Island warfare – What exactly happened?

 After Pearl Harbor – it took us time to “rebound”  General MacArthur forced to retreat from Philippines – vowed “I shall return” – HE DID!  Bataan/Corregidor in Philippines – HUGE losses

 U.S. morale = needed boost  16 B25’s attacked Tokyo & dropped bombs – total surprise! Took off from Hornet  Operation – quick – met no retaliation  15 “Raiders” landed in China & aided – 15 hrs flying!

 Japan retaliated against Chinese – killed thousands  Most flyers made it – 3 executed by Japanese  Mission = technically impossible (almost)!  Why did it succeed?  Lt. Col. James Doolittle = highly trained & educated (Ph.d from MIT) AND skilled pilots

 Japan – moved on to Australia – Battle of Coral Sea (5 day)  BUT far different than most naval battles  Why?  Fighting was exchanged by airplanes (based off carriers)  Not the ships!

 Victory for?  Really the Allies – Japan did not/could not invade Australia (ever!)  Battle of Midway – what happened?  June 4 of 1942 = Japanese (Yamamoto) attacked Midway Island  Battle = fought ENTIRELY from air  U.S. led by Admiral Chester Nimitz

 U.S. planes surprised Japanese planes while refueling  Result = fuel hoses caught fire – bombs exploded on deck  3 of 4 Japanese carriers sunk! (4 damaged) AND  250 planes downed

 U.S. = broke Japanese code of JN-25 (before attack!)  Result – Japan no longer on offense  Next – HUGE battle  Battle of Guadalcanal – 11,000 marines landed in Aug/1942 (in Solomon Islands)  Jungle warfare dominated (vs. 2,200)  Reinforcements sent in (both sides)

Marines at Base Camp Japanese invaded island to invade Australia They build an airfield & packed it w/8,400 soldiers Disease = rampant!

 U.S. Navy = control over water in Nov.  Feb – U.S. control  Now – strategy of “Island Hopping” (leapfrog!)  Goal – capture crucial islands – cut off supplies – closer to Japan  End of 1944 – B-29’s – over Japanese cities

 Oct/1944: 160,000 U.S. troops landed on Leyte (Ph island) “I have returned” – dramatic!  3 day battle occurred – Battle of Leyte Gulf (280 warships)  1 st battle – kamikazes used (bombs loaded) – crashed into ships  But – U.S. destroyed Japanese navy  BUT – Japanese – refused to surrender in Phil.

 Took until June 1945 – control Phil!  I.e. 80,000 Japanese killed – 1,000 surrendered – meaning?  Now – nearing end, BUT…  Battle of Iwo Jima – 11/44 U.S. – air attacked (volcanic island – mass caves)  Feb/1945: Marines stormed beach – 110,000 Americans needed – resistance!

 25,000 Japanese – 216 surrendered!  U.S. casualties = 25,000!  27 Medals of Honor (most ever in any war operation)  Next - Battle of Okinawa  April-June 1945: Last island in way of Japan  1,300 warships & 180,000 U.S. troops – HUGE!  Banzai charges initiated by Japanese's (kill everyone!)

Goal: bring us closer to mainland to launch bombing raids = were 4 airfields on island

 Result – 50,000 American deaths = “costliest engagement” of war  What to do?  U.S. decided to drop the bomb  Manhattan Project – (scientists completed) split nucleus of uranium atom BUT needed to figure out – chain reaction  Energy – create mass explosion!

ENGINEERS WORKINGGROVES & OPPENHEIMER

 July 16, 1945: tested 1 st A-bomb in N.M.  J. Robert Oppenheimer – world changed!  Now – what to do?  Interim Committee debated 4 options  I.e. invasion of Japan? But cost millions of lives or naval blockade – starve Japan  Final decision – Truman – “do your weeping at Pearl Harbor”

J. Robert Oppenheimer

 Aug : Enola Gay dropped bomb on Hiroshima (Little Boy - plutonium)  Aug : Boxscar dropped bomb on Nagasaki (Fat Man - uranium)  Aug 14 – Japan surrendered (VJ Day 8/15)  Sept 2 – formal end of war

 Hiroshima: ↑ troops, military factories & facilities w/no prior damage (US airstrikes)  Nagasaki: major shipbuilding city & large military port  Target committee met April 1945  Who were?  Military personnel & scientists  Narrowed to 4 cities