The Pacific Theater

Chapter 19 Section 2-4

Fall of the Philippines Japanese attack US controlled Philippines

December 7, 1941 – same day as Pearl Harbor US and Filipino forces retreat to the Bataan Peninsula

Lack of supplies and disease hurt the troops April 9, 1942 – US and Filipino forces surrender to the

Japanese They begin the Bataan Death March

Bataan Death March – 78,000 POW’s forced to march 65 miles to a Japanese prison camp

Thousands die on this march

The Doolittle Raid FDR wants to bomb Tokyo

Payback for Pearl Harbor, raise US morale James Doolittle commands the mission

Aircraft carriers had to bring long range bombers close enough to bomb Tokyo After bombing Tokyo the B-25 bombers had to land in

China b/c they were too big to land on the aircraft carriers

April 18, 1942 – US bombs fall on Japan for the first time!

Yamamoto’s Plan Yamamoto – commander of the Japanese

naval fleet Wants to attack Midway Island – last US base in

North Pacific, west of Hawaii Yamamoto b/l by attacking Midway he would lure

the US fleet into battle and that would allow him to destroy the remaining American fleet, but…

US know about Japanese plan to attack Midway b/c we had already broken Japanese code

Battle of Midway (June 1942) Japanese launch aircraft against Midway, but

they are heading into an ambush Broken code – we know they are coming! The Japanese planes run into anti-aircraft fire and

38 of their planes will be shot down

US then launches a counter attack US sinks 4 Japanese aircraft carriers Yamamoto is forced to order a retreat!

A Turning Point!!! Battle of Midway was a turning point in the

Pacific Theater of WWII The Japanese lost 4 of its largest aircraft carriers

The heart of their naval fleet!

Only 6 months after Pearl Harbor the US had stopped Japanese advancement in the Pacific!!!

Two-Pronged Plan Island Hopping to Japan

Hop from one island to the next and take control of the island

Each island taken gets the Allies closer to the mainland of Japan

Led by Admiral Nimitz

Retake the Philippines Douglas MacArthur would launch an invasion to

retake the Philippines

Retaking the Philippines Invasion of Guadalcanal

August 1942 – take the airfield

Retaking the Philippines October 1944 – US assembles a huge invasion Battle of Leyte Gulf – largest naval battle in history

1st time Japanese use kamikaze attacks Kamikaze – “divine wind” – pilots deliberatly crash

their planes into US ships killing themselves, but inflicting severe damage all at the same time

Iwo Jima (Feb. 1945) US attack on Japanese island of Iwo Jima

We take control of the island 6 marines raise the flag on Mt. Suribachi Estimated 28,000 men died at Iwo Jima

More than 6,800 US soldiers died Of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers, only 1083

survived Iwo Jima

US Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima

Firebombing in Japan (March 1945) US B-29 bombers drop bombs filled w/ napalm on

Japanese cities Napalm – jellied gasoline – starts fires when bomb

explodes Very controversial b/c it would kill Japanese civilians, but

it was the quickest way to destroy Japan’s war production In Tokyo alone firebombing killed over 80,000 people and

destroyed more than 250,000 buildings

US firebombed 67 Japanese cities by the end of WWII

Okinawa (April 1945) US assault on Japanese island of Okinawa

Largest amphibious assault in the Pacific campaign in WWII

More than 12,000 US soldiers died Estimated over 100,000 Japanese soldiers died Estimated 125,000 Japanese civilian lives lost

Battle of Okinawa

Potsdam Conference (July 1945) FDR died in April 1945, Truman now president

Truman meets Stalin at Potsdam, near Berlin

Issues at the conference… Truman demands free elections throughout Eastern

Europe Stalin refuses this b/c he b/l any elected govt. would

be an anti-Soviet govt. and hostile to the Soviets Stalin wants military security

He wants communism to spread in Eastern Europe

Dropping the Atomic Bomb Manhattan Project – codename for building

the atomic bomb Why drop the bomb?

To save US lives – Truman knew there would be huge casualties if we invaded Japan

Truman b/l it was his duty to save as many US lives as possible

Bomb Dropped! Hiroshima – August 6, 1945

B-29 bomber named the “Enola Gay” dropped the 1st atomic bomb named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima

B/w 80,000 and 120,000 people died instantly and thousands more died later from radiation

Nagasaki – August 9, 1945 US dropped the 2nd atomic bomb name “Fat Man” on

Nagasaki B/w 35,000 and 75,000 people died instantly and more

died later from radiation

Images of the A-Bomb

Mushroom Cloud from “Fat Man”

Building located miles from bomb site

Japanese Surrender! Emperor Hirohito forced the Japanese

military leaders to surrender Japan surrendered August 14, 1945 V-J Day – August 15, 1945

Victory in Japan Day

WWII is finally over!!!

Cost of WWII Total war casualties…

Estimated 17 million died in battle Estimated 20 million civilians died Estimated 6 million Jews died 9-10 million other “undesirables” died

Some place the total number of lives lost around 50 million

Enemy on Trial International Military Tribunal – organized by the

US, Britain, France, and the Soviets Bring trials of war criminals

Nuremburg Trials German leaders suspected of committing war crimes are

put on trial

Similar trials were held in Tokyo for wartime Japan leaders The emperor was not indicted for fear of an uprising

Post WWII World United Nations is created – peace keeping

organization Each member has a representative w/ one vote Each Allied country has a permanent seat on the

Security Council of 11 members Allied countries have a veto power

After WWII peace was not achieved The Cold War b/g virtually b/f WWII ends Cold War was mainly political tensions that lasted until

the 1990’s

The New Struggle Cold War with USSR

US is worried that Soviets are trying to spread communism around world and threaten US govt.

Soviets b/g to see US foreign policy as a threat to their communist govt.

Winston Churchill said… An “iron curtain...(had)…descended across the

continent…” dividing Europe into two hostile camps Stalin said Churchill’s speech was “…a call to war

with the Soviet Union…”