World War II: Pacific Theater

Mr. Langford’s Class

Overview

• Where the battle’s were fought

• Who won those battle’s

• Outcome of the battle

• Did it affect the moral

• Why was the battle fought

Japan’s Rise

• Began to become dominate in the early 1930’s

• Had fought with Russia

• Invaded China

• Took certain sectors of China

• Why?

Japan on the move

• Japan’s military is battle tested

• Begins to take islands near Japan

• Meetings with Axis powers

• The empire feels dominate--takes more islands throughout the Pacific

• Makes a critical decision about the United States

ATTACK!!

• After repeated warnings by the United States--Japan ignores

• Attacks the Philippines and Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

• Dec. 7 1941--Sunday morning

• Japanese mini sub found

• Japan attacks with waves of fighter bombers and torpedo planes

• Kills over 2000 men, sinks the Arizona where over 1000 die in a matter of seconds

• Why that date?

U.S.S. Shaw

U.S. Declares War

• Monday Dec. 8, 1941

• Roosevelt gives speech: “This day will live in infamy”

• Who declares war?

• Thousands of men line up for recruitment

• America joins the fight in Europe and is ready to fight Japan

The Philippines

• Dec. 8, 1941--Japan attacks British, Dutch and American forces in the Pacific

• For over a month, Japanese troop push American and Filipino troops back

• Take Manila in Jan. 1942

• MacArthur leader of troops leaves in Feb.

• Vows to return again

Battaan Death March

• Japanese take Bataan Peninsula

• Many American and Filipino forced to march to camps

• Limited food and water

• Extremely long march

• Many died of weakness--if one fell out of the row, more than likely shot dead

The March

MacArthur to Australia

• Feb. 1942 leaves the Philippines

• Ordered by Roosevelt to head the Pacific theater

• Moves to Australia--considered a safe area from the Japanese since they did not attack during the rest of the invasions

Japanese-Americans Camp

• After the attack, sentiment against those of Japanese decent grew

• Thousands of people were rounded up and forced into an internment camp in Kansas

• No rights were given

• Many of the people were citizens for over 25 years or natural citizens

Internment Camp

Coral Sea

• First major Naval battle

• First time ever two powers fought without seeing each other

• South Pacific--Northeast of Australia

• Battle was considered a draw but moral victory for U.S.

• Stopped Japanese advancement

Midway

• Island in Pacific

• Turning point of the war--June 1942

• U.S. showed the Japanese a false move and the Japanese wanted to capitalize

• Four carriers for Japan sank

• Turning point

Guadacanal

• Aug. 1942

• South Pacific

• Battle that the U.S.S. Yorktown sank*

• Stopped the Japanese

• Began island hopping campaign

• Secures most of the far South Pacific

How close?

• Aleutian island campaign

• Japanese wanted to secure those island and work there way down the coast

• Japanese had control of the most southern island in the Aleutians

• Where are the Aleutian Islands and who owns them

Island Hopping

• A term used to describe the fighting in the Pacific

• U.S. and Japan would go from island to island fighting for control

• Japan controlled most of the islands in the Pacific

• U.S. picked strategic islands to fight for--Why?

Leyte Gulf

• The biggest and greatest naval battle ever

• Philippines-- 1944

• The Japanese sent nearly every ship to fight

• U.S. fought a heavy battle

• Japan takes the greatest casualties and nearly loses every ship

• Kamikaze raids begin

Iwo Jima and Okinawa

• Islands in the Pacific--North Northwest of Guam

• Feb. 1945 and April 1945

• What was the island like?

• The island took over two months to secure

• Heavy casualties for both sides

• Site of the famous Marines raising flag

Southeast Asia Campaign

• U.S. troops in Vietnam

• There to help locals fight the Japanese

• Also, ran bombing runs to bomb Japanese positions in China

• Vietnamese helped U.S. to retrieve down airmen

• Helped Ho Chi Minh gain notoriety in region, remember this name!

Manhattan Project

• A completely secret plan to develop the atom bomb

• The Vice-President did not even know of the project

• Where did the research take place?

• Where was the testing place and other important info taken to?

Hiroshima/Nagasaki

• Aug. 6, 1945 the first atomic weapon was used

• 80,000 people died thousands more injured

• Used to force surrender--Japan refused

• Aug. 9, 1945 Nagasaki bombed

• Japan finally realizes they need to surrender

The End

• Aug. 15, Emperor Hirohito announces Japan’s surrender, shocks whole country

• Official surrender Sept. 2, 1945

• In Tokyo Bay aboard the U.S.S. Missouri--a battleship that was in Pearl Harbor