CHAPTER 9 WORLD WAR II: THE PACIFIC WAR 1941 - …9.0+-+World...CHAPTER 9 WORLD WAR II: THE PACIFIC WAR 1941 - 1945 . ... Kaneohe Bay struck simultaneously ... Japanese Master Plan

CHAPTER 9 WORLD WAR II: THE PACIFIC WAR

1941 - 1945

Japan ~ 1930s

Leading to war with United States

1931

• Invades Manchuria

1932

• Prime Minister assassinated

• FDR elected

1933

• Resigns from League of Nations

Japan ~ 1930s


1936

• Finance, Education, Interior

Ministers assassinated

• FDR reelected

1937

• Renews war against China

• Proposes quarantine on

“aggressor” nations

• Sends aid to China

Japan ~ 1930s


1939

• Enters 6 month undeclared war

with Russia over border of

Mongolia-Manchuria

• Soundly defeated with heavy

losses

60,000 troops

18,000 killed

20,000 wounded

Used:

“blitzkrieg” tactics

massive armor

air superiority

Japan ~ 1930s


1939

• Abandons “Northern” expansion,

adopts “Southern” expansion plan

in Asia

• French, British, and Dutch are

under attack in Europe and unable

to protect colonial assets in

Southeast Asia

1940

Japan ~ 1940s


1940

• Joins Tripartite pact with Germany

and Italy

• Seizes Northern French Indochina

with Vichy government permission

• Cancels trade agreements

• Embargoes high grade metals

• Orders Pacific Fleet to remain in

Hawaii indefinitely

Japan ~ 1940s


• Invades Southern French Indochina

1941-July

• Freezes Japanese assets in US

• Denies Japan use of Panama Canal

• Embargoes scrap metal, aviation

fuel, and oil

1941-October

• Demands release of assets in US

• Demands Japanese forces leave

Indochina and China

Because of

Japanese expansion

into Indochina, and U.S. embargo

of oil to Japan,

Japan must find

another source.

The only supply:

The Dutch East

Indies.

Dutch East Indies

Japan

Indochina

May of 1940

• FDR ordered the

Pacific Fleet to

remain stationed

in Hawaii.

• This was intended

as a deterrent to

the Japanese

expansion into

Indochina. President

Roosevelt

General

Hideki Tojo

October 1941

• Japanese civilian

government fell

• Military government

in control

• Headed by Army

Chief, General Tojo

The American Magic*

A Japanese envoy arrives in the U.S.

for negotiations toward resuming the

flow of Western oil.

Unknown to the Japanese, U.S. Naval

intelligence had broken their high-level

naval and diplomatic code “purple.”

* American code name given to the

breaking of the Japanese code

Intelligence

Efforts

Magic

revealed a

Japanese

deadline of

late Nov. for

negotiations.

Washington knew something

ominous was going to happen.

Japanese Task Force Sighted

• Late November

• Headed for the Malay Peninsula

Unknown and undetected behind foul

weather, another Japanese Task Force,

comprised of six large carriers and

numerous escort ships, was headed

for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Oahu, Hawaii

(Pearl Harbor)

The Japanese task force included the

carriers: Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, Soryu,

Shokaku, and Zuikaku, along with

numerous escort ships and advance

submarines.

December 7, 1941

The Japanese First Air Fleet Strike Force

is in position 200 miles north of Oahu.

Pacific

Ocean

Oahu,

Hawaii

Forces at Pearl Harbor

• Aircraft lined up due to possible threat

of subversive activity

• 8 battleships anchored at Ford Island

(battleship row)

Battleship Row

Sunday Liberty

Lexington and Enterprise

(CV-2) (CV-6)

• Had left Pearl Harbor to deliver planes

to Midway and Wake Islands

0600 - Japanese carriers turned into

the wind and launched over 180

planes.

December 7, 1941

Nakajima B5N ‘Kate’ (Torpedo Plane)

Destination: Pearl Harbor

Mitsubishi A6M ‘Zero’ (Fighter)

Destination: Pearl Harbor

Aichi D3A “Val” (Dive Bomber)

Tora! Tora! Tora!

Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!

• Japanese codeword indicating flight

achieved complete surprise

• Most Sailors and airmen finishing

breakfast, relaxing, readying for church

• Pearl Harbor, Ewa, Hickam, and

Kaneohe Bay struck simultaneously

• Japanese had pre-designated targets

Kaneohe Bay

Ewa Hickam

Ford Island

The Attack

Battleship Row

Ford Island

The Attack

Battleship Row

Ford Island

The Attack

The USS Arizona (BB-39)

• 1 torpedo

• 8 bombs

• hit in ammunition storage (magazine)

• explodes, sinks within minutes.

1,177 Sailors killed

The Attack

Hickam Field

Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress”

The Attack

Ford Island patrol plane hangers

The Attack

Vought SB2U-3 “Vindicator”

Marine Corps Air Station, Ewa

The Attack

Kaneohe Bay

December 8, 1941

December 7, 1941

• 2,400 American servicemen killed

• 1,200 wounded

• 19 ships sunk or damaged

• 230 planes destroyed on the ground

0753 - The attack begins.

0945 - The attack is over.

In less than 2 hours, with 2 waves of

Japanese aircraft:

PEARL HARBOR

MOVIE!

QUESTIONS 1-6

Oil storage

tank farm

For some reason, this storage facility

was not targeted. This farm would

provide critical material 6 months later

in the Battle of Midway.

Other Missed Targets

Additionally, important repair yards and machine

shops were practically untouched.

Had this not been the case, 14 out of 19 damaged or

sunk U.S. warships would not have been repaired

and returned to service.

After the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, the

United States assessed the damages and

immediately began salvage operations.

H09-0290.wmv

11 December 1941

In accordance with the “Axis” Tripartite

Pact signed on September 27, 1940,

Germany and Italy joined Japan in

declaring war on the United States.

Three Serious

Japanese Miscalculations

1. They counted too heavily on their

submarines, little to no training

in the Japanese Submarine Fleet.

Three Serious





•! Midget submarines were

ineffective

•! Attack submarines could not cut

California ~ Hawaii shipping lanes

Three Serious





2. The attack had roused the

American people, the Japanese

thought the attack would establish

superiority.

Three Serious


1. They counted too heavily on their submarines,

little to no training in the Japanese Submarine

Fleet.

2. The attack had roused the American people, the

Japanese thought the attack would establish

superiority.

