The Pacific Theatre: From Midway to the Missouri 1942-1945 -Derek Smith- MBSS

World War Two Slideshows Danzig to Moscow (Europe 1939-1941) Japanese Expansion (Pacific 1937-1942) Stalingrad to Berlin (Europe 1942-1945) Midway to the Missouri (Pacific 1942-1945) The Holocaust (1933-1945) Derek Smith MBSS

Slideshow Outline Title Operation Downfall WW2 Slideshows The Manhattan Project Slideshow Outline The Bombs The Battle of Midway The Potsdam Declaration Guadalcanal Hiroshima The Battle of Leyte Gulf Nagasaki Iwo Jima Impact of the Bombs Fire Bombing of Tokyo The Debate Roosevelt Dies Surrender Okinawa War Crimes & The Treaty Derek Smith MBSS

The Battle of Midway June 4-6, 1942 This battle is considered a MAJOR turning point in the war, and the most significant battle in the Pacific. The US had broken the Japanese code, and intercepted a Japanese attack on Midway island. It was a definitive success for the US. The US sunk 4 Japanese carriers. The US lost only one carrier. Derek Smith MBSS

Guadalcanal Aug 1942 - Feb 1943 The Japanese were threatening to isolate Australia, and deny the US a South Pacific base. Aug 1942, US Marines launched the first major offensive against the Japanese. The battle for Guadalcanal was a long battle of attrition and a test of supply routes. It ended with a fierce naval battle won by the US Derek Smith MBSS

The Battle of Leyte Gulf Oct of 1944- the US began landing troops on Leyte (in the Philippines) With US attention divided between the landing forces and the ocean, Japan saw an opportunity. The Japanese offered one last naval offensive, a desperate attack to destroy the American fleet. The Japanese were out numbered in men and equipment The US effectively sank the remaining offensive power the Japanese navy had. For Japan, this battle was the decisive loss that led to the end. The USS Reno steams past the burning USS Princeton. Derek Smith MBSS

Iwo Jima In Feb. of 1945, the US attacked the small island of Iwo Jima It was important for its airbases. Kamikaze pilots used it, and US fighters could use it to escort bombers to Japan. It took over a month for the marines to take the tiny island. The Marines lost 6,891 men killed and 18,070 wounded. Of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers on the island, only 212 were taken prisoners. This was the location of the famous picture of Americans raising the US flag on the mountain top. Derek Smith MBSS

Firebombing of Tokyo From the islands Saipan & Tinian, B-29s could reach Japan. Raids started in Feb. 1945 & lasted 7 months. March 9th, 279 B-29s dropped ~1,700 tons of bombs. ~41 km² of the city were destroyed, ~100,000 people died in the resulting firestorm, (more than Hiroshima or Nagasaki). ~50% of Tokyo was destroyed by the end of the war. Derek Smith MBSS

Roosevelt Dies At the Yalta conference in Feb. 1945, FDR looked increasingly frail. After Yalta, he kept a busy schedule & addressed Congress on March 1st. On April 12, he died of a stroke. Vice President Harry Truman took over. Truman was uninformed of major war initiatives & had been excluded from most meetings (he was unaware of the Manhattan Project). He asked FDR’s cabinet to remain in place. A few weeks later, the US celebrated V-E day. Derek Smith MBSS

Okinawa The Battle of Okinawa, (Operation Iceberg), was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War. The intense battle lasted from early April until mid-June, 1945 (82 days). Japan lost over 100,000 troops, and the Allies suffered more than 50,000 casualties. More than 100,000 civilians were killed, wounded, or committed suicide. (~1/4 of the population died) Okinawa was to be a base for the US in the invasion of the Japanese mainland, (Operation Downfall). Derek Smith MBSS

Operation Downfall The operational plan to invade mainland Japan was never used, but was in place and preparations were underway right up to the surrender of Japan. Casualty estimates varied, but many expected that the attack would cost 1 million US lives and up to 10 million Japanese lives. **The US manufactured 500,000 purple heart medals in anticipation of the invasion of Japan. This is more than have been needed in the last 65 years (including Korea and Vietnam). In 2003, there were 120,000 of these medals still in stock. There are so many that units in Iraq and Afghanistan carry bulk supplies to award to soldiers in the field. Derek Smith MBSS

