1. Japan Strikes in the Pacific

2. A Surprise Attack Japan had been conquering territory in Southeast Asia. This was a potential threat to the American owned Philippine Islands and Guam. We blocked Japan from getting oil. Japan felt that the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was a “dagger pointed at the throat” of Japan and they feared a US attack. Japan planned a secret attack on the US early in the morning on December 7, 1941.

4. Pearl Harbor The US knew that the Japanese planned an attack, but they didn’t know where or when. In just 2 hours the Japanese had sunk 18 ships (destroying most of the Pacific fleet) and killed 2,400 Americans. The next day (Dec. 8, 1941), Congress declared war on Japan. President Roosevelt described the attack as “a date which will live in infamy.”

5. The Japanese are Victorious After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese quickly begin taking territory. The Japanese soon controlled Guam, Wake Island, The Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaya, and Burma. Japan controlled 1 million square miles and 150 million people

6. The Allies Strike Back The Americans began air attacks on Japanese cities. These were known as the famous “Doolittle Raids” By June of 1942, another Japanese code had been broken by the US. It called for an attack at Midway Island. The Battle of Midway turned the war in favor of the US.

7. “Island Hopping” General Douglas MacArthur of the US was the leader of the Allied land forces in the Pacific. He believed that the best way to defeat the Japanese was to “island hop” or jump around the islands of the Pacific that the Japanese did not defend well. His first target was the island of Guadalcanal. 6 months later, the US were victorious and Japan abandoned the island.