Island Hopping
Less Fun Than It Sounds
Battle of Midway
(June 1942)
Naval Battle: US lost 1 aircraft carrier, Japan lost 4 aircraft carriers
Battle of Iwo Jima
(Feb. 1945)
70,000 Marines sent to
invade the island
Vs.
22,000 Japanese soldiers
Results: US wins
(takes a month)
About 7,000 US dead
About 20,000 US wounded
Only 212 Japanese soldiers
taken prisoner
Island was 4.5 Miles x 2.5 Miles
Battle for Okinawa
(April 1945)
180,000 US troops
Vs.
120,000 Japanese troops
Results: US wins
About 12,000 US dead
About 38,000 US wounded
36 US warships destroyed
About 110,000 Japanese
soldiers dead
50,000-150,000 Japanese
civilians dead
60 Miles x 2-18 Miles
The Firebombing
of Japan
“[We] were behaving as war criminals.”
– Robert McNamara
Firebombing
• 67 Japanese cities were firebombed by the
United States during WWII
• Firebombs utilize napalm – a jellied gasoline
– Bombs explode, fired spreads, burns everything
indiscriminately
• As many as 500,000 Japanese killed (mostly
civilians), and as many as 5 million left
homeless
Name of Japanese City
Firebombed
Percentage of City
Destroyed
Equivalent American City
Yokohama
58
Cleveland
Tokyo
51
New York City
Toyama
99
Chattanooga
Nagoya
40
Los Angeles
Osaka
35.1
Chicago
Nishinomiya
11.9
Cambridge
Siumonoseki
37.6
San Diego
Kure
41.9
Toledo
Kobe
55.7
Baltimore
Omuta
35.8
Miami
Name of Japanese City
Firebombed
Percentage of City
Destroyed
Equivalent American City
Wakayama
50
Salt Lake City
Kawasaki
36.2
Portland
Okayama
68.9
Long Beach
Yawata
21.2
San Antonio
Kagoshima
63.4
Richmond
Amagasaki
18.9
Jacksonville
Sasebo
41.4
Nashville
Moh
23.3
Spokane
Miyakonoio
26.5
Greensboro
Nobeoka
25.2
Augusta
Name of Japanese City
Firebombed
Percentage of City
Destroyed
Equivalent American City
Miyazaki
26.1
Davenport
Hbe
20.7
Utica
Saga
44.2
Waterloo
Imabari
63.9
Stockton
Matsuyama
64
Duluth
Fukui
86
Evansville
Tokushima
85.2
Ft. Wayne
Sakai
48.2
Forth Worth
Hachioji
65
Galveston
Kumamoto
31.2
Grand Rapids
Name of Japanese City
Firebombed
Percentage of City
Destroyed
Equivalent American City
Isezaki
56.7
Sioux Falls
Takamatsu
67.5
Knoxville
Akashi
50.2
Lexington
Fukuyama
80.9
Macon
Aomori
30
Montgomery
Okazaki
32.2
Lincoln
Oita
28.2
Saint Joseph
Hiratsuka
48.4
Battle Creek
Tokuyama
48.3
Butte
Yokkichi
33.6
Charlotte
Name of Japanese City
Firebombed
Percentage of City
Destroyed
Equivalent American City
Uhyamada
41.3
Columbus
Ogaki
39.5
Corpus Christi
Gifu
63.6
Des Moines
Shizuoka
66.1
Oklahoma City
Himeji
49.4
Peoria
Fukuoka
24.1
Rochester
Kochi
55.2
Sacramento
Shimizu
42
San Jose
Omura
33.1
Sante Fe
Chiba
41
Savannah
Name of Japanese City
Firebombed
Percentage of City
Destroyed
Equivalent American City
Ichinomiya
56.3
Sprinfield
Nara
69.3
Boston
Tsu
69.3
Topeka
Kuwana
75
Tucson
Toyohashi
61.9
Tulsa
Numazu
42.3
Waco
Chosi
44.2
Wheeling
Kofu
78.6
South Bend
Utsunomiya
43.7
Sioux City
Mito
68.9
Pontiac
Name of Japanese City
Firebombed
Percentage of City
Destroyed
Equivalent American City
Sendai
21.9
Omaha
Tsuruga
65.1
Middleton
Nagaoka
64.9
Madison
Hitachi
72
Little Rock
Kumagaya
55.1
Kenosha
Hamamatsu
60.3
Hartford
Maebashi
64.2
Wheeling
The Fog of War
• Robert McNamara discussing the firebombing
of Japan
– “[General Curtis LeMay said that] if we'd lost the
war, we'd all have been prosecuted as war
criminals …. And I think he's right. …He, and I'd
say, I, were behaving as war criminals. …LeMay
recognized that what he was doing would be
thought immoral if his side had lost. But what
makes it immoral if you lose and not immoral if
you win?”
Potsdam Declaration
“The alternative for Japan is
prompt and utter destruction”
Potsdam Declaration
• Proclamation Defining the Terms for the
Japanese Surrender – July 26, 1945
• Developed at the Potsdam Conference
– U.S., Britain, and U.S.S.R participated in the
conference; held in Germany
– Decisions were made as to how the Allies would
deal with the Axis powers after Allied victory
Potsdam Declaration and Japan
• Elimination of Japanese authorities who led
Japan to world conquest
• Parts of Japanese territory are to be occupied;
Allies get to pick which parts
• Japanese sovereignty is limited to the 4 main
islands and a few other tiny ones
Potsdam Declaration and Japan
• Elimination of Japanese authorities who led
Japan to world conquest
• Parts of Japanese territory are to be occupied;
Allies get to pick which parts
• Japanese sovereignty is limited to the 4 main
islands and a few other tiny ones
• Japanese military will be completely disarmed
• All (Japanese) war criminals will receive
“stern justice”
Potsdam Declaration and Japan
• Japan will not be enslaved or destroyed as a nation
• Freedom of speech, religion, and thought, along with
fundamental human rights, shall be established
• Japan will have access to—but not control of—
resources that they need to rebuild and sustain their
economy, and will be free to maintain industries as
long as they are not re-arming
• Allies occupying forces will be withdrawn as soon as all
of these objectives are met and Japan has established a
peaceful, responsible government
Potsdam Declaration and Japan
• "We call upon the government of Japan to
proclaim now the unconditional surrender of
all Japanese armed forces, and to provide
proper and adequate assurances of their good
faith in such action. The alternative for Japan
is prompt and utter destruction.”
Potsdam Declaration and Japan
• Despite a growing number of Japanese leaders
who wanted to negotiate for peace, Japan’s
military leadership was unwilling to accept the
terms of the Potsdam Declaration.
• However, it is known that Japan’s Foreign
Minister, Shigenori Togo, sent a message to
Russia stating: “Unconditional surrender is the
only obstacle to peace….”
So then, why this?