1 The War in the Pacific Angela Brown Chapter 24 Section 3.

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The War in the Pacific

Angela Brown

Chapter 24 Section 3

Learning Targets:

• Summarize the Japanese advance in the Pacific in 1941 and 1942 and describe Allied victories that turned the tide of war.

• List the Allied struggle for the Pacific islands, including Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

• Describe the Manhattan Project and its effect on bringing an end to the war.

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• Just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese war planes based in China hit Clark Field, the main American air base in the Philippines Islands.

• American troops had occupied the Philippines since the Spanish-American War in 1898

• Japanese rejoiced over their victory – but were puzzled – Didn’t the Americans know the war had started?

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The Japanese Advance, 1941-1942

• Gen Douglas MacArthur, the commanding general at Clark Field had not expected an immediate attack.

• ½ MacArthur’s air force was destroyed.• Within days, a large Japanese force landed in the

Philippines• MacArthur withdrew to the Bataan Peninsula and

waited to be evacuated by Navy

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General MacArthur

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The Philippines Fall

• After 4 months, FDR ordered MacArthur to escape to Australia – Mac Arthur promised “I Shall Return”

• 2000 soldiers and nurses escaped to Corregidor in Manila Bay and joined the forts defenders– lived in tunnels of fortress.

• Running low on ammunition and food over 11,000 American and Filipinos surrendered on May 6, 1942

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Bataan Death March

• Bataan Death March – 76,000 marched in groups of 500 to 1000, 60 miles to railroad, shipped to prison camps.

• 10,000 died on 6-12 day march weakened by little food and medicine – many executed

• General blamed for organizing march was 1 of 6 Japanese executed for war crimes.

• Took 3 years for news to reach America – 3 soldiers escaped from their prison camp

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The War at Sea

• The Battle of Coral Sea, first naval combat carried out entirely by aircraft.

• 1942 a largely American naval group halted a Japanese Advance by engaging a superior enemy fleet in the Coral Sea, Northeast of Australia.

• Enemy Ships never came within sight of one another.

• Planes launched from aircraft carriers 70 miles away

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Battle of Coral Sea

• Within 5 days each lost ½ aircraft.

• American aircraft carrier Lexington destroyed; Yorktown heavily damaged.

• Japanese – one carrier sank, another lost most of planes, third put out of action.

• Battle a draw but blocked Japanese invasion of Australia.

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Allied Victories Turn the Tide

• The battles for Midway Island and Guadalcanal changed the course of the war in the Pacific .

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http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/images/si/midway_map2.jpg

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The Battle of Midway

• Japanese Admiral Yamamota believed the War would be won or lost due to American Naval power.

• He knew America would use all resources to protect Midway – vital to defense of Hawaii.

• Hoped to lure U.S. navy to Battle at Midway and destroy – committed a large part of Japanese forces to plan.

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• June 1942 – battle fought entirely by air.

• U.S. planes found Japanese carriers while loading bombs on planes – quickly destroyed three carriers (ignited bombs on deck) – 4th destroyed while escaping

• After Midway, Japan was unable to launch anymore offensive operations.

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Checking Your Knowledge:1. What part of the world were the battles of

Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal fought?

2. Just hours after they bombed Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked…

3. With the words “I shall return,” General Douglas MacArthur promised to…

4. The Allies sunk all four Japanese carriers and 250 planes at…

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The Battle of Guadalcanal

• First offensive goal capture Guadalcanal in Solomon Island – Aug. 1942

• 11,000 Marines landed – 2200 Japanese fled into Jungle

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The Battle of Guadalcanal

• Months of fighting – now controlled water around Guadalcanal

• First taste of jungle warfare – U.S. marines easy targets for snipers.

• Feb 1943 – Japanese withdraw undetected until Marines found empty boats on beach.

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Struggle of Islands

• American forces began Island Hopping – a strategy of selectively attacking or by passing specific enemy held islands.

