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WORLD WAR II
UNIT
By
Bryan Callen
Sierra Nevada College
Fall 2010
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
 Introduction
 Curriculum Grid
 Lesson Plans
1. Pearl Harbor and the start of American
involvement
2. Japanese Internment
3. Turning Points in the War, Major Battles.
4. Roles of Individuals
5. The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb
 Grading Rationale
 Grade Tracker
 References
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INTRODUCTION
When the Germans invaded Poland in 1939 the world went to war for the second time.
The war included a variety of countries, including the United States and left a legacy to be
studied for generations. Therefore, in this United States history class students will be studying
the events and people that were included in the history of World War II. Students will be able to
examine the origins of American involvement in the war, Discuss the internment of the Japanese,
explain major battles including; midway, Normandy, and Iwo Jima. Students will also be able to
identify and analyze the role of individuals associated with the war and examine the decision to
drop the atomic bomb. All of which are California Standards that students should be able to have
mastery of (California State Board of Education).
The unit will include five lessons and a project all will be engaging and fun. The lessons
will all explore the goals mentioned above, the student’s mastery will be assessed by quizzes,
homework, participation and a project. The unit will take 5, 90 minute lessons to complete with a
project due at the end. The grade level for this unit is 11th grade U.S. History.
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World War II Unit Grid
CONTENT
STANDARDS
11.7.1
Examine the origins of American involvement in the
war, with an emphasis on the events that precipitated
the attack on Pearl Harbor.
11.7.5 Discuss the constitutional issues and impact of
events on the U.S. home front, including the internment
of Japanese Americans (e.g., Fred Korematsu v. United
States of America) and the restrictions on German and
Italian resident aliens; the response of the
administration to Hitler’s atrocities against Jews and
other groups; the roles of women in military
production; and the roles and growing political
demands of African Americans.
11.7.2
Explain U.S. and Allied wartime strategy, including the
major battles of Midway, Normandy, Iwo Jima,
Okinawa, and the Battle of the Bulge.
11.7.7
Discuss the decision to drop atomic bombs and the
consequences of the decision (Hiroshima and
Nagasaki).
11.7.3
Identify the roles and sacrifices of individual American
soldiers, as well as the unique contributions of the
special fighting forces (e.g., the Tuskegee Airmen, the
442nd Regimental Combat team, the Navajo Code
Talkers).
LESSON
1
LESSON
2
LESSO
N3
LESSON
4
LESSON
5
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Teacher:
Bryan Callen
Subject Area:
U.S. History
Grade Level:
11th grade
Unit Title:
World War II
Lesson Title:
Pearl Harbor and the start of American involvement
Overview (In a few sentences, describe what will be taught during this lesson and what types of
activities will be used):
In this lesson the students will be taught the origins of American involvement in
World War 2 and about the attack on Pearl Harbor. They will be taught through lecture
and reading articles. They will at the end write their own article related to Pearl Harbor.
Connection to the Curriculum (Identify which interdisciplinary subject areas relate to this
lesson.):


History
Reading (language arts)
Connection to Standards (List local or national standards which will be met upon completion
of this lesson.):
California History standard 11.7.1
Examine the origins of American involvement in the war, with an emphasis on the events that
precipitated the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Time (How much time will it take to complete this lesson?):
120 minutes
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Materials/Equipment Required:



Web Articles
Text
Pen and paper
Objectives (Write 2-5 objectives stating expected learner outcomes.):
Students will be able to:



