In order to defeat
Japan and end the war in the Pacific, the United States unleashes a terrible new weapon, the atomic bomb.

• 1. Identify key turning points in the war in the Pacific.
• 2. Describe the Allied offensive against the Japanese.
• 3. Explain both the development of the atomic bomb and debates about its use.
• 4. Describe the challenges faced by the
Allies in building a just and lasting peace.

SECTION
3
The War in the Pacific
The Allies Stem the Japanese Tide
Japanese Advances
• In first 6 months after Pearl Harbor, Japan conquers empire
• Gen. Douglas MacArthur leads Allied forces in Philippines
• March 1942 U.S., Filipino troops trapped on
Bataan Peninsula
• FDR orders MacArthur to leave; thousands of troops remain
Doolittle’s Raid
• April 1942, Lt. Col. James Doolittle leads raid on Tokyo
Continued . . .
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• The Americans did not celebrate long, as
Japan was busy conquering an empire that dwarfed Hitler’s
Third Reich
• Japan had conquered much of southeast
Asia including the
Dutch East Indies,
Guam, and most of
China

• A – In what ways were the American victory at Midway and the Japanese triumph at Pearl Harbor alike?
– Both were surprise naval attacks that resulted in substantial destruction of the
Japanese fleet.

SECTION
3 continued
The Allies Stem the Japanese Tide
Battle of the Coral Sea
• May 1942, U.S., Australian soldiers stop
Japanese drive to Australia
• For first time since Pearl Harbor, Japanese invasion turned back
The Battle of Midway
• Admiral Chester Nimitz commands U.S. naval forces in Pacific
• Allies break Japanese code, win Battle of
Midway , stop Japan again
• Allies advance island by island to Japan
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• The main Allied forces in the Pacific were
Americans and Australians
• In May 1942 they succeeded in stopping the Japanese drive toward Australia in the five-day Battle of the Coral Sea

• B – Why was the Battle of Leyte Gulf so crucial to the Allies?
– The Battle was a disaster for the Japan.
From then on, the Imperial Navy played only a minor role in the defense of Japan.

• Japan’s next thrust was toward Midway Island – a strategic Island northwest of Hawaii
• Admiral Chester Nimitz, the Commander of
American Naval forces in the Pacific, moved to defend the Island
• The Americans won a decisive victory as their planes destroyed 4
Japanese aircraft carriers and 250 planes

SECTION
3
The Allies Go on the Offensive
The Allied Offensive
• Allied offensive begins August 1942 in Guadalcanal
• October 1944, Allies converge on Leyte Island in
Philippines
- return of MacArthur
The Japanese Defense
• Japan uses kamikaze attack —pilots crash bomb-laden planes into ships
• Battle of Leyte Gulf is a disaster for Japan
- Imperial Navy severely damaged; plays minor role after
Continued . . .
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• The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war – soon the Allies were island hopping toward Japan

In the Battle for the Philippines, 424
Kamikaze pilots sank 16 ships and damaged 80 more
• The Americans continued leapfrogging across the Pacific toward Japan
• Japanese countered by employing a new tactic
– Kamikaze (divine
wind) attacks
• Pilots in small bombladen planes would crash into Allied ships

The War in the Pacific
Date and
Place
Bataan;
The War in the Pacific
Leaders
Involved
(Douglas)
MacArthur;
What happened?
Midway; (Chester W.)
Nimitz;
Guadalcanal: MacArthur; the Allies held out for four months against invading Japanese forces before abandoning the peninsula.
Americans turned back a Japanese invasion force headed for Hawaii.
Americans dealt Japan its first defeat on land.
Leyte Gulf: MacArthur; Americans retook the Philippines and dealt a devastating blow to the Japanese navy.

SECTION
3 continued
The Allies Go on the Offensive
Iwo Jima
• Iwo Jima critical as base from which planes can reach Japan
• 6,000 marines die taking island; of 20,700
Japanese, 200 survive
The Battle for Okinawa
• April 1945 U.S. Marines invade Okinawa
• April–June: 7,600 U.S. troops, 110,000 Japanese die
• Allies fear invasion of Japan may mean 1.5 million
Allied casualties
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• General
MacArthur and the Allies next turned to the
Island of Iwo Jima
• The island was critical to the
Allies as a base for an attack on
Japan
• It was called the most heavily defended spot on earth
• Allied and
Japanese forces suffered heavy casualties
American soldiers plant the flag on the Island of Iwo Jima after their victory

• In April 1945, U.S. marines invaded
Okinawa
• The Japanese unleashed 1,900
Kamikaze attacks sinking 30 ships and killing 5,000 seamen
• Okinawa cost the
Americans 7,600 marines and the
Japanese 110,000 soldiers

• After Okinawa,
MacArthur predicted that a
Normandy type amphibious invasion of Japan would result in
1,500,000 Allied deaths
• President Truman saw only one way to avoid an invasion of
Japan . . .
Okinawa
The loss of life at Iwo Jima and Okinawa convinced Allied leaders that an invasion of Japan was not the best idea

• C – Why was Okinawa a significant island in the war in the Pacific?
– It was the last island that stood between the Allies and a final assault on Japan.
– The battle itself was a foretaste of what the Allies imagined the final invasion of
Japan would be.

