Victories in the Pacific End World War II

Chester Nimitz and the 3 Part Strategy for Allied Offensive in Pacific 1. Air, land and naval forces would strike westward at the Japanese-held islands in the southern Pacific. 2. A fleet under Admiral Halsey would drive the Japanese from the Solomon Islands. 3. General MacArthur would advance along New Guinea and take back the Philippines

By 1944, large numbers of troops, supplies, new warships and aircraft carriers were arriving in the Pacific. The allied strategy was to take over islands one at a time while moving toward Japan. This was called island-hopping or leapfrogging. Though successful, large numbers of Allied troops died during this operation, mainly because Japanese soldiers preferred to die rather than surrender, therefore, they would fight to protect every inch of land. After taking back the southern and central Pacific islands, the next objective was the Philippines. Early in February, 1945, Manila fell to the Americans.

Yalta Conference In February, 1945, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at Yalta to make decisions concerning the post-war world. They made several public agreements, which included: 1. create a new world organization (United Nations) 2. Germany would be split into 4 military zones controlled by England, France, US, and USSR. 3. support free elections in Poland and other E. European countries. Also a number of secret agreements were reached at Yalta which included: USSR agreed to enter the war against Japan 3 months after the war in Europe was over.

Closing in on Japan On February 9, 1945, US marines landed on the beaches of Iwo Jima. Nearly 20,000 American marines were killed or wounded to gain control of this island. Next, the largest landing force in Pacific history landed on Okinawa, only 300 miles from Japan. It fell in June, 1945.

Iwo Jima and Okinawa

By early summer of 1945, the US was blockading and severely bombing the Japanese home islands to prepare for an invasion. President Truman was faced with a difficult decision. It was estimated that an invasion of Japan could result in millions of casualties. As a result, the decision was made to use an atomic bomb or bombs to force a surrender

Manhattan Project

Hiroshima On August 6, 1945 at 8:15 a.m., the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb nicknamed “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, killing over 100,000.

How Little Boy Worked http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-bomb4.htm

Hiroshima

Nagasaki On August 9, 1945 a second atomic bomb, nicknamed, “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki killing over 50,000,

How Fat Man Worked http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-bomb5.htm

Nagasaki

Blast Damage: Nagasaki

Effects of Atomic Bomb The detonation of a nuclear bomb over a target such as a populated city causes immense damage. The degree of damage depends upon the distance from the center of the bomb blast, which is called thehypocenter or ground zero. The closer one is to the hypocenter, the more severe the damage. The damage is caused by several things: A wave of intense heat from the explosion Pressure from the shock wave created by the blast Radiation Radioactive fallout (clouds of fine radioactive particles of dust and bomb debris that fall back to the ground)

Effects At the hypocenter, everything is immediately vaporized by the high temperature (up to 500 million degrees Fahrenheit or 300 million degrees Celsius). Outward from the hypocenter, most casualties are caused by burns from the heat, injuries from the flying debris of buildings collapsed by the shock wave and acute exposure to the high radiation. Beyond the immediate blast area, casualties are caused from the heat, radiation, and fires spawned from the heat wave. In the long-term, radioactive fallout occurs over a wider area because of prevailing winds. The radioactive fallout particles enter the water supply and are inhaled and ingested by people at a distance from the blast.

Short-Term and Long-Term Effects Scientists have studied survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings to understand the short-term and long-term effects of nuclear explosions on human health. Radiation and radioactive fallout affect those cells in the body that actively divide (hair, intestine, bone marrow, reproductive organs). Some of the resulting health conditions include: Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea Cataracts Hair loss Loss of blood cells These conditions often increase the risk of: Leukemia Cancer Infertility Birth defects Scientists and physicians are still studying the survivors of the bombs dropped on Japan and expect more results to appear over time.

V-J Day On August 14, 1945, which is called V-J Day, President Truman announced that Japan had surrendered.

Official End of WW II On September 2, 1945, the formal surrender was signed aboard the USS Missouri.

http://science. howstuffworks. com/framed. htm. parent=nuclear-bomb http://science.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=nuclear-bomb.htm&url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/sfeature/blastmap.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3fmPaWyA7U&feature=related