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Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor had been a tremendous success for the Japanese. They had dealt a blow to the U.S. Pacific Fleet that would take months to overcome. Pearl Harbor had an enormous emotional impact. For the Japanese, it provided a major boost to national pride and encouraged them to continue their assault. For Americans. it inspired a firm resolve to fight. The Japanese had confidence while Americans had anger. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise. -
Pearl Harbor
The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. The attack lasted just 2 hours. The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack. -
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was the immediate cause of the United States' entry into World War II. The damage to American sea power, combined with allies decision to focus their energy and resources on defeating the axis in Europe, it would take a time limit the ability of the United States to strike back to the Japanese. The attack of the Pearl Harbor provided a major boost to national pride and encouraged Japanese to continue their assault. Americans, it inspired a firm resolve to fight. -
Battle of Java Sea
With the Japanese rapidly advancing south through the Dutch East Indies(Indonesia), the Allies attempted to mount a defense of Java in an effort to hold the Malay Barrier. Japan caused much damage to the Allied navies. The Japanese also conquered British-controlled Burma as well as parts of the South Pacific. Japan gained control of rich oil reserves, which were vital to their military plans. They also established strategic bases for future operations. -
Battle of Java Sea
The Allies were stunned by the rapid success of the Japanese military in the months after Pearl Harbor. The Allied did not realize that the Japanese were so highly skilled and well trained. Japanese fighter aircraft were as good as anything the Allies could produce. Japan ships and torpedoes were high quality. Those factors gave the Japanese an important advantage early in the war. The British were the first to discover the the true strength of Japan's military in HongKong, Singapore, and Burma -
Loss of Philippennes and Bataan Death March
Japan's attack on Hong Kong, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, and Burma were part of a large offensive that had one other major target: the American-controlled islands of the Phillippines. General Douglas MacArthur led the defensive of that island chain. He commanded a small force of Americans, plus a number of trained and equipped Filipino soldiers. MacArthurs troops were no match for the Japanese invaders. As the Japanese gained ground, MacArthur planned a retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. -
loss of philipennes and Bataan Death March
Mac Arthur's troops took hard fighting and brilliant leadership. The soldiers found that no food, medicine, and other supplies were terribly short. MacArthur urged Allies officials to send ships to help relieve his starving troops. War planners decided that such a move was too risky. As Secretary of War Henry Stimson grimly noted, "There are times when men have to die." MacArthur and his forces fought on, but illness and hunger began to take their toll. -
Loss of Philipennes and Bataan Death March
In March 1942 MacArthur was ordered to leave his men. He did so reluctantly promising "I shall return." Less than a later, 10,000 American and 60,000 Filipino troops on Bataan surrendered. The fighting was over, but the suffering of the soldiers was just beginning. For 5 days and nights, the Japanese forced the already starving and sick soldiers to march through the steaming forests of Bataan. those who dropped out of line were beaten or shot. -
Dolittle Raid
Known as the Tokyo Raid. Army Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle led a group of 16 American bombers on a daring air raid of Tokyo and sev eral other Japenese cities. The airplanes had been launched from an aircraft carrier several hundred miles off the ocast of Japan. The raid did not do major damage to the Japanese targets.The raid, however, had some significant effects. One was to finally give the Americans something to celebrate. The other effect was to worry and anger Japan's leaders. -
Battle of Coral Sea
This battle featured the one part of the Pacific Fleet that had not been badly damaged at Pear Harbor--the aircraft carriers. This battle took place as Japanese forces were preparing to invade the British controlled Port Moresby on the island of New Guinea. To prevent this attack, U.S. Admiral Chester Nimitz sent two aircraft carriers on the attack. Americans and Japanese navies suffered damage. America lost an aircraft carrier and several dozen aircraft, but they still stopped the Japan attack. -
Battle of Midway
The first stage was an air attack, meant to prepare Midway Island for a future landing by Japanese forces. Several planes from the USS Enterprise broke through the Japenese defenses. As Fuchido had predicted, 3 of the 4 ships had been destroyed. American aircraft later destroyed the 4th one. During the battle, Japanese planes did manage to destory one of the American carriers, the USS Yorktown. Nimits had placed all other ships perfectly. Ships of the Japanese were too far away to threaten. -
Battle of Midway
Japanese military planners decided to try to lure the Americans into a large sea battle. The first step would be to attack the American-held Midway Island, which sat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They hoped the attack would pull the American fleet into the area. Then the Japanese could destroy it. The Japanese had a large advantage in the number of ships and carriers they could bring to the battle. -
Battle of Midway
Americans had one great advantage--naval intelligence officers had broken a Japanese code and learned about the plans for attacking Midway. The Americans knew the date for the planned attack. They also knew the direction from which the Japanese ships would approach. Admiral Nimitz placed his 3 available aircraft carriers carefully. His goal was to stop a Japanese landing at Midway and to avoid contact with the larger Japanese fleet. Nimitz plan worked. Japanese launched their a -
Guadalcanal
