Japan’s Pacific Campaign
I. Japan plans an Empire
A. October 1940 – US cracked a code used by the Japanese to send secret messages
B. Japan’s Plans
1. Wanted to conquer European colonies in the pacific
2. Could threaten American controlled Islands
3. Japan over runs French Indochina
C. US sends aid to stop Japanese advance
1. Chinese resistance
2. July 1941 – US Cuts off oil shipments to Japan
II. Surprise Attack on Pearl Harbor
A. December 7 1941, Pearl Harbor attacked
B. Damage inflicted on U.S. Navy
1. 19 ships damaged – 8 of them battleships
2. 2,300 Americans Killed
3. 1,100 wounded
C. December 8, 1941 Roosevelt addresses Congress
1. “A date that will live in infamy”
2. Congress accepted his request and Declares war on Japan and its allies.
III. Japanese Victories
A. Guam and Wake fell quickly to Japanese forces
B. January 1941 marched on Philippines
1. American and Filipino forces set up defensive positions at Bataan
2. Philippines fell within four months (April)
C. Japan continued strikes against British holdings in Pacific
1. Seized Hong Kong
2. Invaded Malaya and Thailand which surrendered by February 1942
3. Took over Dutch East Indies (Indonesia)
a. Java
b. Sumatra
c. Borneo
d. Celebes
4. Continued westward to take Burma
5. Planned to launch a strike against India (Britain’s largest holding)
D. Japan now held 1 million square miles of Asian Land and 150 million Asian people
1. Prior to take over tried a “East Asia for the Asiatics” campaign to drive westerners out of area
2. As conquerors they treated new colonies with extreme cruelty
E. Allied prisoners treated cruelly
1. Japanese considered it dishonorable to surrender
2. Bataan Death March
a. Forced march of prisoners (50 miles)
b. 70,000 prisoners started the march only 54,000 survived
IV. The Allies Strike Back
A. Doolittle’s Raid
1. Raid made under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle.
2. Sixteen b-25 bombers bombed Tokyo and sever other Japanese cites
3. Little damage inflicted.
4. Made Japan realize they were vulnerable to attack.
B. Allies turn the tide
1. Japanese started to doubt that they were invincible after Doolittle’s raid.
2. Battle of Coral Sea
a. Allies suffered greater losses
b. Stopped Japan’s southward advance
3. Battle of Midway
1. Code breakers forewarned Navy of attack
2. After First launch of Japanese planes American planes attacked
3. Admiral Nimitz Strategy a success
a. 332 Japanese planes destroyed
b. All four Japanese aircraft carriers and one support ship destroyed
4. This battle turned the tide of the war
C. An Allied Offensive
1. Pacific offensive led by Douglas MacArthur
2. Island hopping strategy
a. skip Japanese strong holds
b. take out smaller bases closer to Japan.
3. Battle of Guadalcanal
a. Japanese lost 24,000 or 36,000 soldiers
b. Japanese abandoned “the island of death”.