Unlike the:

• 1894 Chinese~Japanese war over Korea

• 1904 Russian~Japanese war over

Manchuria and Port Arthur

Admiral

Yamamoto Commander in Chief

Of Japan’s Combined Fleet Comment After

Pearl Harbor

"I fear that all we

have done is

awaken a sleeping

giant, and fill

it with a desire for

vengeance."

Three Serious





2. The attack had roused the

American people, the Japanese

thought the attack would establish

superiority.

3. The attack forcibly altered the

mindset of senior U.S. naval

leadership.

After Pearl Harbor

Changed and built offense

around aircraft carriers

vice the battleship

centered strategy

Held the belief of a superior

battleship-centered strategy

World War II in the

Pacific would show

carriers to be the

most dominant

naval weapon

in history.

USS Essex (CV-9)

Japanese Master Plan Landings on:

• The Malay Peninsula

• Singapore

• Thailand

• Philippines

• Wake Island

• Guam

• Hong Kong

All of these would fall to the Japanese

by year-end.

Japanese Plan November 1941

Nimitz Takes Command

Commander in Chief

Pacific Fleet

31 December 1941

Aboard the

USS Grayling (SS-209)

QUESTIONS 7-13

Admiral

Nimitz's

Mission

1. Cover and hold the Hawaii-Midway line,

and maintain communications with the

U.S. West Coast.

2. Maintain communications between the

West Coast and Australia.

Hold the Line Against

Further Japanese Advances

• Sacrifice available forces to delay

• Gain new forces as available

• Immediate primary effort in Atlantic

Short and Long-Term Plans

USS Arizona (BB-39)

December 10, 1941

War Plan Orange

• Philippines and Guam acquired as a

result of Spanish-American war, 1898

• Initially developed by Army-Navy

Joint Board as a plan to protect the

Philippines, 1908

• Not a complete war plan

• More of a conceptual guideline

War Plan Orange

Gained importance as Japan:

• Expressed strong anger over anti-Oriental

laws passed in US, particularly in California

1898-1914

• Gained Pacific Island territories from Germany

at the close of WW I (Marshalls, Marianas,

Carolines) (Japan was a WW I ally) 1918

• Became increasingly militaristic

1920s and 1930s

War Plan Orange (WPO-3)

• Revised and updated by Naval War College,

Newport, R.I.

• 1941 version was WPO-3 last updated in

1938

• Based on the premise of Japanese attack

and early successes

• Response would be a Navy led war island-

hopping to recover Philippines and force

Japanese surrender


(3 phases)

1 - U.S. expected Japan to overtake

lightly-defended American outposts.


(3 phases)



2 - U.S. would advance to the West,

procuring Japanese-held islands.

Fleets would battle and the U.S.

would be victorious.


(3 phases)



2 - U.S. would advance to the West,

procuring Japanese-held islands.

Fleets would battle and the U.S.

would be victorious.

3 - U.S. blockade of Japan and air

bombardment would establish peace.

Fleet Admiral

Chester Nimitz

• Ordered to hold the line

of defense across mid-

Pacific and sea lanes to

Australia

• Mission would be

defense and delay with

smaller forces

Fleet Admiral

Chester Nimitz

• In the next stage, knew

the U.S. would have to

go on the offensive

The Japanese land in the Philippines

shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Objectives:

Protect sea lanes and communications

to oil fields in the Dutch East Indies

Java - especially rich

in natural resources

Dutch East Indies Celebes

Sea

Java Sea

J a v a

INDONESIA

B o r n e o

Headquarters

American, British,

Dutch, and Australian

(ABDA) Defense Command

American, British,



• The Dutch felt that ABDA primary goal should be

the defense of Java

• Java was the primary objective of the Japanese

• The Dutch felt that ABDA primary goal should be

the defense of Java

• Java was the primary objective of the

American, British,



• Never very effective:

~ Small forces at its disposal

~ Disagreements over mission/tactics

~ No time to train together

~ Superior Japanese torpedoes

~ Superior Japanese night operations

(Battles in Java Straits at night)

Japanese

Advances

• Methodically moved through the Indies

setting up airfields for land-based

support at each location they conquered

ABDA Headquarters

Admiral

Chuichi Nagumo

• Raids Darwin

• Aids Timor invasion

• Isolates Java

Dutch Admiral

Karel Doorman

Battle of Java Sea

Feb 27-Mar 1 1942

• ABDA naval force

commander

• Made several

attempts to stop

Japanese advance

• Defeated in most

encounters

• Killed in battle

Battle of Java Sea and

Sunda Straits

Feb 27-Mar 1, 1942

• No ABDA air cover-new British carrier

(HMS Indomitable) ran aground in

Jamaica en route to Java

• Fought at night

• Japanese invasion force of capital

ships plus troop transports

ABDA Losses

Force size: 5 Cruisers (2 Heavy, 3 Light)

9 Destroyers

Feb 27~2 Cruisers, 3 destroyers~sunk

Feb 28~2 Cruisers~sunk

Mar 01~1 Cruiser, 2 destroyers~sunk

Survived- 4 old US Destroyers

Japanese Losses

Force size: 4 Cruisers (2 Heavy, 2 Light)

14 Destroyers + transports

Feb 27~1 destroyers moderately damaged

Feb 28~1 minesweeper, 1 transport~sunk

3 transports damaged

(mostly Japanese friendly fire)

Mar 01~None

Java invasion only delayed by 24 hours.

28 February 1942

Japanese Land on Java

By 9 March, the island is forced

into an unconditional surrender.

J A V A

Java Sea

Indian

Ocean

Dutch East Indies

• All in the hands of the Japanese

• An inexhaustible supply of fuel and

other resources in half of expected time

Borneo

Java

Java Sea

Indian

Ocean

General Douglas

MacArthur

• Retired 1937

• Appointed Field

Marshal of

Philippine Army

• Recalled 1941

• Disagreed with WPO-3

• At eminent loss

of Philippines,

ordered out by FDR

QUESTIONS 14-19

General Douglas

MacArthur

• From Corregidor,

with wife and son,

he escaped and

flew to Australia

• Took command of

the defenses there

• In response to a

press question,

he promised in a

famous quote,

“…I shall return.”

By May of 1942,

the last Filipino and

American defenders were

overrun on the Bataan

Peninsula and Corregidor.

Corregidor

Island

Bataan Peninsula

The "Bataan Death March"

Extreme malnutrition and disease from

months of siege; Japanese bad planning

along with deliberate and arbitrary cruelty

killed thousands of the almost 75,000

American and Filipino prisoners of war.