The first step was to win control of territory in the Solomon Islands. The Japanese had moved into these islands in the spring of 1942. That threatened nearby Australia, which was fighting alongside the Allies in the Pacific. An Allied presence in the Solomon Islands would help protect Australia. It would also provide a base for further efforts to push back the Japanese. A key goal in the Solomons was the capture of Guadalcanal. The Japanese had nearly completed and airfield there. -
Guadalcanal
"Before that, we weren''t looking for the Japanese, they were looking for us...But from there on out, the Japanses were on the run" recalled one soldier. The Allied victory at Guadalcanal set a pattern that was repeated in the coming months. -
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal was covered with swamps and dense jungles. 90 degree daily temps. Millions of disease-carrying insects filled the air. ,miserbale place to fight. American forces came to shore in august. For the next 6 months, they fought in bloody combat with Japanses forces. The battle took place on land, at sea, and in the air. Each side won small victories until Japanese fled the island in February. It was a key moment in the war. -
Island Hopping Strategy
Also known as "leap frogging." Island hopping is the crossing of an ocean by a series of shorter journeys between islands, as opposed to a single journey directly to the destination. In military strategy, it is the method of conquering islands in a steady sequence, usually with a defined endpoint. The strategy was employed by the United States in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan during World War II. Island Hopping began from the Midway Islands (named so because of their proximity -
Island Hopping Strategy
between Hawaii and Japan) and culminated in the defeat of all Japanese Island colonies, leaving only mainland Japan. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Major sea battle featuring nearly 300 ships in which Allies virtually destroyed japam's navy. When the battle was over, the Japanese lost 4 carriers, 3 battleships, and a number of other vessels. This battle saw the first major use of a new japanese weapon--the kamikaze attack. Kamikaze means "divine wind." It refers to a famous event in Japanese history--a sudden storm that drove off a fleet preparing to invade Japan in the 1200s. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
In WW2, however, kamikaze was a pilot wo loaded his aircraft with bombs and deliberately crashed into nan enemy ship. A Japanese admiral explained, such tactics were "the only way of assuring our meager strength will be effectve to the maximum degree." The kamikaze attacks did not change the outcome of the battle, but the Allies would come to fear the suicide attacks. In late October, MacArthur waded ashore to fulfill his promise to return to the Philippines. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Beginning in late 1944 the massive new American B-29 bomber began making regular raids on Japanese cities. Alied bombers dropped many tons of explosives on Tokyo and other centers. In order to provide a better base from which to launch these raids, American forces set out to capture Iwo Jima. This tiny volcanic island lay some 750 miles south of Tokyo. The island's rugged terrain was heavily guarded by the Japanese soldiers. American troops greatly outnumbered the defenders. -
Battle Iwo Jima
For the first time in the war, the Japanese troops were fighting for land that was actually part of Japan. Hidden in caves and tunnels and protected by concrete bunkers, they fought ferociously. Early in the battle, marines managed to capture the island's tallest point, Mount Suribachi. Some Americans thought that the capture of Mount Suribachi meant that the battle was over, but the Japanese troops refused to surrender. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The fighting raged on for several more weeks. By the time it was over, nearly 7,000 Americans were dead and many more were wounded. More than 20,000 Japanese defenders had been on Iwo Jima when the Americans landed. All but a thousand of them bought to the death. -
Battle of Okinawa
Over 12,000 Americans died and thousands more were injured. The Japanese lost 110,000 troops. As on Iwo Jima, their willingness to fight on when death was certain filled the Americans with amazement and dread. "I see no way to get them out, except to blast them out yard by yard." Said one American General. The Americans gained control of the island in June. Okinawa would have a major impact on the final days of war. -
Battle of Okinawa
Okinawa was the next American target. Only 350 miles from Japan, the island was to be the launching for the final invasion of Japan itself. First, It had to be captured! That would be the bloodiest task the Americans would face in the Pacific. Allied troops invaded Okinawa. The Japanee forces retreated to the southern tip of the island to plan their response. 5 days later, they attacked. The island was filled with caves and tunnels. Japanese use those skillfully to hide and launch deadly assualt -
Atomib bomb on Hiroshima
Failure to give up, the demand read "prompt and utter destruction." Japan didn't respond. The plan moved on. ON August 6th, an American B-29 named "the Enola Gay" flew over the city of Hiroshima and dropped the bomb. Seconds later, the bomb exploded. Hiroshima was reduced to rubble. Some 80,000 residents died immediately, and 35,000 were injured. 2/3's of the cities 90,000 building s were destoyed. -
Atomic bomb on Hiroshima
Harry S. Truman became president after Roosevelt died in April. Truman didnt know anything about the bomb prior to assuming the presidency. He had to decide whether the U.S. should use the atomic bomb. Truman formed a group to advise him about using the bomb. This group debated where the bomb should be used and whether the Japanese should be warned. Truman decided to drop the bomb with no warning. In July, the Japanese had one more chance to avoid the bomb--surrender. -
Battle of Nagasaki
In spite of the horror of Hiroshima, Japan's leaders tool no action to end the war. For 3 days, they debated there next step. On August 9th, the U.S.. dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki. The death toll there was 40,000. This 2nd bomb still did not end the war. -
V-J Day
Hirrito announced the end to the war in a radio. It was the first time the Japanese people have ever heard of the Emprior voice. -
V-J Day
Hirrito announced the end to the war in a radio. It was the first time the Japanese people have ever heard of the Emprior voice.