• Island Hopping in the Pacific• Solomon Islands Gilbert Islands Tarawa

Island Marshall Islands seized Kwajalein and Eniwetok Mariana Islands now able to drop bombs on Japanese cites

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The Philippines Campaign

• Summer 1944 – Gen. MacArthur convinced FDR to free Filipino people.

• 160,000 American troops invaded in October – secured beach.

• Mac Arthur came ashore with news cameras “People of the Philippines, I have returned.”

• Greatest naval battle of world history developed off the coast.

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• 280 ships – 3 day battle of Leyte Gulf.

• First use of Kamikazes or suicide planes.

• Japanese navy virtually destroyed.

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• Land forces – Leyte Battle took 2 months, 80,000 killed.

• Manila took 1 month, Manila destroyed, 100,000 Filipino civilians dead.

• It was June 1945 before Philippines securely in Allied hands.

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Iwo Jima

• Battle of Iwo Jima – one of the bloodiest of the war – 700 miles from Japan

• November 1944 – American bombers pounded Iwo Jima from Marianas for 74 days.

• February 1945 – marines stormed beaches, in three days of combat the marines moved 700 yards inland.

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• 110,000 American troops vs. 25000 Japanese – took months to secure the island

• Japanese fought to death only 216 taken prisoner.

• 25,000 American causalities – 27 medals of honor

• Admiral Nimitz – “uncommon valor was a common virtue”.

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Okinawa

• The Battle of Okinawa – April to June 1945 – 100,000 Japanese – 350 miles from Japan.

• Last obstacle to Allied invasion of Japanese homeland – prepared to fight to the death.

• U.S. 1300 warships, 180,000 combat troops.• Japanese pilots flew 2000 kamikaze attacks.

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• Banzai attacks – attacks designed to kill as many enemy as possible while dying in battle

• Only 7200 Japanese remained to surrender

• U.S. lost 50,000 troops – costliest engagement of Pacific war

• Opened way for Japanese Invasion

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The Manhattan Project

• August 1939 – FDR received a letter from Jewish Physicist Albert Einstein (sought refuge in U.S. from Nazi’s) – hinted at new type of bomb

• Manhattan Project – FDR concerned Germans not develop this weapon first – organized top secret development of a bomb

• July 1945 – field tested world’s first atomic bomb in the desert of New Mexico (blew a huge crater in the Earth and shattered windows 125 miles away.

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“Little Boy”

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The Decision to Drop the Bomb

• Allied planners had already worked out a plan for a massive invasion of Japan.

• A naval blockade or continued conventional bombing could also defeat Japan.

• Demonstrate new weapon on a deserted island to show Japanese its awesome power.

• Soften insistence on unconditional surrender.• Interim committee of scientists, military leaders

and government officials – Spring 1945

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• The heavy American casualties at Iwo Jima and Okinawa were a factor in the committees unanimous support for using the bomb.

• Harry Truman made the final decision. (barely three months after FDR’s sudden death in April 1945)

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• Truman had no difficulty making up his mind – he considered the bomb to be a military weapon that should be used.

• Truman never regretted his decision – despite controversy that arose later.

• “You should do your weeping at Pearl Harbor,” Truman told critics in 1963.

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Japan Surrenders

• August 6, 1945 – American planes dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima – city with a large naval base

• 140,000 died in explosion or soon after – 90% of buildings damaged or destroyed

• 3 days later a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki = similar devastation

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“Fat Man”

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• August 14, 1945 – Japan accepted Americans terms for surrender

• Formal surrender signed aboard U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

• THE LONG DESTRUCTIVE WAR FINALLY ENDED.

Checking your Knowledge:• The goal of the Manhattan Project was to…

• What finally brought an end to World War II?

• An important strategy used by American forces in the Pacific was…

• What were some alternatives to using the atomic bomb against Japan? Do you think any of these alternatives would have been better than the actions taken? Explain.

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