Ch. 4 - War In The Pacific
The War in the Pacific
1. Douglas MacArthur-
-recalled to active duty in 1941 by President Roosevelt
-delivered famous quote of “I shall return” when ordered to leave the Philippines as defenses were being overran by the Japanese
-became supreme commander of the Pacific theater
-accepted the surrender of Japan aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945.
-served as director of the Allied occupation of Japan
2. Bataan Death March
-70,000 American and Filipino soldiers were trapped and forced to surrender on the Bataan Peninsula
-prisoners' were forced to march 70 miles to the prison camp
-the harsh treatment and starvation caused the deaths of nearly 10,000 men
3. Island Hopping-
-strategy used by the U.S. military in the Pacific
-attack and hold every second or third Island to force the enemy back
4. Battle of the Coral Sea-
-May 3-9, 1942
-Japanese ships controlled shipping lanes to Australia and planned to take it over
-25 Japanese ships were sunk or disabled
-first defeat for the Japanese in the South Pacific
5. Battle of Midway-
-June 3-7, 1942
-if successful, Japan could launch air strikes against U.S. mainland from this location
-Japan assembled the largest naval force in history to attack
-U.S. code-breakers learned of the Japanese plans
-U.S. gave appearance of concentrating main defenses in the Aleutian Islands
-Japanese losses were heavy and Yamamoto was forced to retreat
-turning point in the Pacific as Japan was forced to change strategy from offensive to defensive
6. Battle of Guadalcanal-
-began Aug. 7, 1942
-including the Battle of the Solomon's and New Guinea
-launching point for Japan’s all out assault on Australia
-an airstrip was used to cut off U.S. lifeline to Australia
-U.S. bombarded the Japanese strong hold for seven straight days but, the Japanese held strong
-an amphibious assault similar to Normandy was necessary
7. Battle of Guam-
-July 21-Aug. 10, 1944
-Guam was an American possesion lost to the Japanese in December 1941
-after being recaptured by Americans, Guam air field was used by B-29 bombers to attack western holdings of Japan
8. Battle of Palau Island-
-Sept-Nov 1944
-The Japanese where tightly dug into the island and well equipped
-highest U.S. casualty rate of any Pacific battle
-1/3 of the soldiers who landed on the island died (almost 1,800)
-many questioned the strategic value of the island considering the casualties
-called “the worse battle for Marines of the entire war”
9. Battle of Leyte Gulf-
-Oct. 23-25, 1944
-began the struggle to drive Japanese from the Philippines
-Japanese cleared form Philippines by Battle of Luzon, March 4 and attack of Corregidor (July 5)
-Japan lost 400,000 of their best troops, critical Japanese supply lines were cut and, MacArthur had “returned”
10. Battle of Iwo Jima-
-began Feb. 19, 1945
-from here, U.S. could launch bombing raids on Islands of Japan
-well fortified and equipped by the Japanese as a last stand before defense of their homeland
-allies bombarded the island for 74 consecutive days before U.S. Marines went ashore
-after some of the war's bloodiest fighting, Marines raised the flag on Mount Suribachi
-battle continued to Okinawa, U.S. met last major resistance
-many Japanese committed suicide to avoid capture and disgrace
11. Battle of Okinawa
-April-June, 1945
-called the “dress rehearsal” for the actual invasion of Japan
-first time battle fought on Japanese mainland, up until this the US was liberating territory controlled by Japan
-Japanese soldiers fought particularly fierce as their country was being attacked.
-deadliest battle of the Pacific war (Japan 77,000 killed or committed suicide, U.S. 14,000 killed)
12. Kamikazes-
-desperately seeking to turn the tide of battle, Japan began to employ suicide as an official weapon
-young pilots were commanded to crash their bomb-laden planes into Allied ships
-in Japan, defeat was unthinkable and shameful
-altogether, they sank 34 naval craft, and damaged 358 others
-had relatively little affect the outcome of the war
13. Banzai Charge
-rather than surrender the Japanese infantry used suicide charges in an attempt to break through enemy lines
-not very successful but was unnerving for American solders
14. Potsdam Conference-
-last wartime meeting between Clement Attlee (Britain), Harry Truman (US), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union)
-agreed to the division of Germany into four zones of occupation
-agreed to put on trial Nazis guilty of war crimes and atrocities
-Truman informed Stalin the United States had an atomic bomb would use it against Japan
-Stalin wanted huge war reparations from Germany
-sides disagreed on free elections in Eastern European nations
15. Manhattan Project-
-code name for the U.S. effort to produce the atomic bomb
-many who took part were refugee physicists from Germany
-although research was completed at many locations, the project was completed in Los Alamos, New Mexico
-on July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb was exploded
-President Truman decided to use the weapon to end the war quickly; Japan was informed to surrender (although bomb was not mentioned)
-bombs eventually used (code named Little Boy and Fat Man) had an explosive force greater than 20,000 tons of TNT
16. Enola Gay-
-U.S. B-29 Super Fortress bomber, commanded by Lt. Col. Paul Tibbets
-equipped to carry a single atomic bomb
-dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan
17. Hiroshima-
-August 6, 1945
-Japanese city on which the first atomic bomb was dropped -of the 300,000 people living in the city; at least 78,000 people were killed outright
-3/5ths of city destroyed in seconds
-many more died of radiation poisoning as a result of the blast
-a Peace Memorial Park was created in memory of the bombing
18. Nagasaki-
August 9, 1945
-second atomic bomb attack
-the bomb missed its target, but still destroyed half the city and killed approximately 75,000 people
-Japan immediately agrees to surrender
18. V-J Day-
-Victory In Japan- August 14, 1945
20. U.S.S. Missouri-
-Sept. 2, 1945
-battle ship sunk at Pearl Harbor but, restored to used in World War II
-on it’s deck in Tokyo Bay was where official document of surrender was signed by Japan
-General MacArthur accepted surrender by Japanese delegation
Japanese War Crimes-
21. Japanese War Crimes-
-occurred as imperial military took over territory in Asia
-seven of the first twenty five defendants received death sentences
-fifteen received life in prison
-Tojo (who was saved after attempting suicide) was sentenced to death
22. United Nations-
-international organization established at the end of World War II to promote international peace and security
-replaced the League Of Nations
-officially began on Oct. 24, 1945, when 51 original members ratified its charter
23. General Assembly-
-composed of all member states of the UN, approximately 181 nations
-where nations deliberate world issues (political, economic,
-responsible for UN recommendations, develop action plans, and efforts to keep peace
-most issues require a simple majority vote but, more important decisions require a two-thirds majority
-meets form September to mid-December of each year
24. Security Council-
-one of six major UN councils
-council who’s primary responsibility for maintaining peace and security
-began with eleven members, now has fifteen
-China, France, Russia, Great Britain, and the United States are permanent members while the other ten members are elected by the General Assembly for 2-year terms
-five permanent members have the power to “veto” at any time
-unlike the recommendation of the General Assembly, member nations are required to carry out directives from the Security Council
-may send UN observers or peacekeeping forces to help reduce tensions in troubled areas