05.03: Two Wars
The Big Ideas
How and why did Japan become involved in the war?
Briefly describe Japan’s actions in the Philippines.
Compare the fighting in Europe to the fighting in the Pacific.
Explain the strategy of “island hopping”. Why was it used? How well did it work?
Events (Describe the event, its causes and effects)
Bataan Death March –
Battle of the Coral Sea –
Battle of Midway –
Vocabulary (fill in effects from the lesson where possible or put the definition in your own words)
Bataan Death March – in April 1941, forced march by U.S. troops through the jungles of the Bataan
Peninsula in the Philippines after surrender to the Japanese; thousands of soldiers died during the
march due to abuse and starvation.
Battle of Guadalcanal – battle between Allied and Japanese forces from August 1942 to February 1943
that took place in Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in which the Japanese were forced to retreat;
along with Midway, served as a major turning point in the Pacific war
Battle of Iwo Jima – World War II battle that took place in February 1945 after the Allies set out to
capture the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, which was heavily guarded by Japanese troops; American
troops faced fierce opposition from heavily fortified positions on the island, and fighting continued for
weeks, killing some 19,000 Japanese troops and almost 7,000 American troops
Battle of Leyte Gulf – the largest naval battle ever fought; took place between the Japanese and the
Allied Powers in October 1944 and destroyed the Japanese fleet
Battle of Midway – key naval battle in June 1942 between the United States and Japan during World War
II during which Japan's naval forces were heavily damaged, equalizing the strength of the two sides and
destroying Japan's naval advantage in the war in the Pacific
Battle of Okinawa – World War II battle in the Pacific that took place from March to June 1945 that killed
more than 12,000 Americans and 110,00 Japanese; battle convinced Allied commanders that invading
Japan might not be the best plan of action
Island hopping – the Allied strategy used to gain control of the Pacific Theater in World War II
Kamikaze – trained Japanese pilots who loaded their planes with bombs and extra gasoline and
purposefully crashed them into enemy ships in a suicide mission during World War II
Pacific Theater – the area of military operations in the Pacific Ocean region during World War II in which
the United States and other Allies fought the Japanese
05.03: Two Wars