640 likes | 656 Views
World War II: The Pacific Theater. The Pacific Ocean. Japan. Canada. China. USA. SE Asia. Australia. Prewar. 1932. C. A. B. D. “ABCD Encirclement”. 1937. 1940. Dec 8/7 1941. 1941. Imperial Japan.
E N D
World War II: The Pacific Theater
The Pacific Ocean Japan Canada China USA SE Asia Australia
C A B D “ABCD Encirclement” 1937
Dec 8/7 1941 1941
Imperial Japan • Japan saw the US and others as a threat to its influence in Asia and in 1940 the Japanese began developing plans to destroy the US Navy in Hawaii • On Dec 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor In May 1940, the main part of the US fleet was transferred to Pearl Harbor from the west coast
The Pacific War • Dates: July 7, 1937 - August 14, 1945 • Began with the Second Sino-Japanese war, between China and Japan • Concluded with Japan’s surrender to the Allied powers
Prelude to War • Japan seeks to establish “The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” • “a bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers” • Invasions of Manchuria and Korea follow • Three political forces in Japan: • Emperor Hirohito • Civilian Government • Military branches (TOJO) • The army informs the civilian gov’t of the Manchuria campaign two months after it begins.
Fleet Admiral Yamamoto “The US fleet is a dagger pointed at our throat and must be destroyed.” “I can run wild for six months,after that, I have no expectation of success.” - Yamamoto, during discussions on the planned Pearl Harbour Attack Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Japanese Aircraft Mitsubishi A6M “Zero” Fighter Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber Aichi D3A dive bomber
Tactical Damage • Eight battleships were damaged, with five sunk • Three light cruisers, three destroyers, three smaller vessels, and 188 aircraft were destroyed • 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed • 1,178 wounded • 1,104 men aboard the Battleship USS Arizona were killed after a 1,760-pound air bomb penetrated into the forward magazine causing catastrophic explosions.
Aftermath "Being saturated and satiated with emotion and sensation, I went to bed and slept the sleep of the saved and thankful.” - Winston Churchill
Broader Results • In spite of the tactical success, the attack on Pearl Harbor was an operational and strategic failure for the Japanese • The attack failed to destroy the American aircraft carriers, fleet repair facilities, or fuel reserves • The “sneak attack” galvanized American support for entry into the war
Fall of the Philippines • Shortly after Pearl Harbor the Japanese made initial landings on Luzon, then made their main landings on Dec 22 • On Dec 24, MacArthur ordered his forces to withdraw to the Bataan Peninsula • By Apr Bataan surrendered • By early May Corregidor surrendered Douglas MacArthur in his headquarters tunnel at Corregidorin March 1942
Bataan Death March April 1942 • 12,000 Americans walked 60 miles to a POW camp • No food or water • 5,000 died
Bataan Death March • President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to relinquish command to Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright and MacArthur escaped to Australia
Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942) • US had been able to intercept Japanese radio traffic in an operation called “Magic” • Magic intercepts allowed Admiral Nimitz to position two carriers off the eastern tip of New Guinea • Both sides suffered heavy losses but the Japanese were forced to call off their amphibious attack on Port Moresby • Battle waged exclusively via air strikes • Opposing surface ships never made direct contact Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief Pacific and Pacific Ocean Areas
Battle of Coral Sea • May 7, 1942 • Strategic Allied victory—halted the Japanese advance on Australia First naval battle carried out entirely by aircraft. The enemy ships never even came into contact with each other
Midway (June 3-6, 1942) • Japanese planned a diversionary attack on the Aleutian Islands while the main force attacked Midway to destroy the American fleet • Thanks to Magic intercepts, US didn’t fall for the Alaska feint and reinforced Midway • Americans destroyed four Japanese carriers and most of their flight crews • Japanese advance was checked and initiative in the Pacific began to turn to the Americans
The Battle Of Midway June 4-7 1942 6 months after Pearl Harbour Yamamoto seeks to capture Midway atoll and thus confront and destroy the US Navy’s carrier forces.