analyze American involvement in World War 2
analyze the attack on pearl harbor
Use Creativity and Synthesis to explain the attack on pearl harbor
Suggested Procedure
Opening (How will you begin the lesson?):
By reading an interview of an eyewitness, about the attack on Pearl Harbor, then conducting a
KWL about Pearl Harbor and American involvement.
Development (What activities will be done to teach the concepts?):
Day 1- 90 min.
The first part of the lesson will be lecture using power point and
videos related to the origins of American involvement and the attack on pearl harbor. The
students will take notes on the power point. The power point will be in note form, the
important parts they need to know will be on the power point. The students will then
receive one of the articles or interviews from the internet that I will provide. There are only
a few so the students will have to share them in groups. In the groups they will popcorn
read the interviews. I will go to each group to assess comprehension. After the reading is
done, the groups will go to home base where we will have a class discussion on what it was
like to be at Pearl Harbor.
Day 2-30 min.
The students will finish up their articles then turn them in.
Closing (How will you review the lesson to be sure all students understand the concepts?):
Ask for three things that were learned during the lesson or in the interviews that
they read.
Student Assessment (What types of activities will be assigned to students to allow them
independent or group practice with the concept?):
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The students will read chapter 11 section 1 of the text. They will start to write an
article as if they were at Pearl Harbor. They can use information from the internet and
other articles.
Extending the Lesson (Identify types of activities or student assignments that may be beneficial
to use following this lesson.):
This lesson could be extended to a language arts lesson and how to read historical
documents lesson.
Additional Resources (List resources students may find helpful should they wish to learn more
about the topic.):
If you Google “pearl Harbor Interviews” you will find some resources to use.
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/pearlharbor/. If you go to this web
site you can fin all the articles I have used.
ESL Adaptations:
For this lesson I will allow the students to work in groups or have extra time to read the
articles.
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Web Articles:
Interview with Pearl Harbor Eyewitnesses
Interview with Eyewitnesses Johnie and Dale Gano
(December, 1996)
Hubert 'Dale' Gano, a retired U.S. Navy Commander and his wife Margaret Ellen
'Johnie' Gano witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor. From November 25 through December 20,
1996, the Ganos shared their experiences by answering questions from students on Scholastic's
Web site. Below is the transcript of the questions and answers. Unless noted differently, all
answers are given by Dale Gano.
About Our Experience
Johnie and Dale Gano — Dec 4, 1996
We're here to answer questions from the students regarding our experiences on Pearl Harbor
when the Japanese attacked. We were both 25 years old and had been married 4 months. We
were not really uneasy about the world situation. We were still in bed at 8:00 on Sunday morning
and were trying to decide if we should go to church in Honolulu. The decision was suddenly made
for us by loud explosions. Johnie thought a plane had crashed near the house. We rushed outside
to find our neighbor, a navy doctor, looking at aircraft through a pair of binoculars. He suggested
that I look at them because I knew more about airplanes than he did. I said "I don't need your
glasses Doc, look at the Rising Sun on the side of the airplane. They are Japanese!" I could see
tracer shells being fired at them.
What a way for Sunday to start!
Johnie and Dale Gano
Question:
What did you see?
Answer:
I lived in Pearl City on a peninsula which jutted out into Pearl Harbor parallel to Ford Island on
which the Naval Air Station was based. Navy ships were tied to piers on the east and west sides
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of Ford Island and at the south end of Pearl City peninsula. There were others at the shipyard east
across the bay from Ford Island. A very loud explosion rattled our windows. We rushed outside to
see a string of airplanes in a shallow dive toward the ships at the end of our peninsula. We could
see red anti-aircraft tracer shells floating up toward the lead aircraft. I could see the "Rising-Sun"
emblem that decorated the side of the aircraft which identified them as Japanese. My wife and her
friends who lived nearby went up into the hills to hide in a cave and I caught a boat to Ford Island.
On the way over I saw a large flight of Japanese aircraft fly over at a high altitude. I saw sunken
U.S. Navy ships on both sides of Ford Island burning furiously. When I got to the east side of Ford
Island I could see large fires in the Navy Yard which is across the water east of Ford Island. We
lost no aircraft carriers because they were at sea. The ships which were docked in the spaces
used by the carriers were sunk and burning. I saw some very brave Navy Yard workers cutting
holes in the bottom of ships that had rolled over and sunk. They saved quite a few sailors who
were trapped in the ships. I saw an oil covered sailor who looked familiar. He and I had gone to
high school together. He was lost later in the war. When I went into the barracks later in the day I
saw long rows of dead and injured sailors lying on the floor. Visualize yourself standing on the
east side of Ford Island looking across the water toward the Navy base. The submarine base is to
your left, the shipyard straight across and the Navy Hospital far to the right on the point of land.
The last attacking Japanese airplane I saw dove to rooftop height above the submarine base, flew
across the shipyard and climbed steeply over the hospital and flew away. The last Japanese
airplane I saw was one we had shot down. It was dragged up a ramp where I was able to take a
cartridge from a jammed machine gun and remove a nameplate from a wing for souvenirs.
Question:
How far was Ford Island from Pearl City? How long did it take you to get to Ford Island?
Answer:
The distance from the pier at the south end of Pearl City peninsula to the west side of Ford Island
is at least one-half mile. I expect we were underway in the boat for five to eight minutes. Please
remember that this happened over fifty-five years ago and I did not measure the distance nor did I
time the run. If you can find a map of Pearl Harbor, I'm sure that you will find it a very interesting
study.
Question:
What was it like watching Pearl Harbor get destroyed?
Answer:
Watching Pearl Harbor being destroyed and thousands of lives lost put most of us into a state of
shock. I saw no fear manifested by the people around me. We all responded as we had been
trained. The first day, I manned a machine gun. The second day, I repaired airplanes as fast as I
could. A few days later, those of us who had families were allowed to go look for them. I could not
find my wife of 4+ months but learned she was safe. Later we were allowed one night each fourth
day off the base. We were working 12 hours on - 12 hours off. It was exhausting but repaired
airplanes were moving out. I remember one PBY racing down the harbor for a test flight. It had not
been painted after repair and was more patch than original skin. I named it The Flying Patch.
Question:
Where were you or what were you doing at the time of the bombing?
Answer:
We were contemplating going to church when the first bomb fell. The attack lasted over a period
of time which extended to my arrival at the Naval Air Station. Johnie was on her way up to the
hills.
Question:
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What was the first thought that came to your mind when you heard the bombing?
Answer:
The first thought that came to my mind was, What in the world was that? My windows must be
broken.
Johnie: On December 5, 1941 I saw the movie "Dive Bomber" in which several military planes
crashed into the ground. The first thought that came to me was that one of our planes had
crashed nearby — possibly a block from our house
Question:
Could you see the bombs?
Answer:
No, we did not see any bombs but we did see tracers.
Question:
Were you scared during the bombing?
Answer:
Johnie: I drove by to pick up some friends one of whom had an eleven month old baby. We were
told to go into the hills nearby . Halfway up a plane flew over- undoubtedly Japanese- and we got
out of the car to take shelter under some trees. I was definitely very scared.
Question:
Did a bomb drop anywhere near you?
Answer:
The first bomb sounded like it had dropped in my front yard but I'm sure it was dropped on one of
the ships at Ford Island. It would have been a torpedo because we know they were launched at
our battle ships. We learned later that the Japanese had practiced dropping torpedoes in shallow
water in preparation for the attack on Pearl harbor.
Question:
What did it feel like to be in the midst of the bombing?
Answer:
Being in the midst of bombing and such mass destruction was mind numbing. I went to my duty
station, the fire department, to find no people and no equipment. They were fighting fires so I
joined the line to draw a weapon. I selected a machine gun.
Questions:
How did you feel during the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Did you feel scared? How many people
died that you knew?
Answers:
Johnie: Both my husband and I were 25 years old and I felt secure until the word was passed that
all soldiers and sailors and other military had to report to their duty station. Then I cried some and
grabbed my coat and a box of Kleenex and car keys and got ready to pick up two friends, one of
whom had an 11 month old child. These friends did not have a car - I was too busy getting all that
"stuff" taken care of to be scared. We went up into the hills where there was a huge deserted
aqueduct and quite a few people there before us. Fear sort of came and went. There was a small
army detail group there and that was sort of a comfort. I vaguely recall they supplied us with food.
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About 4:00p.m. - near sundown we were told to go to the nearby village of Waipahu and from
there we were sent to the home of the plantation manager because we had a small child in the
group. There we stayed for 3 days until it became obvious that the enemy were not going to return
and they never did!!!
Dale: My feelings during the bombing of Pearl Harbor were encased in shock and bewilderment. I
was amazed that the Japanese would do such a thing. I was not angered to the extent that my
thinking was affected but I would have been willing to shoot them all to stop the attack. I did not
have any friends who died and was not motivated to look at the many bodies. There were many
sailors trapped in the sunken ships who died. From the Japanese point of view, their attack was
successful. They sank 21 American warships and killed 2338 military personnel and civilians. As
one of their admirals was quoted, "We have succeeded in awakening the sleeping giant."
Question:
Did your ship get shot a lot?
Answer:
I was not stationed on a ship. My duty station was the Naval Air Station. Ford Island was
damaged when the airplanes parked there-on were destroyed. Damage to buildings on NAS was
very minimal.
Question
Did you see anybody get shot? Did you get any wounds during the war?
Answer:
I did not see anyone get shot but I did see many bodies. I was not wounded during the war.
Question:
If you used a gun what kind was it? An automatic, a shotgun, a 9mm, or a 45?
Answer:
Dale: I used a 30:06 caliber machine gun.
Question:
How bad was the destruction?
Answer:
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor appeared to be aimed primarily at our ships and airplanes. I
remember no buildings being bombed, however, the hangars at the Army Air Stations had been
thoroughly machine gunned and their aircraft destroyed.
Question:
What did Pearl Harbor look like after the bomb?
Answer:
It was a complete mess. Ships were sunk and burning everywhere. The battleship Nevada had
tried to escape but ran aground at the entrance to the harbor. Entire squadrons of our airplanes
were destroyed on the ground. I saw aircraft engines in puddles of molten aluminum. Later, when I
visited Hickam Field I saw the buildings had been strafed and were completely full of bullet holes.
We were not strafed at Ford Island to that extent.
Question:
Could you see the Japanese pilots?
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Answer:
Dale says that he could see their heads but not well enough to recognize them even if they were
his best friends.
Question:
What was your favorite airplane at that time?
Answer:
My favorite airplanes at that time were, of course, Navy airplanes because they were the ones I
worked on. They were PBY, SBD, F6F, TBM. The first letter tells you their function. PB - patrol
bomber, SB - scout bomber, F - fighter and TB - torpedo bomber. The last letter tells you who
manufactured it. Y - Consolidated, D - Douglas, F - Gruman, M - General Motors.
Question:
What kind of fighter planes did we use against Japan?
Answer:Our navy fighters were the F6F discussed above. The marines used F4U fighters. They
were the gulf-wing fighters carrying six 50-caliber machine guns.
Question:
Did you know the pilots who dropped the bombs on Japan?
Answer:
If you are asking if I knew the pilots who dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, the answer is no. I
did know some of the pilots who saw aerial combat.
Question:
What was the name of your ship?
Answer:
I was not assigned to a ship. I was assigned to the Naval Air Station on Ford Island. I was an
aircraft mechanic and helped overhaul airplanes at the "Assembly and Repair Department" where
we overhauled airplanes.
Question:
Did you see the Arizona sink?
Answer:
I did not see the Arizona sink. It was moored to a pier on the east side of Ford Island, and I was in
Pearl City just west of Ford Island when it was attacked.
Johnie: There was a hole about 9 inches across in the neighbor's house probably caused by
shrapnel. We understood that they machine gunned the next street over from our house.
Questions:
I know that after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans in California were relocated to
camps away from the west coast for security reasons. Were Japanese Americans in Hawaii ever
locked up? Were they considered to be potential spies? I would think that the suspicions against
them would be great, especially after the surprise attack. How did you feel about Japanese
Americans after the attack? At the time, who was targeted for blame?
Answers:
Dale: To the best of my knowledge Japanese Americans were not locked up after the Pearl
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Harbor attack. You cannot lump them together under one category. Many of them had been in
Hawaii for generations and were good Americans. They owned and operated businesses. As for
spying — visiting Japanese could see all of Pearl Harbor from local highways which were located
well above sea level in the nearby hills. They could take pictures from Pan American Airways
passenger planes that landed in Pearl Harbor and were based at the foot of Pearl City Peninsula.
They could see Army installations which included air bases from those same airplanes as they
approached for landing and during departure.
After the attack my every thought other than for the welfare of my wife was the repair of damaged
aircraft and the preparation for flight of newly arriving aircraft on ships. Most of them arrived with
their wings off so more could be packed on ships. Also, they were new designs I had never seen
before so I had a lot to learn. We were working every waking hour and I had little time to think
about our enemy who might be among us.
An American General and an American Admiral were targeted for blame for the poor showing we
made on Dec. 7, 1941. I blame our president and the people around him for our being caught
asleep that Sunday morning. It turned out later that the President, F.D.R., did know of the pending
attack at least one day before it happened. His message to Pearl Harbor arrived after the attack.
He should have suspected something days earlier but he elected to wait.
It does not seem to be general knowledge but an American Army division consisting of young
Japanese American men fought against the Germans.
Johnie: The Americans, Hawaiians, Japanese, and other nationalities lived side by side,
intermingled you might say. The small grocery in our community was operated (owned?) by a
Japanese man. This store was closed after the Pearl Harbor attack, but it was opened again later
on.
Our neighbor, a Japanese, raised chickens and sort of managed the properties in which the Navy
families lived. He came to our door one day when I was alone; he spoke very little English and I
spoke no Japanese. He finally communicated the fact that he wanted to give me one of his live
chickens. Here, take him, kill him, eat him, he said. Poultry feed was very scarce and he was
having to reduce the size of his flock.
The process of making this "gift" ready for dinner was entirely our way of life! It's a long story, but
the next time Dale came home on liberty, he had roast chicken. I ate vegetables.
Question:
How did your wife feel about you serving in the military?
Answer:
I have always believed that my wife was proud of my profession. I'm sure she had things to worry
about as do all military wives. Moving to a different part of the world every three or so years is a
heavy burden for military wives.
Question:
Do you tell the story to your grandchildren?
Answer:
My wife and I wrote the story of our lives for our children and those to come later. It covered a
period of over fifty years.
Question:
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If there were to be a WWIII would you be prepared for it?
Answer:
I cannot believe that anyone can be psychologically prepared for a WWIII. We, of course, can be
physically prepared for it but I doubt that we will because the cost would be prohibitively high.
Oral History of The Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941
Lieutenant Ruth Erickson, NC, USN
Related Resources:
The Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941
Oral History of the Pearl Harbor Attack
Excerpt from Oral History of LT Ruth Erickson, NC (Nurse Corps), USN. LT Erickson
was a nurse at Naval Hospital Pearl Harbor during the attack on 7 December 1941.