The "Bataan Death March"

Only 54,000 reached the camp: 7,000 -

10,000 died on the way and the rest

escaped into the jungle.

The prisoners were force marched 65

miles without food, water, and

adequate rest. Those that fell behind

were brutally slain: bayoneted, shot,

buried alive, or unable to move, driven

over by passing trucks and tanks.

Japanese Defense Perimeter

Truk

Pacific Ocean

On the South, the Japanese perimeter

included the Dutch East Indies

The Japanese Headquarters in the Marshall

Islands were at Truk. Japan turned Truk

into their Pearl Harbor

In the Indian Ocean the permimeter was

anchored by Rangoon, Burma

Japan developed Rabaul into a major

forward base for further expansion

southwestward.

Rabaul

Australia

New

Britain

New Guinea

The Japanese

Empire

The Japanese hoped their Navy and defensive bases

would be sufficient to keep Americans at bay.

Even before the wartime build up, Japan’s

industrial capability was 1/7th of the United

States’. Japanese strategy was for a short

war with definitive sea battles before U.S.

industrial strength could build.

Japan hoped to defeat Americans in an

early war of attrition so the American

people would become disheartened and

receptive to a negotiated peace. This

would let Japan keep her newly acquired

territory and resources.

Admiral

Chester Nimitz

Admiral Nimitz,

the U.S. Navy, and

the American

people had other

plans.

The American “Magic”

• American code name given to the Japanese

message intercepts

Unknown to the Japanese, U.S. naval

intelligence had broken their high-level naval

and diplomatic code. This was the key to

America’s offense in the Pacific.

Japanese plans were often known ahead of

time. American leaders took advantage of

this.

Two views of the machine called Purple

that the U.S. used to crack Japan's code

purple encrypted diplomatic messages.

Admiral Nimitz

• Best defenses in

early days of WP

Orange-3 are

hit-and-run carrier

raids

• Keep Japanese

concerned and

off balance

• Yamamoto - afraid

of a raid on Tokyo

Vice Admiral

William Halsey

(a.k.a. "Bull" Halsey)

• Attack widely

separated

Japanese bases

• Have them think

forces are larger

than actual

• Cause the most

anxiety

USS Hornet (CV-12)

April, 1942

Halsey’s carrier task

force sails into

Japanese home

waters.

B-25 Mitchell bombers take

off from the deck with only

450 feet of 'runway.'

Doolittle’s Raid

B-25 Mitchell Bombers

aboard USS Hornet (CV-12)

LTCOL

James Doolittle

• First to takeoff

• Led the attack on

Tokyo, Yokohama;

and Yokosuka

• Aircraft lost over

Japan: 0

Doolittle’s Raid

April 18, 1942

• Daring one-way mission

• Planned landings in China

• Radio signals detected from Japanese

fishing boats

• Departed 170 miles early to protect

ships

Doolittle’s Raid

April 18, 1942

• Japanese holding practice air raid

• Real air raid unthinkable

• All planes lost (ran out of gas)

• Most crews survived, 8 captured,

3 executed

This raid electrified the world and gave

America's war hopes a terrific lift.

QUESTIONS 20-25

H09-0825.wmv!

Q. What carrier did LtCol Doolittle’s

B-25s takeoff from to bomb

Japan?

Q. What carrier did LtCol Doolittle’s

B-25s takeoff from to bomb

Japan?

A. The USS Hornet (CV-12)

Admiral

Yamamoto

Japanese military

humiliated ~ lost

face

Yamamoto’s plans

to attack Midway

were now revived,

in addition to the

planned Coral Sea

and Solomon

Island operations.

“Magic”

and

“Purple”

Thanks to the American code-breaking

efforts, Admiral Nimitz was aware of

these Japanese intentions.

He planned his actions very carefully.

Battle of the Coral Sea

8 May 1942

The Battle of the Coral Sea took place

completely in and from the air.

Dive bombers and torpedo planes

dropped their weapons on enemy ships

while defensive planes and support ships

fired on the enemy.

It was the first Naval battle in which no

ship on either side ever sighted the other.

New

Guinea

Australia

Pacific

Ocean

Port

Moresby

Coral

Sea

Battle of the

Coral Sea

Japanese

Advantages

• Combat-experienced pilots

• Better torpedoes

• A storm front that partly concealed

their movements

Battle of the

Coral Sea

American

Advantages

• “Magic” in knowing the enemy’s

intentions


The light carrier Shoho is sunk.

The Japanese carrier Shokaku was

severely damaged. The Japanese

carrier Zuikaku’ s air group was

depleted.

USS Lexington (CV-2)

USS Yorktown (CV-5)

Both U.S. carriers are hit.

USS Lexington (CV-2)

• Struck by two torpedoes

• Had to be abandoned

• Later sunk by USS Phelps (DD-360)

Battle of the Coral Sea Losses

66 planes

543 men

1 carrier

1 destroyer

1 tanker

144 planes

5,100 men

1 carrier

2 destroyers

1 cruiser

3 cargo ships

various small craft

Sinking of the

Japanese carrier Shoho

With carriers Shoho sunk,

Shokaku damaged and

Zuikaku’s loss of so many

pilots, the Japanese are

weakened.

The Battle of Midway is next.


While a tactical victory for the Japanese,

Coral Sea is a strategic victory for U.S.

• The invasion of Port Moresby is

cancelled

• The end of all Japanese expansion

southward

• No more threats against Australia and

New Zealand

H09-0965.wmv!

1305 miles

Pacific Ocean

Pearl

Harbor

Midway Island

The Battle of Midway • Japan's immense numerical superiority

• A curious Yamamoto battle plan that

spread the huge Combined Fleet into

10 groups across the Pacific (4 groups

near Midway)

Combined Fleet

~ 11 battleships

~ 8 carriers

~ 23 cruisers

~ 65 destroyers

The Battle of

Midway

Admiral Nimitz

• A small force of:

~ 3 carriers

~ 8 cruisers

~ 14 destroyers

Once again, the key to the impending

action at Midway would be intelligence.

“Magic”

Code breakers were monitoring increasing

messages about an upcoming attack on

“AF” but did not know where “AF” was.

Naval intelligence directed Midway to

radio a fake message about a water shortage.

When Japanese messages appeared

reporting that “AF” was short of water,

Naval intelligence confirmed it was Midway.

Japanese

Diversionary Attack

(3 June 1942) During World War II the Japanese occupied

American Territory in the Aleutian Islands

Pacific Ocean

Midway

Honolulu

Dutch

Harbor

Alaska

Scout Plane

Typically, a long-range plane used

for reconnaissance activities

The PBY shown here was successfully

used for this purpose during WW II in

the Pacific.

