War in the Pacific

Unconditional Surrender April 25, 1945, the Soviet army captured Berlin. April 30, 1945 Hitler, in his underground headquarters, shot himself while his wife Eva Braun swallowed poison. May 7, 1945 General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich. May 8 1945, the Allies celebrated V-E Day (Victory in Europe).

Roosevelt’s Death President Roosevelt did not live to see V-E Day. April 12, 1945 Roosevelt had a stroke and died. Vice President Harry S. Truman became the nations 33rd president.

Japanese Acquisition 6 months after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had conquered an empire larger than the Third Reich. The Japanese had control of Hong Kong, French Indochina, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, and much of China. They also conquered many islands in the pacific. The Dutch East Indies, Guam, Wake Island, and the Solomon Islands.

Philippines The Japanese invaded the Philippines on December 8, 1941 with their air attack on Clark Air Base. American and Filipino troops battled the Japanese for several months for control of the islands before losing. General Douglas MacArthur was the commander of the Allied forces on the islands. On March 11, 1942 President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave the Islands.  MacArthur escapes and leaves the troops to be captured. MacArthur utters the infamous words, “I shall return!”

Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March was the forcible 60 mile transfer of 90,000 to 100,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war on foot by the Japanese army. Prisoners were abused and murdered -Beheadings, cut throats and casual shootings were the more common and merciful actions — compared to bayonet stabbings, rapes, disembowelments, numerous rifle butt beatings and a deliberate refusal to allow the prisoners food or water. The march lasted for nearly a week with temperatures nearing 100 degrees.

Bataan Death March 18,000 POW’s died on the March to Camp O’Donnell. Men were weak and dying from dysentery at the camp at an alarming rate. Eventually the healthy prisoners  were transferred to camps outside of the Philippines.

Bataan Death March This process began with American prisoners moving from Camp O’Donnell to Cabanatuan-a prison camp in the northeast part of the island. Many of these American prisoners then were sent from Cabanatuan to prison camps in Japan, Korea, and Manchuria working as slave labor. All prisoners were released at the end of the war. The 512 prisoners-of-war who still remained at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp as of January 1945 were freed during an attack on the camp led by United States Army Rangers later known as the Raid at Cabanatuan. All 512 prisoners were rescued.  Only 3 rangers were killed.

Bombing of Tokyo By spring of 1942, the allies began to turn the tide against the Japanese. On April 18th the U.S. began a bombing raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities. Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle led the attack with 16 bombers. Doolittle Raids

Battle of Midway Midway is an island which lies mid way between Hawaii and Japan. It’s location is important to both Japan and the U.S. American code breakers were able to determine the date and location of the attack, enabling the U.S. Navy to set up an ambush. The Allies successfully defended Midway. During the Battle of Midway the Japanese lost four aircraft carriers, a cruiser, and 250 planes. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War inflicting irreparable damage to the Japanese carrier fleet.

Island Hopping Leapfrogging or Island Hopping was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan. It involved attacking some islands but not others, effectively strangling the unattacked islands by not allowing them to be resupplied. This saved time, men, and supplies. General Douglas MacArthur greatly supported this “island hopping" strategy in his effort to regain the Philippines.

Battles in the Pacific The first Allied offensive began in August 1942. 19,000 troops stormed Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Guadalcanal marked Japan’s first defeat on land. In October 1944, the Allies defeated the Japanese at the Battle of Leyte Gulf (Philippines). 178,000 Allied troops and 738 ships retook the Philippines. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was a disaster for Japan. They lost 3 battleships, 4 aircraft carriers, 13 cruisers, and almost 500 planes. General MacArthur wades ashore announcing “People of the Philippines: I have returned.”

Kamikaze The Japanese threw their entire fleet into the Battle of Leyte Gulf. They tested a new war tactic: kamikaze attacks. Pilots crashed their planes loaded bombs into Allied ships. The Japanese launched 424 kamikaze pilots during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. They sank 16 ships and damaged 80 others.

Iwo Jima The Island of Iwo Jima was critical to the U.S. as a base. From Iwo Jima the Allies could launch bombing raids against Japan. Almost 21,000 Japanese troops were ready to defend the island rooted in tunnels and caves. More than 6,000 marines died taking this island. Only 200 Japanese survived the invasion. The only obstacle between the Allies and a final assault on Japan was the island of Okinawa.