Midway Order of Battle Japanese forces: 4 carriers 7 battleships ~150 support ships 248 carrier aircraft 16 floatplanes US forces: 3 carriers ~50 support ships 233 carrier aircraft 127 land-based aircraft
The Battle of Midway • The first major carrier vs. carrier engagement • Decided by cryptanalysis, tactics, radar, pilot skill, weather, and luck.
The Battle of Midway • Scouts from the US fleet find the Japanese Fleet first • A delayed scout means the Japanese fleet receives a warning of US carriers only minutes before the first US planes attack • After losing many planes in ineffective strikes, US dive bombers manage to set three Japanese carriers on fire. • A Japanese counterstrike does heavy damage to one US carrier • Japanese battleships never see combat
The Battle of Midway Japanese forces: 4 carriers, 4 lost 7 battleships, 0 lost ~150 support ships, 1 cruiser lost 264 aircraft, 228 lost 3058 dead US forces: 3 carriers, 1 lost ~50 support ships, 1 destroyer lost 360 aircraft, 98 lost 307 dead
Guadalcanal—8/42-2/43 • Who: US vs. Japan • Where: Island near Australia— one of Solomon Islands • What: One of the most vicious campaigns • Japanese put up a fierce resistance • US has superior air and naval power • Results: • First time US land troops defeat Japanese • Americans are able to secure the island
Island-Hopping Warfare American Troops assaulting Iwo Jima
Strategic Bombing B-29 Superfortress bombers
Island-Hopping Warfare American and Australian troops land in Borneo
Twin Drives • Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King favored a drive across the central Pacific moving toward Japan over the coral atolls scattered across the Pacific • Take advantage of ability to leap across vast distances • MacArthur favored an advance across the South Pacific via New Guinea and the Philippines • Meet obligations to Filipinos • Maintain pressure against the retreating Japanese • Protect against a renewed threat against Australia Admiral Ernest King
The Final Year • The US retakes the Philippines in a long and costly campaign. • Borneo, Iwo Jima and the Okinawa fall, with heavy losses on both sides. • The military leadership of Japan refuses to give up, in spite of the loss of the bulk of their forces. • An edict is issued, ordering civilians on the main Japanese islands to construct bamboo spears and meet the invaders on the beaches. • US Bombers produce a firestorm in Tokyo, killing 100,000 people in two days. • The US, Britain and China issue the Potsdam Declaration, demanding Japan’s surrender.
Compromise • King’s planned drive would move first against the Gilbert Islands and then toward the Philippines • MacArthur would likewise advance toward the Philippines • Joint Chiefs gave no clear priority to either drive • “Mutual supporting” or “mutually competing?” Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief Pacific and Pacific Ocean Areas andWilliam Halsey, Commander, South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force
Operation Cartwheel • MacArthur requested five additional divisions and 1,800 aircraft to capture Rabaul • Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded there were not enough resources to capture Rabaul in 1943 so they accepted MacArthur’s proposal for a two-pronged drive to isolate it
Operation Cartwheel • MacArthur would be in overall command • Admiral William Halsey, commander of the naval forces in the South Pacific, would advance up the Solomons as far as Bougainville • MacArthur would move along the coast of New Guinea before attacking the western end of New Britain
Operation Cartwheel • Became the model for Pacific commanders throughout the rest of the war • don’t move island to island; advance by great bounds using air superiority • bypass major strongpoints and leave them reduced to strategic and tactical impotence • hit Japanese weak spots; avoid frontal assaults; use deception and surprise • seize existing airfields and ports and use these newly acquired bases to support the next leap forward
Retaking the Philippines • The invasion of the Philippines brought MacArthur and Nimitz’s twin drives together • On Oct 20, 1944, MacArthur attacked Leyte
Battle of Leyte Gulf • The American and Japanese surface fleets made contact the night of October 24-25 in the San Bernardino Strait • Two Japanese task forces entered the strait, Halsey did the classic naval maneuver of crossing the “T” and sank all but one enemy destroyer
Battle of Leyte Gulf • However, Halsey was surprised shortly after dawn when Japanese heavy cruisers and battleships passed unopposed through the San Bernardino Straits and threatened the invasion fleet • American aircraft turned back the already weakened Japanese • Still the Japanese did not give up, delivering their first wave of kamikaze attacks Escort carrier St. Lo sunk by kamikaze attack