The War in the Pacific
1942 - 1945
Japanese Empire c. 1942
The War in the Pacific
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1. Doolittle’s Raid – April 1942: the Allies, led by Colonel James Doolittle,
bombed Tokyo with a unit of 16 bomber jets
The War in the Pacific
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2. Battle of the Coral Sea – May 1942: Allies succeed in stopping the
Japanese drive toward Australia in the five-day battle
Battle of the Coral Sea
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A) Tactical Victory for the Japanese (short term victory)
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B) Strategic Victory for the Allies (long term victory)
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Reason: Represents the first time in the war that a Japanese invasion had
been prevented.
The War in the Pacific
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3. The Battle of Midway – June 1942

A) Allies break Japanese code and discover that Midway is the next Japanese
target
The Battle of Midway
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B) After Japanese codes were intercepted, Americans sent torpedo planes and
dive bombers to Midway
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C) The Japanese were caught off guard with their planes still on their carriers
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D) Japanese suffered devastating losses: 4 aircraft carriers, a cruiser, and 250
planes
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E) After Midway, Allies began ‘island hopping’ – winning territory from the
Japanese, moving closer to Japan

Americans had ‘avenged Pearl Harbor’ – Japanese official
The Allies Drive towards Japan
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1. Iwo Jima - ‘Sulfur Island’ – A critical base from which heavily loaded
bombers might reach Japan
Iwo Jima
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Thought to be the most heavily defended place on earth (20,700 Japanese
troops on an 8-square mile island)
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Highest number of casualties in any battle in the Pacific to that point: 6,000
marines died, only 200 Japanese survived.
Okinawa

April 1945: U.S. Marines invade
Okinawa

Japanese unleash over 1900
kamikaze attacks on the Allies
during the Okinawa campaign

Attacks killed an estimated 5,000
seamen
Okinawa
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By the time the fighting ended on June 21, 1945, more than 7,600
Americans had died
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BUT the Japanese lost 110,000 lives in defending Okinawa.

After Okinawa, Churchill predicted the cost of invading the Japanese
mainland would be a million American lives and half that number of British
lives.
Critical Thinking #6
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Due: Thursday, March 14.
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In a 2-paragraph response, describe two significant military achievements
for the Allies in the Pacific theatre of war. For each example you use, explain
the strategic significance of the victory (i.e. What were the Allies hoping to
accomplish? Hint: consider the long-term significance of the examples you
choose)