[Source: Oral history provided courtesy of Historian, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery]
After the maneuvers were over, we were assigned to an R & R (rest and relaxation) port of
Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands. After 5 lovely days we followed the fleet, supposedly to New
York to assist in the opening of the World's Fair of April 1939.
Upon reaching Norfolk, VA, everything changed. It seemed Japan was "rattling the saber." Thus,
all ships were ordered to refuel, take on provisions, and immediately return to the West Coast.
When we reached the Panama Canal, the locks operated around the clock to get the ships
through. The Relief (AH-1) was the last ship and we remained on the Pacific side for 2 to 3 days
and then continued to our home port, San Pedro, CA.
When we arrived we remained in port until February 1940. In late summer of 1939 we learned
that spring fleet maneuvers would be in Hawaii, off the coast of Maui. Further, I would be
detached to report to the Naval Hospital, Pearl Harbor, T.H. when maneuvers were completed.
The orders were effective on 8 May 1940.
Tropical duty was another segment in my life's adventure! On this same date I reported to the
hospital command in which CAPT Reynolds Hayden was the commanding officer. Miss Myrtle
Kinsey was the chief of nursing services with a staff of eight nurses. I was also pleased to meet
up with Miss Winnie Gibson once again, the operating room supervisor.
We nurses had regular ward assignments and went on duty at 8 a.m. Each had a nice room in the
nurses' quarters. We were a bit spoiled; along with iced tea, fresh pineapple was always
available.
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We were off at noon each day while one nurse covered units until relieved at 3 p.m. In turn, the
p.m. nurse was relieved at 10 p.m. The night nurse's hours were 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
One month I'd have a medical ward and the next month rotated to a surgical ward. Again, I didn't
have any operating room duties here. The fleet population was relatively young and healthy. We
did have quite an outbreak of "cat [catarrhal] fever" with flu-like symptoms. This was the only
pressure period we had until the war started.
What was off-duty like?
Cars were few and far between, but two nurses had them. Many aviators were attached to Ford
Island. Thus, there was dating. We had the tennis courts, swimming at the beach, and picnics.
The large hotel at Waikiki was the Royal Hawaiian, where we enjoyed an occasional beautiful
evening and dancing under starlit skies to lovely Hawaiian melodies.
And then it all ended rather quickly.
Yes, it did. A big drydock in the area was destined to go right through the area where the nurses'
quarters stood. We had vacated the nurses' quarters about 1 week prior to the attack. We lived in
temporary quarters directly across the street from the hospital, a one-story building in the shape
of an E. The permanent nurses' quarters had been stripped and the shell of the building was to be
razed in the next few days.
By now, the nursing staff had been increased to 30 and an appropriate number of doctors and
corpsmen had been added. The Pacific Fleet had moved their base of operations from San Diego
to Pearl Harbor. With this massive expansion, there went our tropical hours! The hospital now
operated at full capacity.
Were you and your colleagues beginning to feel that war was coming?
No. We didn't know what to think. I had worked the afternoon duty on Saturday, December 6th
from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. with Sunday to be my day off.
Two or three of us were sitting in the dining room Sunday morning having a late breakfast and
talking over coffee. Suddenly we heard planes roaring overhead and we said, "The `fly boys' are
really busy at Ford Island this morning." The island was directly across the channel from the
hospital. We didn't think too much about it since the reserves were often there for weekend
training. We no sooner got those words out when we started to hear noises that were foreign to
us.
I leaped out of my chair and dashed to the nearest window in the corridor. Right then there was a
plane flying directly over the top of our quarters, a one-story structure. The rising sun under the
wing of the plane denoted the enemy. Had I known the pilot, one could almost see his features
around his goggles. He was obviously saving his ammunition for the ships. Just down the row,
all the ships were sitting there--the [battleships] California (BB-44), the Arizona (BB-39), the
Oklahoma (BB-37), and others.
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My heart was racing, the telephone was ringing, the chief nurse, Gertrude Arnest, was saying,
"Girls, get into your uniforms at once, This is the real thing!"
I was in my room by that time changing into uniform. It was getting dusky, almost like evening.
Smoke was rising from burning ships.
I dashed across the street, through a shrapnel shower, got into the lanai and just stood still for a
second as were a couple of doctors. I felt like I were frozen to the ground, but it was only a split
second. I ran to the orthopedic dressing room but it was locked. A corpsmen ran to the OD's
[Officer-of-the-Day's] desk for the keys. It seemed like an eternity before he returned and the
room was opened. We drew water into every container we could find and set up the instrument
boiler. Fortunately, we still had electricity and water. Dr. [CDR Clyde W.] Brunson, the chief of
medicine was making sick call when the bombing started. When he was finished, he was to play
golf...a phrase never to be uttered again.
The first patient came into our dressing room at 8:25 a.m. with a large opening in his abdomen
and bleeding profusely. They started an intravenous and transfusion. I can still see the tremor of
Dr. Brunson's hand as he picked up the needle. Everyone was terrified. The patient died within
the hour.
Then the burned patients streamed in. The USS Nevada (BB-36) had managed some steam and
attempted to get out of the channel. They were unable to make it and went aground on Hospital
Point right near the hospital. There was heavy oil on the water and the men dived off the ship and
swam through these waters to Hospital Point, not too great a distance, but when one is burned...
How they ever managed, I'll never know.
The tropical dress at the time was white t-shirts and shorts. The burns began where the pants
ended. Bared arms and faces were plentiful.
Personnel retrieved a supply of flit guns from stock. We filled these with tannic acid to spray
burned bodies. Then we gave these gravely injured patients sedatives for their intense pain.
Orthopedic patients were eased out of their beds with no time for linen changes as an unending
stream of burn patients continued until mid afternoon. A doctor, who several days before had
renal surgery and was still convalescing, got out of his bed and began to assist the other doctors.
Do you recall the Japanese plane that was shot down and crashed into the tennis court?
Yes, the laboratory was next to the tennis court. The plane sheared off a corner of the laboratory
and a number of the laboratory animals, rats and guinea pigs, were destroyed. Dr. Shaver [LTJG
John S.], the chief pathologist, was very upset.
About 12 noon the galley personnel came around with sandwiches and cold drinks; we ate on the
run. About 2 o'clock the chief nurse was making rounds to check on all the units and arrange
relief schedules.
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I was relieved around 4 p.m. and went over to the nurses' quarters where everything was intact. I
freshened up, had something to eat, and went back on duty at 8 p.m. I was scheduled to report to
a surgical unit. By now it was dark and we worked with flashlights. The maintenance people and
anyone else who could manage a hammer and nails were putting up black drapes or black paper
to seal the crevices against any light that might stream to the outside.
About 10 or 11 o'clock, there were planes overhead. I really hadn't felt frightened until this
particular time. My knees were knocking together and the patients were calling, "Nurse, nurse!"
The other nurse and I went to them, held their hands a few moments, and then went onto others.
The priest was a very busy man. The noise ended very quickly and the word got around that
these were our own planes.
What do you remember when daylight came?
I worked until midnight on that ward and then was directed to go down to the basement level in
the main hospital building. Here the dependents--the women and children--the families of the
doctors and other staff officers were placed for the night. There were ample blankets and pillows.
We lay body by body along the walls of the basement. The children were frightened and the
adults tense. It was not a very restful night for anyone.
Everyone was relieved to see daylight. At 6 a.m. I returned to the quarters, showered, had
breakfast, and reported to a medical ward. There were more burn cases and I spent a week there.
What could you see when you looked over toward Ford Island?
I really couldn't see too much from the hospital because of the heavy smoke. Perhaps at a higher
level one could have had a better view.
On the evening of 17 December, the chief nurse told me I was being ordered to temporary duty
and I was to go to the quarters, pack a bag, and be ready to leave at noon. When I asked where I
was going, she said she had no idea. The commanding officer ordered her to obtain three nurses
and they were to be in uniform. In that era we had no outdoor uniforms. Thus it would be the
regular white ward uniforms.
And so in our ward uniforms, capes, blue felt hats, and blue sweaters, Lauretta Eno, Catherine
Richardson, and I waited for a car and driver to pick us up at the quarters. When he arrived and
inquired of our destination, we still had no idea! The OD's desk had our priority orders to go to
one of the piers in Honolulu. We were to go aboard the SS [steamship] President Coolidge and
prepare to receive patients. We calculated supplies for a 10-day period.
We three nurses and a number of corpsmen from the hospital were assigned to the SS Coolidge.
Eight volunteer nurses from the Queens Hospital in Honolulu were attached to the Army
transport at the next pier, USAT [U.S. Army transport] Scott, a smaller ship.
P a g e | 18
The naval hospital brought our supplies the following day, the 18th, and we worked late into the
evening. We received our patients from the hospital on the 19th, the Coolidge with 125 patients
and the Scott with 55.
Were these the most critically injured patients?
The command decided that patients who would need more than 3 months treatment should be
transferred. Some were very bad and probably should not have been moved. There were many
passengers already aboard the ship, missionaries and countless others who had been picked up in
the Orient. Two Navy doctors on the passenger list from the Philippines were placed on
temporary duty and they were pleased to be of help.
Catherine Richardson worked 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. I had the 4 p.m. to midnight, and Lauretta Eno
worked midnight to 8 a.m. Everyone was very apprehensive. The ship traveled without exterior
lights but there was ample light inside.
You left at night?
Yes, we left in the late afternoon of the 19th. There were 8 or 10 ships in the convoy. It was quite
chilly the next day; I later learned that we had gone fairly far north instead of directly across. The
rumors were rampant that a submarine was seen out this porthole in some other direction. I never
get seasick and enjoy a bit of heavy seas, but this was different! Ventilation was limited by
reason of sealed ports and only added to gastric misery. I was squared about very soon.
The night before we got into port, we lost a patient, an older man, perhaps a chief. He had been
badly burned, He was losing intravenous fluids faster than they could be replaced. Our
destination became San Francisco with 124 patients and one deceased.
We arrived at 8 a.m. on Christmas Day! Two ferries were waiting there for us with cots aboard
and ambulances from the naval hospital at Mare Island and nearby civilian hospitals. The Red
Cross was a cheerful sight with donuts and coffee.
Our arrival was kept very quiet. Heretofore, all ship's movements were published in the daily
paper but since the war had started, this had ceased. I don't recall that other ships in the convoy
came in with us except for the Scott. We and the Scott were the only ships to enter the port. The
convoy probably slipped away.
The patients were very happy to be home and so were we all. The ambulances went on ahead to
Mare Island. By the time we had everyone settled on the two ferries, it was close to noon. We
arrived at Mare Island at 4:30 p.m. and helped get the patients into the respective wards.
While at Mare Island, a doctor said to me, "For God's sake, Ruth, what's happened out there? We
don't know a thing." He had been on the USS Arizona (BB-39) and was detached only a few
months prior to the attack. We stayed in the nurses' quarters that night.
P a g e | 19
Sequence of Events
Saturday, December 6 - Washington D.C. - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt makes a final
appeal to the Emperor of Japan for peace. There is no reply. Late this same day, the U.S. codebreaking service begins intercepting a 14-part Japanese message and deciphers the first 13 parts,
passing them on to the President and Secretary of State. The Americans believe a Japanese attack
is imminent, most likely somewhere in Southeast Asia.
Sunday, December 7 - Washington D.C. - The last part of the Japanese message, stating that
diplomatic relations with the U.S. are to be broken off, reaches Washington in the morning and is
decoded at approximately 9 a.m. About an hour later, another Japanese message is intercepted. It
instructs the Japanese embassy to deliver the main message to the Americans at 1 p.m. The
Americans realize this time corresponds with early morning time in Pearl Harbor, which is
several hours behind. The U.S. War Department then sends out an alert but uses a commercial
telegraph because radio contact with Hawaii is temporarily broken. Delays prevent the alert from
arriving at headquarters in Oahu until noontime (Hawaii time) four hours after the attack has
already begun.
Sunday, December 7 - Islands of Hawaii, near Oahu - The Japanese attack force under the
command of Admiral Nagumo, consisting of six carriers with 423 planes, is about to attack. At 6
a.m., the first attack wave of 183 Japanese planes takes off from the carriers located 230 miles
north of Oahu and heads for the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor - At 7:02 a.m., two Army operators at Oahu's northern shore radar station detect the
Japanese air attack approaching and contact a junior officer who disregards their reports,
thinking they are American B-17 planes which are expected in from the U.S. west coast.
Near Oahu - At 7:15 a.m., a second attack wave of 167 planes takes off from the Japanese
carriers and heads for Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor is not on a state on high alert. Senior commanders have concluded, based on
available intelligence, there is no reason to believe an attack is imminent. Aircraft are therefore
left parked wingtip to wingtip on airfields, anti-aircraft guns are unmanned with many
ammunition boxes kept locked in accordance with peacetime regulations. There are also no
torpedo nets protecting the fleet anchorage. And since it is Sunday morning, many officers and
crewmen are leisurely ashore.
At 7:53 a.m., the first Japanese assault wave, with 51 'Val' dive bombers, 40 'Kate' torpedo
bombers, 50 high level bombers and 43 'Zero' fighters, commences the attack with flight
commander, Mitsuo Fuchida, sounding the battle cry: "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!).
The Americans are taken completely by surprise. The first attack wave targets airfields and
battleships. The second wave targets other ships and shipyard facilities. The air raid lasts until
9:45 a.m. Eight battleships are damaged, with five sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers
P a g e | 20
and three smaller vessels are lost along with 188 aircraft. The Japanese lose 27 planes and five
midget submarines which attempted to penetrate the inner harbor and launch torpedoes.
Escaping damage from the attack are the prime targets, the three U.S. Pacific Fleet aircraft
carriers, Lexington, Enterprise and Saratoga, which were not in the port. Also escaping damage
are the base fuel tanks.
The casualty list includes 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed, with 1,178 wounded.
Included are 1,104 men aboard the Battleship USS Arizona killed after a 1,760-pound air bomb
penetrated into the forward magazine causing catastrophic explosions.
In Washington, various delays prevent the Japanese diplomats from presenting their war message
to Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, until 2:30 p.m. (Washington time) just as the first reports of
the air raid at Pearl Harbor are being read by Hull.
News of the "sneak attack" is broadcast to the American public via radio bulletins, with many
popular Sunday afternoon entertainment programs being interrupted. The news sends a
shockwave across the nation and results in a tremendous influx of young volunteers into the U.S.
armed forces. The attack also unites the nation behind the President and effectively ends
isolationist sentiment in the country.
Monday, December 8 - The United States and Britain declare war on Japan with President
Roosevelt calling December 7, "a date which will live in infamy..."
Thursday, December 11 - Germany and Italy declare war on the United States. The European
and Southeast Asian wars have now become a global conflict with the Axis powers; Japan,
Germany and Italy, united against America, Britain, France, and their Allies.
Wednesday, December 17 - Admiral Chester W. Nimitz becomes the new commander of the
U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Both senior commanders at Pearl Harbor; Navy Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, and Army Lt.
General Walter C. Short, were relieved of their duties following the attack. Subsequent
investigations will fault the men for failing to adopt adequate defense measures.
Pearl Harbor
Navy Medical Activities
Navy Medical Department Preparedness, 1941
Men of the Navy medical Department at Pearl Harbor were just as surprised as other Americans when
the Japanese attacked on the morning of 7 December 1941, and, like other men of the Navy and Marine
Corps at Pearl Harbor, they were momentarily stunned by the blow. From their first realization of an