Admiral Frank

Jack Fletcher

• Moves two task

forces (16 & 17)

to within 200 miles

northeast of Midway

• Waits; ready for

action

Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher Task Force 17

USS Yorktown (CV-5)

In a remarkable effort, Pearl Harbor repairs the

Yorktown from the Coral Sea damages in May. It

departs with TF-17.

RADM Spruance relieved an ill ADM Halsey

upon return from the Doolittle raid.

Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance

Task Force 16

USS Enterprise (CV-6)~USS Hornet (CV-8)

Battle of Midway

4 June 1942

Admiral Nagumo launches 108

planes for the attack on Midway.

Rear Admiral

Raymond Spruance

• Fletcher’s patrols

find Japanese fleet

• Yorktown will

recover search

planes

• Spruance will

attack using

Enterprise

Japanese Zero

All available (and outdated) U.S. aircraft

from Midway attacked.

However, the American planes were no

match for the maneuverable Zero fighters,

and most were shot down.

Round #1: The Japanese

The Japanese carriers were repeatedly

attacked but U.S. aircraft scored no hits,

and most were shot down.

A U.S. submarine fired its torpedoes, all of

which missed.

Another attack was scheduled to destroy

Midway's airfields. (Bombs were loaded

on Japanese planes for the second attack

- a key factor.)

Admiral

Chuichi Nagumo

• Learns of U.S.

carrier presence

and changes course

• Orders bombs be

replaced by

torpedoes to attack

U.S. carriers

• Bombs remain

on carriers’ decks

(critical)

• First attack wave

returns

• Orders recovery

before second

wave is launched

Admiral

Chuichi Nagumo

U.S. Carrier Torpedo Planes

Three waves of low and slow U.S. planes

attack Nagumo's carriers.

• All shot down • No hits

• Drew Japanese air protection down

Round #2: The Japanese

Admiral Nagumo has now repelled

8 attacks in 3 hours from U.S.

forces without a scratch.

Ready to launch his counterattack,

he turns the carriers into the wind.

Nagumo’s luck has run out. As the

carriers are turning into the wind,

another wave of planes from Enterprise

and Yorktown arrive on a high-altitude

dive-bombing attack.

The dive-bombers

meet almost no

resistance, the air

cover is low,

protecting from the

earlier torpedo plane

attack.

• Planes on deck

• Bombs on deck

• Refueling in process

Within minutes, 3 of Nogumo’s 4 carriers

(Soryo, Kaga, Akagi) are flaming torches.

Further North, the only Japanese

carrier not yet damaged.

The Hiryu's dive bombers follow

Yorktown's planes back and attack.

Hiryu

USS Yorktown (CV-5)

The just repaired (emergency repairs)

Yorktown takes three hits from Hiryu’s

dive bombers and is dead in the water.

USS Yorktown (CV-5)

Further attacks from torpedo planes put

the Yorktown at a severe list to port.

ADM Fletcher transfers flag and turns

tactical command to RADM Spruance.

USS Yorktown (CV-5)

Too damaged to continue the battle,

the order is given to abandoned ship.

The Hiryu

Meanwhile, the Yorktown's planes,

still in the air, locate and report

position and course of the Hiryu.

The Hiryu

Shortly, a wave of dive bombers

from the Lexington score four

direct hits and set her on fire.

Admiral

Isoroku

Yamamoto

With no carriers

left to provide air

cover for warships

or landing forces,

Yamamoto:

• Cancels Midway

operations

• Orders his entire

force to retreat to

the west

Cruisers

Mogami

and

Mikuma

• Japanese force

now under U.S.

submarine attack

• Evading torpedoes,

2 cruisers collide

Spruance forces locate

and sink the Mikuma.

Midway Final Action

Abandoned and being towed, a

Japanese submarine sank the

Yorktown and an escorting destroyer.

Round #3: USA - Knockout Punch

• 4 Japanese carriers lost

• 1 cruiser lost

• Many experienced Japanese pilots lost

which led to the primary cause of

Japan’s defeat

• New Japanese pilots suffer against

increasing number of well-trained

U.S. pilots

H09-1255.wmv

Battle of Midway

Turning Point of the Pacific War

Major Japanese defeat at Midway

Limited Japanese success in Aleutians

• Only diversionary forces successful

• Occupied Kiska and Attu Islands

• Never able to launch another major

offensive

QUESTIONS 26-30

After the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway,

Admiral Nimitz and General MacArthur

thought an Allied counteroffensive was in

order while the Japanese were off balance.

The Japanese thought they needed to

extend and reinforce their land bases for

air cover.

Guadalcanal

This brought the plans of both forces to

Guadalcanal, east of Australia and the

Coral Sea.

The Solomon Islands became the

objective of both the U.S. and Japan.

Pacific

Ocean

Coral

Sea

Guadalcanal Objectives

Launch an operation to protect

New Guinea, and establish a

forward base to attack the

Japanese base at Rabaul.

Build an airfield so their aircraft

could cover their flank as they

completed the conquest of New

Guinea.

Airstrip Discovered

• U.S. scout plane discovers Japanese are

constructing an airstrip

• Becomes the focal point for a series of

naval battles

• A prolonged struggle between U.S.

Marines and Japanese troops for next 6

months

• Marines land Aug 7 on Guadalcanal and

Tulagi

Name given for the many ships sunk

there during the Battle for Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal

Ironbottom

Sound

With heavy fighter losses and the need

to refuel, U.S. carriers Saratoga, Wasp,

and Enterprise retired.

Guadalcanal

The Allies didn't know a major Japanese

naval force of cruisers was heading for the

amphibious ships.

They were coming from Rabaul, the major

Japanese base in the Pacific, on the

northern tip of New Guinea, down “The

Slot,” the passage between the major

Solomon Islands.

Solomon Islands

Tugali

Bouganville Pacific

Ocean

Coral

Sea

Guadalcanal

Vice Admiral

Gunichi Mikawa

Savo Island

• Worst defeat in

U.S. Naval History

• 4 Cruisers sunk:

USS Astoria

USS Vincennes

USS Quincy

HMAS Canberra

• 1 Cruiser and

2 Destroyers hit

• 1,000 Allied sailors

killed

Allied naval forces had to withdraw,

leaving 16,000 U.S. Marines without

support and supplies.

Henderson Field

The airfield was

captured and

renamed.

Defense perimeter

was set up.

The Seabees turned

to and developed

Henderson Field.

First planes arrived,

bringing in supplies.

The "Tokyo Express"

Term used for the steady stream of fast

Japanese transports and destroyers

bringing troops to Guadalcanal to

recapture Henderson Field

QUESTIONS 31-36

By early September, Japanese subs

stationed near Guadalcanal sank the

USS Wasp (CV-7), damaged the USS

Saratoga (CV-3), and torpedoed the

USS North Carolina (BB-55).

Japanese Troops

• Experienced

terrible casualties

• Continued heavy

reinforcements

• By the middle

of October had

22,000 troops on

the island

Battle of Santa Cruz Islands

24 October 1942

Guadalcanal:

Marines held on

to Henderson Field

Pacific

Ocean

Admiral Halsey gambled his carriers and lost.

USS Hornet (CV-8)

~Sunk

The U.S. had lost all of its operational

carriers in the Pacific.

The Japanese had 2 more carriers

damaged and lost 100 planes and pilots.

USS Enterprise (CV-6)

~Heavily Damaged

Naval Battle for Guadalcanal

12-14 November 1942

• 11,000 Japanese troops

• 11 transports

• 2 battleships

• Many cruisers and destroyers

• All coming down "The Slot" - at night

American losses were heavy as well, one

cruiser and seven destroyers sunk, but

Guadalcanal and Henderson Field held.

The Japanese gave up efforts to reinforce

and the remaining naval battles occurred

while trying to supply or withdraw ground

forces.

Two close range night battles cost the

Japanese two battleships, three destroyers

and thousands of ground reinforcements

aboard transports.

USS Juneau (CL-52)

Meanwhile, five brothers, Joseph,

Francis, Albert, Madison, and George,

had enlisted in the U.S. Navy.

These were the Sullivan brothers and all

were serving aboard the light cruiser

Juneau.

The Sullivans

Joseph

Francis

Albert Madison

George

All were killed in the naval battle of

Guadalcanal when the USS Juneau was

hit and sunk by enemy torpedoes.

USS The Sullivans (DD-537)

(Destroyer - 1943)

The only U.S. Navy ship

named after more than

one person

USS The Sullivans (DDG-68)

(Guided Missile Destroyer - 1995)

Battle of Tassaforonga

30 November 1942

"Long-lance" torpedoes – an

oxygen-powered weapon that could deliver

a 1,000 pound warhead at 49 knots over 11

miles (very long range)

Admiral

Raizo Tanaka

Despite vastly superior

forces, the U.S. lost 1

cruiser with 3 more

badly damaged by 8

Japanese transport

destroyers using:

However, the Japanese could not win a

war of ship attrition and U.S. destroyers

and PT boats were inflicting heavy

losses on Japanese troop reinforcements

and transports.

To the Marines’

satisfaction, “The

Tokyo Express”

was slowing down.

The Marines continued their assault,

pushing the Japanese troops back.

9 February 1943

The first U.S. offensive was secured.

12,000 Japanese troops fled the island

Coral

Sea

Pacific

Ocean

Guadalcanal

It would mainly be up to U.S.

forces, and when possible,

Australian and New Zealand

Army Corps (ANZAC)

forces, to prosecute

the war against Japan.

Australia

Guadalcanal

Japan

Casablanca Conference

January 1943

The Allies’ Plan of Attack

“CASABLANCA CONFERENCE”

• Eliminate Japanese outposts in the

Aleutian Islands.

• Intensify submarine attacks.

• Isolate Rabaul, with MacArthur’s

forces assisted by the South Pacific

naval forces.

Allied

Two-Pronged

Attack Chiang Kai-shek

????

MacArthur

Nimitz

General

Chiang Kai-shek

The Allies had hoped

that his forces could

fight their way

through

Burma to the Chinese

coast.

But the Chinese army

was poorly equipped

and badly organized.

Japan’s resistance

was too great.

By recapturing Attu and Kiska, the

Aleutians returned to American control.

Ground forces redeployed to the central

Pacific.

Asia Alaska

Attu

Kiska

Pacific

Ocean

Submarine Warfare

A mirror image of the Atlantic

German goal: to interdict

Allied shipping

U.S. goal: to interdict

Japanese shipping

Atlantic -

Pacific -

Pacific geography made interdiction of

narrow shipping lanes easier.

Philippine

Sea

PHILIPPINES

JAVA

BORNEO INDONESIA

Bigger Subs - Mass Produced

• Almost twice the size of the German U-boat.

• Developed to carry more fuel and torpedoes

for long-distance patrols in a much larger

ocean.

Japanese Submarines

• Little emphasis placed on their

submarine fleet

• Mainly targeted warships

• Underestimated submarine potential

Japan's Convoy Techniques

• Not effective due to lack of escort ships

• Never developed radar

Because of this ...

..., by mid-1943, Japanese merchant

shipping losses to submarine attacks

were very heavy.

The Japanese

could not obtain

needed supplies

from occupied

territories to

support their

war industry or

military forces.

U.S. Submarines

in the Pacific

• Sank over 1,100 merchant ships

(over 5 million tons)

• Sank some 200 naval ships

• Critical point in winning the war in

the Pacific

Results of the

Casablanca Conference

The push will be

on toward Rabaul.

Rabaul

Admiral

Isoroku

Yamamoto

• Realizes the

importance of

Melanesian and

Australasian

approaches to

Rabaul

• Reinforces his

airfields with

carrier wings

• Launches major

raids on Iron-

bottom Sound

• Inflicts heavy losses on U.S. ships

• Greater losses for Japanese carrier

air wings

Admiral

Isoroku Yamamoto

• Plans a morale-

boosting visit to

Japanese bases in

the Solomons

• Message broken,

again, by Magic

• Exact itinerary

forwarded to

Admiral Nimitz

Admiral

Chester W. Nimitz

Yamamoto was

Nimitz’s ablest

adversary and

planned the attack

on Pearl Harbor.

Nimitz directed

Halsey, commander

of the Central

Solomons area, to

take over the

planning of an

ambush.

Army P-38 Lightning fighters from

Henderson Field got the assignment

because of their long range.

Japanese

G4M - "Betty" Bomber

Sixteen P-38s intercepted and shot down

Yamamoto’s plane over Bougainville

Island (northwest of Guadalcanal).

Admiral Yamamoto was killed - a major

blow to Japanese war planning.

The U.S. Fleet conducted many battles

and invasions in the Solomons and

surrounding areas over the next year.