The War in the Pacific
Date and
Place
Iwo Jima: MacArthur;.
The War in the Pacific
Leaders Involved What happened?
Okinawa: MacArthur; in a fierce battle, the Allies took the island from Japan the Allies took the island from Japan.
Tokyo Bay; Hirohito,
MacArthur;
Japan formally surrendered.

SECTION
3
The Atomic Bomb Ends the War
The Manhattan Project
• J. Robert Oppenheimer is research director of
Manhattan Project
• July 1945, atomic bomb tested in New Mexico desert
• President Truman orders military to drop 2 atomic bombs on Japan
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• August 6, Hiroshima , major military center, destroyed by bomb
• 3 days later, bomb dropped on city of Nagasaki
• September 2, 1945 Japan surrenders
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• Japan had a huge army that would defend every inch of the Japanese mainland
• So Truman decided to use a powerful new weapon developed by scientists working on the Manhattan Project
– the Atomic Bomb

• Truman warned
Japan in late July 1945 that without a immediate
Japanese surrender, it faced “prompt and utter destruction”
• On August 6
(Hiroshima) and August
9 (Nagasaki) a B-29 bomber dropped Atomic
Bombs on Japan
The plane and crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima,
Japan

August 6, 1945
HIROSHIMA

August 9,
1945
NAGASAKI

• Japan surrendered days after the second atomic bomb was dropped
• General MacArthur said, “Today the guns are silent. The skies no longer rain death .
. .the entire world is quietly at peace.”
At the White House, President Harry
Truman announces the Japanese surrender, August 14, 1945

The War in the Pacific
Date and Place
Los Alamos;
The Science War
Leaders Involved
(J. Robert)
Oppenheimer;
What happened?
the first atomic bomb was built, successfully completing Manhattan
Project.
Hiroshima and
Nagasaki:
Truman; first atomic bombs were dropped.

SECTION
3
Rebuilding Begins
The Yalta Conference
• February 1945, FDR, Churchill, Stalin meet in Yalta
- discuss post-war world
• FDR, Churchill concession: temporarily divide
Germany into 4 parts
• Stalin promises free elections in Eastern Europe; will fight Japan
• FDR gets support for conference to establish United
Nations
Human Costs of the War
• WW II most destructive war in human history
Continued . . .
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• In February 1945, as the Allies pushed toward victory in Europe, an ailing FDR met with Churchill and
Stalin at the Black
Sea resort of Yalta in the USSR
• A series of compromises were worked out concerning postwar Europe
(L to R) Churchill, FDR and Stalin at Yalta

• 1) They agreed to divide Germany into 4 occupied zones after the war
• 2) Stalin agreed to free elections in Eastern Europe
• 3) Stalin agreed to help the U.S. in the war against Japan and to join the United Nations

• E – What decisions did Roosevelt,
Churchill, and Stalin make at the Yalta
Conference?
– They agreed to a temporary division of
Germany into four zones;
– Stalin promised that the Soviet occupied
Eastern European countries would have free elections;
– Stalin agreed to defeat Japan;
– Stalin agreed to establish the United
Nations.

SECTION
3 continued
Rebuilding Begins
The Nuremberg War Trials
• Nuremberg trials — 24 Nazi leaders tried, sentenced
- charged with crimes against humanity, against the peace, war crimes
• Establish principle that people responsible for own actions in war
The Occupation of Japan
• MacArthur commands U.S. occupation forces in
Japan
• Over 1,100 Japanese tried, sentenced
• MacArthur reshapes Japan’s economy, government
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• D – Why was Roosevelt anxious to make concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of Postwar Germany?
– FDR wanted Soviet help in the war against
Japan;
– He also wanted soviet cooperation in establishing the United Nations.

Herman Goering, Hitler's right-hand man and chief architect of the German war effort, testifies at his trial.
He was found guilty of war crimes but avoided execution by swallowing potassium cyanide.
• The discovery of Hitler’s death camps led the Allies to put 24 surviving Nazi leaders on trial for crimes against humanity, crimes against the peace, and war crimes
• The trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany
• “I was only following orders” was not an acceptable defense as 12 of the 24 were sentenced to death and the others to life in prison

• Japan was occupied by U.S. forces under the command of
General MacArthur
• During the seven- year occupation, MacArthur reshaped
Japan’s economy by introducing free-market practices that led to a remarkable economic recovery
• Additionally, he introduced a liberal constitution that to this day is called the MacArthur Constitution

The War in the Pacific
Date and Place
Yalta:
Planning and Rebuilding for Peace
Leaders Involved
Roosevelt, Stalin,
Churchill;
What happened?
at the Yalta Conference, Allied leaders made important decisions about the postwar world.
San Francisco: N/A
Nuremberg: Jackson;
United Nations (UN) established at the Nuremberg trials, Nazi leaders were tried for wartime crimes