1. World War II 1939-1945 Part #4 – In the Pacific

3. War in the Pacific
Throughout the war, the Allied strategy had been to deal with Germany first, then tackle Japan
After V-E Day, the Allies full attention is focused on the Pacific
However, the U.S. had pretty much been on its own in the Pacific for 3 years before Britain and the USSR joined the fight
Just like Germany, the United States had been forced to fight a two-front war in both Europe and the Pacific

4. Enters the U.S.
When the war in the Pacific begins Japanese military forces vastly outnumber Allied forces in the Pacific
Over the course of the war, Allied industry enabled the U.S. to have a much more powerful naval and air fleet to fight the Japanese
# of Japanese carriers at start of war – 10
# of Japanese carriers built during war – 5
# of U.S. carriers at start of WWII – 3
# of U.S. carriers built during WWII - 107
General Douglas MacArthur
commands U.S. forces in the Pacific,

5. Early Key Battles in the Pacific
May 1942 – Battle of the Coral Sea – despite significant losses on both sides, U.S. and Australian navies halt the Japanese Pacific expansion for the first time
August 1942 – Battle of Guadalcanal – island in the South Pacific where U.S. Marines square off against fierce Japanese resistance
Japanese casualties – 31,000
Allied casualties – 8,000

8. Battle of Midway
U.S. intelligence knew that Japan was going to launch a major offensive after Coral Sea
June 1942 – Battle of Midway is fought near Midway Island – called Midway because the island is “midway” between the U.S. and Asia
Most of the fighting is done in the skies with planes bombing enemy ships – all 4 Japanese carriers are destroyed
This battle would prove to be the decisive battle in the Pacific because Japan would never fully recover, and thus can never again go on the offensive

11. War in the Pacific
MacArthur and the Allies decide to take back tiny Japanese controlled islands in the Pacific by deploying the strategy of “Island Hopping” – Allied troops are going to retake one island and then “hop over” to the next
Many of the islands, despite their small size, are pivotal because they hold large numbers of Japanese troops
While the Island Hopping is taking place, Admiral Nimitz and the navy begin bombing mainland Japan

12. Island Hopping

13. Questions
Why was the Battle of Midway such an important victory for the Allies?
What advantage allowed the Americans to be more powerful militarily than the Japanese? How is this advantage important?
Explain the strategy of “Island Hopping” and why it was used by the Allies?

14. Island Hopping Important Island Hopping battles:
Battle of Iwo Jima (1945) – despite fierce Japanese resistance and high American casualties, Iwo Jima proves to be one of the greatest victories in the Pacific for the U.S.
Over 25,000 American casualties
Battle of Okinawa (1945) – is the last major island standing in the way of U.S. invasion of the Japanese mainland, fierce Japanese fighting results in over 50,000 U.S. casualties before the island is taken
Banzai attacks and suicide becomes common for Japanese soldiers

16. Okinawa

17. Iwo Jima Flag Raising This image comes to symbolize the American determination, sacrifice, and spirit during WWII “Uncommon valor was a common virtue – Admiral Nimitz

18. The Manhattan Project
After conversing with Albert Einstein over the possibility of a tremendous bomb, FDR orders the secret construction of the world’s first atomic bomb – program is called the Manhattan Project
April 12, 1945 – FDR dies of a stroke and Vice President Harry Truman becomes president
Truman is informed that he has two atomic bombs available to use
He orders that both be
dropped on Japan in an effort
to end the war

19. The World Has Gone Atomic
August 6, 1945 – the plane named “Enola Gay” drops the first atomic bomb, called “Little Boy,” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima – 70,000 Japanese are immediately killed
August 8, 1945 – second bomb,
“Fatman,” is dropped on the
city of Nagasaki – 40,000 killed
August 14, 1945 – Japan
surrenders and V-J Day (Victory
in Japan) is celebrated
WWII is OFFICALLY OVER

21. ← Hiroshima before
Hiroshima after →

23. Did We Have to Drop the A-Bombs?
Truman and his military staff justified dropping the atomic bombs because they claimed that it would have cost over a million U.S. casualties in order to take mainland Japan – the Japanese were showing that they wouldn’t surrender
Critics of the bombing say that Japan would eventually have surrendered from bombing and/or an American invasion, which would have cost considerably less Japanese civilian lives, but would have resulted in enormous U.S. soldier casualties
What do you think?