1 / 9

Section Three: The War in the Pacific

Section Three: The War in the Pacific. Main Idea : In order to defeat Japan and end the war in the Pacific, the United States unleashed a terrible new weapon, the atomic bomb. Why it Matters Now : Countries of the modern world struggle to find ways to prevent the use of nuclear weapons.

alohilani
Download Presentation

Section Three: The War in the Pacific

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Section Three: The War in the Pacific Main Idea: In order to defeat Japan and end the war in the Pacific, the United States unleashed a terrible new weapon, the atomic bomb. Why it Matters Now: Countries of the modern world struggle to find ways to prevent the use of nuclear weapons. Key Terms: Douglas MacArthur Chester Nimitz Battle of Midway Kamikaze Key Terms: J. Robert Oppenheimer Hiroshima Nagasaki Nuremberg Trials

  2. SECTION 3: THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC • The Americans did not celebrate long, as Japan was busy conquering an empire that dwarfed Hitler’s Third Reich • Japan had conquered much of southeast Asia including the Dutch East Indies, Guam, and most of China

  3. BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA • The main Allied forces in the Pacific were Americans and Australians • In May 1942 they succeeded in stopping the Japanese drive toward Australia in the five-day Battle of the Coral Sea

  4. THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY • Japan’s next thrust was toward Midway Island – a strategic Island northwest of Hawaii • Admiral Chester Nimitz, the Commander of American Naval forces in the Pacific, moved to defend the Island • The Americans won a decisive victory as their planes destroyed 4 Japanese aircraft carriers and 250 planes

  5. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war – soon the Allies were island hopping toward Japan

  6. IWO JIMA • General MacArthur and the Allies next turned to the Island of Iwo Jima • The island was critical to the Allies as a base for an attack on Japan • It was called the most heavily defended spot on earth • Allied and Japanese forces suffered heavy casualties American soldiers plant the flag on the Island of Iwo Jima after their victory

  7. KAMIKAZE PILOTS ATTACK ALLIES • Japanese countered by employing a new tactic – Kamikaze (divine wind) attacks • Pilots in small bomb-laden planes would crash into Allied ships • Why kamikaze? Part of bushido-way of the warrior In the Battle for the Philippines, 424 Kamikaze pilots sank 16 ships and damaged 80 more

  8. INVADE JAPAN? • After Okinawa, MacArthur predicted that a Normandy type amphibious invasion of Japan would result in 1,500,000 Allied deaths • President Truman saw only one way to avoid an invasion of Japan . . . Okinawa The loss of life at Iwo Jima and Okinawa convinced Allied leaders that an invasion of Japan was not the best idea

More Related