lecture 27.4 world war ii. using a naval strategy of island hopping to japan’s doorstep and...
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Victory in the PacificLecture 27.4 World War II
Using a naval strategy of island hopping to Japan’s doorstep and bombing Japanese cities to ruins, the American military faced suicidal Japanese resistance that only broke following the use of nuclear war.
The Hook: Connect what we discuss to this…
America’s official entry into World War II began in the Pacific (infamously on 7 December 1941)
America and its new allies believed that the war in Europe should be given priority.◦ Why?
The Pacific War: The Big Picture
First goal: Halt the Japanese drive toward AustraliaAmerica’s primary allies in the Pacific War
ChinaGreat BritainFrance (Free French)Philippines (American territory before the war)
The Pacific War was a naval war◦ The Japanese Empire in the western
Pacific consisted of hundreds of islands spread across the world’s largest ocean.
◦ Islands were “unsinkable aircraft carriers” and served as bases for attack
◦ At the height of the Japanese Empire, it extended from Alaska to New Guinea; Manchuria to the approaches to New Zealand
The aircraft Carrier and airplane of great importance
The Marine Corps most celebrated operations were in the Pacific War
A Different War: The Geography of the Pacific
In the Pacific War, the enemy was not white◦ Japanese Americans in the west were put
into concentration camps◦ Racial differences were exaggerated for
propaganda by both sides The Japanese believed that the
Emperor Hirohito was divine and they were willing to die for him
Bushido- Samurai Code-Fight to the death- Never surrender◦ Japanese looked at surrendering troops
as losing their honor and not deserving of life
◦ Japanese were particularly brutal with prisoners
A Different War: The Character of the Enemy
Goal 1: Stop the Japanese drive to Australia◦ Australia was to be the base for
American operations- its loss would be devastating Japanese were bombing Northern
Australia within a month of their attack on Pearl Harbor
Japanese approach to Australia checked at the Battle of the Coral Sea May 1942 Fist time Japanese expansion is checked First naval battle carried out by
airplanes- Battleships do little
Americans to stage their first offensive from Australia in August 1942- Guadalcanal
Stopping the Rising Sun: Spring 1942
◦ Japanese drive toward Hawaii checked at the Battle of Midway 3-6 June 1942 Part of a two pronged Japanese attack
Japanese plans were intercepted and read by cryptologists
America focuses forces near Midway American Aircraft Carriers spared by
the attack at Pearl Harbor were key in this battle
Japan loses four carriers and withdraws
◦ First clear defeat of the Japanese- last Japanese offensive Japanese strategists doubted that
Japan could lose a war with America if it lasted longer than 6 months In retrospect, how was this battle the
beginning of the end for Japan?
Midway and Turning the Tide
Some Images of Midway
Some Images of Midway
Some Images of Midway
Allies begin to push Japanese away from Australia at the Battle of Guadalcanal◦ Protect the lifeline between Australia and America◦ Japanese cut off American forces for a time
Lived off rats, moldy rice and rainwater- a very tenuous hold on the islands for the first few months
Troops plagued by disease, hunger, heat and Japanese attacks Three different naval engagements dislodge the Japanese by February 1943
First successful offensive against Japan- Same time as Operation Torch in North Africa
Guadalcanal: First Allied Offensive (August 1942- January 1943)
Using a naval strategy of island hopping to Japan’s doorstep and bombing Japanese cities to ruins, the American military faced suicidal Japanese resistance that only broke following the use of nuclear war.
The Hook: Connect what we discuss to this…
American strategy to defeat Japan popularly known as island hopping◦ Target islands where it was
believed the Japanese were weaker and isolate stronger islands
◦ Two prongs: Western- New Guinea to Philippines to Okinawa (Army Douglas MacArthur) Eastern-Central Pacific to Iwo Jima (Navy and Chester Nimitz)
Island Hopping to Tokyo
The Japanese became more reluctant to withdraw form islands as the Americans drew closer to Japan
Tarawa a group of islands 2500 mi southwest of Hawaii
Largest island was 3 miles by ½ mile- defended by 4700 Japanese
Japanese do not withdraw- all by 17 die fighting
Americans underestimated Japanese will
Nearly 3000 Marine casualties in taking this small island (about twice the size of Cambridge Springs)
Tarawa : The Costs of Island Hopping
Conquest of the Marianas Islands put American planes within range of Tokyo
Japanese would continue suicidal resistance◦ Saipan was defended by 30,000 Japanese- all by 1000 dies
defending the island Japanese civilians pushed their children over cliffs and then
jumped rather than accept surrender to the Americans Taught that surrender would be worse than death
Key question: Would the Japanese continue to fight until every last Japanese was killed?◦ What would it take to defeat 70 million peopl eon the
home islands? At this time, Japanese military planners believed
the war was lost- only could hope to negotiate terms of defeat
Saipan and the Marianas: Bringing the Japanese Home Islands into Range
The American evacuation of the Philippines in 1942 was the most significant humiliation of the war
General MacArthur wanted to deliver on his promise to return
Debate on whether this was strategically important to defeat Japan
The Japanese though the remainder of its navy to defend the islands
Leyte Gulf-Largest naval defeat in history◦ Lost 60 ships- including the largest
battleship ever built The Yamoto◦ Japan, an island nation now had no navy to
guard it Japanese resistance in the Philippines
did not end until July 1945- 60,000 casualties
The Philippines and Leyte
Using a naval strategy of island hopping to Japan’s doorstep and bombing Japanese cities to ruins, the American military faced suicidal Japanese resistance that only broke following the use of nuclear war.
