War in the Pacific  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan moved quickly to secure many strategic locations throughout Asia and the Pacific  Protecting the Philippines was US General Douglas MacArthur  After intense fighting, MacArthur escaped to Australia, surrendering 75,000 Allied troops

War in the Pacific  Bataan Death March The Japanese were not prepared to care for the large number of captured soldiers Forced prisoners to march over 60 miles, leading to the deaths of over 7,000 soldiers US public reaction was of outrage- was used to form an image of Japanese as savages

War in the Pacific  By the summer of 1942, Japan was in control/ in position to control the Indian Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, and the Central Pacific  US decided on a daring plan to increase morale of Americans- a surprise attack on mainland Japan…

War in the Pacific  The Doolittle Raid- Plan was to conduct a nighttime bombing over Tokyo American bombers needed to get close to Japan, but plans were discovered and planes had to leave early While bombing didn’t cause significant damage, it did provide the morale boost that was desperately needed

War in the Pacific  Battle of Coral Sea 1 st naval battle where enemy warships never saw each other Battle ended in a draw, but proved that the war in the Pacific would be won and lost on the strength of aircraft carriers and planes

War in the Pacific  Admiral Yamamoto believed that the American navy was a serious threat- and sought to destroy their capability in the Pacific  Targeted the island of Midway as well as the Aleutian Islands of Alaska

War in the Pacific  Battle of Midway- Naval code breakers discovered the Japanese plans US focused all their defenses on Midway Battle began on June 4, 1942 American victory was the turning point of the war in the Pacific- Japan would spend the rest of the war on the defensive

War in the Pacific  American strategy in the Pacific was island-hopping Capturing some Japanese-held islands, while ignoring others on their way to mainland Japan Victories at Guadalcanal, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa put American forces within range of Japan’s mainland

War in the Pacific  One obstacle Americans had to overcome in the Pacific was Japanese military culture  In many instances, Japanese soldiers preferred death over capture/surrender  Kamikaze pilots flew planes directly into targets to inflict maximum damage

War in the Pacific  Now that America controlled bases near mainland Japan, massive bombing campaigns would lead to Japanese defeat  Unable to defend itself, Japan suffered heavy casualties and lost massive amounts of weapons and planes  Even after the Tokyo fire bombing (March 1945), killed 83,000 Japanese, there was no sign that Japan would surrender

War in the Pacific  The Manhattan Project Early in the 1930s, scientists discovered how to split the nucleus of certain elements- and the process released massive amounts of energy Albert Einstein urged FDR to fund the research- he agreed First atomic bomb test occurred on July 16, 1945 in New Mexico

War in the Pacific  The Manhattan Project (cont)- President Truman had to decide whether or not to use the bomb For: invasion of Japan might cost 250K-1 million American lives Against: Many Japanese civilians would die in the blast, other world powers may develop similar (or more destructive) weapons Ultimately, Truman ordered two bombs be dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan

War in the Pacific  Hiroshima- August 6, 1945  Nagasaki- August 9, 1945  August 15, Emperor Hirohito decided to surrender (V-J Day)- official surrender took place on September 2