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As an introduction to WWII in the Pacific,
students will use classroom reference
materials to learn the basic geography of that
theater of war.
Students will learn how geography was an
influence in this theater of war.
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Over sixty years ago, a generation of young
Americans left their homes to fight in a world
war.
The war took place on two different fronts, or
theaters: Europe and the Pacific.
Consider this: When the Japanese attacked
the U.S. fleet on December 7, 1941, most
Americans had never heard of Pearl Harbor
and did not even know where it was.
Now our troops were traveling to far off
places to fight in the war.
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Soldiers confronted environments and
cultures that they had never heard of.
Their war involved vast distances, isolations,
and harsh unfamiliar surroundings that
placed special burdens on them.
They served in remote and far flung places.
Many struggled and died in places their
families had never heard of.
They waged a bloody war against a
determined enemy.
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The Japanese continued to move East and South.
The day after Pearl Harbor, they attacked the
Americans in the Philippines.
They conquered new territory while we recovered.
(Hong Kong, Singapore and the Malayan peninsula)
By May of 1942, they reached the Coral Sea, but we
were waiting. It was a setback for the Japanese
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Americans were using Midway Island for
refueling for planes.
The Japanese sent a large fleet there.
If they take the island, the flights will stop.
The U.S. navy sinks four aircraft carriers,
scoring a clear victory and turned the tide of
the war in the Pacific.
The Japanese begin losing ground
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To defeat Japan, American forces start a long
campaign of island hopping. Taking back
islands that Japan had conquered.
August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division lands
on Guadalcanal. They fought for 3 ½ years.
Large and small battles were needed to get
the U.S. closer to strike Japan.
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Feb. 1945, 35,000 Marines land in one day
on this tiny island.
36 days of combat; 7,000 Americans lost,
22,000 Japanese lost.
Bombardment of Japanese factories and
military bases can begin.
Japan lost almost of all of its territory.
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April of 1945, more than 180,000 Americans
landed on this island.
They face a Japanese army half their size
The Japanese fight to the end, losing over
110,000 soldiers.
Americans bombing raids damaged the island
of Japan. They are unwilling to surrender and
fight to the end.
Unfortunately, they only surrender when
atomic weapons are used against a city.