The War in the Pacific
Japanese Victories -Pearl Harbor Attack on U.S. December 7, General MacArthur retreats from the Philippines “Bataan Death March”= 65 mile march of 78,000 US POWs that had finally surrendered to Japan due to starvation and disease April MacArthur pledges to return
America Recovers -Bombing of Tokyo April 1942 “Doolittle Raids” 16 Bombers led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle -Coral Sea Battle Japan moves toward Australia -Battle of Midway, 1942 Adm. Chester Nimitz (US Naval Commander) *Turning point of Pacific Front -Japan never recovered its naval power
America Recovers -Bombing of Tokyo April Coral Sea Battle -Battle of Midway, 1942 Adm. Chester Nimitz inflicted great damage to much larger Japanese fleet -Japan never recovered its naval power
Island Hopping -as the U.S. built its naval and air advantage the Japanese fortified every island -U.S. bypasses main island and takes weaker ones for airfields -Guadalcanal, 1942 Japan’s first land defeat -Philippines, 1944 Leyte Islands- MacArthur returns!
High Costs -Japanese defending with every man kamikaze attacks “divine wind” -Iwo Jima, ,000 Marines die -Roosevelt dies -Okinawa, 1945 despite high death totals Japan not prepared to stop -warnings of what invasion would cost
High Costs -Japanese defending with every man kamikaze attacks -Iwo Jima, ,000 Marines die -Roosevelt dies -Okinawa, 1945 higher death totals -warnings of what invasion would cost
High Costs -Japanese defending with every man kamikaze attacks -Iwo Jima, ,000 Marines die -Roosevelt dies -Okinawa, 1945 higher death totals -warnings of what invasion would cost
Manhattan Project -about 600,000 people worked in the project Few actually knew what they were working on -J. Robert Oppenheimer led the project at Los Alamos NM “I am become Death, the shatterer of worlds.” -some scientists urged the gov’t not to use the weapon -Truman made the decision to use the weapon on Japan
Ultimate Weapon -Before atomic weapon was used, airdrops of leaflets urged Japanese to surrender -Japanese leaders refuse to unconditionally surrender -August, 1945 the bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima -another bomb dropped on Nagasaki -Japanese surrender -V-J Day (Victory over Japan)
TO THE JAPANESE PEOPLE: "America asks that you take immediate heed of what we say on this leaflet.” "We are in possession of the most destructive explosive ever devised by man.” "Before using this bomb to destroy every resource of the military by which they are prolonging this useless war, we ask that you now petition the Emperor to end the war.” EVACUATE YOUR CITIES
Ultimate Weapon -Before atomic weapon was used, airdrops of leaflets urged Japanese to surrender -Japanese leaders refuse to unconditionally surrender -August, 1945 the bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima -another bomb dropped on Nagasaki -Japanese surrender -V-J Day (Victory over Japan)
Ultimate Weapon -Before atomic weapon was used, airdrops of leaflets urged Japanese to surrender -Japanese leaders refuse to unconditionally surrender -August, 1945 the bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima -another bomb dropped on Nagasaki -Japanese surrender -V-J Day (Victory over Japan)
Occupation of Japan -General Douglas MacArthur Seven years of occupation! Tojo and 6 others sentenced to death -reformed Japan’s economy free market economy -established democratic government -guaranteed basic freedoms (Women’s suffrage, etc) Constitution still exists as Japan’s government (Known as the MacArthur Constitution)