1 / 69

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives. Summarize the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Explain US and Japanese strategy at the opening of WWII. Be familiar with the timeline of key events in the Pacific Theater. Summarize the battles for Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

gordon
Download Presentation

Learning Objectives

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. Learning Objectives • Summarize the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. • Explain US and Japanese strategy at the opening of WWII. • Be familiar with the timeline of key events in the Pacific Theater. • Summarize the battles for Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. • Describe the decisions that led to the employment of the atomic bomb.

  2. Background • Japan invades China in 1931. • Japan joins the Axis in Sept 1940. • US, British, and Dutch impose oil embargo in July 1941 to put brakes on Japanese imperialism. • Japanese expect armed conflict, but buy time and surprise through negotiations. • US population focused on war in Europe.

  3. Japanese Strategy • Three Phases • Phase I: Surprise attacks, then strategic defense. • Knock out US fleet; seize vital areas; establish defensive perimeter. • Phase II: Strengthen perimeter; make any offensive action by the US prohibitively costly. • Phase III: Defeat and destroy any forces that attempt to penetrate the perimeter. • Long US LOC and natural strength of defense should almost guarantee success.

  4. Pearl Harbor • Surprise • Deception operations • First significant use of carriers. • Tactical home run, but strategic foul ball…or strikeout? • Healthy fleet could cause problems, but US may not have challenged Japan’s other strategic moves. • Failed to hit carriers, subs, fuel, or repair facilities. • Failed to exploit initial success. • “Cowardly” attack united public opinion against Japan and guaranteed US entry. • Critical Vulnerability?? • US Pacific Fleet • Destruction of battleships proved counterproductive. • US carriers proved to be “surface” that cost Japanese the war.

  5. Pearl Harbor • Fog • B-17s scheduled arrival coinciding with attack force arrival. • Mini-subs • Friction • Sunday AM attack • Bad Luck • Flight line prepped for terrorist attack.

  6. Normandy Invasion,D-Day

  7. Admiral Nimitz POA North, Central, Southern Pacific Primarily open ocean Carrier Air Island Hopping General MacArthur SWPA Southwestern Pacific Many large land masses Maneuver Retake PI Island Hoppping, but focused more on land operations Unity of Command?

  8. Island Hopping Campaign • LtCol (then Maj) “Pete” Ellis Predicts that Japan will strike first. • " . . . it will be necessary for us to project our fleetand landing forces across the Pacific and wage war in Japanese waters. To effect this requires that we have sufficient bases to support the fleet, both during its projection and afterwards. To effect [an amphibious landing] in the face of enemy resistance requires careful training and preparation to say the least; and this along Marine lines. It is not enough that the troops be skilled infantrymen or artillery men of high morale; they must be skilled watermen and jungle-men whoknow it can be done--Marines with Marine training."

  9. MajGen Lejeune circa 1923 • "... on both flanks of a fleet crossing the Pacific are numerous islands suitable for utilization by an enemy for radio stations, aviation, submarine, or destroyer bases. All should be mopped up as progress is made. . . The presence of an expeditionary force with the fleet would add greatly to the striking power of the Commander-in-Chief of the fleet. . . . The maintenance, equipping, and training of its expeditionary force so that it will be in instant readiness to support the fleet in the event of war, I deem to be the most important Marine Corps duty in time of peace."

  10. Logistics • Logistics plays a crucial role in the Pacific. • Island Hopping to seize advanced (primarily air) bases and cut Japanese forces • Japanese have qualitative edge in military hardware at the beginning of war. • Choose quality over quantity • Unable to replace assets quickly. • US is master of mass production. • Average quality, tremendous quantity. • Implement ideas from captured equipment. • US subs operate independently and sink Japanese ships faster than Japan can produce them.

  11. 1942 The Empire Expands • February Singapore falls • March New Guinea • April Bataan • May Corregidor

  12. Battle of Midway June 1942 • Japanese get greedy. • Not satisfied w/ original perimeter. • Want base to bomb Hawaii. • Deliver killing blow to US fleet. • US breaks Japanese code. • Complex plan • Aleutians, Midway, Fleet, etc. • Yamamoto uses “operational push” instead of “recon pull” tactics. • Attacks island to prep for invasion before locating US fleet. • First naval battle fought entirely with airplanes.

  13. Midway: The Tide Turns • Patrol planes spot Japanese main body just as they are about to RTB. • Midway-based A/C strike Japanese TF and inflict minimal damage on ships while losing majority of planes. • Japanese A/C attack Midway with little impact. • US carrier-based torpedo attack has same outcome as land-based attack, but distract fighters and allows dive bombers to hit TF. • Japanese lose four heavy carriers, all planes, and many of their best pilots; US loses Yorktown.

  14. Guadalcanal • 7 August 1942 • First offensive action of the war. • 1st Marine Division • Critical airfield. • First plane makes emergency landing on 12 Aug. • 2 USMC squadrons arrive on 20 Aug. • Only one “healthy” carrier left by end of battle. • Lightly opposed landing • Navy taking majority of supplies with them. • Later redeem themselves during critical 12 Nov naval battle when they turn back major Japanese force.