enemy attack, however, the doctors, ,dentists, nurses, and corpsmen were unexcelled in personal
P a g e | 21
bravery, in determination, in resourcefulness, and in their capacity to put into practice previously
formulated plans.
Between 1939 and 1941 Pearl Harbor had been fortunate in receiving unusual attention from the
Surgeon General and the officers who assisted him at the Bureau of medicine and Surgery in
making plans for the Medical Department. When the facilities of the Pearl harbor hospital had
become overcrowded in 1940, every effort had been made to add to the bed capacity, equipment,
supplies, and personnel of the Hawaiian area. Although the U.S. Naval Hospital at pearl Harbor
had a normal bed capacity of approximately 250 beds and was one of the best equipped and
staffed of the eighteen hospitals then in commission, a new hospital that would be removed
further from military installations and be less subject to destruction in case of air attack had been
planned and was actually under construction at the time of the Japanese attack.
Because of the great concentration of naval personnel and the activities of the Fleet in the
Hawaiian area, the Surgeon General requested and secured permission to send out to Pearl
Harbor the Navy's second Mobile Base Hospital, a type of transportable facility which was the
most significant institutional organization developed by the Navy Medical Department during
the pre-war emergency. To add further to the hospital facilities in the Hawaiian area, the hospital
ship USS Solace arrived at Pearl harbor shortly after the Mobile Hospital and was in port when
the Japanese struck.
The casualties at Pearl Harbor were cared for at a variety of facilities: at the battle dressing
stations and sick bays of the war ships; aboard the hospital ship Solace; at first-aid stations; at
the dispensaries of the two naval air stations; the Marine Corps Air Station at Ewa; the Defense
Battalions of the Fleet Marine Force; the Navy Yard, and the Section Base at Bishop's Point; at a
"field hospital" which was set up in the Officers' Club of the Navy Yard; and at the Mobile Base
Hospital and the U.S. Naval Hospital at Pearl Harbor.
Medical Service Aboard Ships
During the Japanese attack, boats took the wounded from ships and from the water surrounding the
ships. Oil on the water near sunken or sinking ships made swimming difficult for the men overboard. in
the vicinity of the USS Arizona, where the oil was burning, a boat of the Solace was scorched, while the
crew, at great danger, rescued men from the water.[1]
Most of the wounded and burned men from the ships and those rescued from the water were
evacuated to the hospital ship Solace; to the dock where the USS Argonne, flagship of the Base
Force, was moored; or to landing C near the U.S. Naval Hospital.[2]
The Solace, which was unharmed by the attacking force, received its first patients at about 0825.
By this time, preparations had already been begun to receive a large number of casualties. Bed
patients were moved into upper beds so that the lower beds could be used for casualties. Supplies
were broken out and preparations of sterile morphine solution, tannic acid solution, and saline
solution were made. Special serums, plasma, and other supplies were issued to dressing stations
and wards. One hundred and forty-one convalescent patients were discharged to duty in order to
make room for additional casualties in case of repeated air attacks. After casualties began to
P a g e | 22
come aboard the ship at a rapid rate, twenty-three patients were taken care of in the 50-bed
emergency ward compartment.[2]
A total of 132 patients were admitted aboard the Solace on 7 December.[4] About 80 men were
given first-aid treatment only. Twenty-eight patients, 26 of whom were not identified, died. The
final census on 7 December showed 177 beds occupied and 253 unoccupied.[5]
After the first air attack the main battle dressing station of the Argonne was moved to the
secondary battle dressing station, where the injured men from the ship were treated. later, the
medical department of the Argonne, aided by medical personnel from other ships, received a
large number of wounded and burned men at the dock where the ship was moored.[6]
In the open and under fire, about 150 cots were set up on the dock to take care of the injured men
evacuated from ships or rescued from the water. Subsequently, under the direction of the Base
Force Surgeon, the cots and medical material were moved to the Officers' Club in the Navy
Yard, which was less exposed to enemy fire. By 1030, a "field hospital", supplied and equipped
by the Argonne, was set up. The dock continued to be used as a clearing station for the wounded.
The most severely injured were sent to the Naval Hospital; less severe cases were sent to the
Mobile Base Hospital or to the field hospital in the Officers' Club.[7]
Aboard the USS Nevada 116 men were injured severely enough to require hospitalization; 33
were know to be dead, and 18 were missing. After the first lull in the attack, about 65 casualties
received emergency treatment at the forward, amidship, and after dressing stations until these
stations were perforce evacuated to the sick bay. In the ship's sick bay between twenty and thirty
cases were treated. Throughout the ship, patrol party corpsmen were busy administering first-aid.
Two of these corpsmen were recommended for citations by the senior medical officer for their
bravery and performance beyond the call of duty. Men of the crew, too, who had previously
received first-aid instruction, gave valuable assistance to the medical department in rendering
emergency treatment to the injured and burned men. The dead were collected astern. Attempts
were made to identify each body before it was tagged and transferred to the Pearl Harbor
Hospital. Immediately after the attack there was neither time nor facilities for keeping paper
records on either the living or the dead transferred to the hospital.[8]
After the battle was over, the sick bay of the Nevada had to be moved to the mess room of the
chief petty officers. When this area flooded the next day, the medical department was again
shifted. A first-aid station was established under the overhang of #4 turret on the main deck aft.
On the beach, about fifty yards off the starboard quarter, two tents were set up and supplied and
equipped. Health records from the Nevada were sent to the Receiving Barracks "for separation
and forwarding."[9]
The USS Pennsylvania had four dressing stations. During 1941, partly as a consequence of
lessons learned from British experiences in handling casualties in air raids, a station had been
established in a part of the ship that was accessible to the crews of the anti-aircraft and broadside
guns. This new station, located in the warrant officers' mess room, was "reasonably well
protected," had ample space for working, and was near the fixed bunks, toilet facilities, and a
supply of fresh water. Ironically, the only bomb that hit the Pennsylvania "detonated in the
P a g e | 23
casemate of the #9 broadside gun on the deck above and just outboard of this space." Among
twenty-seven men killed were the junior medical officer and one corpsman stationed in the battle
dressing station. Thus the advantages of the location of the station were nullified, and the loss of
the doctor and corpsman seriously delayed the care of the wounded.[10]
Neither the action reports nor the annual sanitary reports for 1941 gave much information on the
care of casualties aboard ships. The few sanitary reports from ships which mentioned the Pearl
Harbor attack, except for the Nevada, Pennsylvania, Argonne, and Solace, gave no descriptions
of the arrangements made to take care of the casualties.
The sanitary report from the USS Helena, which had about 100 casualties, devoted a paragraph
to the types of wounds and burns and explained how the lack of clothing on the men was
responsible for such a large number of flash burns. The report estimated that about sixty of the
casualties were permanently lost to the ship because of either death or disability. Of these
casualties, 26 died before they could be evacuated and 13 died subsequently in the hospital. The
supply of tannic acid jelly, dressings, and surettes was adequate for the casualties sustained by
the Helena. The four Stokes litters allotted to the Helena were insufficient, and the Army
stretchers were useless below decks. There were not enough hospital corpsmen aboard, and,
according to the report, if the casualties had occurred at sea, the medical department would have
been sadly handicapped."[11]
Sanitary reports from the Enterprise, Curtiss, and Honolulu gave casualty figures for their ships.
Aboard the USS Enterprise ten officers and men were lost in action; the bodies of only three
officers and two men were recovered or identified. Aboard the USS Curtiss, fifteen were killed
and sixty-four were injured. The USS Honolulu had no personnel casualties. Vestal was moved
from the chiefs' quarters to the lower optical shop aft, which was conveniently located and where
the lights were not out. The Curtiss arranged to use the wardroom as the main battle dressing
station instead of the sick bay; experience during the attack indicated that the sick bay should be
evacuated during battle and closed in order to preserve the water-tight integrity of the ship. The
USS Gamble, after the action of 7 December, planned to have a battle dressing station in the
galley area instead of the wardroom, which was isolated too much by damage control measures.
Several sanitary reports commented upon the value of clothing in preventing or reducing the
extent of flash burns. The USS Raleigh reported that partial protection against burns caused by
burning powder and bomb blast could be gained "through the use of proper clothing." The USS
Detroit, the USS Minneapolis, and the Enterprise, reported that the wearing of long trousers and
shirts with long sleeves was required because the attack had demonstrated that such additional
clothing provided protection against flash burns.
Medical Service at Shore Stations
Ashore, immediately after the attack, first-aid stations were set up quickly in the Receiving Barracks,
Recreation Center, Yard dispensary, Officers' Club, Submarine Base dispensary, Naval Air Station
dispensary, and Marine Barracks. The Section Base dispensary at Bishop's Point helped the Army to care
for men from Hickam Field.[12]
P a g e | 24
The sanitary report from the Naval Air Station, Pearl Harbor, estimated that about 200 injured
and burned men from the station and ships were given first aid at the station dispensary before
they were sent back to duty or to a hospital. About 130 patients were transferred to the Pearl
harbor Naval Hospital and the Aeia Plantation Hospital. Evacuation of patients started at about
1045. An effort was made to move critical cases first, and by 1430 all of the most seriously
injured were transferred. Seven men who died before they could be evacuated and a dead
Japanese aviator were sent to the morgue at the Naval Hospital.
The number of casualties at the Kaneohe Naval Air Station, as ascertained the day after the
attack, was seventeen dead and sixty-seven wounded. As quickly as the injured men could be
brought to the station dispensary, they were given emergency treatment.[13] The dispensary was
"inadequate to care for the 75 or 80 wounded who required hospitalization," and a large number
of the seriously wounded had to be sent elsewhere. Since evacuation to the Pearl Harbor Naval
Hospital was "out of the question," about forty men were sent to the Kaneohe Territorial Hospital
for the Insane. Subsequently these men were transferred either to the Pearl Harbor Hospital or
back to the station.[14]
At the Marine Corps Station at Ewa, the hospital tents that housed the sick bay and dispensary
were "set on fire by incendiary ammunition," and "a large quantity of equipment and medical
supplies" were "damaged by enemy gunfire." Under the direction of the medical officer of
Marine Aircraft Group Twenty-one, the fire was extinguished and a burning canvas which
covered the medical stores was removed. Despite the fire, casualties were taken from the field
between attacks and given prompt treatment by the medical officer and his assistants, who
continued to work with their damaged equipment while exposed to enemy machine-gun fire. The
most seriously wounded men were evacuated to the Ewa Plantation Hospital. Compared with the
other stations subjected to attack, the number of casualties suffered at the Marine Corps Air
Station was small. Thirteen men were wounded, three were killed during the attack, and a fatally
wounded man died five days later.[15]
The medical departments of the First and Third Defense Battalions jointly set up three dressing
stations; one w in the dispensary and one was in each of the recreation rooms used by the two
battalions. After 1100, a collecting and casualty dressing station which was established in the
barracks was receiving slightly injured men from the Fleet units. On the morning after the attack,
the first floor of the building where Company A was quartered was made available to the
medical department for the care of casualties who required hospitalization.[16] The annual sanitary
reports from the First and Third Defense Battalions for 1941 reported that 136 patients were
treated between the day of the attack and 10 December, when most of the patients were
transferred to the Pearl Harbor Hospital.
Very little information on the Pearl Harbor attack is available in the sanitary reports from other
dispensaries in the Pearl Harbor area. The reports for 1941 from the Fourth Defense Battalion,
the Section Base at Bishop's Point, and the Naval Ammunition Depot made no mention of the
Pearl Harbor casualties. The report from the navy yard had no information on the methods
employed for the care and treatment of the casualties, but described briefly the feeding and
housing of a large number of survivors and the issuance of unusual quantities of first-aid supplies
on 7 December.
P a g e | 25
Mobile Base Hospital Number Two
Erection of Mobile Base Hospital Number Two was not yet completed when the Pearl Harbor attack
occurred. The materials and equipment of the hospital had been landed less than three weeks before,
and only the crew quarters had been put up. Hospital corpsmen had been transferred from the pearl
Harbor Hospital only about one week before the attack.[17]
As a result of experiences with Mobile Base Hospital Number One, the packing and marking of
equipment and the arrangements for unloading of Mobile Two were improved in such a way as
to speed up the process of assembling materials and supplies. When the emergency of 7
December occurred, it was possible to break out the supplies and to care for the casualties who
were received and placed in the crew quarters, the only buildings then available for patients.
Arrangements were made by the Mobile Hospital to care for 125 patients, and 110 casualties
were actually received for treatment. Four medical officers from the Mobile Hospital were sent
to help at other stations - two went to the Pearl harbor Naval Hospital, one to the air station, and
one to an "emergency station."[18]
U.S. Naval Hospital, Pearl Harbor
The Naval Hospital at Pearl Harbor was only slightly damaged during the attack. Although located near
major military installations, the hospital was not hit by any bombs. The roof of the laboratory building
was moderately damaged; about one-half of the animal house was destroyed, and a vacant quarters
building was set on fire by a crashing Japanese plane. The vacant quarters building was virtually
destroyed by the fire, but the blaze was brought under control by fire fighters and did not spread to
other buildings. A pharmacist's mate, who was killed by machine gun fire in the navy yard while
returning to the hospital from liberty, was the only casualty suffered by the hospital staff.[19]
The first wave of Japanese planes came over the Naval Hospital At about 0745 about twenty
planes, which presumably came either up the channel or low over Hickam Field, passed
immediately over and to the channel side of the hospital buildings. The planes travelled at a high
speed and at an elevation of less than 150 feet. None of the planes fired upon the hospital or
made any attempt to bomb it. The planes moved so rapidly that the men who saw them, and who
were at first uncertain of their identity, were unable to give warning to the intended victims of
the attack.[20]
Members of the hospital staff were notified immediately to report to the hospital. As it was
Sunday morning, many of the medical officers were at home. The commanding officer, the
executive officer, and the other men who lived on the reservation were the first to arrive. Medical
officers who were not on the reservation were longer in reporting, but by 0915 the entire staff of
the hospital was on duty. Medical officers and corpsmen from ships which had suffered damage
during the attack reported intermittently throughout the morning. The two surgeons from the
Mobile Hospital were assigned to one of the surgical teams of the hospital. A doctor of the
Medical Corps who was convalescing after a major operation voluntarily returned to duty and
worked until he became exhausted at the end of the third day. A large number of civilian women
who had nursing or first-aid training volunteered to assist the twenty-nine Navy nurses. A total of
1114 registered nurses were supplied through the local Red Cross and as many as 26 of these
P a g e | 26
were on duty at one time. About eight or ten nurses who were wives of enlisted men were of
"valuable assistance."[21]
Soon after the first attack, special measures were taken to protect the hospital, and arrangements
for receiving a large number of casualties were made. At about 0800, stations for air attack were
manned. Ambulances and fire-fighting equipment were dispersed so as to avoid total destruction
in case of a hit. All battle dressing stations in the wards and the operating suite were set up by
0815. Medical officers, as they arrived, were sent to various dressing stations. Four operating
teams were assigned to the main operating suite. A station for minor injuries was established in a
vacant building formerly used as nurses' quarters. Patients in the brig and the locked ward were
released. To make more room for casualties, ambulatory patients were transferred to two old
frame buildings and five hospital tents in the rear of the hospital. Convalescent patients who
"requested that they be returned to duty" were permitted to return as best they could to their
commands.[22]
The three hospital ambulances, ambulances from other stations, military and civilian trucks,
