World War II 5 Fighting WWII in Asia

World War II ■ #5 Fighting WWII in Asia ■ 21. Nuremburg Trials 22. GI Bill of Rights 23. Joseph Stalin 24. Benito Mussolini

■ Essential Question: –What role did the United States play in fighting in Asia during World War II? ■ Warm-Up Question: –What was the significance of : • The Battle of the Atlantic? • Stalingrad? • Operation Overlord (D-Day)? • The Battle of the Bulge?

Quick World War 2 in Europe Review “Europe First” & Battle of the Atlantic

Quick World War 2 in Europe Review Victory in North Africa Turning Point: Stalingrad Operation Torch & liberation of Italy Fighting in Europe, 1942 -1943

Europe 1944 -1945 D-Day invasion of Nazi Soviet army Battle of the Bulge seizes Berlin; -occupied France Germany surrenders May 7, 1945

While American forces fought in North Africa in 1942, the U. S. Navy began fighting Japan

Fighting the War in the Pacific, 1942 1. In the months following Pearl Harbor, Japan captured the U. S. outposts of Guam and Wake and British colonies of Hong Kong and Singapore. – In the Mariana Islands, Supreme Allied Commander in the Pacific, Douglas Mc. Arthur was ordered to flee from a Japanese invasion. – Bataan Death march

Fighting the War in the Pacific, Cont. . . 2. American spirits were lifted in April 1942. Colonel James Doolittle led a successful air raid on Tokyo in a move designed to strike fear in the very heart of the Japanese. 3. Six months after Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway was a major turning point in the war with Japan.

Discussion Question ■ Why do you think America’s air force was more important fighting the Pacific than in Europe?

Fight the War in the Pacific, 1943 - 1944 4. General Mac. Arthur • devised the strategy of island hopping to fight the Japanese in the Pacific. – The US would island hop past Japan’s heavily defended islands and seize the more easily defeated outposts. There, the U. S. could build landing strips and employ blockades to cut Japan’s supply lines.

Fighting the War in the Pacific, 1943 - 1944 5. After the crushing defeat, (at Leyte Gulf), the desperate Japanese began using the “bonsai charge”-kamikaze attacks. But, the “Divine Wind” failed to stop the Allied advance in Japan.

Fighting the War in the Pacific, 1943 - 1944 ■ Why did the U. S. need to capture the heavily fortified islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa? • The US air force could began sending bombers to Japan’s main land.

Whether to Drop the Atomic Bomb: Critical Thinking Decision A

The Manhattan Project ■ Based on scientific research, FDR created the Manhattan Project, the code name for developing an atomic bomb: –Robert Oppenheimer was put in charge of developing the bomb –From 1942 -1945, a number of secret labs across the country developed & built the bomb

In July 1945, the bomb was The bomb was constructed successfully tested in at Los Alamos, a secret New city in. Mexico Oak Ridge, TNProject Trinity during Physicist Enrico Fermi at the Nuclear plant in Hanford, WA University of Chicago developed the plutonium the nuclear reaction

Whether to Drop the Atomic Bomb: Critical Thinking Decision B Truman’s Decision: C

By 1944, In addition, The Americans Japanese gained refused soldiers supremacy to surrender resorted of the to air &horrific ran daily acts even fire ofinbombings barbarity the face on of defeat the Japanese battlefield cities

Dropping the Atomic Bomb ■ Truman issued the Potsdam Declaration to Japan: surrender or face prompt & utter destruction –When Japan refused to surrender Truman ordered the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 –After 3 days, the Japanese gov’t did not respond to the bombing –The U. S. dropped a 2 nd atomic bomb in the city of Nagasaki

Winning the War in the Pacific and the End of WWII 7. As the US marched across the sea towards Japan, daily raides by American B 29 bombers were destroying Japanese cities and killing thousands of civilians. – For Japan, defeat inevitable, but the island nation would never surrender

Winning the War 8. Shortly after becoming president in 1945, Harry Truman learned of the Manhattan Project- the codename for the best kept secret of WWII-a secret weapon powerful enough to destroy an entire city.

Winning the War 9. At 2: 45 am on August 6 1945, the Enola Gay headed out over the Pacific toward the Japanese island of Hiroshima. The city of Hiroshima was annihilated.

Winning the War 10. When Japan failed to respond, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, leveling half of the city and killing more than 39, 000. By the end of the year, the death toll reached more than 80, 000.

Winning the War 11. On Sept. 2 1945, Japan formally surrendered. The war was finally over. Discussion Q: By 1944, the US was firebombing Japanese cities. Why couldn’t the US continue firebombing rather than dropping the atomic bomb?

Hiroshima Nagasaki

Dropping the Atomic Bomb ■ Effect of the atomic bomb: –Saved hundreds of thousands of lives because it prevented a U. S. land invasion of Japan –Revenge for Pearl Harbor –Showed the USSR that the USA had the ultimate weapon (began the Cold War nuclear arms race)

WW 2 Timeline (Allies, Axis, USSR)