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Attack on Pearl Harbor
In an attempt to keep the United States out of the war, Hideki Tojo, the Japanese prime minister, planned an attack on Pearl Harbor, America's main Pacific Navy base. Japan attacked in two waves: the main attack to ships and planes, and a second attack to finish off the remaining equipment. Overall, 4 American battleships and 2 destroyers sunk, and 11 ships were damaged. 188 aircrafts were destroyed and 155 were damaged. Thousands of people were killed or wounded and FDR declared war on Japan. -
Doolittle Raid
Colonel James Doolittle planned a night attack on Tokyo, one of Japan's main cities. The Japanese detected his planes in advance, so the U.S. troops bombed during the day. The planes would not hold enough fuel to make the trip back to the base, so the American pilots had to crash land in China. This raid killed 50 Japanese civilians and damaged over 100 buildings. Even though the raid did not provide much military advancement, American spirit and moral was boosted and they pushed on. -
Battle of Midway
In an attempt to push the U.S. forces back to California, the Japanese planned to attack Midway, an American naval base in the Pacific. This base was essential in order to defend Hawaii. Admiral Chester Nimitz discovered the Japanese plans and focused forces in defense. The U.S. defeated Japan and sank 4 Japanese aircraft carriers and 250 planes, while the U.S. only lost one. This was the turning point of the war in the Pacific because the U.S. then moved on the offensive. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Nazi and Soviet forced fought in the battle of Stalingrad until surrender. The Soviets continued to fight and surround German troops until the Nazis could go no firther. The Russians held thousands of Nazi soldiers hostage when they surrendered, many starving to death. Out of the 91,000 soldiers that surrendered, only about 5,000 returned back to Germany. This was the point of the war when Hitler realized his dream of success was out of reach and he retreated back to Europe. -
D-Day
Operation Overlord called for attacks on five French beaches, one of them being Omaha beach. Nazi soldiers were buried into cliffs and hiding in trenches and pillbox structures. The Americans unloaded the boats and were met with lots of gunfire and death. Many soldiers died, some from bullets and some from death, but many survived. this battle allowed the Allies to gain ground in France and another step toward the German capital. -
Battle of the Bulge
The German army planned a counterattack in an attempt to gain an advance in the war. The Germans broke through the American defenses and surrounded them. This battle continued through January in the winter snow, fighting hard to defeat the Germans. The Germans seemed like the stronger forces, but the Americans pulled through. The Americans won the battle and made it difficult for the Germans to have an attack that large again. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Americans fought for Iwo Jima, an island that would give them important advantages in the war. They would have an emergency place to land bombers, sea and air blockades, and a place close to Japan where they could attack from easily. The island was only 650 miles from Tokyo. Even though 23,000 marines were killed, the Americans captured the island. This created a way for the Americans to attack Okinawa as a part of their island hopping plan. -
Battle of Okinawa
Okinawa was an important island for the Americans to take over because it contained a Japanese airbase that would allow for the invasion of Japan. The battle involved 500,000 troops and 1,213 warships. Even though the U.S. won the battle, it lost 50,000 troops in the process. The U.S. could now bomb the Japanese home islands because of the lcoation and the air base. Japan was defenseless which allowed for the Americans to push through. -
The Manhattan Project
In Oak Ridge, TN, a secret project began to construct the first atomic bomb. General Leslie Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer controlled the science and facilities of the project. Thousands of workers were hired and after approximately $2 million, the first bomb was ready to be tested. On July 16, 1945, the bomb was tested at Trinity Site in Alamogordo, NM, and was a success. Truman then decided to drop the bomb on Japan in order to save American lives and end the war. -
America Drops the Atomic Bomb
Truman made the call to drop the atomic bomb in order to save American lives. On August 6th, the U.S. dropped a bomb, named Little Boy, on Hiroshima. This bomb killed 60,000 people within 2 minutes of detonation. While Japan debated on surrender, the Americans dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, killing 35,000 people. These bombs were the final end to the war between the U.S. and Japan.