Battle of Okinawa: The Last Battle April 1945, U.S. Marines invaded Okinawa. Fighting on Okinawa lasted until June 21, 1945. The Japanese unleashed 1,900 kamikaze attacks on the U.S., sinking 30 ships, damaging 300 more, and killing 5,000. 7,500 American lost their lives. 110,000 Japanese died. The lose of life at Iwo Jima and Okinawa left the Allies searching for a new plan of invasion for the island of Japan.

Navajo Code Talkers The Navajo Code Talkers, whose ranks exceed 400 during the course of World War II in the Pacific Theater, have been credited with saving countless lives and hastening the end of the war. The Code Talker's served in all six Marine divisions from 1942 to 1945. The Code Talker's primary job was to talk and transmit information on tactics, troop movements, orders and other vital battlefield information via telegraphs and radios in their native dialect.  A major advantage of the code talker system was its speed. The method of using Morse code often took hours where as, the Navajos handled a message in minutes.   It has been said that if was not for the Navajo Code Talker's, the Marines would have never taken Iwo Jima.     The Navajo's unwritten language was understood by fewer than 30 non-Navajo's at the time of WWII.  The size and complexity of the language made the code extremely difficult to comprehend, much less decipher.  The Navajo code talkers finally received national recognition in 1969.

Atomic Bomb Iwo Jima and Okinawa opened the way for an invasion of Japan. It was estimated that it would take the allies between 3-5 years to defeat Japan and the U.S. would lose about 1 million soldiers and Britain about 500,000.  The Japanese would lose millions. An invasion of Japan would lead to a massive loss of life. President Truman saw only one way to avoid an invasion of Japan. Truman decided to use the atomic bomb.

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein was a German born Jew. He is best known as physicist and for his theory of relativity. Einstein was a Jewish refugee to the U.S. 1939, Einstein and other scientists sent a letter to President Roosevelt urging U.S. development of an atomic bomb. Roosevelt authorized the research into the development of the bomb, but Einstein never worked on the Manhattan Project.

The Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was the U.S. program to develop an atomic bomb for use in World War II. The project was led by General Leslie Groves. J. Robert Oppenheimer was an American scientist and the research director on the project. The first test of the bomb took place on July 16, 1945 near Las Alamos, New Mexico. On July 25, 1945 Truman ordered the military to make final plans for dropping the bomb on Japanese targets.

Atomic Bomb Upon witnessing the explosion, its creators had mixed reactions. Isidor Rabi felt that the equilibrium in nature had been upset as if humankind had become a threat to the world it inhabited. Robert Oppenheimer, though ecstatic about the success of the project said "I am become Death…  "the destroyer of worlds." Ken Bainbridge, the test director, told Oppenheimer, "Now we're all sons of bitches.“ General Leslie Groves Was ecstatic expecting a promotion and said while holding his collar “the bomb is brighter than 2 stars.” After viewing the results several participants signed petitions against using the monster they had created, but their protests fell on deaf ears. Video Clip

Bombing of Hiroshima August 6, 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima killing 140,000 people. The Hiroshima bomb was codenamed “Little Boy”. The bomb was dropped from a B-29 bomber named Enola Gay. The Japanese still refused to surrender after Hiroshima.

Bombing of Nagasaki August 9, the city of Nagasaki was bombed killing 80,000 people. The Nagasaki bomb was codenamed “Fat Man”. An estimated 220,000 people died as a result of the atomic blasts. September 2, 1945, the Japanese formally surrendered.

The Yalta Conference The meeting of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin in February 1945. The “Big Three” discussed the fate of Germany and the postwar world. The meeting produced a series of compromises. A division of Germany into 4 zones. Stalin agreed to join the war against Japan. Stalin agreed to participate in the United Nations. The United Nations (UN): an international peacekeeping organization to which most nations in the world belong. The UN was founded in 1945 to promote world peace, security, and economic development.

Nuremberg Trials 24 Nazi leaders were put on trial for crimes against humanity, peace, and war crimes. The defendants included Hitler’s most trusted party officials, governing ministers, military leaders, and powerful industrialists. 12 of the 24 defendants were sentenced to death. In later trials nearly 200 more lesser Nazi leaders were found guilty of war crimes. The Nuremberg Trials established the idea that individuals are responsible for their own actions, even in times of war.

Occupation of Japan Japan was occupied by U.S. forces for seven years. 1,100 Japanese soldiers were arrested and put on trial. Seven, including Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, were sentenced to death. During the occupation, the U.S. reshaped Japan’s economy and government.

Occupation of Germany