The War in the Pacific

1. The War in the Pacific vs.

2. Early War in the Pacific • Germany main priority • U.S. loses Philippines • U.S. retaliation for Pearl Harbor—Doolittle Raids on Tokyo • Midway—U.S. surprises Japanese • Japan could have attacked Hawaii • Major victory for U.S.

3. As an adviser to FDR, how would you advise him to attack the Japanese?

4. Island Hopping • Process of leapfrogging or bypassing Japan’s strongholds and attacking weaker islands. Map

5. Forward

6. First Land Offensive • Guadalcanal was the first land victory for the U.S. vs. Japan.

7. Invasion of the Philippines • General Douglas MacArthur led the invasion of the Philippines.

8. New Japanese Strategy • Kamikaze mission. • Japanese pilots flew planes loaded with bombs into U.S. ships.

9. Iwo Jima’s Importance • Gave the U.S. a base close enough to fly large bombers on missions over Japan.

10. Okinawa’s Importance • Last defensive outpost before the main islands of Japan.

11. Estimated Death Toll • Over 1 million Americans and 500,000 British soldiers would die invading Japan. • Japanese fought to the death