World War II War in the Pacific

1. World War IIWar in the Pacific Japanese Military Flag Japan’s National Flag

2. Japan Goes to War • Just like Germany & Italy, Japan was unhappy with their situation • Lack of raw materials • Lack of markets for industries • Lack of space for growing population • Suffering from Great Depression of 1930’s • In 1931 Japan went to war, in 1941 they attacked Pearl Harbor

4. Fall of the Philippines • 1941 – Japan attacks the Philippines* • 1/2 of U.S. forces lost during air attack • U.S & Philippine troops retreated to Bataan Peninsula - held out 4 months • U.S. General Macarthur ordered to leave his army & escape to Australia • April 1942 – forces retreated to the island of Corregidor in Manila Bay • Lack of food & ammunition - 72K U.S troops surrendered *(The U.S. occupied the Philippines since the Spanish-American War in 1898)

5. Bataan Death March • Prisoners from Corregidor divided into groups - 500 to 1000 • Marched 60 miles north to a prison camp • 6-12 day march - 10K U.S. soldiers died • News of this did not reach the American public until 1945

6. The Battle of Midway • Japanese goal – destroy remaining U.S fleet • June 4, 1942 - fought entirely by air • U.S. planes discovered Japanese fleet of carriers reloading & refueling planes – Japanese were unable to launch an air defense • U.S sunk 3 of the 4 Japanese carriers & destroyed 250 planes • Heavy blow to the Japanese fleet prevented any further offensives in the Pacific

8. Battle of Guadalcanal • 1st land battle btw. Japanese & U.S • August 1942 - 11K marines landed • 2200 Japanese fled into the jungle • First taste of jungle warfare • U.S faced booby traps, ambushes, snipers • February 1943 - remaining Japanese escaped undetected

9. Island Hopping • 1943 to 1944 – Two-prong allied advance • MacArthur & Adm. Halsey leapfrogged through Solomon Islands towards Philippines (skipping some islands) • Admiral Nimitz moved west across the Gilbert, Marshall & Marianna Islands • Air bases used to bomb future targets - Guam, Iwo Jima & Okinawa • By the end of 1944, the U.S was bombing Japanese cities.

11. The Philippine Campaign • Oct. 1944, 160K U.S. troops invaded island of Leyte • Japanese lost 80K troops • Battle for Manila killed 100K Filipino civilians • Allies secured the Philippines, June 1945 • Largest naval battle in history unfolded off the coast • 280 ships including every warship Japan had left • Navy virtually destroyed • Japanese use Kamikazes (suicide planes)

12. The Battle of Iwo Jima • Japan occupied the 14 square mile volcanic island with rocky slopes • 700 miles from Japan – U.S could begin bombing Japan • 25K Japanese, heavily fortified with concrete bunkers, honeycomb network of tunnels • Nov. 1944 - 74 days of aerial & & naval artillery with 110k troops • March 1945 - 6800 marines dead • Only 216 Japanese captured

14. The Battle of Okinawa • April - June 1945 - bloodiest battle • 350 miles from Japan - Last obstacle for an invasion of Japan • Allies launched attack the size of Normandy • U.S. used 1300 ships & 180K troops vs. 100K Japanese • Japanese used Kamikazes & Banzai tactics • After 3 months - 50K U.S casualties, 7200 prisoners

15. The Manhattan Project • 1939 - Albert Einstein contacted FDR & explained possibility of making a nuclear weapon. • Germany was attempting to build one of these new weapons too • FDR created the Manhattan project • 1942 Enrico Fermi created 1st controlled nuclear reaction • Fermi’s work was field tested on July 16, 1945 in the desert of New Mexico

17. Hiroshima, 8 months after

18. Japan Surrenders • 3 options other than the Atom bomb • Land invasion, naval blockade, conventional bombing • Aug. 6, 1945 - Hiroshima • 140K killed instantly, 1000s more from burns & radiation • Aug. 9 – Nagasaki, similar results • Japan surrendered Aug. 14th, 1945

20. The End