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The War in the Pacific 1941-1945
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The Players United States England Australia New Zealand China Philippines Japan
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Background Japanese imperial expansion begins in 1931 Need for oil and other natural resources Japan attacks the US at Pearl Harbor crippling the US pacific fleet Dec 7th 1941
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Japanese War Mentality Death before surrender Boshito Code meaning “Way of the Warrior-Knight”, is a Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life If you surrender you disgrace your family and ancestors All other Asians are inferior
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Dec 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor Dec 7 th Dec 8 th Japan invades US held territory of the Philippines The US has only one hope: the aircraft carrier (3 survived Pearl Harbor)
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Early 1942 Japan invades various other Pacific Islands US garrison in the Philippines surrenders to Japanese forces in April 1942 Bataan Death March: 60 miles 76,000 POW 12,000 are Americans 5,000 die in a week
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US/Allied Strategy Reclaim the Pacific: Island hopping Campaign: one island at a time, clear it and use it as a base of operations for the next island. Must clear the oceans of the Japanese Navy first! (Large challenge with a crippled Navy and only 3 Aircraft carriers!)
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Japanese Strategy Make the war so horrible the US will give up They dug into tropical islands, built underground bunkers and fortresses. heavy artillery, suicide attacks Bleed the enemy dry, Japanese rarely surrender but die to the last man!
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Early 1942: The US strikes back Doolittle raid May 1942: Battle of Coral Sea, first ever carrier vs. carrier battle- US looses an Aircraft carrier TURNING POINT: Battle of Midway June 1942
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Midway June 4, 1942 US lost one of two carriers Japanese lost four irreplaceable aircraft carriers in five minutes! The Japanese would be on the defensive for the rest of the war.
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Island Hoping: The first step: Guadalcanal Invaded by the US Navy and Marines August 1942 Took the Marines 6 months to take the island from Japan Allies lost 7,100 men Japan lost 31,000 killed
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A list of “D-Days” Nov 1943 Bouganville Nov 1943 “ Bloody” Tarawa June 1944 Siapan July 1944 Guam and Tinian Oct 1944 Allies invade the Philippines Feb 1945 Iwo Jima April 1945 Okinawa (falls in June)
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Soldier’s Lives HARSH Subtropical diseases Humid, sticky, and always hot. Average age was 19 Death was around every corner.
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Japan’s desperation Oct 1944 U.S. warships in Leyte Gulf faced their first Kamikaze attacks 2,257 Japanese aircraft were destroyed in these suicide missions during the war. Kamikaze: Devine Wind Kamakazi Kamakazi
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A most famous Photo Taken on Iwo Jima February 23, 1945 On March 16, when Iwo Jima was declared secured, 6,821 Americans and 21,000 Japanese (the entire force) had died Iwo Jima - Flags of our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima Iwo Jima - Flags of our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima Iwo Jima - The Pacific Iwo Jima - The Pacific
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Planning for the end May 1945 Allied forces plan Operation Olympic, the invasion of Japan itself in Nov. US planners feared casualty estimates of one million! Japan was desperate but unwilling to surrender!
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Atom bomb
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“Little Boy” and “Fat Man” are unleashed August 6, 1945- Hiroshima August 9, 1945 - Nagasaki killed an estimated 110,000 Japanese injured another 130,000. By 1950, another 230,000 Japanese had died from injuries or radiation.
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VJ Day August 14, 1945 - Japanese accepts unconditional surrender Celebration parties erupt throughout every allied country!
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The End September 2, 1945 - Formal Japanese surrender ceremony on board the MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay as 1,000 carrier- based planes fly overhead.
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The most destructive conflict in human or world history ends. The world is forever changed. Millions have died. 100s of cities destroyed Millions are homeless US & USSR are WORLD powers
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