WW II Pacific Theater of Operations WW II Pacific Theater of Operations
The Japanese in the Pacific By 1942 the Japanese controlled much of the Pacific US Navy (aircraft carriers) started to turn the tide at the Battle of Wake Island
*Bataan Death March : April, ,000 prisoners [12,000 Americans] Marched 60 miles in the blazing heat to POW camps in the Philippines. April 9, 1942 – Japan captures the Philippines
War in the Pacific… Island Hopping: invade Japan by capturing islands in the Pacific along the way
Island Hopping i. Navajo code-talkers help US forces communicate without Japanese interception
*Battle of Midway Island: June 4-6, 1942 American Aircraft Carriers- Sink 4 Japanese Carriers Turning point in the Naval war, U.S. now has control of the Skies outube.com/ watch?v=F4p UD9qWKs8 outube.com/ watch?v=F4p UD9qWKs8 (Battle of Midway video #16)
*Japanese Kamikaze Planes: The Scourge of the South Pacific Kamikaze Pilots Suicide Bombers
*US Marines on Mt. Surbachi, Iwo Jima [Feb. 19, 1945] utube.com/wat ch?v=5Y0gdFis D9khttp:// utube.com/wat ch?v=5Y0gdFis D9k (Battle of Iwo Jima video #17)
*The Beginning of the Atomic Age
“Little Boy” dropped by the Enola Gay on Hiroshima
Hiroshima – August 6, 1945 * 70,000 killed immediately. *48,000 buildings. destroyed. *100,000s died of radiation poisoning & cancer later.
“Fat Man” Dropped on Nagasaki
Nagasaki – August 9, 1945 * 40,000 killed immediately. *60,000 injured. *100,000s died of radiation poisoning & cancer later.
*Japanese A-Bomb Survivors whttp:// w (atomic bomb video #18)
*V(ictory)-J(apan) Day (September 2, 1945)
*V-J Day in Times Square, NYC
Post War
Yalta Conference (February, 1945) Leaders of the three allied nations agreed to divide Germany into zones of occupation controlled by the allies – Poland and the Soviets in the East – The US and Britain in the West
*The Division of Germany: Division of Berlin
*The Division of Europe: The Beginning of the Cold War
*The Creation of the U. N. Currently 193 nations
*The Marshall Plan The Marshal Plan. channeled over $13 billion to finance the economic recovery of Europe The Plan successfully sparked economic recovery
*The Nuremberg War Trials: Members of the Nazi Party were charged with Crimes Against Humanity