RAdm Turner |
| 21 July |
Japanese land at Buna, New Guinea |
| 7 August |
1st Marine Division land on Florida, Tulagi, Gavutu,
Tanambogo, and Guadalcanal in Southern Solomons to launch the first
U.S. offensive of the war |
| 8 August |
1st MarDiv wins control of Tulagi, Gavutu, Tanambogo and
captures airfield on Guadalcanal |
| 9 August |
Battle of Savo Island forces U.S. ships to retire from
Guadalcanal area, leaving control of waters temporarily to Japanese |
| 17 August |
2d Raider Battalion (Carlson's Raiders) land from
submarines at Makin Island in the Gilberts. Raid is completed following
day |
| 20 August |
First fighter aircraft arrive on Henderson Field,
Guadalcanal |
| 21 August |
Marines turn back first major Japanese attack on
Guadalcanal in Battle of the Tenaru |
| 24-25 August |
Naval Battle of Eastern Solomons |
| 13 September |
Marines repulse second major Japanese ground attack at
Guadalcanal in the Battle of the Ridge |
| 18 September |
7th Marines arrive on Guadalcanal |
| 11-12 October |
Naval Battle of Cape Esperance. U.S. forces under Adm
Spruance engage Japanese ships of the "Tokyo Express" |
| 13 October |
164th Infantry Regiment of Americal Division arrives to
reinforce 1st MarDiv |
| 14 October |
Japanese battleships and cruisers bombard Henderson Field |
| 18 October |
VAdm Halsey relieves VAdm Ghormley as Commander South
Pacific Area and South Pacific Force |
| 20-25 October |
Marines and Army troops fight off heavy ground attacks of
major Japanese counteroffensive |
| 26 October |
Naval Battle of Santa Cruz Island: U.S. force sustains
heavy loss, but checks Japanese movement toward Guadalcanal |
| 8 November |
Allied Expeditionary Force invades North Africa |
| 12 November |
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (12-15 Nov) begins as Japanese
aricraft attack U.S. transports Guadalcanal |
| 13 November |
RAdm Callaghan's task group of cruisers and destroyers
engages Japanese raiding group including two battleships, in second
night of Battle of Guadalcanal. U.S. force heavily damaged, but
Japanese retire |
| 14 November |
Japanese cruisers and destroyers bombard Henderson Field |
| 15 November |
RAdm Lee with two battleships and four destroyers turns
back large Japanese naval group to end naval Battle of Guadalcanal |
| 16 November |
U.S. Army forces land south of Buna, New Guinea |
| 9 December |
MajGen A.A. Vandegrift, CG 1st MarDiv, is relieved by
MajGen A.M. Patch, CG Americal Division, as commanding general of
Guadalcanal. 1st MarDiv make preparations to retire from combat zone to
rehabilitate and retrain |
| 17 December |
U.S. Army forces begin attacks against Japanese in the
Mount Austen area |
| 1943 |
|
| 10 January |
Gen Patch's XIV Corps on Guadalcanal begins offensive to
the west |
| 23 January |
XIV Corps' westward advance captures Kokumbona on
Guadalcanal coast |
| 23 January |
U.S.-Australian counteroffensive secures Buna-Sanananda
area, New Guinea |
| 29-30 January |
Naval Battle of Rennell Island |
| 1 February |
Japanese begin to evacuate troops from Guadalcanal |
| 8 February |
Evacuation of some 11,000 Japanese troops from Guadalcanal
is completed |
| 9 February |
Gen Patch's Cape Esperance envelopment force joins with
western advance and Guadalcanal is declared secure |
