Sino (Chinese)-Japanese War

Sino (Chinese)-Japanese War

Japan invades and occupies China

(beyond Manchuria) starting in 1937

Japan takes Shanghai and Beijing

Rape of Nanking

Nationalists lead China – retreat and

fight Japanese

Chinese Communists also fight the

Japanese - fight common enemy but do not

unite

Sino (Chinese)-Japanese War

Nationalists’ Strategy – “trade space for

time”

Retreat into China and drag out war with

Japan to exhaust Japan’s resources

Delay advance of Japanese

○ Ex: 1938 Flooding of Yellow (Huang He) River

Broke dikes

Environmental warfare

Impact on Chinese

Japanese Strategy in the Pacific

Reason for attack

on Pearl Harbor

Japanese attacks

after Pearl Harbor:

Guam

Wake

Hong Kong

Philippines

Malaysia

The Attack on the Philippines

Douglas MacArthur

Weaknesses in

preparation

The Attack on the Philippines

Mistakes made

April 1942 –

U.S.- Filipino forces

surrender

The Bataan Death March

April 1942

The Doolittle Raid – April 1942

US desire to strike back after Pearl

Harbor

Modified B-25 bombers to launch from

aircraft carrier

The Doolittle Raid – April 1942

Bombed Tokyo and other cities

Impact – US

Impact – Japan

Fate of Raiders

Japanese war posters

Japanese war posters

Japanese war posters

Next goal of Japanese:

Isolate Australia

Strategic importance of Port Moresby –

New Guinea

Next goal: Isolate Australia

Strategic importance of Port Moresby –

New Guinea

Japanese attack – U.S. expects

May 1942 - Battle of the Coral Sea

Naval history significance – air craft carriers

Numerical victory for Japan

Strategic victory for Allies – Australia safe

Japanese want to extend

defensive perimeter – why?

Battle of Midway – June 1942

Reason for Japanese attack on Midway

Defensive perimeter

Lure U.S. carriers from Pearl Harbor

U.S. knows they are coming – prepared

Battle of Midway

Impact of Midway – Turning point

Loss of 4 Japanese carriers - key to naval

warfare

Loss of skilled Japanese pilots

First clear cut victory by Allies in Pacific

Japanese offensive ends

Allied Strategy in the Pacific

Central Pacific Attack – From Hawaii –

led by Admiral Nimitz

Southern Pacific Attack – From Australia

led by MacArthur

Leapfrogging

reason

Guadalcanal

Aug 1942 – February 1943

Allied offensive in the Pacific begins

Strategic importance of Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal

Aug 1942 – February 1943

Allied offensive in the Pacific begins

Strategic importance of Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal becomes a battle of

supplies and reinforcements

Guadalcanal

Aug 1942 – February 1943

Allied offensive in the Pacific begins

Strategic importance of Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal becomes a battle of

supplies and reinforcements

U.S. victory

Tenacity of Japanese soldier revealed

Jungle warfare – Pacific islands

First Japanese land defeat but costly