THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR II

In order to defeat Japan and end the war in the Pacific, the United States unleashes a terrible new weapon, the atomic bomb.

Learning Objectives:The War in the Pacific

• 1. Identify key turning points in the war in the Pacific.

• 2. Describe the Allied offensive against the Japanese.

• 3. Explain both the development of the atomic bomb and debates about its use.

• 4. Describe the challenges faced by the Allies in building a just and lasting peace.

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The Allies Stem the Japanese Tide

Japanese Advances• In first 6 months after Pearl Harbor, Japan

conquers empire• Gen. Douglas MacArthur leads Allied forces

in Philippines• March 1942 U.S., Filipino troops trapped on

Bataan Peninsula• FDR orders MacArthur to leave; thousands of

troops remain

The War in the Pacific3SECTION

Doolittle’s Raid• April 1942, Lt. Col. James Doolittle leads raid

on Tokyo

Continued . . .

SECTION 3: THE WAR IN THE

PACIFIC• The Americans did

not celebrate long, as Japan was busy conquering an empire that dwarfed Hitler’s Third Reich

• Japan had conquered much of southeast Asia including the Dutch East Indies, Guam, and most of China

• A – In what ways were the American victory at Midway and the Japanese triumph at Pearl Harbor alike?– Both were surprise naval attacks that

resulted in substantial destruction of the Japanese fleet.

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continued The Allies Stem the Japanese Tide

Battle of the Coral Sea• May 1942, U.S., Australian soldiers stop

Japanese drive to Australia• For first time since Pearl Harbor, Japanese

invasion turned back

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The Battle of Midway• Admiral Chester Nimitz commands U.S. naval

forces in Pacific• Allies break Japanese code, win Battle of

Midway, stop Japan again• Allies advance island by island to Japan

BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA

• The main Allied forces in the Pacific were Americans and Australians

• In May 1942 they succeeded in stopping the Japanese drive toward Australia in the five-day Battle of the Coral Sea

• B – Why was the Battle of Leyte Gulf so crucial to the Allies?– The Battle was a disaster for the Japan.

From then on, the Imperial Navy played only a minor role in the defense of Japan.

THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY• Japan’s next thrust was

toward Midway Island – a strategic Island northwest of Hawaii

• Admiral Chester Nimitz, the Commander of American Naval forces in the Pacific, moved to defend the Island

• The Americans won a decisive victory as their planes destroyed 4 Japanese aircraft carriers and 250 planes

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The Allied Offensive• Allied offensive begins August 1942 in Guadalcanal• October 1944, Allies converge on Leyte Island in

Philippines- return of MacArthur

The Allies Go on the Offensive

The Japanese Defense• Japan uses kamikaze attack—pilots crash

bomb-laden planes into ships• Battle of Leyte Gulf is a disaster for Japan

- Imperial Navy severely damaged; plays minor role after

Continued . . .

•The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war – soon the Allies were island hopping toward Japan

KAMIKAZE PILOTS ATTACK

ALLIES• The Americans

continued leapfrogging across the Pacific toward Japan

• Japanese countered by employing a new tactic – Kamikaze (divine wind) attacks

• Pilots in small bomb-laden planes would crash into Allied ships

In the Battle for the Philippines, 424 Kamikaze pilots sank 16 ships and

damaged 80 more

The War in the PacificThe War in the Pacific

Date and Place

Leaders Involved

What happened?

Bataan; (Douglas) MacArthur;

the Allies held out for four months against invading Japanese forces before abandoning the peninsula.

Midway; (Chester W.) Nimitz;

Americans turned back a Japanese invasion force headed for Hawaii.

Guadalcanal: MacArthur; Americans dealt Japan its first defeat on land.

Leyte Gulf: MacArthur; Americans retook the Philippines and dealt a devastating blow to the Japanese navy.

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Iwo Jima• Iwo Jima critical as base from which planes can

reach Japan• 6,000 marines die taking island; of 20,700

Japanese, 200 survive

continued The Allies Go on the Offensive

The Battle for Okinawa• April 1945 U.S. Marines invade Okinawa• April–June: 7,600 U.S. troops, 110,000 Japanese die• Allies fear invasion of Japan may mean 1.5 million

Allied casualties

IWO JIMA• General MacArthur and the Allies next turned to the Island of Iwo Jima

• The island was critical to the Allies as a base for an attack on Japan

• It was called the most heavily defended spot on earth

• Allied and Japanese forces suffered heavy casualties

American soldiers plant the flag on the Island of Iwo Jima after their

victory

THE BATTLE FOR OKINAWA• In April 1945, U.S.

marines invaded Okinawa

• The Japanese unleashed 1,900 Kamikaze attacks sinking 30 ships and killing 5,000 seamen

• Okinawa cost the Americans 7,600 marines and the Japanese 110,000 soldiers

INVADE JAPAN?• After Okinawa,

MacArthur predicted that a Normandy type amphibious invasion of Japan would result in 1,500,000 Allied deaths

• President Truman saw only one way to avoid an invasion of Japan . . .

