War in the Pacific
Section 4
Fighting the Japanese Empire
• At the same time as Pearl Harbor, Japan
launched attacks throughout the Pacific
• Japan also pushed further into Southeast
Asia
• Japan attacked the Philippines and pushed
Allied forces onto the Bataan Peninsula
• US troops, led by General Douglas
MacArthur, fought the Japanese at a
standstill for months.
Fighting the Japanese Empire
• As fighting raged in the Philippines,
the Allies feared that the Japanese
might invade Australia
• Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to
leave the Philippines and go to
Australia
• Shortly after he left, the Japanese
launched an offensive on Bataan
that forced US troops to surrender
• Bataan Death March
Fighting the Japanese Empire
• The Allies began to turn the tide of
the war with daring air raids led by
Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle
• Called Doolittle’s Raids
• Dropped bombs on Japanese cities
• Did little damage, but raised
American morale
• US Navy clashed with Japanese
forced in the Coral Sea off of
Australia
• Called the Battle of the Coral Sea
• For the first time in naval history,
enemy ships fought a battle without
once seeing each other
• Americans successfully blocked
Japanese advance toward Australia
Fighting the Japanese
• The opposing navies met again
off the island of Midway
• US Navy destroyed 4 Japanese
carriers and at least 250 planes
• Japanese destroyed one American
carrier and only 150 planes
• Considered a victory for the
Americans
• Battle of Midway is known as the
turning point of the War in the
Pacific
Progress in the Pacific
• Americans gained their first major
land victory on the island of
Guadalcanal after 6 months of
bitter fighting
• Key player in this battle were the
Code Talkers
• Allies then invaded the Philippines
• First attacked the island of Leyte
• Allies won and left the Japanese navy
so badly damaged that it was no
longer a threat
• Allies then liberated Manila
Progress in the Pacific
• Japanese began to get desperate
and increased their use of
kamikaze pilots
• Kamikazes filled their planes
with explosives and crashed into
Allied warships
• Japanese men volunteered for
this honor
• Regardless, they were unable to
stop the Allied advance
Progress in the Pacific
• With Japan’s defenses
weakened, the US began to
bomb Japan
• They needed bases closer to the
mainland
• They chose the islands of
Okinawa and Iwo Jima
• After months of fighting, US had
control of those islands
Atomic Bombs End the War
• Allies planned to invade Japan
• American military leaders were
afraid that an invasion would
lead to excessive loss of
American lives – instead,
decided the drop the Atomic
Bomb
Atomic Bombs End the War
• Shortly after entering the war, US started the
Manhattan Project to develop the bomb
• After a test succeeded, President Truman
threated Japan: if they did not surrender, it
faced destruction
• Japan refused to give in
• On August 6, 1945, US dropped the bomb on
the industrial city of Hiroshima
• Japan still refused to surrender
• On August 9, 1945, US dropped a second
bomb on Nagaski
• On August 14, 1945, Japan leaders signed an
official letter of surrender