1. Pacific Theater

2. Bataan Death March
After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Japan attacked American airfields in the Philippines and landed their troops in the islands
The commander of the Americans and Filipinos defending the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthur, retreated to the Bataan Peninsula
He surrendered 75,000 men

3. Bataan Death March
The surrendered troops were forced to march to the prison camp 65 miles away
Thousands died along the way
Starvation
Disease
Murder

4. Doolittle Raid
In response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, James Doolittle organized a bombing mission in Tokyo, Japan called the Doolittle Raid

5. Doolittle Raid Had two major goals:
1) Boost American morale after Pearl Harbor
Expose the Japanese vulnerability to attack

6. Turning Point in the War
Battle of Midway was the turning point in the Pacific
This stopped the Japanese advance into the Pacific

7. Battle of Midway
Between June 4-7, 1942, is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign the United States navy decisively defeated an Imperial Japan Navy
The attack inflicted permanent damage on the Japanese Navy

8. Consequences of the Battle of Midway
The consequence of the Battle of Midway for the Japanese were huge. At a stroke, they lost 4 vital aircraft carriers that were considered to be vital for the Pacific campaign
Whereas the Americans could replace the ‘Yorktown,’ the Japanese would have found it very difficult to replace one carrier, let alone four

9. Island Hopping
General Douglas MacArthur’s troops used Island Hopping to capture lightly-defended islands throughout the Pacific, one by one, until they “HOPPED” their way towards Japan
This would get the U.S. within striking distance of Japan

10. MacArthur Returns Oct. of 1944 Philippines
In the Battle of Leyte Gulf, The U.S. retook the Philippines. First time the Japanese used kamikaze attacks. Douglas MacArthur returns and liberates the Allied POWs

11. Iwo Jima and Okinawa
The U.S. fought Japan on numerous islands including Okinawa and Iwo Jima
These islands were used to launch aerial assaults on Japan
This was the first time an invaders flag flew over Japanese territory

13. Japan Refuses to Surrender
By 1945, the Japanese were pushed back to Japan with no way to win the war
They refused to give up and kamikaze soldiers made an invasion extremely dangerous

14. Truman Becomes President
President Roosevelt died a month before the defeat of Germany.
Vice President Harry S. Truman became president. Although Germany surrendered a few weeks later, Truman needed to make many difficult decisions regarding the war as the battle with Japan intensified

15. Einstein to the Manhattan Project
In 1939, while working at Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Einstein was notified that German scientist achieved atomic fusion by splitting heavy uranium with a neutron bombardment.
Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard tried to catch FDR’s attention, but he wasn’t successful
Einstein signed his name to the letter

16. Manhattan Project FDR set up committee to study if it would work!
In 1941, America started the program to build the bomb: The Manhattan Project
Robert J. Oppenheimer led the team at the New Mexico laboratory
July 16, 1945, detonated the world’s first atomic bomb

17. Truman’s Decision Truman was forced to consider all options
A) Invade Japan with allied troops. This would result in high deaths on both sides and an unknown timeline
B) Drop an atomic bomb out in the Pacific away from people to show Japan our military strength
C) Drop the bomb without warning to “shock” Japan into surrendering

18. Atomic Bombing August 6, 1945 August 9, 1945 Hiroshima
80, ,000 die
August 9, 1945
Nagasaki
70,000 die
Thousands more effected by radiation

19. V-J Day
On the same day as the bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, the Soviets invaded Japan
Emperor Hirohito ordered his government to surrender
V-J day was August 15, 1945

20. Changes in Japan Emperor loses power and becomes figure head
Japan becomes a democracy. Model their constitution after the United States
Bill of Rights guarntees freedoms, women have the right to vote
Constitution says Japan cannot attack another country
In 1951, peace treaty with Japan signed; U.S. occupation ends
US and Japan become allies