The loss of life at Iwo Jima and Okinawa convinced Allied leaders that an invasion

of Japan was not the best idea

Okinawa

• C – Why was Okinawa a significant island in the war in the Pacific?– It was the last island that stood between

the Allies and a final assault on Japan. – The battle itself was a foretaste of what

the Allies imagined the final invasion of Japan would be.

The War in the PacificThe War in the Pacific

Date and Place

Leaders Involved What happened?

Iwo Jima: MacArthur;. in a fierce battle, the Allies took the island from Japan

Okinawa: MacArthur; the Allies took the island from Japan.

Tokyo Bay; Hirohito, MacArthur;

Japan formally surrendered.

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The Manhattan Project• J. Robert Oppenheimer is research director of

Manhattan Project• July 1945, atomic bomb tested in New Mexico desert• President Truman orders military to drop 2 atomic

bombs on Japan

The Atomic Bomb Ends the War

Hiroshima and Nagasaki• August 6, Hiroshima, major military center,

destroyed by bomb• 3 days later, bomb dropped on city of Nagasaki• September 2, 1945 Japan surrenders

ATOMIC BOMB DEVELOPED

• Japan had a huge army that would defend every inch of the Japanese mainland

• So Truman decided to use a powerful new weapon developed by scientists working on the Manhattan Project – the Atomic Bomb

U.S. DROPS TWO ATOMIC BOMBS

ON JAPAN

• Truman warned Japan in late July 1945 that without a immediate Japanese surrender, it faced “prompt and utter destruction”

• On August 6 (Hiroshima) and August 9 (Nagasaki) a B-29 bomber dropped Atomic Bombs on Japan

The plane and crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima,

Japan

August 6, 1945

HIROSHIMA

August 9, 1945 NAGASAKI

JAPAN SURRENDERS

At the White House, President Harry Truman announces the Japanese

surrender, August 14, 1945

• Japan surrendered days after the second atomic bomb was dropped

• General MacArthur said, “Today the guns are silent. The skies no longer rain death . . .the entire world is quietly at peace.”

The War in the Pacific

The Science WarDate and Place Leaders Involved What happened?

Los Alamos; (J. Robert) Oppenheimer;

the first atomic bomb was built, successfully completing Manhattan Project.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

Truman; first atomic bombs were dropped.

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The Yalta Conference• February 1945, FDR, Churchill, Stalin meet in Yalta

- discuss post-war world• FDR, Churchill concession: temporarily divide

Germany into 4 parts• Stalin promises free elections in Eastern Europe;

will fight Japan• FDR gets support for conference to establish United

Nations

Rebuilding Begins

Human Costs of the War• WW II most destructive war in human history

Continued . . .

THE YALTA CONFERENCE

• In February 1945, as the Allies pushed toward victory in Europe, an ailing FDR met with Churchill and Stalin at the Black Sea resort of Yalta in the USSR

• A series of compromises were worked out concerning postwar Europe (L to R) Churchill, FDR and Stalin

at Yalta

YALTA AGREEMENTS• 1) They agreed to divide Germany into 4 occupied zones

after the war• 2) Stalin agreed to free elections in Eastern Europe• 3) Stalin agreed to help the U.S. in the war against Japan

and to join the United Nations

• E – What decisions did Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin make at the Yalta Conference?– They agreed to a temporary division of

Germany into four zones;– Stalin promised that the Soviet occupied

Eastern European countries would have free elections;

– Stalin agreed to defeat Japan;– Stalin agreed to establish the United

Nations.

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The Nuremberg War Trials• Nuremberg trials—24 Nazi leaders tried, sentenced

- charged with crimes against humanity, against the peace, war crimes

• Establish principle that people responsible for own actions in war

continued Rebuilding Begins

The Occupation of Japan• MacArthur commands U.S. occupation forces in

Japan• Over 1,100 Japanese tried, sentenced• MacArthur reshapes Japan’s economy, government

• D – Why was Roosevelt anxious to make concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of Postwar Germany?– FDR wanted Soviet help in the war against

Japan; – He also wanted soviet cooperation in

establishing the United Nations.

NUREMBERG WAR TRIALS

• The discovery of Hitler’s death camps led the Allies to put 24 surviving Nazi leaders on trial for crimes against humanity, crimes against the peace, and war crimes

• The trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany• “I was only following orders” was not an acceptable defense as 12

of the 24 were sentenced to death and the others to life in prison

Herman Goering, Hitler's right-hand man and chief architect of the German war effort, testifies at his trial.

He was found guilty of war crimes but avoided execution by swallowing potassium cyanide.

THE OCCUPATION OF JAPAN

• Japan was occupied by U.S. forces under the command of General MacArthur

• During the seven- year occupation, MacArthur reshaped Japan’s economy by introducing free-market practices that led to a remarkable economic recovery

• Additionally, he introduced a liberal constitution that to this day is called the MacArthur Constitution

The War in the Pacific

Planning and Rebuilding for PeaceDate and Place Leaders Involved What happened?

Yalta: Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill;

at the Yalta Conference, Allied leaders made important decisions about the postwar world.

San Francisco: N/A United Nations (UN) established

Nuremberg: Jackson; at the Nuremberg trials, Nazi leaders were tried for wartime crimes