As an introduction to WWII in the Pacific, students will use classroom reference materials to learn the basic geography of that theater of war.

Students will learn how geography was an influence in this theater of war.

Over sixty years ago, a generation of young Americans left their homes to fight in a world war.

The war took place on two different fronts, or theaters: Europe and the Pacific.

Consider this: When the Japanese attacked the U.S. fleet on December 7, 1941, most Americans had never heard of Pearl Harbor and did not even know where it was.

Now our troops were traveling to far off places to fight in the war.

Soldiers confronted environments and cultures that they had never heard of.

Their war involved vast distances, isolations, and harsh unfamiliar surroundings that placed special burdens on them.

They served in remote and far flung places. Many struggled and died in places their

families had never heard of. They waged a bloody war against a

determined enemy.

The Japanese continued to move East and South. The day after Pearl Harbor, they attacked the

Americans in the Philippines. They conquered new territory while we

recovered. (Hong Kong, Singapore and the Malayan peninsula)

By May of 1942, they reached the Coral Sea, but we were waiting. It was a setback for the Japanese

Americans were using Midway Island for refueling for planes.

The Japanese sent a large fleet there. If they take the island, the flights will stop. The U.S. navy sinks four aircraft carriers,

scoring a clear victory and turned the tide of the war in the Pacific.

The Japanese begin losing ground

To defeat Japan, American forces start a long campaign of island hopping. Taking back islands that Japan had conquered.

August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division lands on Guadalcanal. They fought for 3 ½ years.

Large and small battles were needed to get the U.S. closer to strike Japan.

Feb. 1945, 35,000 Marines land in one day on this tiny island.

36 days of combat; 7,000 Americans lost, 22,000 Japanese lost.

Bombardment of Japanese factories and military bases can begin.

Japan lost almost of all of its territory.

April of 1945, more than 180,000 Americans landed on this island.

They face a Japanese army half their size The Japanese fight to the end, losing over

110,000 soldiers. Americans bombing raids damaged the

island of Japan. They are unwilling to surrender and fight to the end.

Unfortunately, they only surrender when atomic weapons are used against a city.