Review
• What was D-Day? Who was attacking
who? Where was this taking place?
WWII
in The Pacific
After Pearl Harbor
• The Japanese take over most of
East Asia.
• This included the Philippines where
12,000 U.S. soldiers under the
command of Douglass MacArthur
were forced to surrender.
• MacArthur left for Australia to avoid
capture but vowed, “I shall Return.”
Bataan Death march
• US Prisoners captured in the Philippines (along with
captured Filipinos) are forced to march 65-miles to a
prison camp.
• Known as the Bataan Death march.
• Japanese are unusually cruel during march.
• They beat, kick, bayonet, and shoot stragglers.
• 600 US soldiers and over 6,000 Filipinos die.
Why Japanese Treat Prisoners so
Bad
• Their culture—believed one should fight to
the death. It was dishonorable to
surrender.
• Therefore did not respect those that did
surrender.
• Also believed that the US was a decadent
& mongrel race and that their race was
pure (and superior to others).
Other Japanese Atrocities.
• Rape of Nanking —kill 300,000 and rape
20,000 and pillage.
• Bomb Chinese civilians in cities.
• Conduct medical experiments on
prisoners.
• Force women in the countries they
conquer to be “comfort women” (i.e.-forced
sex slaves).
The Doolittle Raid
• 16 B-25’s under
command of Captain
James Doolittle stage
a bombing raid on
Tokyo.
• April 18, 1942
• Does not accomplish
much militarily, but is
good for U.S. morale.
Battles of Coral Sea & Midway
• Naval battles fought in the middle of the Pacific.
• US wins both.
• Coral Sea stopped Japan’s advance on Australia.
• Midway saw the US regain naval superiority in the
Pacific.
• Both battles were historic in that they were fought by
planes from aircraft carriers and the ships themselves
never engaged.
US Pacific Strategy
• Island Hopping —taking
strategic islands but bypassing
(skipping) others.
• As the US gets closer, they use
captured islands as airbases to
bomb Japan.
• 2-pronged attack —Admiral
Chester Nimitz from Pearl
Harbor and MacArthur from
Australia.
Review
• What was the Bataan Death March and why did it serve
as effective propaganda for the U.S.?
• What was the Doolittle Raid?
•
Why did the Japanese treat their prisoners so bad?
• What were “Comfort Women”?
• What was the significance of the battles of Coral Sea
and Midway?
• What was the name of the U.S. strategy in the Pacific?
Battle of Guadalcanal
August 7 1942
• Small island in the Solomon Islands.
• First U.S land attack in the Pacific.
• U.S Marines take the island at high cost.
• Japan’s first defeat on land.
The Philippines
• Gen. MacArthur led his forces toward the
Philippines.
• Capture the islands surrounding the
Philippines.
• Large Naval battle at Leyte Gulf (largest in
history)—Japanese navy is crippled.
• Japanese resort to Kamikaze attacks.
The Philippines
• More than 80,000 Japanese die in the
Philippines.
• Less than 1,000 surrender
Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
Feb. 16, 1945
• Volcanic island in the
Pacific
• Vital island for air base
• Japanese heavily
entrenched/ U.S suffers
heavy losses (20,000
most ever for marines).
• Japan fights to the end.
The Battle of Iwo Jima
• Airbases on Iwo Jima let America B-29’s
bomb Tokyo.
• Bombers had trouble hitting targets in
Japan.
• Gen LeMay decides to drop Napalm
bombs.
Firebombing Japan
• March 9, 1945: America
bombers drop Napalm
bombs over Tokyo.
• 80,000 Japanese dead
• 250,000 buildings destroyed
• Japan refuses to surrender
Battle of Okinawa
April 1, 1945
• Okinawa is an island south of
Japan.
• Japan fights from the rugged
mountains.
• U.S wins-- 7,600 Americans die.
• Japan suffers 110,000 deaths
• Japanese troops commit suicide.
Review
• What was the name for US pacific strategy?
• A = Island Hopping
• What was name of forced march of US and
Filipino prisoners in which many were killed by
the Japanese?
• A = Bataan Death March
• What was significance of the battles of Corral
Sea and Midway?
Mo Review
• What was 1st successful US invasion of a Japanese held island?
• A = Guadalcanal
• Women whom the Japanese forced to be sex slaves for their
soldiers were called what?
• A = comfort women
• What were the 2 things that wee significant about the battle of Leyte
Gulf?
• A = end of Japanese navy & largest naval battle in history
• What were Kamikazes?
Franklin Roosevelt Dies
• FDR wanted to
remain president until
the war ended.
• Reelected in 1944 to
4th term.
• April 12, 1945 FDR
dies of a stroke.
• V.P. Harry S. Truman
takes over.