In 1941, MacArthur was named commander of the U.S. forces in the Pacific. Not long after, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States entered World War II. At the time, MacArthur was in the Philippines. After attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese turned their attention to the Philippines. They quickly took control and MacArthur, along with his wife and child, had to escape through enemy lines on a small boat. Once MacArthur could gather his forces, he went on the attack. He was an excellent leader and began to win back islands from the Japanese. After several years of fierce fighting, MacArthur and his troops won back the Philippines, delivering a serious blow to the Japanese forces. MacArthur's next job was to invade Japan. However, U.S. leaders decided to use the atomic bomb instead. After atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan surrendered. MacArthur accepted the official Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945.