Mt:6 American participation in World War II

1. Mt:6 American participation in World War II LT4: Explain why the USA decided to drop the Atomic bombs on Japan.

2. After Pearl Harbor • On December 7, 1941, two hours after the Japanese attack on American military installations at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Japan declared war on the United States and Great Britain, marking America's entry into World War II. • On December 8, 1941 the United States Congress declared war upon the Empire of Japan in response to that country's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor the prior day. • The USA has to formulate/prepare a plan for attacking Japan, and Island nation 6,000 miles from the USA

3. Attacking Japan Strategy • Island hopping • Japan was too far away for planes to bomb so the USA decided to capture islands near Japan to use as bases. • Islands were surrounded by coral and sand bars • Ships would get stuck and Marines would have to swim to island • Japanese would shoot the soldiers (2 of 3 died) • Worst island was Tarawa

4. Battle of Iwo Jima • USA needed a closer island so that they could accurately drop bombs • One of the worst battles • Huge numbers of casualties (deaths) • USA captures Iwo Jima and begins bombing Japan • Used firebombs-bombs that exploded then created fires • Kill thousands of Japanese civilians • Japan showed NO SIGNS of surrendering by April 1, 1945

5. Decision to drop the Atomic Bomb • Japan was willing to surrender but they wanted to keep their Emperor • The USA wanted a complete surrender = no emperor • The USA believed thatJapan had NO plans to surrender • The USA had a secretly been building a super weapon • Project was called the Manhattan Project = Creating the Atomic Bomb • President Roosevelt died prior to the end of the war making VP Truman the president • Truman was advised that using the atomic would save thousands of USA lives …………..He decided to use it

6. Atomic Bombs dropped Bombing Hiroshima, Japan Bombing Nagasaki, Japan • B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped “Little boy” on Hiroshima, Japan • Japan refused to surrender • Three days later the plutonium “Fat man” bomb was used to bomb Nagasaki. • On August 15, 1945, Japan officially surrendered, bringing an end to World War II. • The two bombs killed approximately 150,000 people when they were dropped. • Within a radius of 1 kilometer from ground zero, men and animals died almost instantaneously from the tremendous blast pressure and heat. • Houses and other structures were smashed, crushed and scattered; and fires broke out. • Radiation sickness, killed 15 to 20 percentof Japanese after WW2 • Do you feel that this was morally/ethnically right?