War in the Pacific 26-4 Chapter 26 Section 4

Fighting the Japanese Empire Japan’s expansion threatened American possessions Japanese conquest –Hong Kong, Thailand, Guam, and Wake by Christmas 1941 –Malaya and Burma

Fighting the Japanese Empire Attacked the Philippines December 1941 Allied pushed out of Manila Allies feared of an attack on Australia General MacArthur –Promised to return Attack on Bataan Peninsula known as the Bataan Death March

Allies turn the tide Spring of 1942 –Began in April with the Doolittle raids Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle Doolittle raids –16 bombers air raid Japan’s cities –Little damage –Boosted Allied morale

Turning the tide May 1942 Battle of Coral Sea –Australia Enemy ships fought without seeing each other Allied blocked Japanese entry to Australia

Battle of Midway June 1942 The Battle of Midway Met of the island of Midway in Central Pacific Allied gained upper hand because they broke Japanese naval code Destroyed 4 carriers, irreversible damage

Allies gain the Upper Hand After Midway, Allies went to liberate Island hopping-invading islands not heavily defended, then using the captured islands to stage further attacks Guadalcanal- first Allied land victory Navajo Indian Code talkers Liberated Manila in March 1945 Japanese used kamikaze- suicide pilots

Iwo Jima and Okinawa Allies began bombing Japan by 1944 Feb Allied attacked Iwo Jima April 1945 Allied attacked Okinawa Allied casualties: 18,000 Japanese casualties: 120,000

Atomic Weapons End the War American leaders considered invading Japan –Predicted 200,000-1,000,000 deaths Considered atomic bomb

Ending the War Manhattan Project –Top-secret program to build an atomic bomb –Led by Robert Oppenheimer August 6, 1945 Enola Gay dropped a bomb on Hiroshima –More than 75,000 dead August 9 bomb dropped on Nagasaki –40,000 dead

Japanese surrender August 14, 1945 Japan surrendered Japanese and American leaders met on Sept. 2, 1945 to sign an official letter of surrender