personal cars, and delivery wagons were used to transport casualties to the hospital. Motor
transportation was managed by the navy yard garage, where a pool of all vehicles was formed.
The device of the pool enabled cars to be sent out in an orderly way to places that needed and
could effectively utilize ambulance service.
Civilian as well as military personnel assisted in the transportation of casualties. Under fire and
"with no thought of possible injury to themselves or their automobiles," civilians "spontaneously
cooperated in bringing casualties to the hospital promptly."[23]
The first casualties arrived at the hospital within ten minutes after the first attack, and by 0900
they were coming into the hospital in a steady stream.[24] Under the supervision of the
commanding and executive officers, casualties were distributed to the main operating suite or to
any one of the twelve wards where empty beds were available.[25] A receiving ward would have
caused a "hopeless bottleneck," and was not used.[26] Although an effort was made to send acute
surgical cases to the surgical wards and fracture cases to the orthopedic wards every ward
received a variety of cases.[28] The great majority of patients with burns were sent to the medical
wards.[29] A regrouping of cases according to type of injury was not attempted during the day of
the attack.[30]
Accurate records for the patients admitted to the hospital could not be kept. The rate was much
too rapid at first for the men to be properly tagged and for information such as the name, next of
kin, and religion to be recorded. Not until the afternoon was it possible to begin recording
admission data. Even then the necessary information could not always be obtained. none of the
patients wore metal identification tags; and the service, health, and pay records of men were
frequently missing. Furthermore, many patients who were unconscious when admitted to the
hospital died before they could be identified.[31]
A total of 546 battle casualties and 313 dead were brought to the hospital on 7 December.[32]
Approximately 452 casualties were admitted to the hospital in less than three hours.[33] Of the
total admissions, 93 came from battle stations aboard ships, temporary first-aid stations ashore,
P a g e | 27
and several plantation hospitals in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor.[34] A record was not kept of more
than 200 men who received first-aid for slight injuries and were returned to duty immediately
without being admitted to the hospital.[35] The census of patients in the naval hospital at midnight,
7 December, was 960.[36]
Identification of the dead and preparation of bodies for burial began at about 1100 of the day of
attack. This "most unpleasant" work was done by a detail under the supervision of a hospital
pathologist of the Medical Corps, who was assisted by an officer of the Dental Corps, and an
officer of the Hospital Corps. Identification was slow, difficult, and sometimes impossible. None
of the men wore metal identification tags, and the clothing of some of the men was marked with
several different names. Some of the bodies were so badly charred or mutilated that they could
not be identified from physical features; fingerprints could not be taken from some of the men
because their fingers were missing or badly mangled; and only portions of some bodies were
brought in.[37]
A systematic procedure for keeping record on the dead was followed. On the Navy form for
reporting deaths all available data, including fingerprints and names if possible, were recorded.
Each body, whether identified or not, was tagged with a serial number. This serial number was
also placed on the Navy form for reporting deaths, the grave marker, the casket, and on the
canvas wrapping, if used.[38]
All bodies, except those of identified officers, were placed in plain wooden caskets. "Bodies of
officers were placed in standard Navy caskets in order that they might later be disinterred and
shipped home if desired."[39] Burials began on 8 December in Oahu Cemetery, Honolulu.[40] Two
officers of the Chaplain Corps and two civilian priests from Honolulu rendered proper religious
rites at the hospital and at the funeral ceremonies held each afternoon in the Oahu and Halawa
Cemeteries. The brief military ceremony held at the burial grounds included a salute fired by a
Marine guard and the blowing of taps by a Marine bugler.[41]
Supplies at the Naval Hospital were, in general, sufficient to take care of the unprecedented
demands created by the Pearl Harbor disaster. Shortages of dried plasma and tannic acid
developed because of the great number of burn cases. Additional wet plasma was obtained from
the blood bank established at the Queen's Hospital, Honolulu; and other supplies were requested
by dispatch and flown from the West Coast by plane.[42]
Medical Supplies
Three kinds of medical supplies were exceptionally useful in caring for the Pearl Harbor casualties.
Morphine sulphate was given to relieve pain both at the time of firs-aid treatment and after evacuation
to the hospital or hospital ship.[43] Syrettes of morphine were particularly easy to administer by the men
who rendered first-aid.[44] Plasma was a potent weapon against shock, the most dangerous threat to the
lives of most of the men who were hospitalized.[45] The sulfa drugs, which were given orally and locally,
were undoubtedly a major factor in preventing infection of many wounds and burns.[46]
Types of Injuries and Their Treatment
The casualties at Pearl Harbor suffered from many types of burns and wounds. Most of the burns were
extensive and superficial. There were numerous variations in the types of wounds. There were flesh
P a g e | 28
wounds; gunshot wounds of the head, neck, body and extremities; small, medium, and massive wounds
caused by shell and shrapnel; extensive wounds produced by fragments of bombs and metal;
penetrating abdominal wounds; traumatic amputations; wounds which contained foreign bodies; and
simple, comminuted and compound fractures. A number of men also suffered from asphyxia. Some of
the men suffered from a combination of wounds and burns. Mouth and jaw wounds were surprisingly
rare. The number of men who developed neuropsychiatric disturbances as a result of the bombing was
small. Only nineteen neuroopsychiatric cases, of which seven were treated just a few days, were
admitted to the Pearl Harbor Naval Hospital. Almost all the patients suffered from shock in varying
degrees.[47]
About sixty percent of the casualties were burn cases.[48] Over seventy percent of the cases
admitted to the Solace were burn cases,[49] and about forty-seven percent of those admitted to the
Naval Hospital were burn cases.[50] According to one source of information, 254 burn cases were
admitted to the Naval Hospital;[51] another source stated that "approximately 350 patients were
admitted with body burns."[52]
Some of the burns were caused by burning fuel oil and many were "flash burns" caused by
"temporary but intense heat from exploding bombs." Although superficial, the flash burns were
quite extensive; some of the men had as much as eighty percent of the body surface burned.
Patients who were admitted to the hospital while still living suffered from first and second
degree burns. Most of the deeply burned died before they could be hospitalized. of the men
whose faces were burned, the eyes of only four were "damaged". Many of the cases were
"complicated by multiple shrapnel wounds.[53]
The extent of the burns suffered by the men was determined by the amount of clothes they
happened to have on at the time of the attack. Of the men who were burned, those with the least
amount of clothing suffered the most extensive burns. Indeed, the correlation between the
amount of uncovered body surface and the amount of body surface affected was strikingly high.
Often times the burns simply followed the line of clothing. All the doctors who reported on the
Pearl harbor burn cases remarked upon the protection that clothing offered against the so-called
flash burns. Even skivvy shirts, shorts and other thin apparel served as protection against flash
burns. Men who were wearing undershirts had no burns on the chest or abdomen; men who were
wearing undershirts and shorts only, had burns on the face, arms, and legs; men who were
completely dressed usually had only their faces and hands burned.[54]
Most of the burned patients who had been overboard in water, when they came to the hospital or
hospital ship, were covered from head to foot with fuel oil. There was no time to attempt
preliminary cleansing of these patients and comparatively scant cleansing of wounds and burns
could be done at first. Consequently the body surface was treated a though no oil were there, and
local treatment for burns was applied over the oil. The efficacy of treatment was apparently
unaffected by this unusual procedure.[55] According to "Fleet Medical New Letter 10-41," the
removal of fuel oil from casualties, described as a "tedious" and "painful" process, was
accomplished by "washing with large quantities of water and soap." Two medical officers from
the Solace reported that they "found that the most effective method was the use of tincture of
green soap with water."[56]
P a g e | 29
The treatment of burns was left to the discretion of the ward officers and varied a great deal. All
patients were subjected to some type of tanning process as rapidly as possible. Tannic acid jelly
and solution, picric acid, gentian violet, and the triple dye, with or without silver nitrate, were the
main substances applied to the burns. Sulfanilamide powder was mixed with these substances in
some instances. Morphine was administered to men with severe and painful burns.[57]
Because of the large number of burn cases, means of applying the substances to a great number
of men in a short time had to be improvised. At the Naval Hospital, ordinary flit guns were used
to spray tannic acid solution upon the burned surfaces. Aboard the Solace, dressing which were
soaked in tannic acid solution were placed on the burned areas. Dressings were also dipped in a
mixture of mineral oil and the sulfa drugs and applied to the burns. These liquid applications
were "more easily applicable and more practical" than the tannic acid jelly which was pressed
from the tube containers and smeared on the burn.[58]
During the day of the attack, the observation of sterile precautions was generally not attempted.
Applications were made to all parts of the body that were burned; the face, hands, and feet were
treated like any other part of the body. The eyes were protected while the face was being
sprayed. Patients who came on board the Solace with tannic acid dressings already applied were
not treated except to keep them wet during the next twenty-four hours.[59]
on the second and third day after the attack, men with severe burns were placed under heat
cradles. Numerous improvised bed cradles were used. These heat treatments were continued
night and day for about a week.[60]
Early debridement of the burned areas was not attempted. On the third day after the attack, when
eschars were removed, different forms of local treatment, including tannic acid solution, gentian
violet spray, sulfanilamide in mineral oil, wet dressings, and open exposure under a heat cradle,
were used with no apparent difference in the results. On the fourth day and thereafter the
treatment continued substantially unchanged. Patients were cleaned in the morning, debridement
was carried out, applications were made, and plasma and other intravenous fluids were
administered.[61]
After the second and third days, sulfathiazole and sulfanilamide were administered to patients
with burns that became infected. Patients with elevated temperatures, when caused by local
infection, were given one gram of sulfanilamide every four hours until their temperatures became
normal. After the fourth and fifth day, sulfanilamide in powder form or suspended in petrolatum
was applied locally to infected parts of the burned surfaces.[62]
Shock treatment for the burn cases started as rapidly as possible. Heat, plasma, normal saline and
saline solution with five percent glucose were given. For the first forty-eight to seventy-two
hours. when only small amounts of plasma were available, normal or saline with glucose
solutions were given. By the third day, wet plasma was available to supplant the saline solution
and dried plasma. Doctors and nurses, assisted by hospital corpsmen, administered the plasma.
Drs. I.S. Ravdin and P.H. Long reported that medical officers at the Naval Hospital were
"exceedingly skillful in getting into veins which could not be seen or felt."[63]
P a g e | 30
Administration of plasma and other intravenous therapy for burn cases was extremely difficult
because of the edema which many patients with burns suffered. The location of constricting or
collapsing veins was especially difficult at night during the first week or ten days, when, because
of blackout precautions, only the dim blue light from flashlights was available.[64]
Many of the injured men had compound fractures. These patients were given tetanus toxoid or
prophylactic antitoxin until the supply was exhausted. procaine anesthesia was given to most of
the men who were in shock. Plasma, when it because available, was given to the men who were
in severe shock. The skin surrounding the injured part was cleaned with soap and water. A partial
debridement was done for almost all the wounds. After debridement and reduction, crystalline
sulfanilamide was placed in the wound and the surface was covered with sterile vaseline gauze.
Over this dressing a case of plaster of paris was applied as soon as possible. The part was then Xrayed and the position of the fragments outlined with indelible pencil on the cast. This method of
marking the cast proved to be a useful way of providing desirable information to medical officers
who treated the men after their evacuation. For from four to ten days after the initial treatment,
patients with the compound fractures were given sulfanilamide or sulfathiazole by mouth.[65]
This method of treating the compound fractures proved quite satisfactory. Drs. Long and Ravdin,
who saw these patients during their investigation, reported that they had done amazingly well.
"The patients (December 17th) looked well, there were no excessive febrile reactions, and their
morale was excellent."[66] The same to doctors stated in an article in the Naval Medical Bulletin:
Seven weeks after injury the wounds were healing rapidly. In many instances there was clinical evidence
of union. There were no instances of serious infection except in three patients with knee joint injury.
The fragments had remained in good position. There was no evidence of osteomyelitis of the long
bones. These achievements would not have been anticipated prior to the advent of sulfanamide
therapy.[67]
Because of lack of time and insufficient medical personnel, surgical operations could not always
be performed upon men within six hours after they were wounded.[68] Excision of wounds could
not be attempted in some cases until the third or fourth day.[69]While the supply lasted, these
patients were given tetanus toxoid or antitoxin.[70] While awaiting definitive treatment, wounds
were treated by infiltration of novacaine, excision of the worst torn skin and muscle, application
of sulfanilamide powder, and dressing with vaseline or plain sterile gauze.[71] Absence of
infection in most of these wounds indicated that with the aid of sulfa drugs, the time between
injury and definitive treatment could be extended safely, when necessary, beyond the six-hour
"golden period" of therapy.[72]
The Success of Navy Medicine at Pearl Harbor
Abundant testimonials of the success of the Navy medical Department on 7 December 1941, can be
found in the files of the Bureau of medicine and Surgery. Two civilian doctors, I.S. Ravdin and Perrin H.
Long, who were sent to Pearl Harbor and the West Coast to investigate the medical and surgical
treatment of the casualties, commended the professional service rendered to the wounded and burned
men. The fleet medical officer, who felt "extremely proud of the manner in which the Medical
Departments involved handle this sad situation," reported in a letter of 11 December that all casualties
P a g e | 31
were "properly, expeditiously, and thoroughly treated and housed without the least confusion and with
a splendid spirit." The medical officer in command of the Naval Hospital at Pearl Harbor, in a report to
the commandant of the Fourteenth Naval District, dated 19 December, commended member of the
hospital staff for the "exemplary manner" in which they performed their duties and stated that the
"hospital organization operated smoothly and efficiently/" The medical officer in command of Mobile
Hospital Number Two, in a report to the Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, dated 13
December, praised the 'remarkable job of breaking out needed supplies and equipment from storage
piles," and expressed his belief that the achievements of the mobile Base Hospital at Pearl harbor
provided additional proof of the utility of this new type of hospital. The commanding officer of the Naval
Air Station at Keneohe Bay, in a report to the commandant of the Fourteenth Naval District, dated 8
December 1941, affirmed that the "wounded and dead were collected as rapidly as possible and the
station dispensary functioned in an excellent fashion." The sanitary report from the First Defense
Battalion, stated that "all hands turned to and performed their duties in an able and efficient manner."
The Marine Corps officer in charge of the Third Defense Battalion declared: "I most heartily commend
the Medical and Hospital Corps of this battalion on their performance of duty during the defense of the
Navy Yard, Pearl Harbor, T.H., against the Japanese air attack on 7 December 1941. The promptness and
coolness under fire with which the aid stations were established and the preparations for and the
treatment and evacuation of wounded in the midst of a terrific bombing and strafing attack indicated a
very high state of morale, training, and ability." Only a small proportion of the ships at Pearl Harbor
mentioned the attack in their sanitary reports for 1941, but in the reports from the Solace, Argonne,
Curtiss, Honolulu, and Nevada statements were recorded similar to those from the shore
establishments.
P a g e | 32
Teacher:
Mr. Callen
Subject Area:
U.S. History
Grade Level:
11th Grade
Unit Title:
World War 2
Lesson Title:
Japanese Internment
Overview (In a few sentences, describe what will be taught during this lesson and what types of
activities will be used):
Connection to the Curriculum (Identify which interdisciplinary subject areas relate to this
lesson.):

