1. WWII- War in the Pacific

2. Review
Why was the Battle of Stalingrad considered a turning point for the USSR in the war?
German forces started retreating while Soviet forces moved westward
What was Operation Torch and what was its goal?
Allied invasion of Axis-controlled north Africa
To reduce the power of Axis forces by capturing part of their empire
What was Operation Overlord and what its goal?
“D-Day” – Allied invasion of German-occupied Europe (France)
To begin liberating occupied areas in Europe and eventually surround Germany
How did the Battle of the Bulge signify the beginning of the end of WWII in Europe?
Hitler’s last stand – failed attempt to break through Allied forces at German border
German forces could do nothing but retreat until surrender
When and what was V-E Day?
May 8, 1945 – Victory in Europe Day – Third Reich surrendered

3. 5.5 – WWII In the Pacific

4. Theaters of War War theater – area where warring activities occur
European theater– German and Italian forces
Pacific theater – Japanese forces

5. Japanese Pacific Domination
Jan-June 1942 – Japan conquered:
Mainland: Hong Kong, French Indochina, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, and a large region of China
Pacific: Dutch East Indies, Guam, Wake Island, the Solomon Islands, 2 Alaskan islands, and more
General Douglas MacArthur – in command of Allied forces in the Philippines
Losing  FDR ordered him to return home  “I shall return.”

6. Doolittle’s Raid Spring 1942 – tide turns for Allies in the Pacific
April 18, 1942 – Doolittle's Raid
Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle led 16 bombers in an air raid on Tokyo and other cities
Pearl Harbor style air attack... Americans pleased, Japanese hurt

7. Battle of Midway Midway – an island northwest of Hawaii
Japanese code broken to reveal the planned attack on Midway
Admiral Chester Nimitz to defend Midway
June 3, 1942 – US scouts found Japanese fleet
Nimitz sent American torpedo planes and dive bombers
Japanese could not react to bombers, all aircrafts remained on the decks  Japanese lost 4 aircraft carriers and 250 planes
Americans had “avenged Pearl Harbor.” – Japanese official

8. Battle of Midway
TURNING POINT in WWII in the Pacific in favor of the Allies  “island hopping” to get closer to Japan

9. Allies on the Offensive
August 1942 – 19,000 Allied troops stormed Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands  Japanese left island in early 1943 (1st defeat on land)
“Island of Death”
Island hopped back to the Philippines in Oct 1944
“People of the Philippines: I have returned.” - MacArthur

10. The Japanese Defense
Kamikaze – “divine wind” – attack in which Japanese pilots crashed their bomb-laden planes into Allied ships
Not used until 1944
“a strange mixture of respect and pity” – Vice Admiral Charles Brown
Despite the effectiveness of kamikazes, Japanese defense in the Philippines was a disaster
Lost 3 battleships, 4 aircraft carriers, 13 cruisers, and 500 men
Japanese Imperial Navy severely damaged

11. Iwo Jima
Feb-March After success in Philippines, MacArthur and Allies turned to the island of Iwo Jima
“sulfur island”
Critical asset for Allies  wanted to set up a temporary base to be close to Japan
Heavily guarded with 27,000 Japanese soldiers
6,000 marines died – most deadly battle in the Pacific at that time
Only 200 Japanese survived
Most-enduring image of WWII

12. The Battle for Okinawa April 1945 – US marines invaded Okinawa
an Island off of Japan (340 miles) - “Typhoon of Steel”
Allied ships suffered large kamikaze attacks, as well as large land casualties
7,600 Americans killed < 110,000 Japanese killed
2 Japanese generals committed suicide
Allies one step closer to mainland Japan

13. The Manhattan Project
Allied victory at Okinawa opened the way for an invasion of Japan BUT Allied leaders knew Japanese troops would put up a strong fight to protect the island.
Truman decided to use a powerful new weapon – the atomic bomb developed by the Manhattan Project
Truman didn’t know about project until POTUS
Led by General Leslie Groves and American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer
July 16, 1945 – 1st test ”Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”

14. Truman’s Decision
July 26, 1945 – Truman ordered military to make final plans to drop atomic bombs on 2 Japanese targets
“The final decision of where and when to use the atomic bomb was up to me. Let there be no mistake about it. I regarded the bomb as a military weapon and never had any doubt that it should be used.”
US warned Japan that it faced “prompt and utter destruction” if it did not surrender immediately.

15. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 6, 1945 – Enola Gay (B-29 bomber) dropped “Little boy” over Hiroshima (Japanese military hub)  ceased to exist
August 9, 1945 – Bockscar dropped “Fat Man” on Nagasaki  leveled half of city
By end of 1945 – almost 200,000 people died of injuries because of the bomb itself or radiation
September 2, 1945 – Victory Over Japan Day aka “V-J Day” - Emperor Hirohito surrendered Japan

16. The Occupation of Japan
7 year American occupation of Japan ( ) with MacArthur in command
7 Japanese officials sentenced to death (Tojo)
1,100 Japanese lower officials and guards arrested and tried
Reshaped Japanese economy by introducing free-market practices
Oversaw the writing of a new constitution with suffrage for women and guaranteed basic freedoms  MacArthur Constitution

17. Yalta Conference
Feb Yalta Conference – Big Three (FDR, Churchill, Stalin) met in USSR to discuss Germany’s fate when they lost
Stalin – harsh approach, separate Germany into zones occupied by Allied troops
Churchill disagreed
FDR acted as mediator
Wanted Soviet army to join in the Pacific
Wanted Stalin’s support of new world peace-keeping organization called the United Nations.

18. Yalta Conference Compromises at Yalta
Division of Germany into 4 temporary zones (US, GB, USSR, France)
Free and unfettered elections in Poland and other Soviet occupied eastern European countries
Stalin joined war against Japan and agreed to participate in an international peace conference in the US (form the UN)

19. Nuremburg War Trials
Discovery of death camps  24 Nazi leaders on trial for…
crimes against humanity – murder, extermination, deportation, or enslavement of citizens
crimes against peace – planning/waging an aggressive war
war crimes – acts against the customs of warfare, such as the killing of hostages and prisoners, the plundering of private property, and the destruction of towns and cities.
Nuremburg Trials ( )
Defendants (the accused): Hitler’s most trusted party officials, gov’t ministers, military leaders, and powerful industrialists
Prosecution led by US Chief Justice Robert Jackson

20. Nuremburg War Trials

21. Nuremberg War Trials
12 of 24 sentenced to death (2 committed suicide before execution), most remaining sentenced to prison time
Later, 200 lesser leaders found guilty of war crimes
Many Nazis did go free  some argue the Nuremburg Trials didn’t go far enough in finding and prosecuting Nazis
IMPACT – established the principle that people are responsible for their own actions during war
“following orders” is not an excuse
Model for the Declaration of Human Rights and eventual establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC)