1. Ch. 14: World War II, 1930-1945

2.  Followed by string of Japanese victories  Singapore, Hong Kong, Burma, several pacific islands, and the Philippines fell in April, 1942  The Bataan Death March  Japanese forced 70,000 American & Filipino POWs to march up Bataan Peninsula to distant prison camp  Tropical heat, starvation, lack of water, and brutal treatment resulted in 600 American deaths; thousands more died while at the prison camp

4. Battle of the Coral Sea (May,1942)  Japanese plan to attack British in New Guinea (Northeast of Australia)  Allies attack Japan first; both lose a carrier but 1 st time Japan had been stopped Battle of Midway (June, 1942)  Japanese hoped to capture U.S. base at Midway Island and lure U.S. navy into sea battle  Although U.S. outnumbered, it had broken Japanese code so was able to plan defense in advance  Tremendous U.S. victory as they sunk 4 Japanese carriers while losing only one; turning pt. of war in Pacific

5. U.S. followed strategy known as leapfrogging  Took weaker islands while skipping over Japanese strongholds, moving ever closer to Japan itself  Cut off from its supply routes, the strongholds would eventually fall on their own 1942-’44: US Marines fought series of death struggles with Japanese forces entrenched on island fortresses  Guadalcanal; the Solomon, Gilbert, Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana Islands

6. Battle of Leyte Gulf- October, 1944  Largest naval battle ever in history of world  First major battle in U.S.’s attempt to retake the Philippines  Japanese 1 st use of kamikazes, sinking tons of Allied ships but failing to win the battle  It would still take several more months of war to defeat Japan, but her control of the Pacific had come to an end