The Allies Strike Back Japan Battle of Midway

The Allies Strike Back: Japan!

Battle of Midway • June 1942 • Japanese fleet planned to attack Midway Island, a US base • US had broken the final Japanese code • US planes attacked, sank 4 aircraft carriers • Greatly weakened Japan’s offensive capability

Battle of Guadalcanal • • Aug. 1942 – Feb. 1943 Japan was building an air base US Marines and Navy attacked “The Island of Death” – harsh jungle conditions, fierce Japanese resistance • US won – first victory over Japanese ground troops • The start of “island hopping”

Battle of Leyte Gulf • Oct. 1944 • Island hopping was working – the US was closing in on Japan • Japanese Navy and kamikazes attacked the US fleet headed to the Philippines • A last desperate attempt to stop US advances • US won and recaptured the Philippines • Last Japanese offensive of the war

General Mac. Arthur: “I have returned!”

Battle of Iwo Jima • Feb. – Mar. 1945 • Island close to Japan (within bombing range for US planes) • Volcanic rock and ash • Heavily defended by Japanese in caves and tunnels • US won

Battle of Okinawa • • • Mar. – June 1945 Last island US attacked Closest island to Japan Largest battle of the Pacific War Defended by hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilian reserves • A “dress rehearsal” for the invasion of Japan • 100, 000+ US troops, heavy casualties • Made the US decide not to invade Japan

Quickwrite Imagine you could save the lives of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers by killing millions of foreign civilians. How well does the benefit (saving our soldiers) outweigh the cost (deaths of foreign civilians)?

Discussion If you had been President of the U. S. , what would you have decided? Why? How would you have felt knowing you were responsible for the devastation and deaths of so many civilians?

Strategic Bombing of Japan • Late 1944 – Aug. 1945 • US B-29 s bombed Japan’s factories and cities • Almost every major city was destroyed • 100, 000 people killed in Tokyo • Japan’s industries were crippled • Japan’s leaders still refused to surrender…

B-29 Bomber

The firebombing of Tokyo

Atomic Bombs • Aug. 6, 1945 – Hiroshima. 140, 000 killed • Aug. 9, 1945 – Nagasaki. 80, 000 killed • Aug. 15, Japanese request a cease fire (“VJ Day”) • Sept. 2, Japan officially surrendered! The end of WWII! Hiroshima: Dropping the Bomb

Results of World War II • • • Over 60 million people killed Europe left in ruins Germany divided into two countries Japan occupied by the US United Nations established to prevent wars Israel established as a homeland for Jews (Holocaust survivors) • US and USSR became “superpowers” • Led to The Cold War!