Allies Stem Japanese Tide Priority was to defeat Nazis, but US did not wait to move against Japan

Japanese Advances 1 st 6 months after Pearl Harbor- conquered empire that dwarfed Hitler’s

Japanese Advances Philippines-80,000 Americans commanded by General Douglas MacArthur-

Japanese Advances 14,000 killed, another 48,000 wounded MacArthur eventually had to abandon Philippines- “I shall return”

US Retaliation 4/18/42-16 bombers led by James Doolittle take off of USS Hornet Bombed Tokyo military targets

US Retaliation May US and Australian forces intercept Japanese fleet targeting Australia-Battle of the Coral Sea

US Retaliation Allies lost more ships than Japanese Japanese fleet too short of fuel to continue to Australia-

Battle of Midway June Chester Nimitz-commander of American forces in Pacific- learned Japanese invasion force heading for Midway then on to Pearl Harbor

Battle of Midway US outnumbered 4 to 1-prepared a surprise for Japanese at Midway

Battle of Midway Japanese lose 4 aircraft carriers, a cruiser, 322 planes Americans avenged Pearl Harbor

Island Hopping Lots of distance between island on in the Pacific

Island Hopping Americans “leapfrogged” Japanese strongholds

Island Hopping 1 st land offensive of Japanese war- Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands 19,000 marines

Island Hopping October ,000 Allied troops & 738 ships converge on Leyte Island in the Philippines

Island Hopping In the Philippines- 424 kamikazes-sunk 16 US ships and damaged another 80 Leyte Gulf a disaster for Japan

Island Hopping Americans next turned to Iwo Jima US could use this a s abase to attack Japan Most heavily defended spot on earth

Island Hopping 200 Japanese survived Last obstacle was Okinawa

By the way… April 12, 1945-FDR dies Harry Truman becomes president

Okinawa Japan’s last defensive outpost

Okinawa Fighting ends June 22, 1945 More than 7,600 Americans died 110,000 Japanese die

Manhattan Project Manhattan Project- project to develop the atomic bomb Most ambitious scientific project in history

Manhattan Project Work on atomic bomb began in 1942

Manhattan Project Many concerns surrounding atomic bomb

Manhattan Project July 16, st atomic bomb detonated in New Mexico

To Bomb or not to Bomb Many scientists said it would be immoral to drop the bomb without fair warning Others wanted to give the Japanese a demonstration of the bomb Problems with a test explosion: –Nothing less than dropping a bomb on a city would convince Japanese to surrender –The test might be a dud –Japanese might shoot down delivery plan –May move American prisoners to the test area

To Bomb or not to Bomb Decision was made to drop the bomb without warning Why?

To Bomb or not to Bomb US warns Japan that it faced “prompt and utter destruction” unless it surrendered

Hiroshima and Nagasaki August 6, 1945 –Enola Gay released atomic bomb code named Little Boy over Hiroshima

Hiroshima and Nagasaki August 9, a second atomic bomb- Fat Man- was dropped on Nagasaki Leveled half the city

Hiroshima and Nagasaki September 2, Japanese formally surrender on board the USS Missouri

Preparing for Peace Yalta Conference- February 1945 Attended by FDR, Stalin and Churchill

Preparing for Peace Also at Yalta-Stalin promises to enter the war against Japan In exchange for: –Kuril and Sakhlin Islands

Preparing for Peace July Potsdam Conferendce Attended by Truman, Stalin, and Atlee (new British PM)

Nuremberg Trials 22 Nazi officers and govmt. Officials put on trial 12 sentenced to death

Occupation of Japan Occupied by US forces Under command of Douglas MacArthur

Occupation of Japan Occupation lasted 6 years MacArthur installed a democratic government