The Western Front

Objectives
• What were the 3 American objectives in the Japanese theater?
Terms
• Douglas Macarthur

THE WAR IN THE
PACIFIC
• Next Job- JAPAN
• Japan had conquered much of southeast Asia including
– Dutch East Indies
– Guam
– Most of China
• Douglas Macarthur in charge

• 3 Main Objectives
• 1. Stop the
Japanese Expansion
• 2. Island Hop to
Japan
– Close enough for planes to reach them
• 3. Invade Mainland
Japan

Objectives
• What were the 3 American objectives in the Japanese theater?
– 1. Stop the Japanese
Expansion
– 2. Get close enough to conduct a bombing campaign on Japan
• Island Hop
– 3. Invade Japan
Terms
• Douglas Macarthur
– Leading commander of
USA forces in the
Japanese theater

Stop Japanese Advancements

Objectives
• What was the importance of the battle of Coral Sea and Midway?
Terms
• Coral Sea
• Midway

BATTLE OF THE CORAL
SEA
• In May 1942
– The Japanese were winning every battle and taking over the Pacific
– Allied forces were
Americans and
Australians
USA HALTS
INVASION
• Importance
– Stopped the Japanese drive toward Australia in the five-day Battle of the
Coral Sea

JAPANESE PLAN,
USA HALTS INVASION

• Japan’s next thrust was toward Midway Island northwest of Hawaii
• U.S. launched surprise attack on Japan at
Pacific island called
Midway
• The Americans won a decisive victory as their planes destroyed 4
Japanese aircraft carriers and 250 planes

Japanese
Empire
Coral Sea
Japanese Expansion
Stopped

Objectives
• What was the importance of the battle of Coral Sea and Midway?
– It halted Japanese expansion
– It destroyed military units the Japanese could not replace
• Ships
• Airplanes
• Pilots
Terms
• Coral Sea
– Protected Australia
– Stopped Japanese expansion to the East
• Midway
– Protected Hawaii
– Stopped Japanese expansion to the South

Island Hopping

Objectives
• What was the importance of the battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa?
Terms
• ISLAND HOPPING
• Kamikaze

• USA ISLAND
HOPPING
– USA strategy to take key islands to get closer to Japan
– We don’t need them all

• The Americans continued leapfrogging across the Pacific toward Japan
KAMIKAZE CLIP
• Japanese countered by employing a new tactic
– Kamikaze (divine wind) attacks
• Pilots in small bomb planes
– Suicide bombers
– Would crash into Allied ships

• Iwo Jima, island was critical to the Allies as a base for an attack on Japan
American soldiers plant the flag on the
Island of Iwo Jima after their victory
• It was called the most heavily defended spot on earth
– 27,000 Japanese held Iwo
Jima
• Allied and Japanese forces suffered heavy casualties

• In April 1945, U.S. marines invaded
Okinawa
• The Japanese unleashed 1,900
Kamikaze attacks sinking 30 ships and killing 5,000 seamen
• Okinawa cost the Americans 7,600 marines and the Japanese 110,000 soldiers

Objectives
• What was the importance of the battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa?
– It allowed the USA to become close enough to;
• Begin a bombing campaign
• Launch an invasion on mainland Japan
Terms
• ISLAND HOPPING
– Allied strategy to take key islands to get closer to Japan
• Kamikaze
– (divine wind)
– Japanese Suicide pilots

Invade Japan

Terms Objectives
• What was the two choices America had to end the war with
Japan?
– “Little Boy” and “Fat Man”
• What two Japanese sites did the Americans use the Atomic Bomb?
• Why was dropping the atomic bomb such a debatable topic?

• Why did we not drop the “bomb” on
Germany?

• MacArthur predicted amphibious invasion of
Japan would result in
1,500,000 Allied deaths
• President Truman had
2 choices
– 1. Invade
– 2. Use a new super bomb “Atomic Bomb”

• 1. Invade Japan-
– 1 million MILITARY USA
– Losses plus Japanese MILITARY losses
• 2. Drop the Bomb
– Half a million Japanese CIVILVIAN losses

U.S. DROPS TWO
ATOMIC BOMBS ON
JAPAN
• Truman warned
Japan in late July 1945 that without a immediate
Japanese surrender, it faced “prompt and utter destruction”
• On August 6 (Hiroshima) and August 9 (Nagasaki) a
B-29 bomber dropped
Atomic Bombs on Japan
The plane and crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan

• Truman warned Japan that without a immediate
Japanese surrender, it faced
“prompt and utter destruction”.
• Nagasaki
– August 9, 1945
– “Fat Man”
– Leveled half of the city
• Hiroshima
– August 6, 1945
– “Little Boy”
– In 43 seconds, the city collapsed to dust

August 9, 1945
NAGASAKI

Why Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
• Multiple Theories
– Scientific Theory
• These cities were untouched by pervious bombing
• True sign of how devastating the A-bomb was
– Government
• Japanese leaders did NOT live here
• We did NOT want to kill the Emperor of Japan
– Military Theory
• These cities were major shipping and military supply centers

• Japan surrendered days after the second atomic bomb was dropped
•September 2, 1945: V-J
Day = Victory in Japan
Day (Formal surrender)

Objectives Terms
• What was the two choices
America had to end the war with
Japan?
– Invade the Mainland
– Use Nuclear Warfare
• What two Japanese sites did the
Americans use the Atomic Bomb?
– Hiroshima
– Nagasaki
• Why was dropping the atomic bomb such a debatable topic?
– Invasion of Japan would result in mainly military losses
– Atomic bomb would result in mainly civilian losses
–
•
“Little Boy” and “Fat Man”
Nicknames of the Atomic
Bombs used at WWII

• 200,000 Japanese died due to the Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki
Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Clip