The Japanese Advance

1. The Japanese Advance

2. Hours after Pearl HarborJapanese warplanes attacked Clark Field, the main American air base in the Philippines • Dec. 8 Wake Island and Dec. 10 Guam attacked • Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commanding general and troops at Clark Field withdrew to Australia”I Shall Return”

3. Wake

4. March 1942 Japanese troops overrun the British strongholds of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Burma • Japan’s offensive pushed British and American forces aside and brought SE Asia under Japanese control

6. The Philippines Fall • By May 1942 the Japanese captured 76,000 Filipinos and Americans as POWS • Bataan Death Marchprisoners were forced to march 70 miles to a railroad and shipped to an army camp • Prisoners treated brutally • 10,000 prisoners died during the 6-12 day journey • Japan’s treatment of prisoners violated the Geneva ConventionPOWs treated well

7. The Bataan Death March Open the following link, read the story, and answer the four questions http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1737.html

8. The War at Sea • With the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan did not destroy the heart of the Pacific fleet: Lexington, Enterprise, and Saratoga

9. April 1942American B-52s took off from aircraft carrier Hornet and flew 650 miles to Japan • Lt. Colonel James Doolittle’s squadron dropped bombs on Tokyoshocked Japanese leadership and boosted Allied morale.

10. Battle of the Coral Sea • Japanese forces moved toward Australia • May 1942 American navy engaged superior Japanese fleet in the Coral Sea

11. Five Day Battle Resulted in a Draw • U.S. lost the Lexington and the Yorktown was damaged • Japan lost two aircraft carriers and most of their airplanes • RESULT: Prevented Japan from invading Australia • First naval combat carried out entirely by aircraftcarriers were 70 miles apart

13. The Battle of Midway • Midway was a vital island in protecting Hawaii • Began on June 4, 1942 • Japanese bombers struck first, BUT American warplanes counterattacked • Americans sank all 4 Japanese aircraft carriers • Japan lost 4 carriers, 250 planes and most of their skilled pilots THE TURNING POINT IN THE PACIFIC!!

15. The Battle of Guadalcanal • Solomon Islands off the coast of AustraliaJapanese air base being built to launch attack on Australia • 11,000 marines landed on island2,200 Japanese fled into the jungle • Lasted 5 months—Americans controlled waters

17. Island-hopping • A strategy of selectively attacking enemy-held islands • Oct. 1944 General MacArthur returned to the Philippines with 160,000 troops

18. Battle of Leyte Gulf • 280 warships battled for 3 days • Heavy use of kamikazes or suicide planes • US Navy destroyed virtually entire Japanese navy • Philippines liberated from Japan Greatest naval battle in world history!!

20. Iwo Jima and Okinawa • Feb 1945 US marines invaded Iwo Jima, 700 miles from Japan • April to June 1945—Battle of Okinawa, 350 miles from Japan • Allies victorious, but costliest engagement in the Pacific • 50,000 American troops dead

22. The Manhattan Project • In 1939 Albert Einstein escaped from Germany to the U.S.informed FDR of Germany’s atomic capability • FDR created the Manhattan Project, a top secret project to develop an atomic bomb • July 16, 1945world’s first atomic bomb exploded in New Mexico desert

23. The Decision to Drop the Bomb • Ways to end the war: • Massive invasion of Japancost millions of Allied casualties • Naval blockade of Japan • Demonstrate the power of the bomb • Harry S. Truman became President in April 1945 after FDR’s death • Truman decided to drop the bomb

24. Japan Surrenders • Aug. 6, 1945 the Enola Gay dropped a single atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a city in southern Japan • 80,000 dead and city destroyed • Aug. 9 a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki • Aug. 15, Americans celebrated V-J Day (Victory in Japan) • Formal surrender agreement signed on Sept. 2, 1945