History
P a g e | 33

Language arts/reading
Connection to Standards (List local or national standards which will be met upon completion
of this lesson.):
California standards 11.7.5
Time (How much time will it take to complete this lesson?):
60 minutes
Materials/Equipment Required:


The Fillmore, part 4 of The Neighborhoods of San Francisco
the World Wide Web
Objectives (Write 2-5 objectives stating expected learner outcomes.):
Learners will be able to:


Draw from the Japanese Internment experience
Distinguish American policy of Japanese Internment
Suggested Procedure
Opening (How will you begin the lesson?):
Internment will be written on the board. The students will have to look it up in their books to find
the definition. Once they have the definition, they will write it in their vocab section of their
notebook along with their own definition and a picture to represent that definition. They will then
turn to their shoulder partner and discuss their definitions.
Development (What activities will be done to teach the concepts?):
We will begin with the video “The Fillmore, part 4 of The Neighborhoods of San
Francisco” I will show three sections of the video the Japanese in the Fillmore before
internment and during including the loss of land and business. The Japanese after
internment and Japantown today. Stopping after each part to ask questions to check for
P a g e | 34
understanding.
Closing (How will you review the lesson to be sure all students understand the concepts?):
The students will then read an article about the internment of the Japanese.
Student Assessment (What types of activities will be assigned to students to allow them
independent or group practice with the concept?):
The students will write a brief essay analyzing why the Japanese were interned after
the attack on Pearl Harbor. To be included are, why were the Japanese interned? Where
were the internment camps? Why were the camps in these areas? How do you think the
Japanese Americans felt when they were taken away from their homes and lives?
Extending the Lesson (Identify types of activities or student assignments that may be beneficial
to use following this lesson.):
A debate on the internment of the Japanese Americans. Use of articles and
documents for and against internment. More of a 90 minute lesson with homework for
prep.
Additional Resources (List resources students may find helpful should they wish to learn more
about the topic.):
PBS.org
http://www.sfmuseum.org/war/evactxt.html (articles)
References: (PBS). (Sfmuseum)
P a g e | 35
ESL Adaptations:
I will let the students read the article in groups or give them extra time to read. I could
give these students a vocabulary list already filled out.
Article to be used in class.
JAPANESE ON WEST COAST FACE WHOLESALE UPROOTING
The greatest forced migration in American history was getting under way today.
Along the entire Pacific Coast, and from the southern half of Arizona, some 120,000
enemy aliens and American-born Japanese were moving,
or preparing to move, to areas in which the threat of
possible espionage, sabotage or fifth column activities
would be minimized.
None of the Japanese had actual orders to get out of the
coastal military area designated yesterday by Lieut. Gen.
John L. DeWitt, Western defense and Fourth Army
commander, but all had his warning that eventually they
must go.
P a g e | 36
Before deadlines are set for clearing of the area—twice as large as Japan itself—there
is much to be done by the Army and by governmental agencies co-operating with it in
working out a program that will call for the least possible economic confusion.
Thomas C. Clark, alien control co-ordinator, said in Los Angeles he hoped Japanese
might be removed from coast prohibited areas within 60 days, but that “we are not going
to push them around.”
“We are going to give these people a fair chance to dispose of their properties at proper
prices,” Mr. Clark said. “It has come to our attention that many Japanese farmers have
been stampeded into selling their properties for little or nothing.”
Sixty-five chapters of the Japanese-American Citizens League, which claims a
membership of 20,000 American-born Japanese, will hold meetings soon in 300
communities “to discuss methods by which they can correlate their energies and cooperate extensively in the evacuation process.”
Necessity Realized
Mike Masaoka, national field secretary of the league, said its members “realize that it
was the necessity of military expediency which forced the Army to order the eventual
evacuation of all Japanese,” and that he “assumed” the classification of Americans of
Japanese lineage “in the same category as enemy aliens was impelled by the motives
of military necessity and that no racial discrimination was implied.”
Among those who must move, after the Army swings into its plan for progressive
clearing of the 2000-mile-long military area (Japanese and Japanese-Americans will be
affected first) are more that 400 University of California students—315 American-born
Japanese, 11 alien Japanese, 75 Germans and six Italians.
Deadline Definite
General DeWitt gave no indication when the first deadline for Japanese in the coastal
area would be set.
There was continued action, however, against “Class 1” persons listed in General
DeWitt’s announcement of the military area. This class includes persons definitely
suspected of sabotage and espionage, of which several thousand already have been
taken into custody by the FBI on presidential warrants accusing them of being
potentially dangerous aliens.
Among the most important arrests during the past 24 hours was that of George
Nakamura, an alien Japanese living close to the Santa Cruz shoreline. In his
possession FBI agents and police said they found 69 crates of powerful fireworks of the
signal type—rockets, flares and torches.
P a g e | 37
The San Francisco News
March 4, 1942
P a g e | 38
Teacher: Mr. Callen
Subject Area: History
Grade Level: 11th
Unit Title: World War 2
Lesson Title:
Turning Points in the War, Major Battles.
Overview (In a few sentences, describe what will be taught during this lesson and what types of
activities will be used):
Using the internet and an interactive program, the students will learn of the major
battles in Europe and the Pacific. We will also look at development in aviation and
weapons.
Connection to the Curriculum (Identify which interdisciplinary subject areas relate to this
lesson.):

