1. War in the Pacific

2. Japan Continues to Move Battle of Bataan January 1942
Immediately after attacking Pearl Harbor, Japan set its sights on the Philippines. Japanese troops overran U.S. and Filipino troops at Bataan. General MacArthur left stating “I Shall Return.”
77,000 Allied solders were captured and forced to march sixty-five (65) miles to a prisoner of war camp.
,000 were clubbed, shot, or starved to death on the trip.

4. Japanese Aggression is Halted
Battle of Coral Sea May 1942
The Japanese were stopped from reaching Australia in a fierce five day air battle.

5. Island Hopping Battle of Midway May 1942
After breaking the Japanese communication codes, U.S. forces intercepted and defeated the Japanese navy to gain control of this strategic island.
Midway is the turning point in the battle of the Pacific. From this point on, the Japanese have to retreat under the U.S. strategy of Island Hopping.

6. Battle of Guadalcanal August 1942
Island Hopping
Battle of Guadalcanal August 1942
After landing 19,000 American Marines, all U.S. naval ships were destroyed, leaving the Marines to fend for themselves.
After six months of fierce fighting, being outnumbered 2-to-1, the Marines controlled the “Island of Death.”

7. Battle of Leyte Gulf October 1944
Island Hopping
Battle of Leyte Gulf October 1944
General Douglas MacArthur made good on his promise to return to the Philippines. Stating “I Have Returned,” MacArthur led the battle that totally wiped out the Japanese navy.
This battle marked the first time that the Japanese used suicide bombers known as “kamikazes.” The world “kamikaze” is Japanese for “Divine Wind.”

8. Battle of Iwo Jima February 1945
Island Hopping
Battle of Iwo Jima February 1945
In some places in the battle, casualty rates rivaled Omaha beach at 75%.
After the defeat of the Japanese on this island, American soldiers raised a flag on Mt. Suribachi. This flag raising symbolized Americas road to victory.

9. Battle of Okinawa April 1945
Island Hopping
Battle of Okinawa April 1945
Known as the bloodiest fight in the Pacific, over 110,000 Japanese and 12,000 Allied soldiers and sailors died. In a foreshadowing of what might be to come, two Japanese generals committed ritual suicide rather than surrender.
By defeating the Japanese on this island, the Allies could now systematically bomb Japan without the use of Aircraft Carriers.

10. Manhattan Project
On July 15, 1945, the first atomic bomb exploded in Alamogordo, New Mexico. This bomb had been developed under a secret plan known as the Manhattan Project.
President Harry Truman made the decision to drop the bomb on Japan based on three principles.
a. It would save American and Japanese lives in the long run. A land invasion of Japan would result in millions of deaths.
b. It would dramatically bring the war to an end.
c. It would scare the heck out of the U.S.S.R.
3. After warning the Japanese several times, the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, Dropped from the plane Enola Gay, the bomb (Fat Man) killed between 80,000 – 200,000.
4. Three days later, after warning the Japanese again, a second bomb (Little Boy) was dropped on Nagasaki killing 120,000.
5. V-J Day - On September 2, 1945, Japan unconditionally surrendered.