World War II: War With Japan Campbell High School American Studies

I.Japan’s Early Success 1.Attack on Pearl Harbor was a partial success A.Pearl Harbor was last obstacle to Japanese dominance in East Asia B.If Japan could destroy US Pacific fleet, then Japan would control Asia 2.Attack on Pearl Harbor was not a total success A.no aircraft carriers were in Pearl Harbor B.oil tanks not destroyed C.Americans enraged 3.Link: Pearl Harbor Pearl HarborPearl Harbor

II.Other Japanese Successes : Japan controls Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong :Japan captures Philippines (General MacArthur retreats from islands declaring “I shall return.”)

III.Battle of Midway Islands 1.If Japanese control Midway Islands, then Pearl Harbor would be within Japanese bomber range. 2.Battle of aircraft carriers 3.US wins a decisive battle 4.Link: Battle of Midway Battle of MidwayBattle of Midway

IV.Island Hopping 1.US decides to recapture only the most valuable Pacific Islands Japan controls. 2.known as “island hopping” or “leap frogging” and permits MacArthur to “return” 3.By October, 1944 A.US had recaptured Mariana Island; Tokyo now within range of US bombers B.US wins Battle of Leyke Gulf; US in command of Pacific 4.Links: Iwo Jima Iwo JimaIwo Jima

V.The Manhattan Project 1.US had been working on development of atomic bomb for several years 2.Research known as the Manhattan Project 3.July, 1945 US makes a successful test explosion of bomb 4.July 26, 1945: US sends warning to Japan to surrender or face “prompt and utter destruction.” 5.Japan does not surrender Niels Bohr; Robert Oppenheimer; Richard Feynman; Enrico Fermi

VI.Dropping the Atomic Bombs 1.US convinced by battles in Pacific that Japanese would fight to the last person 2.Estimated an invasion of Japan would cause one million American deaths and 500,000 British deaths 3.Link: Okinawa Okinawa

VII.Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1.On August 6, 1945, US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima. 2.August 9, 1945, US drops second atomic bomb on Nagasaki 3.Japan sues for peace the next day 4.Japan formally surrenders on Sept. 2, 1945 (V-J Day) 5.Link:Nagasaki Nagasaki

VIII.The Aftermath of The Bombs 1.200,000 Japanese immediately killed or wounded by bomb 2.Hiroshima and Nagasaki leveled 3.President Truman says: “The atomic bomb is too dangerous to be let loose in a lawless world. That is why Great Britain, Canada, and the United States, who have the secrets of its production, do not intend to reveal that secret until measures have been found to control the bomb.” 4.Stalin, who distrusts the US and England to begin with, becomes even more distrustful because US has the bomb but the Soviet Union does not. 5.This difference launches the US and the USSR into the greatest arms race in history (“The Cold War”).

IX.WWII Casualties 1.World War II was the deadliest war in history 2.Between 15 and 20 million military personnel were killed in action A. Germany 3.5 million battle deadB. Japan 1.5 million C. USSR 7.5 million D. Italy 200,000 E. China 2.2 million F. Britain over 300,000 G. United States 292,000H. France 210,000 3.Civilian dead numbered approximately 25 million A. USSR more than 10 millionB. China at least 6 million C. France 400,000D. England 65,000 E. Germany 500,000F. Japan over 600,000 G. Italy 145,000H. United States 6,000 I. About six million Jewish Holocaust victims

X.Dollar Costs of WWII 1.Expenditures for war materials and armaments totaled at least $1.154 trillion ($1.154 x 10 9 or $1,154,000,000,000) 2.United States alone spent about $300 billion 3.Germany about $231 billion 4.In addition, inestimable property damage in Europe and Japan