Because Japan could not concentrate

on all fronts at the same time, the Allies

were able to steadily continue toward

the Philippines.

Bypassing Rabaul

• 125,000 Japanese troops surrounded

• No hope of relief or escape

• No need for Allies to capture Rabaul

and incur casualties

The Allied forces continued westward

along the northern New Guinea coast,

then northward toward the Philippines.

A Developing Plan

• Avoid frontal attacks if possible

• Not capture every island

• Advance in greater leaps limited by

available air cover/support

• Bypass and isolate enemy strong-holds,

strangling the supply line

The Allies would:

MacArthur's forces ran westward,

leapfrogging along the northern

New Guinea coast.

Units of Fifth Fleet’s Task Force 58

assisted the amphibious landings.

New

Guinea

Pacific

Ocean

When MacArthur’s forces threaten Biak,

Japan decided to stop this advance.

• Two Japanese invasion attempts

cancelled

• A third attempt planned

Biak

Wakde

MacArthur’s Forces

New Guinea

Admiral

Thomas Kinkaid

• Commander of

Seventh Fleet

11 June 1944

U.S. Fifth Fleet attacked the Marianas,

preparing for an invasion of Saipan.

This operation disrupted the Japanese

Biak attack planning.

Biak

Vice Admiral

Jisaburo Ozawa

• Admiral Toyoda orders

him to suspend Biak

operations and join the

Mobile Fleet east of the

Philippines

• MacArthur now wraps

up New Guinea without

major enemy opposition

• New Guinea operation

is complete by the end

of July

June 1944 - Saipan

• Arguably, the greatest military effort in history

~ Same time as D-day in Normandy

~ A huge force being sent over longer

distances to the Central Pacific

~ 127,000 troops

~ 535 ships

~ 3,000 miles from Pearl Harbor

~ Fast carrier task force support

Army and Task Force 58 carrier

planes hit bases in the Marianas

and Caroline Islands.

C a r o l i n e I s l a n d s

Saipan

Guam

Mariana

Islands

Two days of Naval Bombardment by

U.S. Battleships

USS New Jersey

(BB-62)

Two Marine

divisions hit the

beaches on Saipan.

Heavy Marine Casualties

Saipan

The main airfield was

captured, and the

enemy was being

pushed back.

Admiral Mitscher

placed his forces

between Saipan and

the approaching

Japanese Combined

Fleet.

Admiral

Marc A. Mitscher

Task Force 58

Commander

Mitscher's

Primary Orders

“Capture, occupy,

and defend Saipan,

Tinian, and Guam.”

Admiral Ozawa's scout

planes discovered Task

Force 58 on 18 June.

History records that he

had a total of 32 scout

planes in the air!

Vice Admiral

Jisaburo Ozawa

Ozawa's Forces

6 carriers

surrounded by

cruisers and

destroyers

Vice Admiral

Takeo Kurita

• 100 miles ahead of

Ozawa commanding

main Japanese

surface forces of

battleships and

cruisers in addition

to 3 carriers

Japanese Mobile Force

The Japanese Mobile Force is the combined

forces of Admirals Ozawa and Kurita.

Admiral

Ozawa

Admiral

Kurita

Battle of the Philippine Sea

The stage was set.

Carriers

Battleships

Cruisers

Destroyers

Aircraft

9

5

13

28

430

15

7

21

69

891

As he moved to close with

Task Force 58:

• Counted on support from

the Marianas

He was unaware:

• Only 30 operational

planes there

• Many carrier pilots sick

with malaria from earlier

Biak combined air missions

Vice Admiral

Jisaburo Ozawa

Grumman

F6F Hellcat

Admirals Mitscher and Spruance put

more than 450 planes in the air. New

combat information centers guided the

planes to best advantage.

The American pilots were trained,

experienced, and ready for battle.

"Marianas

Turkey Shoot"

During 8 hours of

furious air warfare,

American pilots

downed 330 aircraft.

H09-2045.wmv!

American submarines Albacore and Cavalla

torpedoed carriers Taiho and Shokaku.

Both exploded hours later.

Admiral Ozawa survived and transferred to

the carrier Zuikaku.

Intending to return the

next day,

• Ordered retirement to

refuel the fleet

• Had only 100 planes left

• Believed erroneous

reports from returning

pilots that TF-58 had

been crippled

Vice Admiral

Jisaburo Ozawa

Admiral

Mitscher

Taking a calculated

risk, he launched 200

planes late in the

afternoon close to

maximum operating

range.

Calculated Risk

A chance of failure, weighted against

the value of success, the probability

of which is estimated before some

action is undertaken

Admiral

Mitscher

The targets are actually

60 miles farther than

anticipated. He had the

aircraft continue and

steamed to close the

gap.

U.S. flyers

find the

Japanese

Fleet and sink

2 oilers and a

carrier.

Two other carriers, a battleship, and a

cruiser are damaged.

Only 10 out of 75 launched Japanese

planes survive.

Japanese naval air capability

is destroyed.

The Marianas invasion is able to

continue with minor opposition.

A Risky Maneuver

Admiral Mitscher turned on carrier lights

at night to guide pilots back to the ship.

Out of a total of 209 aviators, 160 were

recovered.

TF-58 could now provide full assistance

(bombardment) to invading U.S. troops

on Saipan, Tinian, and Guam.

This greatly reduced casualties.

Both Saipan and

Tinian were secured

by the end of July.

Organized

resistance

ceased on Guam by

10 August.

Guam

Tinian

Saipan

New U.S.

Acquisitions

• Logistic bases

• Forward submarine bases

• Air bases for B-29s to

reach cities in Japan

H09-2135.wmv

Premier

Hideki Tojo

The Beginning

of the End

He knew Japan would

have to surrender.

The new cabinet could

not/would not initiate

steps to end the war

for yet another year.

Planning the

Return to the Philippines (WPO-3)

Return to Pearl Harbor to rest

and plan future operations

Admiral

Spruance Admiral

Turner

Gen. “Howling

Mad” Smith

Fleet

Reorganized and

Redesignated

OLD NEW

Fifth Fleet

Fast Carrier

Task Force

U.S. Third Fleet

(ADM Halsey)

TF-38

(VADM Mitscher)

Military Principles

• Maneuver

• Economy of force

• Surprise

• Massing of force

Nimitz's forces had

advanced 4,500

miles from Hawaii to

the Palau Islands.

MacArthur's forces had

moved 1,500 miles to

Morotai, some 300 miles

south of Nimitz's group.

