WWII Pacific Theater
Jan 19, 2018
WWII Pacific Theater
Before the war…
Japan seeks to expand territory:Why?
• Volcanic Island• Running out of room• Imperialist• Better than everyone?
Japanese Expansion• Korea• Manchuria
• Renamed Manchukuo
• Japanese push southward into China• Natural resources• Raw materials• Slave labor
Japanese Expansion (cont’d)• Threats to colonial British,
French, US• US response:• Cut off sales of scrap iron and oil
• Japanese response: Stop any further actions by United States
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii• December 7, 1941• Combined Japanese attacks:
• Hawaii• Philippines• British Malaysia
• Japanese aircraft carrier group• Attack US fleet at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (cont’d)• Failed to destroy US fleet• Yamamoto feared conflict with US• Over 2,000 dead
• 1,100 + wounded, including civilians
• US aircraft carriers out to sea• USS Arizona
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (cont’d)Results of attack:• Huge success for Japan• Damage to US Navy’s Pacific Fleet
• took time to overcome• limited American ability to strike back
Doolittle’s Raid• Roosevelt wanted way to get back at Japanese• Colonel Doolittle
• Launched 16 modified B-25s from aircraft carrier• No return trip
• Bombed targets in Japan: Tokyo, Osaka, & more• Some pilots killed or captured in China &
Russia• Aftermath: Not much damage, but increased
morale in United States.