The Manhattan Project This was a secret US Army project from 1942–1946 Responding to fears that Hitler was developing an atomic bomb, the US set out to do it first. The scientific research was directed by American physicist Robert Oppenheimer. They built a prototype to be tested in New Mexico (code name: Trinity), which was a success. It was too late to use it in Europe, but the US decided to use the bomb as an alternative to invading Japan. Another consideration was that the Soviets were preparing to attack Japan; the US didn’t want to share influence in the Pacific. Derek Smith MBSS

The Bombs The Manhattan Project resulted in three bombs- the one for the Trinity test, and “Fat Man”, and “Little Boy”. Fat Man was based on collapsing pressure on a single mass of uranium, and Little Boy was based on a uranium bullet being shot at another mass. They were transported to Tinian island in secrecy. At the time, they were the most powerful weapons made by man. Compared to modern weapons, their yields were minimal. Bomb Country Yield (Kt) Trinity (’45) US 19 Littleboy (’45) 15 Fatman (’45) 21 Castle (’54) 15,000 Tsar Bomba (’61) USSR 57,000 Derek Smith MBSS

The Potsdam Declaration July 26, 1945, a declaration was issued by Truman, Churchill, and Chiang Kai-Shek at the Potsdam Conference in Germany. It outlined the terms for unconditional Japanese surrender, stating that if Japan did not surrender, it would face “prompt and utter destruction.” The Japanese rejected the declaration by ignoring it. The United States then formalized its plans to use atomic weapons on Japan to encourage Japanese surrender. Derek Smith MBSS

Hiroshima On Aug 6, 1945, Col. Paul Tibbets piloted “The Enola Gay”, a B-29 over the city of Hiroshima. Second Army headquarters were in Hiroshima, and it was an important supply port. But it was also a city with a wartime population of ~350,000. The “Little Boy” bomb detonated at 8:15am, instantly killing about 80,000. About another 100,000 would die from injuries and radiation sickness. Derek Smith MBSS

Nagasaki On Aug 9, 1945, Major Charles Sweeny piloted “Bock’s Car” over the city of Nagasaki. Nagasaki had many factories that made arms, including the torpedoes used at Pearl Harbor. Nagasaki’s wartime population was ~210,000. The “Fat Man” bomb detonated 3km away from the aiming point, limiting the blast to a valley area. By the end of the year, ~80,000 had died. Derek Smith MBSS

Oppenheimer Derek Smith MBSS

Impact of the Bombs Those in the fireball were vaporized or turned to carbon. Survivors, suffered severe burns melted skin off of bodies, milder burns healed with tough keloid scars. Some drank the black rain that fell after the blast. Many suffered radiation sickness. Hair would fall out, blood would not clot and vomiting of blood and black fluid would precede death. Derek Smith MBSS

The Debate: Was the US justified in dropping the bomb? Justified NOT Justified The Japanese were given a chance to surrender. The bombs forced Japanese surrender- quickly ending the war & limiting deaths. They prevented massive casualties on both sides if an invasion was launched. Japan was the aggressor nation Japan was still waging war in China Prisoners needed to be liberated.   They were militarily unnecessary; Japan could have been defeated without them (invasion, blockade) The bombings were inherently immoral; they targeted civilians No warnings were given It was just a test to measure the weapons The use of these weapons was a War Crime Derek Smith MBSS

Surrender Aug. 15, 1945- Emperor Hirohito, in a radio address to the nation, announced the surrender of Japan. On September 2, 1945, the surrender ceremony was held on the deck of the U.S. battleship, USS Missouri. Derek Smith MBSS

War Crimes and The Treaty The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), ran from May 1946 to November 1948. The IMTFE was less than ideal: The Imperial family was never charged Dr. Shiro Ishii was never charged in exchange for his medical research data from Unit 731 Many who were charged were never brought to trial. By 1958, all prisoners were paroled. In 1951, the San Francisco Peace Treaty formally ended the war between Japan and the Western powers. The US was eager to rebuild Japan as a strategic ally in the Pacific, and many are critical of their willingness to “look the other way” after the war ended. Derek Smith MBSS