History
Connection to Standards (List local or national standards which will be met upon completion
of this lesson.):
California Standard 11.7.3
Time (How much time will it take to complete this lesson?):
90 minutes
Materials/Equipment Required:


Internet
Web site: http://www.cyberlearningworld.com/lessons/ushistory/ww2/ww2maps.htm.
Objectives (Write 2-5 objectives stating expected learner outcomes.):
Students will be able to:


Outline the different battles during world war 2
Evaluate the important battles both in the pacific and Europe fronts.
P a g e | 39
Suggested Procedure
Opening (How will you begin the lesson?):
When the students arrive in the room I will have the maps that we will use up on the overhead.
For discussion I will ask what do you know about these maps? What are they? And why do I
have them up?
Development (What activities will be done to teach the concepts?):
I will first distribute the work sheet in which the students will be taking notes on the
battles. I will use the interactive program to go through the major battles, checking for
understanding throughout the activity by asking questions. I will then put them in to
groups and hand out a quiz that they can work on in a group. After the quiz we will go over
it together.
Closing (How will you review the lesson to be sure all students understand the concepts?):
On a piece of paper write three things you learned today.
Student Assessment (What types of activities will be assigned to students to allow them
independent or group practice with the concept?):



Read in the text about major battles. Answer the questions at the end.
In groups of 2 you will construct a battle scene, present it in front of the class, and
explain the major points of the battle. You can use library and internet resources.
This will be due a week from Monday.
Battle quiz.
Extending the Lesson (Identify types of activities or student assignments that may be beneficial
to use following this lesson.):
To add to the lesson I could teach about the major developments during the war, such as
aviation and weaponry.
Additional Resources (List resources students may find helpful should they wish to learn more
about the topic.):
References: (cyber learning).
ESL Adaptations:
I will give the students guided notes to help them.
P a g e | 40
Interactive Battle Map Answer Sheet
Place the name of the battle or event next to the number. Include any key information that you
will need to remember.
European Theater
1) ______________________________________________________________
2) ______________________________________________________________
3) ______________________________________________________________
4) ______________________________________________________________
5) ______________________________________________________________
6) ______________________________________________________________
7) ______________________________________________________________
8) ______________________________________________________________
9) ______________________________________________________________
11) ______________________________________________________________
21) ______________________________________________________________
P a g e | 41
22) ______________________________________________________________
23) ______________________________________________________________
24) ______________________________________________________________
25) ______________________________________________________________
26) ______________________________________________________________
27) ______________________________________________________________
28) ______________________________________________________________
29) ______________________________________________________________
30) ______________________________________________________________
32) ______________________________________________________________
35) ______________________________________________________________
Pacific Theater
12) ______________________________________________________________
13) ______________________________________________________________
14) ______________________________________________________________
15) ______________________________________________________________
16) ______________________________________________________________
17) ______________________________________________________________
18) ______________________________________________________________
19) ______________________________________________________________
20) ______________________________________________________________
31) ______________________________________________________________
33) ______________________________________________________________
P a g e | 42
34) ______________________________________________________________
36) ______________________________________________________________
Interactive World War II Battle Quiz
Type the letter of the phrase on the right that matches the one on the left. Click the "correction"
button to see if they are all right (incorrect answers will be cleared).
a. Douglas
1. This event caused Britain and France to declare war on Germany MacArthur
2. After Adolph Hitler attacked his country in June of 1941; this
leader became one of the “Big Three” Allied leaders.
b. Harry
Truman
3. This event was the largest Allied attack during World War 2 and c. The Battle of
the greatest naval attack in history. It marked the beginning of the end Midway
for German occupation of France and Europe.
4. He made the decision to use the atomic bomb against the
Japanese. It led to the death of over 600,000 Japanese civilians.
d. Stalingrad
5. After the fall of France in June of 1940, only his nation was left
against the victorious Germans. He said during the Battle of Britain: e. Joseph Stalin
“this is Britain’s finest hour.”
6. During the years of the Nazi regime in Germany and occupation
f. Africa Corps
of Europe, the secret police of the Nazi party made arrests and send
thousands to concentration camps. Name this secret police.
7. This event caused America to declare war on Japan. Many
historians believe that FDR caused it to get into the war against
Germany.
g. Pearl Harbor
8. He led all the Allied troops in Europe during World War II. His h. Dwight D.
Eisenhower
leadership qualities would later make him president.
9. He commanded all Allied forces in the Pacific. He was forced
i. Gestapo
from the Philippine Islands in 1941, but promising “1 shall return,” he
P a g e | 43
said “I have returned” in 1944.
10. Erwin Rommel led this group of German desert fighters to
j. The Invasion
victory in 1941 and 1942. He later came to oppose Hitler when he saw of Poland
Germany was losing the war.
11. This battle was the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
Japan lost 4 aircraft carriers while the US lost the Yorktown.
k. Winston
Churchill
12. This battle saw the turning point of the war for Soviet forces
against the invading Germans. Hitler sacrificed 250,000 of his men in l. D-Day
the year-long battle for this Soviet city.
13.It was in this Polish capital city where Jews from all over
Europe died as they rose up in rebellion against their Nazi captors.
m. Warsaw
P a g e | 44
Teacher: Mr. Callen
Subject Area: U.S. History
Grade Level: 11th grade
Unit Title: World War 2
Lesson Title: Roles of Individeuals
Overview (In a few sentences, describe what will be taught during this lesson and what types of
activities will be used):
This lesson is designed for students to analyze individual solders and the sacrifices they
made during world war 2. Students will read individual accounts and answer questions
related to them.
Connection to the Curriculum (Identify which interdisciplinary subject areas relate to this
lesson.):


History
Language arts/reading
Connection to Standards (List local or national standards which will be met upon completion
of this lesson.):
California standard 11.7.3
Time (How much time will it take to complete this lesson?):
90 minutes
Materials/Equipment Required:


Pre/post quiz
Objectives (Write 2-5 objectives stating expected learner outcomes.):
Students will be able to:


Evaluate different individuals that fought during world war 2
Analyze the sacrifice these individuals made.
P a g e | 45
Suggested Procedure
Opening (How will you begin the lesson?):
I will distribute the pretest, explaining that the pretest will not be graded, they will be graded on
the post test. This is to see what your prior knowledge is on the subject.
Development (What activities will be done to teach the concepts?):
I will distribute the different individual letters along with some follow up questions.
Individually the students will read the letters and answer the questions. Then we will go
into groups and finish off the questions together. The students will go to a new person each
time to get help on a question they don’t have. Similar to a wagon wheel rotation. Then we
will take the post quiz.
Closing (How will you review the lesson to be sure all students understand the concepts?):
As a group we will discuss and review the quiz answers.
Student Assessment (What types of activities will be assigned to students to allow them
independent or group practice with the concept?):


