World War II, Part 6:
Ending the War in the
Pacific and Aftermath
Goal 10
Essential Idea
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WWII ended with the dropping of two
atomic bombs on Japan.
Admiral Nimitz
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1. Chester Nimitz –
commander of the
U.S. Navy in the
Pacific Theater
Japan Attacks the Philippines
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2. Fighting in the Philippines:
After attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked
military bases in the Philippines
Troops there were led by General Douglas MacArthur
MacArthur Ordered to Leave
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Americans were
overwhelmed and
driven to the Bataan
Peninsula, where they
ran out of supplies
FDR ordered
MacArthur to leave his
troops behind so he
would not be captured
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Bataan Death March
Bataan Death March –
78,000 captured
American troops were
marched 65 miles to a
prison camp, many
dying along the way
3. The Doolittle
Raids
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Aircraft carriers could
not get close enough to
Japan to send
warplanes
Airplanes did not have
enough fuel to bomb
Japan AND return
Doolittle Raids –
bombers flew over
Japan, dropped bombs,
and landed in China
4. Battle of the Coral Sea
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America and
Australia were allies
and America was
sending Australia
war supplies
Japan sent warships
to New Guinea to
block the supply
lines
Battle of the Coral Sea
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Japan thought their
operations were
secret, but America
had broken the
Japanese navy’s
code
Admiral Nimitz sent
two aircraft carriers to
New Guinea to attack
the Japanese navy
Battle of the Coral Sea
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The two carriers
took heavy
damage (one
sunk), but kept
Japan off of New
Guinea, keeping
the supply line
open
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5. The Turning Point in the War in the
Pacific
Battle of Midway
Japan wanted to lure
American ships that
were damaged by
Pearl Harbor to
Midway Island and
destroy them
Battle of Midway

However, the
Japanese code had
been intercepted
and broken again

Nimitz ordered ships
to Midway and set up
an ambush
Turning Point

The Japanese navy lost 38 airplanes, 4 aircraft
carriers, and 3,057 troops
6. Roosevelt Dies
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In April of 1945, FDR died
of a stroke
Harry S Truman became
president and was now
responsible for ending the
war in the Pacific
Strategy in the Pacific
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7. Island Hopping
American airplanes did
not have enough fuel to
fly all the way to Japan
and back
Island-Hopping –
capture small islands in
the Pacific Ocean and
“hop” closer to Japan
Once an island was
captured, an airfield was
built on it
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What area is
“taken back”?
Which island is
the last island
to be taken?
What gets
launched from
the “last
island”?
1. MacArthur Returns
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Battle of Leyte Gulf – the largest naval battle in history
The Japanese used kamikaze attacks, where pilots
intentionally crashed into American ships
Kamikaze Attacks
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Americans
suffered heavy
damages, but
were able to
regain control of
the Philippines
2. Iwo Jima
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60,000
Marines
“hopped” to
the island of
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
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Marines used flame throwers and
explosives to take the heavily fortified island
Firebombing Tokyo
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American forces
began
firebombing
Tokyo (using
napalm) from Iwo
Jima
3. Okinawa
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America needed an island
closer to Japan, so they
“hopped” to Okinawa
100,000 civilians died, many
choosing to commit suicide
rather than be captured
Okinawa showed how brutal
fighting would be if America
attempted to invade mainland
Japan
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4. The Manhattan Project
Before World War II
broke out, Albert
Einstein wrote a letter to
FDR, informing him that
Germany was trying to
develop the atomic
bomb
The Manhattan Project
was a secret
government program
created to develop the
atomic bomb FIRST
Should the Bomb be Used?
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Following the chaos on
Okinawa, Truman
decided that using the
atomic bomb instead of
a ground invasion would
save American lives
Potsdam Ultimatum –
Truman demanded
unconditional surrender,
but Japan refused
Boom
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On August 6th, 1945,
“Little Boy” dropped on
Hiroshima, killing over
120,000
Japan still did not
surrender, so on August
9th, “Fat Man” landed on
Nagasaki, killing over
74,000
V-J Day

V-J Day –
Japan
surrendered to
the United
States, ending
World War II
Yalta Conference
Meeting of the
“Big Three” –
FDR, Stalin, and
Churchill
 They decided
how to divide
Germany after
the war
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The United Nations Forms
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This was a new body of
countries similar to the
League of Nations
50 countries, including the
United States, joined
Nuremberg Trials
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These trials convicted
and executed many
former Nazi leaders
The G.I. Bill
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Gave money to World
War II veterans to build
homes, start businesses,
and go to college
Why would such a bill be
passed (think of World
War I)?
Economic Growth and the Growth of
Suburbia
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Economic Growth: War
production and the G.I.
Bill helped the economy
finally recover
Growth of Suburbs –
people began to move in
to suburbs, which
provided cheaper houses
Levittown – the first
suburb
The Baby Boom
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A major rise in the birth rate that occurred
after soldiers returned and having families
became affordable