Today’s Schedule – 4/4
•
•
•
•
Analysis of FDR’s Speech
PPT: The War in the Pacific
Analysis of Strategies
HW:
– Read 915-922
Define These Terms
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Infamy
Premeditated
Implications
Onslaught
Uttermost
Mincing
Dastardly
When did WWII start in the Pacific Theater?
The answer to that would depend on
what nation you are speaking about.
For Japan, it could be said that the war started when
they occupied Manchuria in September of 1931.
The war started for China in July of 1937 when they
were invaded by the Japanese.
When did WWII start for America?
December 7, 1941
What occurred to bring America into the war?
The Japanese attacked
Pearl Harbor
When did America declare war against
Japan?
December 8, 1941
FDR, the American president, made a speech
asking congress to declare war against the
Japanese Empire.
After Pearl Harbor, Hitler honored a pact with
Japan and declared war on the United States.
America in turn declared war on Germany on
December 9, 1941; making the war a true
world war.
The Japanese attacked Philippines, which were held
by America, on December 8, 1941.
The U.S. military forces in the Philippines
controlled by General Douglas MacArthur, and later
by General Wainwright, eventually fell to the
Japanese in spring of 1942.
Japan then drove southward, capturing the
Dutch East Indies, and the British
controlled territories of Singapore,
Malaysia, and Burma. They also were
making plans to invade Australia.
To the East, the Japanese captured
Guam, Wake Island, and Northern New
Guinea.
Doolittle Raid
April 18, 1942
The attack, lead by legendary pilot Jimmy Doolittle, was
the first strike against the Japanese mainland. The damage
caused by the attack wasn’t significant, but American and
allied moral was greatly boosted.
Battle of Coral Sea
May 7-8, 1942
As a preliminary step in the invasion of
Australia, the Japanese sent a fleet to capture
Port Moresby in New Guinea. An American
fleet fought the Japanese to a draw, effectively
stopping the Japanese invasion of Australia.
Battle of Midway
June 4, 1941
Who won the Battle of Midway and why is the battle
considered to be important?
In the “Miracle of Midway,” American naval forces
defeated a much larger Japanese force as it prepared to
seize Midway Island. The American victory ended the
Japanese threat to Hawaii and began a series of American
victories in the “island hopping” campaign that carried the
war closer and closer to Japan. The American victory at
the Battle of Midway is often considered the turning point
in the war against the Japan.
Island Hopping
mid-1942 through mid-1944
General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz
developed the strategy of “island hopping,” in
which U.S. Forces would retake islands closer
and closer to Japan and use them as bases for air
attacks against Japan.
What is island hopping?
Some of the Islands taken while island hopping
were:
Guadalcanal
New Guinea
New Britain
Tarawa
Saipan
Philippines Re-captured
MacArthur Returns
late 1944 - early 1945
General MacArthur returned to the Philippines with
the assault on the Japanese at Leyte, fulfilling the
promise he made when he left in 1942.
Battles of Iwo Jima
and
Okinawa
Spring – Summer 1945
The invasions of
Iwo Jima and
Okinawa, both part
of Japan, brought
American forces
closer than ever to
the Japanese
mainland.
Thousands of American lives and even more Japanese lives
were lost as Japanese soldiers fought fiercely over every
square inch of the islands. The battles are also noted for
the rise of kamikaze (suicide) attacks Japanese planes
made against American ships.
Based on the estimate of
American lives it would
take to invade the
Japanese mainland,
President Truman
decided to use a new
weapon. A weapon
more powerful than any
other in the history of
man.
August 6, 1945 a U.S. plane dropped the first
atomic bomb ever used in a war.
What city was attacked?
Hiroshima
On August 9, 1945 America dropped another atomic
bomb on what city?
Nagasaki
September 2, 1945
the Japanese signed
the official
instrument of
surrender papers and
the war ended.
For America, World War Two started with the attack against:
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese continued nearly unimpeded through the early
months of the war until they were first stopped at the:
Battle of Coral Sea
Japan’s first big defeat, and the turning point of the war,
occurred at the Battle of:
Midway
The main strategy used by America for the majority of the war
was called:
island hopping
General MacArthur promised to return to:
the Philippines
The ferocity of fighting as well as the large number of kamikaze
attacks are associated with the battles of:
Iwo Jima and Okinawa
The American president who made the decision to use atomic
weapons against Japan was:
President Truman
The first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of:
Hiroshima
Answer These Questions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
JAPAN
Why did the Japanese believe that it was better to go to war with the United States
sooner rather than later?
Why were Japanese military planners pessimistic about their country's chances in a
long war against the United States?
What actions did the Japanese government take to prepare for a war in the Pacific?
According to Japanese military planners, how likely was war against the Soviet
Union?
What were the three phases of Japan's strategy in the Pacific?
U.S.
Why did U.S. military planners believe that it was so important to defend the
Philippines?
Why did they not choose immediately to launch a bombing campaign against
Japan?
What sea and air routes did the Allies believe were most vulnerable, and why?
Why did U.S. military planners opt for a largely defensive strategy in the Pacific?