Fleet Admiral Yamamoto BellWork The US fleet is

Fleet Admiral Yamamoto Bell-Work “The US fleet is a dagger pointed at our throat and must be destroyed. ” “I can run wild for six months, after that, I have no expectation of success. ” - Yamamoto, during discussions on the planned Pearl Harbour Attack Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

Japan Canada China USA The Pacific Ocean SE Asia Australia

The Pacific War • Dates: July 7, 1937 - August 14, 1945 • Began with the Second Sino-Japanese war, between China and Japan • Concluded with Japan’s surrender to the Allied powers

1941

1942

Bataan Death March April 1942 – 12, 000 Americans walked 60 miles to a POW camp – No food or water – 5, 000 died

Battle of Coral Sea • May 7, 1942 • Strategic Allied victory —halted the Japanese advance on Australia First naval battle carried out entirely by aircraft. The enemy ships never even came into contact with each other

The Battle Of Midway June 4 -7 1942 6 months after Pearl Harbour Yamamoto seeks to capture Midway atoll and thus confront and destroy the US Navy’s carrier forces.

Midway Order of Battle US forces: Japanese forces: 3 carriers 4 carriers ~50 support ships 7 battleships 233 carrier aircraft ~150 support ships 127 land-based aircraft 248 carrier aircraft 16 floatplanes

Plan of Attack

The Battle of Midway • The first major carrier vs. carrier engagement • Decided by cryptanalysis, tactics, radar, pilot skill, weather, and luck.

The Battle of Midway • Scouts from the US fleet find the Japanese Fleet first • A delayed scout means the Japanese fleet receives a warning of US carriers only minutes before the first US planes attack • After losing many planes in ineffective strikes, US dive bombers manage to set three Japanese carriers on fire. • A Japanese counterstrike does heavy damage to one US carrier • Japanese battleships never see combat

The Battle of Midway US forces: Japanese forces: 3 carriers, 1 lost 4 carriers, 4 lost ~50 support ships, 1 destroyer lost 7 battleships, 0 lost 360 aircraft, 98 lost ~150 support ships, 1 cruiser lost 307 dead 264 aircraft, 228 lost 3058 dead

1943 -1944

Strategic Bombing B-29 Superfortress bombers

Island-Hopping Warfare American and Australian troops land in Borneo

Guadalcanal— 8/42 -2/43 • Who: US vs. Japan • Where: Island near Australia— one of Solomon Islands • What: One of the most vicious campaigns – Japanese put up a fierce resistance – US has superior air and naval power • Results: – First time US land troops defeat Japanese – Americans are able to secure the island

Island-Hopping Warfare American Troops assaulting Iwo Jima

1944 -1945

The Final Year • The US retakes the Philippines in a long and costly campaign. • Borneo, Iwo Jima and the Okinawa fall, with heavy losses on both sides. • The military leadership of Japan refuses to give up, in spite of the loss of the bulk of their forces. • An edict is issued, ordering civilians on the main Japanese islands to construct bamboo spears and meet the invaders on the beaches. • US Bombers produce a firestorm in Tokyo, killing 100, 000 people in two days. • The US, Britain and China issue the Potsdam Declaration, demanding Japan’s surrender.

Iwo Jima • February-March 1945 • Island off the coast of Japan—Japanese soil island deeply Volcanic entrenched – Longest sustained aerial offensive of the war – More marines sent than in any other battle – 100, 000 men fighting on an island the 1/3 the size of Manhattan – Japanese fought from below ground—Allies rarely saw a soldier – The battle was won inch-by-inch

Iwo Jima • Results: US win – Provides a link in the chain of bomber bases – By the war’s end, 2, 400 B 29 bombers and 27, 000 crewmen made emergency landings. – “ 4 marines raising US flag”

Okinawa • Casualties – US— 12, 500 killed; 36, 000 wounded – Japan— 93, 000 troops killed; 94, 000 civilians killed (many killed themselves) • Kamikazes—suicide pilots – Crashed planes loaded with explosives – Sank 30 US vessels

The Cost • • 2, 000 Japanese Soldiers dead 300, 000 Allied Soldiers dead 600, 000 - 1, 000 Japanese civilians dead 11, 000 American civilians dead 60, 000 Korean civilians dead Mass devastation of Japanese infrastructure Indigenous people of north and western Pacific islands devastated by disease, cultural contamination, collateral damage, and atrocities. • The list continues…