Japan USA Canada Australia China SE Asia The Pacific Ocean

Prewar

1932

1937 A B C D “ABCD Encirclement”

1940

1941 Dec 8/7 1941

Imperial Japan Japan saw the US and others as a threat to its influence in Asia and in 1940 the Japanese began developing plans to destroy the US Navy in Hawaii On Dec 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor In May 1940, the main part of the US fleet was transferred to Pearl Harbor from the west coast

The Pacific War Dates: July 7, August 14, 1945 Began with the Second Sino-Japanese war, between China and Japan Concluded with Japan’s surrender to the Allied powers

Prelude to War Japan seeks to establish “The Greater East Asia Co- Prosperity Sphere” –“a bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers” –Invasions of Manchuria and Korea follow Three political forces in Japan: –Emperor Hirohito –Civilian Government –Military branches (TOJO) The army informs the civilian gov’t of the Manchuria campaign two months after it begins.

Fleet Admiral Yamamoto Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto “The US fleet is a dagger pointed at our throat and must be destroyed.” “I can run wild for six months,after that, I have no expectation of success.” - Yamamoto, during discussions on the planned Pearl Harbour Attack

Pearl Harbour

Mitsubishi A6M “Zero” Fighter Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber Aichi D3A dive bomber Japanese Aircraft

The Attack

Tactical Damage Eight battleships were damaged, with five sunk Three light cruisers, three destroyers, three smaller vessels, and 188 aircraft were destroyed 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed 1,178 wounded – 1,104 men aboard the Battleship USS Arizona were killed after a 1,760-pound air bomb penetrated into the forward magazine causing catastrophic explosions.

Aftermath "Being saturated and satiated with emotion and sensation, I went to bed and slept the sleep of the saved and thankful.” - Winston Churchill

Broader Results In spite of the tactical success, the attack on Pearl Harbor was an operational and strategic failure for the Japanese – The attack failed to destroy the American aircraft carriers, fleet repair facilities, or fuel reserves – The “sneak attack” galvanized American support for entry into the war

1941

Fall of the Philippines Shortly after Pearl Harbor the Japanese made initial landings on Luzon, then made their main landings on Dec 22 On Dec 24, MacArthur ordered his forces to withdraw to the Bataan Peninsula By Apr Bataan surrendered By early May Corregidor surrendered Douglas MacArthur in his headquarters tunnel at Corregidor in March 1942

1942

Bataan Death March April 1942 – 12,000 Americans walked 60 miles to a POW camp – No food or water – 5,000 died

Bataan Death March President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to relinquish command to Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright and MacArthur escaped to Australia

Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942) US had been able to intercept Japanese radio traffic in an operation called “Magic” Magic intercepts allowed Admiral Nimitz to position two carriers off the eastern tip of New Guinea Both sides suffered heavy losses but the Japanese were forced to call off their amphibious attack on Port Moresby Battle waged exclusively via air strikes – Opposing surface ships never made direct contact Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief Pacific and Pacific Ocean Areas

Battle of Coral Sea First naval battle carried out entirely by aircraft. The enemy ships never even came into contact with each other May 7, 1942 Strategic Allied victory—halted the Japanese advance on Australia

Midway (June 3-6, 1942) Japanese planned a diversionary attack on the Aleutian Islands while the main force attacked Midway to destroy the American fleet Thanks to Magic intercepts, US didn’t fall for the Alaska feint and reinforced Midway Americans destroyed four Japanese carriers and most of their flight crews Japanese advance was checked and initiative in the Pacific began to turn to the Americans

The Battle Of Midway June months after Pearl Harbour Yamamoto seeks to capture Midway atoll and thus confront and destroy the US Navy’s carrier forces.

Midway Order of Battle US forces: 3 carriers ~50 support ships 233 carrier aircraft 127 land-based aircraft Japanese forces: 4 carriers 7 battleships ~150 support ships 248 carrier aircraft 16 floatplanes

Plan of Attack

The Battle of Midway The first major carrier vs. carrier engagement Decided by cryptanalysis, tactics, radar, pilot skill, weather, and luck.

The Battle of Midway Scouts from the US fleet find the Japanese Fleet first A delayed scout means the Japanese fleet receives a warning of US carriers only minutes before the first US planes attack After losing many planes in ineffective strikes, US dive bombers manage to set three Japanese carriers on fire. A Japanese counterstrike does heavy damage to one US carrier Japanese battleships never see combat

The Battle of Midway US forces: 3 carriers, 1 lost ~50 support ships, 1 destroyer lost 360 aircraft, 98 lost 307 dead Japanese forces: 4 carriers, 4 lost 7 battleships, 0 lost ~150 support ships, 1 cruiser lost 264 aircraft, 228 lost 3058 dead

Guadalcanal—8/42-2/43 Who: US vs. Japan Where: Island near Australia— one of Solomon Islands What: One of the most vicious campaigns – Japanese put up a fierce resistance – US has superior air and naval power Results: – First time US land troops defeat Japanese – Americans are able to secure the island