Morotai - one of

the easiest Allied

conquests of the war

Philippines

Palau Islands

Admiral Halsey joins TF-38 in his flag-ship,

the USS New Jersey, and orders air strikes

on the central Philippines.

The results were outstanding!

TF-38 Air Strikes

• 200 enemy airplanes destroyed

• 12 freighters sunk

• 1 tanker sunk

Halsey is convinced the Philippines

are weakly defended.

Halsey recommends to Nimitz:

Bypass Palau Islands and Yap.

Turn ground forces over to MacArthur

for a Leyte Island invasion.

Next Objectives Decided

The central Philippines’ weak defenses lead the

Allies to choose the Philippines over Formosa

(now Taiwan).

Leyte Island would be first, followed by Luzon.

After Peleliu, Nimitz and MacArthur joined

forces on 20 October 1944 for the Philippine

invasion.

Nimitz invaded Iwo Jima and Okinawa early the

following year.

Operation Stalemate

Invasion of Peleliu

These ships conducted the preassault

"softening up" of Peleliu.

Three large carriers and five light carriers

Battleships Hvy Cruisers Lt Cruisers

Pennsylvania

Mississippi

Tennessee

Maryland

Idaho

Minneapolis

Indianapolis

Columbus

Louisville

Portland

Cleveland

Denver

Honolulu

Marine casualty

rate was the

highest of any

amphibious assault

in history. (40%)

The "softening up“

Bombardment

worked somewhat,

but ...

New Japanese

Strategy

• "Defense in depth"

• Fighting the enemy

from fortifications

not "on" the beach

but from behind

the beach

• No useless banzai

charges

Peleliu

September 1944 The Marines quickly secure the beachhead

and capture the airfield.

Marines

Advance

Japanese interior defenses hinder the

Marine attack; advancement is slow

and costly.

February 1945

The island is

secure, but at

a terrible loss.

The Marines suffer 10,000 casualties,

including nearly 2,000 dead.

Airfields and Anchorages

Had the Americans not secured the

Palaus, they would have been a threat

to the Leyte invasion and subsequent

operations in Luzon.

QUESTIONS 37-42

Prior to the invasion of Leyte, elements of

the Third Fleet heavily bombard Okinawa

and Formosa to take out land-based

Japanese air support.

Formosa

(Taiwan)

Okinawa

Over 350 Japanese land-based aircraft are

destroyed ensuring U.S. air superiority over

Leyte beaches.

October 11-15, 1944

20 October 1944

D-day

More than 60,000 troops land on

Leyte’s beaches in one day.

From then on, the island’s interior

fighting is tougher.

Leyte

20 October 1944

D-day

Accompanied by President Osmena,

MacArthur wades ashore and urges the

Philippine people, in a radio address, to rise

and strike the Japanese. “I have returned.”

By late December, 1944 most

areas needed for air and

logistical bases are secure.

In the mountainous

areas though, organized

Japanese resistance

continues into spring, 1945.

Only slightly behind schedule,

Sixth Army moves on to

Luzon while some troops

continue fighting on Leyte.

Leyte

Invasion of Luzon

9 January 1945

Four Army divisions

land on the shores of

Lingayen Gulf.

Japanese naval forces

are unable to intervene.

Invasion of Luzon

The most significant defense the

Japanese can muster are Kamikaze

attacks against Admiral Kinkaid's

supporting naval force and Admiral

Mitscher’s carrier force (TF-58).

It took a month of bitter building-to-building

fighting to dislodge Japanese troops.

Manila - 3 February 1945

• Mid-March

• Open for shipping

• After immense salvage

and repair

Manila

Bay

Similar to the

mountainous

resistance on Leyte,

Luzon has

strong pockets of

resistance in the

mountains.

With that exception,

Luzon resistance

ends by late June

1945.

The Battles for

Leyte Gulf

23-26 October 1944

Just days after

MacArthur and

Osmena waded

ashore on D-Day,

came the greatest

Japanese challenge

to the invasion.

Leyte

Gulf

Admiral

Soemu Toyoda

Things He Knew

• Lose Philippines, lose

everything

• No access to Dutch

East Indies resource

(reason war started)

• No fuel or ammo

• Blockade of Japan

possible

• Outnumbered but

last chance

The Japanese Fleet’s primary objective

was to destroy the Amphibious Task

Force.

Admiral Toyoda directed nearly every

Japanese warship still afloat to attack the

enemy at Leyte.

Battle of the Sibuyan Sea

Battle of Surigao Strait

Battle off Cape Engaño

Battle off Samar

The largest and most

complex naval battles in

history ending with most

of Japan’s carriers and

surface forces eliminated.

Major Battles

A new Japanese weapon

appears in the final

assaults on the

Philippines in early 1945.

the "kamikaze"

suicide plane.

Panay

Mindanao

"Kamikaze"

Suicide Plane

• Means divine wind

• Refers to a typhoon

that saved Japan

from an invading

Mongol fleet in 1281

U.S. naval forces suffer increasing

damage and sinkings from these until

the Philippines are secure.

"Kamikaze"

But the worst of this type of

attack was yet to come.

The conquest of the Marianas provided

bases for the large B-29 bombers to

make devastating air raids on Japan's

industrial cities.

QUESTIONS 43-48

Iwo Jima

• A volcanic island between the

Marianas and Japan

• Controlled by the Japanese

As long as Japan held this island, the

home islands' defenses were alerted

when bombers were en route.

Japanese fighters would scramble to

intercept the B-29s.

B-29 "Superfortress"

• 3,000 miles roundtrip

• Too far for fighters to accompany

and defend the bombers

The airfields at

Iwo Jima could

be used as an

emergency landing

base for the B-29s

and as a fighter base

for escort planes.

Tokyo

Iwo Jima

Saipan B-29 Base

The Japanese

knew the value

of Iwo Jima and

expected an

assault.

• Increased garrison to 23,000 troops

• Transformed Iwo Jima into the

strongest fortress in the Pacific

Iwo Jima

• An 8-square mile island of lava cut into

hills and ravines, overlooked by 550-

foot Mount Suribachi, an extinct volcano

Iwo Jima

Japanese

Fortifications

(pillboxes)

• Many interconnecting passageways

between 400 concealed pillboxes and

concrete blockhouses

Invasion

Force

Arrives

• Only 3 days of bombardment instead

of the 10 Marines requested

• Would prove to be grossly inadequate

Iwo Jima

D-day

19 Feb 1945

• 500 landing craft

• 8 battalions of Marines

• Hundreds of planes from TF-58

• Use of rockets, machine guns, general

purpose and napalm bombs

Assault

Waves

As troops approach the beach, gunfire

support provides barrage of fire ahead

and on the flanks of advancing Marines.

