1. Japanese aggression and US strategy Turning point battles

Coral Sea Midway Leyete Gulf Iwo Jima and Okinawa

Potsdam Conference---July 1945 Atomic bomb

Hiroshima and Nagasaki---Aug. 1945 Japan surrenders---Sept. 1945 WWII ends in Asia

VJ-Day---Victory in Japan

map/japan

JAPANESE EXPANSION•Dec. 7, 1941, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor

•US declares war on Japan.

1942•Philippines

•Bataan Death Bataan Death MarchMarch

Bataan Death MarchBataan Death March: April, : April, 19421942

•Approximately 80,000 US and Filipino troops [12,000 [12,000 Americans] Americans] surrendered to the Japanese and were forced to

march 60 miles to Camp O’Donnell.•Several thousand died along the way from atrocities

committed by the Japanese soldiers.

map/japan

JAPANESE EXPANSION•Dec. 7, 1941,

Japan attacks Pearl Harbor

•US declares war on Japan.

1942•Philippines

•Bataan Death Bataan Death MarchMarch•Guam

•Malaya

•New Guinea

•Threatening Australia and

Hawaii

General Douglas

MacArthurWWII Military Leaders

•West Point Graduate

•Commanding general of troops in the Philippines

•Forced off the Philippines in 1942--- “I shall return”

•1944, Battle of Leyete Gulf---- “I have returned to re-take the Philippines”.

•Supreme Allied Commander in the South Pacific

map/japan TURNING POINT

BATTLES

19421942•Coral Sea

•Midway

•Midway virtually

destroyed Japanese Navy.

19431943•Continued

“island hopping” strategy

The Doolittle RaidThe Doolittle Raid After Pearl Harbor, FDR After Pearl Harbor, FDR

wanted a morale booster.wanted a morale booster.

He wanted to bomb Tokyo but He wanted to bomb Tokyo but aircraft carriers could not get aircraft carriers could not get close enough. close enough.

Plan: B-25s (which could Plan: B-25s (which could launch off carriers) would launch off carriers) would bomb Tokyo and land in China. bomb Tokyo and land in China.

Lt. Col. James Doolittle was in Lt. Col. James Doolittle was in command of this operation. command of this operation.

On April 18On April 18thth, 1942 bombs fell , 1942 bombs fell on Tokyo, which led to a on Tokyo, which led to a change in strategy among the change in strategy among the Japanese leaders. Japanese leaders.

Lt. Col. James Doolittle

B-25s off to Tokyo

Change in Japanese StrategyChange in Japanese Strategy

Japanese leaders were rattled Japanese leaders were rattled by the raids—bombs might by the raids—bombs might have killed the emperor!!have killed the emperor!!

The American fleet, they The American fleet, they decided, had to be decided, had to be destroyed!destroyed!

They wanted to cut off their They wanted to cut off their supply lines to Australia. supply lines to Australia.

They decided to attack They decided to attack Midway Island—the last Midway Island—the last American base west of Pearl American base west of Pearl Harbor.Harbor. Bombs falling on Tokyo.

The Battle of The Battle of MidwayMidway

Code-breakers heard the plan.Code-breakers heard the plan. At the Battle of Coral SeaAt the Battle of Coral Sea, the , the

YorktownYorktown and the and the LexingtonLexington fended off fended off a Japanese attack on New Guinea and a Japanese attack on New Guinea and preserved Australia. preserved Australia.

Code-breakers learned of plan to Code-breakers learned of plan to attack attack MidwayMidway

Admiral Nimitz used this as an Admiral Nimitz used this as an opportunity to ambush the Japanese opportunity to ambush the Japanese fleet. fleet.

Japanese planes were hit with Japanese planes were hit with antiaircraft fire, shooting down antiaircraft fire, shooting down 38 38 planesplanes. .

Japan lost 100 pilots which hurt their Japan lost 100 pilots which hurt their Air War.Air War.

American planes caught carriers by American planes caught carriers by surprise—their fuel, bombs, and surprise—their fuel, bombs, and aircraft were exposed. aircraft were exposed.

FourFour Japanese carriers were sunk, Japanese carriers were sunk, destroying the heart of the navy. destroying the heart of the navy.

This hit the Japanese hard—it halted This hit the Japanese hard—it halted Japanese expansion in the Pacific. Japanese expansion in the Pacific.

Badly damaged Yorktown

Fighting at the Battle of Midway

Battle of Midway Island:Battle of Midway Island:June 4-6, 1942June 4-6, 1942

Battle of the Coral Sea:Battle of the Coral Sea:June 4-6, 1942June 4-6, 1942

Gen. MacArthur Gen. MacArthur “Returns” to the “Returns” to the

Philippines! [1944]Philippines! [1944]

Japanese Japanese KamikazeKamikaze Planes:Planes:

The Scourge of the South The Scourge of the South PacificPacific Kamikaze Kamikaze

PilotsPilots

The last 2 years of the war, the Japanese resorted to “suicidal bombers” or Kamikaze bombersKamikaze bombers to destroy the American Navy.Approximately 2,800 Kamikaze attackers sunk 34 Navy ships, damaged 368 others, killed 4,900 sailors, and wounded over 4,800.

map/japan TURNING POINT

BATTLES

19441944•Battle of Leyete

Gulf, recaptured the

Philippines

19451945•Iwo Jima and

Okinawa

•Put the US 500 miles from

mainland Japan

•Began bombing mainland Japan

US Marines on Mt. US Marines on Mt. Surbachi,Surbachi,

Iwo Jima Iwo Jima [Feb. 19, 1945][Feb. 19, 1945]

Big Three

•Churchill, Truman and Stalin meet in Potsdam, Germany in July 1945.

•Truman informed of successful test of bomb.

•Demanded unconditional surrender from Japanese or a new weapon would be used.

potsdam

•Some suggest that Truman was

warning Stalin.

•If he didn’t follow through with the

decisions at YaltaYalta, it could happen to the

Soviet Union.

potsdam