*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the Philippines, the firebombing of Tokyo, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the use of the atomic bombs, and more. *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents By the spring of 1943, American military planners had begun to create a plan to dislodge Japan from east and southeast Asia. To do so, parts of the Philippines were considered main strategic points in the potential Allied attack in the Pacific. The end goal of the Allied plan was an invasion of the Japanese home islands, in which heavy aerial bombardment would precede a ground assault. In order for this to occur, Allied forces would have to occupy areas surrounding Japan, with China adding to Luzon (the largest island in the Philippines) and Formosa (a large island off the coast of China) to create a triangle from which they could launch their bombers.