Post quiz
Reading the letters and answering the questions
Extending the Lesson (Identify types of activities or student assignments that may be beneficial
to use following this lesson.):
Read in the text about these individuals. Write a brief essay 2-3 paragraphs on what was
learned.
Additional Resources (List resources students may find helpful should they wish to learn more
about the topic.):
Book: The Tuskegee Airmen: Black Heroes of World War II, by Jacqueline L. Harris.
Book: The Unbreakable Code, by Sara Hoagland Hunter.
Movie: Navajo Code Talkers: The Epic Story
Movie: Black Aviators: Flying Free
Movie: America's Black Warriors: Two Wars to Win
References: Brown, Kathy
ESL Adaptations:
I will allow the students to work in groups to read and answer the questions.
P a g e | 46
PRE/POST TEST
1. Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?
2. What did the Tuskegee Airmen sacrifice for America?
3. What was the Tuskegee Airmen's nickname and what was their unique contribution to
World War II?
4. Who were the 442nd Regimental Combat team?
5. What were the unique contributions the 442nd made during World War II?
6. The 442nd Regimental Combat team sacrificed greatly. What were some of their
sacrifices during the World War II?
7. Who were the Navajo Code talkers?
8. How did the Code talkers work with our military in World War II?
9. What was the name of the man who thought-up the unique contribution of the Code
talkers and presented it to the military in 1942?
P a g e | 47
Japanese-American 442nd Regimental
Combat Team - July '96 World War II
Feature
World War II | Single Page | 3 comments |
| Email This Post
The Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team fought bravely in eight major
campaigns.
By Michael D. Hull
Army Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii dreamed of becoming a doctor after World War
II, but his hopes were shattered on an embattled ridge overlooking the Italian town of San
Terenzo in April 1945. Inouye was leading a platoon of the 2nd Battalion, 442nd Regimental
Combat Team, when it came under fire from a bunker manned by die-hard Italian Fascists
fighting for the Germans. There was no cover on the hill, so Inouye crawled up alone to
reconnoiter.
Daniel K. Inouye - 5.0 K
As he was taking out a hand grenade, he was hit in the stomach by machine-gun fire. He was
knocked down but managed to get up, pull the pin, run to within five yards of the nearest of three
machine guns, and throw the grenade inside the position. As the gunners struggled to their feet,
he raked them with his Tommy gun.
While his men were pinned down by enemy fire, Inouye, bleeding from the stomach, staggered
farther up the hill and threw two more grenades into the second enemy position. He fell again.
Dragging himself toward the third machine-gun position, he stood up and pulled the pin from
another grenade. Just as he was about to throw it, an enemy rifle grenade smashed his right
elbow. His men ran to help him, but the young officer ordered them back. With his good left
hand, he tossed the grenade and destroyed the position. With his right arm flapping at his side, he
started finishing off the enemy survivors with his Tommy gun. Then he was hit in the right leg
and fell down the hill. When his men ran to him, Inouye yelled: "Get back up that hill! Nobody
called off the war!" He refused to be evacuated until his men were deployed in defensive
positions.
Twenty-five enemy troops were killed and eight captured in the action. Inouye's right arm had to
be amputated, and his dream of becoming a doctor ended. But he was awarded the Distinguished
P a g e | 48
Service Cross. And, many years later, Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye went to Washington to
represent Hawaii, the first Japanese-American member of Congress.
His bravery, incredible though it was, was not unusual in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
(RCT), whose indomitable esprit de corps became a legend of the U.S. Army in World War II.
Made up of Nisei (Japanese-American citizens), it fought in eight major campaigns in Italy,
Southern France, the Rhineland and Central Europe from September 1943 to May 1945 and won
seven Presidential Unit Citations. Some high-ranking U.S. officers, initially opposed to the use
of Nisei troops, came to regard them as the best assault troops in the Army. The 100th Infantry
Battalion of the 442nd suffered so many wounds and deaths at Monte Cassino that it was
nicknamed "the Purple Heart Battalion."
The 442nd "Go for Broke" RCT was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in
American military history, and Honor By Fire (Presidio Press, Novato, Calif., 1995, $24.95) is
the definitive book on the group. The author, Lyn Crost, covered the 100th Battalion for the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and she has written a thorough, dramatic and compelling narrative.
Crost explains that the Nisei GIs' service was all the more heroic because, while they were
fighting for their country and freedom, their own liberties were from time to time in question.
Many of their relatives were languishing in internment camps on the West Coast, and the soldiers
themselves encountered racial prejudice while training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi, during
their overseas service, and even after they returned to America with many battle streamers
pinned to their colors. As President Harry S. Truman told the 100th Battalion when it returned
from Italy in July 1946, "You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice–and you have
won."
The Nisei troops were known for the unique enthusiasm and cheerfulness with which they went
into action–whether fighting their way up numerous craggy ridges in the bitter Italian campaign
or battling in the winter-shrouded Vosges Mountains to rescue 140 surrounded men of the 36th
("Texas") Infantry Division. There, the Japanese-Americans suffered 800 casualties.
Crost's narrative of the 442nd RCT's progress through the war is liberally laced with stories of
valor and sacrifice. The Nisei were awarded 18,143 decorations, including 52 Distinguished
Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, 560 Silver Stars (28 with Oak-leaf clusters),
22 Legions of Merit, 4,000 Bronze Stars, 12 Croix de Guerre and 9,486 Purple Hearts. This
compelling chronicle also recounts the indispensable service of the 6,000 Nisei linguists of the
Military Intelligence Service who took part in every Pacific theater campaign from New Guinea
to the Aleutian Islands to Okinawa. Honor By Fire is the first public acknowledgment of their
deeds. Crost's book is a moving and powerful account, a richly deserved group portrait of young
men who displayed physical and moral heroism of the highest order.
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Questions to answer from the letters.
Tuskegee airmen
Write a 3 paragraphs (an introductory paragraph, a supporting paragraph, and a conclusion
paragraph) reflecting on segregation and the role and sacrifice of the black Americans during
World War II.
Answer the following questions from the article, The Navajo Code Talkers.
1. Why did the military need the Navajo Code Talkers?
2. Who was the man who presented the idea of using the Navajo language as a code in
1942?
3. Did the military easily agree to using the Navajo Code Talkers?
4. What did the Code Talkers actually do in the battlefields?
5. Why did native Navajo speakers call this code "Crazy Navajo?"
6. Was the code ever written on paper? Why not?
Answer the following questions from paragraph 5.
1. Who were the 442nd Regimental combat team?
2. How many major campaigns did the 442nd fight in?
3. How may Presidential Unit Citations did they win?
4. What was the nickname of the 100th Infantry Battalion of the 442nd? And why was it
nicknamed?
Answer the following question from paragraph 6.
5. What was the 442nd "Go for Broke" RCT famous for?
Answer the following question from paragraph 7.
6. What did President Harry S. Truman tell the 100th Battalion when it returned from
Italy in July 1946?
Answer the following question from paragraph 8.
7. What were the Nisei troops known for?
Answer the following questions from paragraph 9.
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8. How many decorations were the 442nd RCT awarded? List one or two of the
decorations.
9. Were the Nisei troops also linguists for the Military Intelligence? What is a linguist?
P a g e | 51
Teacher: Mr. Callen
Subject Area: U.S. History
Grade Level: 11th
Unit Title: World War 2
Lesson Title: The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb
Overview (In a few sentences, describe what will be taught during this lesson and what types of
activities will be used):
The students will participate in and academic controversy debate about the decision to
drop the atomic bomb.
Connection to the Curriculum (Identify which interdisciplinary subject areas relate to this
lesson.):


History
Language art/reading
Connection to Standards (List local or national standards which will be met upon completion
of this lesson.):
California standard 11.7.7
Time (How much time will it take to complete this lesson?):
90 minutes
Materials/Equipment Required:



“Black Rain” Atomic Bomb Documentary
Articles and pros and cons of atomic bomb
Observers chart
Objectives (Write 2-5 objectives stating expected learner outcomes.):
Students will be able to:


Argue the reasons to drop the atomic bomb and not to drop the atomic bomb
Compare the different viewpoints of Americans to drop the bomb
P a g e | 52
Suggested Procedure
Opening (How will you begin the lesson?):
Start the lesson by showing the documentary “Black Rain” stopping to check for understanding.
After the Documentary I will explain that we will be doing an academic controversy debate.
Development (What activities will be done to teach the concepts?):
The academic controversy will start, I will divide the class into three groups, one will be
pros, one will be cons, and they will switch after the first debate. The third group will be
observers.
For the first part the groups will have time to discuss the subject, come together and
debate, they will then switch and they will have more time to discuss and debate. At the end
the observers will present their findings.
Closing (How will you review the lesson to be sure all students understand the concepts?):
At the end I will emphasis the points that were brought up and close the lesson with a little
lecture on the decision by the president to drop the bomb.
Student Assessment (What types of activities will be assigned to students to allow them
independent or group practice with the concept?):
I will have them write a brief reflection on the activity and what the learned, similar to
Dixi’s DLL.
Extending the Lesson (Identify types of activities or student assignments that may be beneficial
to use following this lesson.):
Students could use this bombing as part of their project.
Additional Resources (List resources students may find helpful should they wish to learn more
about the topic.):
Allen, Thomas B. and Norman Polmar. 1995. Code-Name Downfall: The Secret Plan to Invade Japan-and Why Truman Dropped the Bomb. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Compton, Karl T. 1946. "If the Atomic Bomb had not Been Used." Atlantic Monthly. December.
Ferrell, Robert H. 1994. Harry S. Truman--A Life. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press.
Truman, Harry S. 1955. Memoirs: Years of Decision. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
P a g e | 53
Walker, J. Samuel. 1997. Prompt & Utter Destruction: Truman and the use of Atomic Bombs Against
Japan. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
References (you tube). (Dietrich, Bill).
ESL Adaptations:
I will give the students some guided sheets that they can go by in the debate.
P a g e | 54
Pro and Cons of dropping the Atomic Bomb
Historians are still divided over whether it was necessary to drop the atomic bomb on Japan to
end World War II. Here is a summary of arguments on both sides:
Why the bomb was needed or justified:






The Japanese had demonstrated near-fanatical resistance, fighting to almost the last man
on Pacific islands, committing mass suicide on Saipan and unleashing kamikaze attacks
at Okinawa. Firebombing had killed 100,000 in Tokyo with no discernible political
effect. Only the atomic bomb could jolt Japan's leadership to surrender.
With only two bombs ready (and a third on the way by late August 1945) it was too risky
to "waste" one in a demonstration over an unpopulated area.
An invasion of Japan would have caused casualties on both sides that could easily have
exceeded the toll at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The two targeted cities would have been firebombed anyway.
Immediate use of the bomb convinced the world of its horror and prevented future use
when nuclear stockpiles were far larger.
The bomb's use impressed the Soviet Union and halted the war quickly enough that the
USSR did not demand joint occupation of Japan.
Why the bomb was not needed, or unjustified:








Japan was ready to call it quits anyway. More than 60 of its cities had been destroyed by
conventional bombing, the home islands were being blockaded by the American Navy,
and the Soviet Union entered the war by attacking Japanese troops in Manchuria.
American refusal to modify its "unconditional surrender" demand to allow the Japanese
to keep their emperor needlessly prolonged Japan's resistance.
A demonstration explosion over Tokyo harbor would have convinced Japan's leaders to
quit without killing many people.
Even if Hiroshima was necessary, the U.S. did not give enough time for word to filter out
of its devastation before bombing Nagasaki.
The bomb was used partly to justify the $2 billion spent on its development.
The two cities were of limited military value. Civilians outnumbered troops in Hiroshima
five or six to one.
Japanese lives were sacrificed simply for power politics between the U.S. and the Soviet
Union.
Conventional firebombing would have caused as much significant damage without
making the U.S. the first nation to use nuclear weapons.
P a g e | 55
Observer’s sheet
What were the main points brought up by the groups?
Do you think that the bombing was justified or not? why?
P a g e | 56
Grading Rationale
Students in this class will be able to analyze different events throughout the history of the
United States. They will become historians, historians do not just memorize the facts from
the past, rather they analyze, synthesize and evaluate the facts as well as interpret them. They
will do so through a variety of methods. This class will not be strictly a lecture course. The
students will take part in a variety of activities that will enhance all learning styles. Including
projects, interactive programs, reading and interpreting articles and historical documents, and
using videos to gain knowledge of the past.
Students will abide by the rules that were implemented at the beginning of the
year. They will be respectful to other students and the teacher, this is important to have, it
promotes a safe environment to learn. In a safe environment students feel that they can
participate and learn without being ridiculed, in turn this enhances more learning. The grades
will be based on a percentage and the grade tracker will inform you of what to expect.
P a g e | 57
Grade Tracker
A = 90 – 100% of total points
B = 80 – 89%
C = 70 – 79%
D = 60 = 69 %
F = 59% and below
Assignments:
Number of Points
Homework Questions (3)-
30 (10 each)
Essays (2)-
50 (25 each)
Quizzes (2)-
100 (50 each)
Project-
200
Participation-
20
Total:
400
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References
Lesson Plan 1.
Discovery Education. Pearl Harbor.
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/pearlharbor/. (all the articles for this
lesson are linked to this web site as well).
Lesson plan 2.
PBS. Japanese American Internment. http://www.pbs.org/kqed/fillmore/classroom/internment.html.
sfmuseum. Articles on Japanese Internment. http://www.sfmuseum.org/war/evactxt.html.
Lesson plan 3.
Cyber learning. Interactive Maps of World War 2. http://www.cyberlearningworld.com/lessons/ushistory/ww2/ww2maps.htm.
Lesson plan 4
Brown, Kathy. Soilders of World War 2. http://lessons.ctaponline.org/~kbrown2/student/.
Lesson plan 5
You tube. Black Rain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZlFEbBj_OE.
Dietrich, Bill. Pros and Cons of Dropping the Atomic Bomb.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/special/trinity/supplement/procon.html.
Introduction
California State Board of Education. California Curriculum Standards for Social Science.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/histsocscistnd.pdf. 1998.