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The Battles for the Pacific

The Battles for the Pacific. Japanese Advances. Within Six months after Pearl Harbor, Japan dwarfed the German Empire by taking the following:. Hong Kong French Indochina Malaya Burma Thailand Half of China. Formosa Dutch East Indies Guam Wake Solomon Islands 2 Aleutian Islands.

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The Battles for the Pacific

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  1. The Battles for the Pacific

  2. Japanese Advances • Within Six months after Pearl Harbor, Japan dwarfed the German Empire by taking the following: • Hong Kong • French Indochina • Malaya • Burma • Thailand • Half of China • Formosa • Dutch East Indies • Guam • Wake • Solomon Islands • 2 Aleutian Islands

  3. Japan takes the Philippines • December 1941 to May 1942 • Gen. MacArthur held out for 4 months w/ 31,000 US troops and 110,000 under-trained and ill-equipped Filipino troops as 200,000 Japanese troops invaded • MacArthur abandoned, he and officers escaped to Australia, as he left he stated: “I shall return.” • American and Philippine troops suffered 14,000 KIA, 48,000 wounded, and approx. 80,000 endured cruel imprisonment or execution at the hands of the Japanese

  4. Battle of Coral Sea • May 1942 • America/Australia intercepted info that Japan was going to leave from New Guinea to invade Australia • Significance: • First battle where ships never saw each other, airplanes played large role • First Halt of Japanese since Pearl Harbor • Allies lost more ships, but Japan ran out of fuel to continue to Australia • 543 American causalities

  5. Battle of Midway • June 1942 • US intercepted messages of Japanese naval force (largest assembled in history) heading toward Midway • Goal: continue to finish off Pearl Harbor • US was outnumbered 4 to 1 in ships and planes, but the US commander prepared a surprise reception

  6. Battle of Midway • By the end, Japan lost: • 4 “irreplaceable” aircraft carriers • A cruiser • 322 Planes • American Casualties - 307

  7. What strategy should the US take to defeat the Japanese?

  8. US Strategy • Can go hundreds of miles without seeing land • Japanese dug in on hundreds of islands scattered over thousands of miles of ocean • Too costly to storm each one • Strategy: • Bypass Japanese strongholds • Seize well fortified Islands, build airfields, cut off enemy supply lines

  9. Battle of Guadalcanal • August 1942 • Significance: • First US land offensive • First Japanese defeat on land • 6 months until Japanese abandoned island, known as “Island of Death.” • US had 6,000 casualties, 1600 dead

  10. Battle of Guam • July 1944 (Mariana Islands – includes Saipan and Tinian) • Guam was formerly a US possession until Japan took it in 1941 • Strategic Importance • great for Airbases • Almost can fly from Guam to Tokyo • Approx. 3,000 Americans killed; 7,122 wounded

  11. Second Battle of the Philippines: Battle for Leyte Gulf • October 1944 • Significance: • MacArthur wanted revenge for 1st battle “People of the Philippines, I have returned.” • First testing of the Kamikaze (suicide plane), 424 Kamikaze planes sank 16 ships, damaged 80 • Disaster for Japanese – huge loss of naval force (3 ships, 13 cruisers, 400 planes) • Arguments over necessity • cut off Japan from western possessions • Did not really use it for US military purposes • cost well over 2,000 American lives

  12. Battle of Iwo Jima • Feb 19-March 26, 1945 • “Ugly, smelly glob of cold lava squatting in a surly ocean.” • Strategic Importance: • critical as an air base from which heavily loaded bombers could reach Japan. • Kamikazes would not be able to depart from here • Emergency landing strip from Mariana Islands to Japan

  13. 70,000 Marines invaded the Island of Iwo Jima

  14. Iwo Jima Contd. • Most heavily defended spot on earth  20,700 Japanese troops deeply entrenched in tunnels and caves. • U.S. personnel 6,821 Killed • 19,217 Wounded • 2,648 Combat Fatigue • Total 28,686 • Japanese approx. 20,000 killed

  15. Battle of Okinawa • “Operation Iceburg” • April 1, 1945-June 22, 1945 • April 12, 1945 – FDR dies • 4 airfields on the island that America needed to control • Location  ½ the distance to Japan than of Iwo Jima much closer for invasion of Japan • Land and Naval fights  Kamikazes did serious damage sank over 30 allied ships and killing 5,000 Navy men.

  16. Okinawa – The Bloodiest • US losses • 50,000 casualties  12,000 KIA • Huge rate of Non-Combat losses  ie. Stress • Japanese losses  ~107,000 KIA • Civilian losses  estimates around or above 100,000

  17. What comes next? What do you think the casualties will be like?

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