The Hook: Connect what we discuss to this…
Japanese planners knew that the Americans next moves would be to Iwo Jima and Okinawa
Americans publically called for an unconditional surrender- Unacceptable for most Japanese◦ Bushido Code and Emperor worship
Japanese hoped to negotiate acceptable conditions to stop fighting though the Soviet Union (neutral)
Japanese hoped to negotiate after showing the Americans how costly unconditional victory would be in defending Iwo Jima and Okinawa
Ketsu-Go Japanese plan to defend the home islands
Japan and the war by 1945
Using a naval strategy of island hopping to Japan’s doorstep and bombing Japanese cities to ruins, the American military faced suicidal Japanese resistance that only broke following the use of nuclear war.
The Hook: Connect what we discuss to this…
A tiny volcanic island 4.5 mi by 2.5 mi 760 mi from Tokyo
Contained airfields that could accommodate bombers retuning from Japan
18,000 Japanese defenders reduced to 216
A bigger battle would follow for Okinawa
Iwo Jima: The Price of a Rock Feb-Mar 1945
Tokyo was largely built of wood General Curtis Lemay planned to bomb it
with incendiary bombs Ruined 16 square miles of Tokyo
◦ 267,000 buildings destroyed◦ 100,000 civilians killed◦ Crossing a moral divide- How many civilians can
you kill in pursuit of victory? General Curtis Lemay “If the Japanese
would have won the war, I would have been considered a war criminal
The Firebombing of Tokyo: The Worst Bombing of the War
Next phase of the attack on Japan: Okinawa◦ Larger island with Japanese population◦ Americans: Staging ground for an
attack on home islands 350 miles from islands
◦ Japanese: An opportunity to break American resolve and negotiate peace
Largest military force in history set sail for Okinawa◦ 200,000 troops 40 Air Craft Carriers
18 battle ships 200 destroyers- larger than D-Day
Okinawa: Japan Communicating the Cost of Unconditional Surrender
Japanese did not resist the landing of American troops 1 April 1945◦ Lure them into a trap and kill as many as
possible- Japanese dug into mountains and hills
◦ Japanese would charge Americans in suicide attacks
Kamikaze- Divine Wind- suicide attacks on American ships landing reinforcements on the island
The bitter fighting reinforced the dehumization of propaganda- Marines report enjoying killing Japanese and Japanese disfigured American dead◦ Enemy not fully human◦ Made the decision on nuclear bombing of
Japan much easier◦ World War II in HD: Okinawa - YouTube
A Most Bitter Battle
Okinawa and Imperial Resistance
Japan succeeded in showing the Americans how costly an invasion of the Japanese mainland would be◦ Suicidal resistance 100,00 Japanese dead◦ Exacted a high price for victory
12,200 dead 26,600 injured Americans- Largest battle of the Pacific War
◦ Hoped to bleed a negotiated settlement out of United States
Calculations for an invasion of Japan envisioned million casualties (30 Okinawas!)
Operation Downfall- planned invasion of Japan◦ Some divisions expected casualty rates of 90%
A death sentence Japanese continued to refuse calls for
unconditional surrender- Germany surrenders in 9 May 1945
Summer of Doom: The Pacific War in the summer of 1945 Japanese continued to hold out
hope they could negotiate terms for a surrender◦ Citizens prepare for suicidal
resistance of home islands- children taught to charge tanks and set off explosives- Every Japanese a Kamikaze
Americans prepare for the invasion in November
A successful experiment conducted in a remote desert in New Mexico would significantly change the calculation
Americans were secretly working on developing a nuclear device during the war: The Manhattan Project◦ 16 July 1945- first successful
nuclear blast◦ Japan’s resistance to surrender
and estimates for the costs of World War II convinced Truman that he needed to use nuclear weapons Power and impact not fully
understood What choice did Truman have?
The Decision to use nuclear weapons on Japan
Hiroshima: 6 August 1945
Did Harry Truman really have a choice in using the newly discovered nuclear weapon on Japan?
Morning of 6 August, a lone B-29 bomber flew over the industrial port of Hiroshima and dropped a single bomb◦ 70,000 killed instantly
Explosion and firestorm◦ 70,000 more die within 5 years
Pictures from Hiroshima◦ Craft a summary of the effects of this blast
Nagasaki and Conditional Surrender Nagasaki, another industrial center near
Hiroshima targeted by a second atomic bomb 3 days after Hiroshima◦ Soviet Union declares war on Japan (a promise they
made at Yalta) and invades Japanese-held Manchuria◦ Bombing killed 60,000
American secretary of State backed off the demand of unconditional surrender◦ “The Emperor and government of Japan shall be subject
to the command of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces” (Douglas Mac Arthur) Belief that cooperation of the emperor would allow a more
orderly occupation
Hirohito’s Surrender: V-J Day Hirohito made an extraordinary radio
address (he never talked directly to the people)
Noted that the enemy had a new and terrible weapon, and Japan would “cease hostilities” for the welfare of all humanity◦ Some radicals in the Japanese
government tried to stop him◦ Official surrender signed on the USS
Missouri 2 September 1945◦ Hirohito would continue as the Japanese
Emperor till 1989 Americans preparing for Operation
Downfall felt that their death sentences had been commuted
V-Jay Day Celebrated
Using a naval strategy of island hopping to Japan’s doorstep and bombing Japanese cities to ruins, the American military faced suicidal Japanese resistance that only broke following the use of nuclear war.
The Hook: Connect what we discuss to this…
The Costs of the World’s Most Violent War War had killed at least 30 million people Destroyed major cities in Europe, Japan and
China People left without homes, jobs, families World exposed to the horrors of the
holocaust and the prospect of nuclear war Look at the chart on 827. What conclusions
can you draw from this?