War in Pacific Goal of today is to understand the events following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. We will look at the major battles fought in the Pacific theatre.

10 Hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese air forces struck Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Japanese ground troops entered Luzon at Lingayen Gulf on December 22nd and occupied Manila on January 2nd 1942. In less than 3 months Japanese forces had gained mainland areas of Burma, Thailand, and Malaya, including the British fortress of Singapore.

Pacific Theater of Operations

Singapore Surrenders [February, 1942] In one of the greatest defeats in British military history, Britain's supposedly impregnable Singapore fortress surrenders to Japanese forces. Singapore located off the Malay Peninsula was considered invulnerable to attack because of its big defensive guns. However, the weapons, which used armor-piercing shells and the flat trajectories necessary to decimate an enemy fleet, were not designed to defend against a land attack on the unfortified northern end of the island.

General Douglas MacArthur MacArthur was the commander in chief of the Allied forces in the Philippines. MacArthur withdrew all his forces, which included many Filipino soldiers, to the island fortress of Corregidor, in Manilla Bay, and the nearby Bataan Peninsula. The US lacked the fleet MacArthur needed to fight the war. In 1942 when it became clear that the American forces were overwhelmed at Bataan and Corregidor MacArthur was ordered to evacuate and head to Australia.

“I shall return”

U.S. Surrenders at Corregidor, the Philippines [March, 1942] A total of 11,500 Americans and Filipinos became POWs.

A few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Lt. Colonel James H A few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Lt. Colonel James H. Doolittle presented his superiors with a daring and unorthodox plan. B-25 bombers, normally land-based, would be transported by an aircraft carrier to within striking-distance of the Japanese mainland and launched to attack a number of cities. The attack was launched on the morning of April 18, 1942, 150 miles further from Japan than planned out of fear that the task force had been spotted by the Japanese. Doolittle gunned the lead plane and lumbered successfully off the carrier's flight deck. Fifteen planes followed, each one skimming just above the waves and carrying a payload of four bombs. Thirteen bombers targeted Tokyo; the others struck Nagoya, Osaka and Kobe. Flying low, the planes were cheered by civilians who thought they were Japanese.

Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle: First U. S. Raids on Tokyo, 1942 The Doolittle Raid on Japan in April 1942 demolished the Japanese military's perception that their homeland was immune from air attack.

Battle of Midway Island: June 4-6, 1942 When? – June 1942 Where? – Midway Island (Pacific Islands) Results? - The U.S. sank four Japanese aircraft carriers. Importance? – It limited Japan's ability to attack Hawaii again or other Allied positions.

Battle of Midway Island: June 4-6, 1942

Japanese Kamikaze Planes: The Scourge of the South Pacific Kamikaze Pilots Suicide Bombers

Kamikaze Pilots Kamikaze “Divine Wind” Suicide pilots Fly planes into US ships Sacrifice to serve the Empire Heroes in Japan Thousands volunteer

Damage to Essex flight deck.

Campaign for Guadalcanal: When? – August 1942 Where? Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands (Pacific Islands) Results? – The U.S. defeated the Japanese, gaining control of the island. Importance? – Guadalcanal became a military base from which to counterattack the Japanese.

Soldiers take a breather after making camp Soldiers take a breather after making camp. The 25th Infantry Division was a large part of the effort to force the Japanese off Guadalcanal.

Marshall Islands Held by Japan before the war Jan 1943 – Feb 1943 Capture Japanese air & naval bases

Tarawa Island November 1943 3 days to take island 1,500 US dead 4,800 Japanese dead 17 Japanese surrender

Battle of the Philippine Sea June 18-20, 1944 US plans destroy 429 Japanese planes US lose only 80 (16 casualties) Destroy Japan’s naval air-force

Saipan June 15 – 22, 1944 30,000 Japanese hold the island 16,525 US casualties 1,000 Japanese survive 22,000 civilian casualties Airstrips to bomb Japan

Guam July 21 – Aug 8, 1944 18,500 Japanese troops 36,000 US troops US: 3,000 killed 7,000 wounded Japanese: 18,000 killed, 500 POWs

Battle of Leyte Gulf Oct 23-25, 1944 Japan loses 4 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships Final defeat of Japan’s navy US retakes Philippines

Iwo Jima February 1945 Volcanic island, 7.5 square miles 21,000 Japanese troops 95% casualties 1,085 surrendered US: 6,821 dead; 19,213 wounded (1 in 3)

Flag Raising on Mt. Suribachi

The photograph became the only photograph to win the Pulitzer Prize in the same year as its publication, and ultimately came to be regarded as one of the most significant and recognizable images of the war, and possibly the most reproduced photograph of all time.

Battle of Okinawa 2nd largest invasion of the war (D-Day) “Tetsu no ame” “Rain of Steel” Japan used 1,900 Kamikaze attacks Use island to launch invasion of Japan Large civilian population: 435,000 Japanese

Casualties US: 12,500 killed; 38,500 wounded Japanese: 66,000 killed; 7,000 POWs Japanese Civilians: 75,000-100,000 dead