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World War II. War In The Pacific. Japanese Advances. Japanese empire dwarfs Hitler’s 3 rd Reich The Fall of the Philippines/March 1942 General MacArthur in command of Allied troops Japanese victorious MacArthur…”I Shall Return!”. Japanese Empire. Bataan Death March.
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World War II War In The Pacific
Japanese Advances Japanese empire dwarfs Hitler’s 3rd Reich The Fall of the Philippines/March 1942 General MacArthur in command of Allied troops Japanese victorious MacArthur…”I Shall Return!”
Bataan Death March • Forced march of 75,000 American POWs to prison camps • 50,000 murdered • Kicked/beaten, starved, bayoneted • Treated same way as Native Americans during Trail of Tears • Later considered a Japanese war crime
Doolittle’s Raid • Spring 1942 • Bombing raid on Tokyo and surrounding cities • Most daring campaign to date; some bombers killed or captured • Boosts American morale, lowers Japanese
Battle of Coral Sea • May 1942 • American and Australian carriers vs. Japanese Imperial Navy • Successful at stopping Japanese advance to take Australia, eliminate 2 Japanese carriers • Damaged Japan’s naval capability at Midway • All-Air Battle • All planes launched from aircraft carriers • No shots fired from surface ships!
Battle of Midway • June 3, 1942 • Strategic location NW of Hawaii • Allies stop the Japanese • Allies had broken Japan’s naval code • Anticipated the attack • Allies under command of Admiral Chester A. Nimitz • Helped to locate the Japanese fleet and dive bomb them • TURNING POINT IN THE PACIFIC WAR!!! -- Bulk of Japanese fleet destroyed -- Japanese forced to retreat and play defense • Result = Allies begin to “island hop”
Allies on the Offensive • Battle of Guadalcanal, 1944 • 19,ooo Allied troops storm the island • Marks Japan’s first defeat on land • Secured Australia from Japanese occupation and protected American-Australian sea route • Battle of Leyte Gulf, 1944 • Entire Japanese fleet involved • Largest naval battle of WWII • Appearance of Kamikaze • Japan defeated, complete disaster • Last major Japanese naval engagement of the war
Battle of Iwo Jima • Japan to stop US advance to stop mainland invasion • Allies face fierce opposition • Fanatical fighting (Samurai mentality) • Fighters entrenched in tunnels and caves • Iwo Jima’s location critical to US • Heavy-loaded bombers could reach Tokyo • 6,000 US Marines killed • Most in any pacific battle to that point • US gains control of the island • Only 200 of 20,000 Japanese troops survive
Battle of Okinawa • April 1945 • US Marines invade, challenge Japanese occupation of the island • Massive Kamikaze attacks • 1900 attacks kill 5000 U.S. sailors, sink 30 ships and damage 300 more • Fiercer opposition than Iwo Jima • 110,000 Japanese killed in action • Allies see this as premonition of invasion of Japan • Churchill estimates 1 Million US / 500,000 British deaths if allies invade Japan
The Atom Bombs • The Manhattan Project • Over 600,000 Americans involved • Led by J. Robert Oppenheimer • Truman orders plans to use the bombs • Churchill warning of allied deaths if war continues • Japanese warned of super weapon • Enola Gay drops Little Boy over Hiroshima • Japan still won’t surrender • Three days later, drop Fat Man on Nagasaki • Macarthur accepts Japan’s official surrender on USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945