Island-Hopping Warfare American Troops assaulting Iwo Jima

Strategic Bombing B-29 Superfortress bombers

Island-Hopping Warfare American and Australian troops land in Borneo

Twin Drives Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King favored a drive across the central Pacific moving toward Japan over the coral atolls scattered across the Pacific – Take advantage of ability to leap across vast distances MacArthur favored an advance across the South Pacific via New Guinea and the Philippines – Meet obligations to Filipinos – Maintain pressure against the retreating Japanese – Protect against a renewed threat against Australia Admiral Ernest King

The Final Year The US retakes the Philippines in a long and costly campaign. Borneo, Iwo Jima and the Okinawa fall, with heavy losses on both sides. The military leadership of Japan refuses to give up, in spite of the loss of the bulk of their forces. An edict is issued, ordering civilians on the main Japanese islands to construct bamboo spears and meet the invaders on the beaches. US Bombers produce a firestorm in Tokyo, killing 100,000 people in two days. The US, Britain and China issue the Potsdam Declaration, demanding Japan’s surrender.

Compromise King’s planned drive would move first against the Gilbert Islands and then toward the Philippines MacArthur would likewise advance toward the Philippines – Joint Chiefs gave no clear priority to either drive – “Mutual supporting” or “mutually competing?” Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief Pacific and Pacific Ocean Areas and William Halsey, Commander, South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force

Operation Cartwheel MacArthur requested five additional divisions and 1,800 aircraft to capture Rabaul Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded there were not enough resources to capture Rabaul in 1943 so they accepted MacArthur’s proposal for a two-pronged drive to isolate it

Operation Cartwheel MacArthur would be in overall command Admiral William Halsey, commander of the naval forces in the South Pacific, would advance up the Solomons as far as Bougainville MacArthur would move along the coast of New Guinea before attacking the western end of New Britain

Operation Cartwheel Became the model for Pacific commanders throughout the rest of the war – don’t move island to island; advance by great bounds using air superiority – bypass major strongpoints and leave them reduced to strategic and tactical impotence – hit Japanese weak spots; avoid frontal assaults; use deception and surprise – seize existing airfields and ports and use these newly acquired bases to support the next leap forward

Retaking the Philippines The invasion of the Philippines brought MacArthur and Nimitz’s twin drives together On Oct 20, 1944, MacArthur attacked Leyte

Battle of Leyte Gulf The American and Japanese surface fleets made contact the night of October in the San Bernardino Strait Two Japanese task forces entered the strait, Halsey did the classic naval maneuver of crossing the “T” and sank all but one enemy destroyer

Battle of Leyte Gulf However, Halsey was surprised shortly after dawn when Japanese heavy cruisers and battleships passed unopposed through the San Bernardino Straits and threatened the invasion fleet American aircraft turned back the already weakened Japanese Still the Japanese did not give up, delivering their first wave of kamikaze attacks Escort carrier St. Lo sunk by kamikaze attack

Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf secured the beachheads of the U.S. Sixth Army attack on Leyte and destroyed Japanese naval power By the end of December 1944, the Allies controlled Leyte and MacArthur was in position to attack Luzon, the heart of the Philippines Walter Krueger, commander of Sixth Army

“I shall return”

Iwo Jima February-March 1945 Island off the coast of Japan—Japanese soil –Longest sustained aerial offensive of the war –More marines sent than in any other battle –100,000 men fighting on an island the 1/3 the size of Manhattan –Japanese fought from below ground— Allies rarely saw a soldier –The battle was won inch-by-inch Volcanic island deeply entrenched

Iwo Jima Results: US win –Provides a link in the chain of bomber bases –By the war’s end, 2,400 B-29 bombers and 27,000 crewmen made emergency landings. –“4 marines raising US flag”

Okinawa Casualties –US—12,500 killed; 36,000 wounded –Japan—93,000 troops killed; 94,000 civilians killed (many killed themselves) Kamikazes—suicide pilots –Crashed planes loaded with explosives –Sank 30 US vessels

Plan to Invade Japan US planned to invade Japan with eleven Army and Marine divisions (650,000 troops) Casualty estimates for the operation were as high as 1,400,000 Truman decided to use the atomic bomb to avoid such losses Operation Cornet, the plan to take Tokyo

Hiroshima - 90,000 to 100,000 persons were killed immediately - 145,000 persons perish from the bombing by the end of Nagasaki Leveled Area: 6.7 million square meters Damaged Houses: 18,409 Casualties Killed ,884 Injured ,909 Total ,793 (Large numbers of people died in the following years from the effects of radioactive poisoning.)

Nuclear Strikes Aug 6, Uranium bomb “Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima, killing 140,000 Aug 9, Plutonium bomb “Fat Man” dropped on Nagasaki, killing 74,000

Japan Surrenders Representatives of Japan’s Foreign Ministry, Army and Navy appear to sign the surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay

The Cost 2,000,000 Japanese Soldiers dead 300,000 Allied Soldiers dead 600, ,000,000 Japanese civilians dead 11,000 American civilians dead 60,000 Korean civilians dead Mass devastation of Japanese infrastructure Indigenous people of north and western Pacific islands devastated by disease, cultural contamination, collateral damage, and atrocities. The list continues…