Mr. Ermer U.S. History Honors Miami Beach Senior High

Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet Plans to use surviving aircraft carriers against Japan Cannot mobilize fast enough to stop Japan from taking S.E. Asia Japan attacks U.S. bases in Philippines, land troops later Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s troops hid in Bataan for 3 mos. Gen. MacArthur evacuated to Australia McArthur’s troops captured by Japanese, marched 65 miles Philippines falls to Japan Doolittle Raid To raise morale, FDR orders bombing of Tokyo April: 16 B-25s bomb Tokyo, land in China Japan changes course Japan no longer worried about cutting off supply lines New plan is to lure U.S. fleet into battle by attacking Midway

Japanese plan to cut U.S. supply lines to Australia by attacking New Guinea, but U.S. broke the secret code, Battle of Coral Sea Aircraft Carriers Lexington & Yorktown attack Japanese fleet Carriers eventually sunk, but Japanese stopped Navajo “code talkers” used by U.S. Marine Corp Japanese could not “crack” the Navajo code, orders stayed secret and were quickly transmitted U.S. Code Breakers learn about attack on Midway Japanese carriers sail into an ambush 1 st wave of Japanese planes shot down by Americans Four Japanese carriers sunk by American bombers Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war 362 dead Americans, 3,057 dead Japanese

Two part plan to defeat the Japanese: Admiral Nimitz’s Navy island hopping closer to Japan Gen. McArthur to lead army to recapture Philippines Amphtracs used to land Marines on coral atolls : Marines take islands 1 by 1, move closer to Japan B-29 “Superfortress” bomber, fly farther than other planes MacArthur’s troops begin drive at Guadalcanal Catch up to Navy and take New Guinea Next stop: Philippines (land on 10/20/1944) Japanese launch surprise attack, use kamikaze pilots Early Japanese retreat saves U.S. at Battle of Leyte Gulf Battle for control of the Philippines lasts until end of war

FDR wants badly to invade Europe, his advisors and British PM Winston Churchill advise against Want to invade Africa for two reasons: Taking control of Africa would not be as difficult The Army could get practice without needing too many troops After early losses, Gen. Eisenhower replaces leaders Gen. George Patton assigned to Africa Convoy system, radar, sonar help Allies control Atlantic With W. Europe under Nazi control, Hitler pushes east to destroy the Soviet economy—Stalingrad is main target Battle lasts from September 1942-February 1943 Nazis not prepared for Russian winter Heavy Nazi losses

Battle of Stalingrad

US, UK, USSR form Grand Alliance, stress military operations, not political differences Agree to fight until all Axis Powers surrender 1942: War turns against Germany, Japan Nov ’42: Allies invade N. Africa, defeat Germans May ’43 Feb ’43: German Sixth Army surrenders at Stalingrad June ’42: USA sinks 4 Japanese carriers at Midway Gen MacArthur begins offensive in Philippines Combined Army, Marine and Navy “island hopping” May 1943: Axis Tunisia surrenders

Casablanca Conference: FDR and Churchill agree to destroy German economic & military potential Weaken German morale First, attack Italy “the soft underbelly” of the Axis Powers September 1943: Allies invade Italian island of Sicily American & British bombing of Germany picks up Did not weaken German economy or morale, but created gas shortage, interrupted railroads, wrecked airplane factories— Allies now controlled the air Allies invade Italy, move north quickly, Mussolini arrested by King Victor Emmanuel III—Germans return him to power Allies land at Anzio, behind Nazi lines at Cassino, fighting lasts for three months—Allies take Rome in May 1944