  15. Guadalcanal • Japanese counterattacks. • Maneuver, mass, and surprise all hampered by jungle. • 8 day forced march • USMC conducts vigorous patrols. • Japanese attempt to reinforce by sea, but suffer significant losses in the process. (7 of 11 transports) • Jungle causes significant casualties. • Over 1k new cases of malaria per week. • Army comes in to mop up in November.

  16. Results • Island “secured” in Feb ’43. • Japan suffers critical losses in all areas. • 600 a/c, 2300 aircrew • 25k soldiers (1/2 in combat, ½ to illness) • 2 BB, 3 CV, 12 Cruisers, 25 destroyers • Roughly same number as US, but Japan unable to replace. • Institution of CATF/CLF.

  17. 1st Marine Division Staff 23 Generals, 1 admiral, 3 Commandants; 40 officers with 700 yrs of combined service.

  18. Iwo Jima “Sulfur Island” • Strategically the island was crucial to continue B-29 raids on mainland Japan. • The island contained 3 airstrips that the Japanese had been using for their Kamikaze attacks. • The airfields would provide a base for escort fighters for bombers flying to Japan. • The island provided an emergency landing strip half way from the Marianas islands to Japan

  19. Chronology • Nov 1943: Tarawa • Jun 1944: Conquest of the Marianas • Oct 1944: JC orders Nimitz to seize Iwo Jima. • Jan 1945: 4th & 5th Divisions conduct rehearsals in Hawaii. • Feb 19: D-day on Iwo • Feb 23: US flag is raised on Mt. Suribachi • Mar 25: Iwo Jima is finally secured

  20. Strategic Location • Both Japan and the US valued the sulfurous island. • Iwo was Japanese home soil, only 650 miles from Tokyo. It was administered by the Tokyo metropolitan government. • No foreign army in Japan’s 5000 year history had landed on Japanese soil.

  21. Iwo Jima • D-Day Feb. 19th 1945 • Airfields again the objectives. • 450 ships • Pre-invasion bombardment shortened from 12 to 3 days. • Weather limited effectiveness of even this. • 3, 4, 5 MARDIV • 1st wave gets ashore, but when bombardment lifts for them to move inland, all hell breaks loose. • Southern half of island in US hands by D+2. • Takes 34 more days to secure remainder of island (8 square miles total).

  22. Iwo Jima • Nothing fancy; simple but costly. • “Throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete.” • 36 days, 26k US casualites including 6k KIA.    • 1k of 20k defenders survived    • 2400 B-29s w/ 27k crewmen made unscheduled landings on island by the time the war ended. • 27 Medals of Honor awarded.

  23. Japanese Strategy • General Kuribayashi, a Japanese commander, was considered by many military historians as brilliant. • An aristocrat, he was educated in Canada and toured the US. His preparations, fortifications and strategy were seen as marvels in the history of warfare. • Securing a defense prior to an offense

  24. Japanese Strategy • The Japanese strategy was unique for 4 reasons: • The Japanese didn’t fight above the ground; they fought below it. • Their strategy called for “no survivors.” • Each Japanese soldier was instructed to kill at least 10 Americans. • Instead of repelling the Americans from the beaches, the Japanese waited until the Marines landed and congested the beaches.

  25. Japanese Strategy • General Kuribayashi was told that if US casualties were high enough, its government would think twice before launching an invasion against Japan. • The Japanese strategy of “no survivors” is commonly glorified in Japanese historical novels, plays and movies. • “You must not expect my survival.”

  26. FORCE STRUCTURE • 1. American -Assault and supporting forces > 80,000 -800 naval vessels -220,000 sailors • 2. Japanese -22,000 army and naval

  27. The Battle for Iwo Jima Airfield #3 Airfield #2 Airfield #1 Mount Suribachi 4th Mar Div 3rd Mar Div 5th Mar Div

  28. The Battle for Iwo Jima Airfield #3 Airfield #2 Airfield #1 Mount Suribachi 4th 5th 3rd

  29. The Beach Assault • D-day: 19 Feb 45 • Naval assault fires commenced at 0640. • Landing craft would take 30 minutes to race to shore. • Ship-to-shore movement was no ferrying operation; it was a power-laden deployment.

  30. The Capture of Suribachi

  31. The Capture of Suribachi • By 22 Feb, Marines from the 5th Mar Div surrounded Suribachi. • Marines of Easy Company, 28th Marines given a flag to mount on top of the volcano “if” they made it. • Marines spotted on peak on 23 Feb.

  32. "The battle of Iwo Island has been won. The United States Marines by their individual and collective courage have conquered a base which is as necessary to us in our continuing forward movement toward final victory as it was vital to the enemy in staving off off ultimate defeat. By their victory, the 3d, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and other units of the 5th Amphibious Corps have made an accounting to their country which only history will be able to value fully. Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue. "Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

More Related