Assault waves

quickly pile up

on the beach.

Amphibious tractors are unable to climb

the crumbling volcanic ash.

Landing craft broach (turn sideways) or

run into earlier boat waves.

Marines

On the

Beach

• Hit by withering machine gun, mortar,

and heavy gunfire that waited until

targets were packed together.

Mount Suribachi was isolated, but

at a high cost. Of 30,000 Marines

who hit the beach the first day,

2,400 were casualties.

Assault on Mount Suribachi

• 3 days of attacking pillboxes with

grenades, flamethrowers, rockets,

and demolition charges

H09-2665.wmv

Mount Suribachi

is surrounded

by U.S. Marines.

IWO JIMA

The second

American flag

is raised.

The photo

immortalized

the moment

and has

inspired the

American

people.

H09-2685.wmv

QUESTIONS 49-50

USS Saratoga (CV-3)

• Badly damaged by kamikaze attacks

The USS Bismarck

Sea (CVE-95) sank

after her stern

blew off.

Iwo Jima

It took over a month instead of 5 days.

Only 200 Japanese were captured. All

the rest (nearly 22,000) were killed.

Over 19,000 Marines and Sailors were

wounded. Almost 7,000 were killed.

First time assault force casualties

exceeded Japanese defender’s

casualties.

Iwo Jima

Historians have described U.S. forces‘

attack against the Japanese defense

as "throwing human flesh against

reinforced concrete."

There were no front lines. The Marines

were above ground and the Japanese

underground.

The Marines rarely saw a live Japanese

soldier but they could see the Marines.

"Among the

Americans serving

on Iwo island,

uncommon valor was

a common virtue."

Admiral

Chester Nimitz

The Battle of Okinawa

The war was closing in on Japan.

U.S. carrier aircraft began striking cities

in Japan.


TF-58 supports 200 B-29s in a massive

raid on Tokyo.

• 150 Japanese aircraft destroyed

Weeks of heavy raids and softening-up

attacks on Japanese bases on Kyushu

and Okinawa preceeded the assault

landings on Okinawa.


Korea JAPAN Tokyo

Okinawa

Assault Landings on Okinawa

• 1,300 ships

• 182,000 assault troops

Japanese troops are

well-entrenched and

prepared.

Last-ditch Effort

The Japanese troops on Okinawa know

they are the last obstacle to an Allied

invasion of their home islands.

Many pledge to fight to the death to

prevent the island from falling and their

homeland being invaded.

Kamikaze Attacks

All elements of the invasion fleet

were subject to these fierce attacks.

Fighting the Kamikaze Attacks

The Japanese began their last major

counterattack of the war.

Over 350 Japanese kamikazes came

to strike U.S. forces.

H09-2855.wmv

Japanese Battleship Yamato

Last Surviving Japanese

Surface Force

• Battleship Yamato

• Light cruiser Yahagi

• 8 destroyers

• 2,500 tons of

Japanese fuel

oil (last of it)

Last Surviving Japanese

Surface Force

• A one-way trip for ships and planes

• Not enough fuel to return to Japan

Mission

Drive through the invasion fleet.

Cause as much damage as possible.

Beach themselves at the invasion site.

Fire until all ammunition was expended

or until they were destroyed.

Combat air patrols from TF-58 shoot down

150 kamikazes.

Two hundred make it to Okinawa.

Most of these are shot down by U.S. fighters

or antiaircraft fire.

Admiral

Marc A. Mitscher

Once the Yamato

force is in the best

position and cannot

retreat, Admiral

Mitscher unleashes

the full force of his

carrier planes.

Only two Japanese

destroyers survive

and make it back to

base.

Over the next 3 months of the Okinawa

operation, hundreds of kamikazes

attack the U.S. Fifth and Third Fleets.

Lt. General

Mitsuru Ushijima

He and his chief of

staff acknowledge

defeat on Okinawa

by committing

suicide.

U.S. Navy

Losses on

Okinawa

• 68 warships

• Over 4,000 Sailors

• More than either the Marines or the Army

The end of organized fighting for the

Japanese.

Japanese

Losses on

Okinawa

• 100,000 troops

• 7,000 airplanes

Emperor

Hirohito

• Told his Supreme

War Council that

they must find a

way to end the war

• Japanese cities in

ashes due to fire-

bombing raids

• No navy or air force

left

Fire-bomb

• An explosive device having

incendiary effects

• To attack with a fire-bomb or

fire-bombs

• Napalm, gasoline, kerosene,

flame-thrower

Soviet Intentions

In April, the Soviet Union had informed

the Japanese that they would not renew

their Neutrality Pact. Since Germany had

surrendered in May, by June Soviet

entry into the Pacific War was imminent.

Bringing the war to an

end was not an easy

task.

• Powerful factions

remained in the

military

• No surrender unless

the emperor and the

imperial system

were preserved Emperor

Hirohito

Japan made peace feelers to the Soviets

during negotiations for an extension of

the Neutrality Pact.

The Soviets remained silent. At the

Potsdam, Germany meeting in late July

Stalin told neither the U.S. nor Britain.

U.S. intelligence was reading radio

traffic (being sent) between the Foreign

Ministry in Tokyo and the Japanese

ambassador in Moscow.

U.S. Intelligence

However, U.S.

intelligence came

into play again.

Potsdam Declaration - July 1945

Prime Minister

Churchill

President

Truman

Premier

Stalin

Potsdam Declaration

Unconditional surrender pertained only

to military forces.

All possessions were to be given up

with the exception of the four main

Japanese islands - Hokkaido, Honshu,

Shikoku, and Kyushu.

No decision about preserving the

Emperor.

The Final Days

With unhampered movement all along

the Japanese coasts, the Americans and

British were planning an invasion of the

home islands code-named Operation

Downfall.

But events were moving faster than

governments.

16 July 1945

The first atomic device is exploded

at Alamogordo, New Mexico.

USS Indianapolis (CA-35)

Carried bomb parts and enriched nuclear

fuel to the island of Tinian in the Marianas

Sunk while returning to Guam. Secret

mission left Sailors in the water for 5 days

with oil and sharks, 317 survivors of 1200.

President

Harry S. Truman

Projection of

Casualties

Invasion

vs.

Bomb

President Truman

opted to use the A-

bomb in order to end

the war and avoid the

massive casualties of

a homeland invasion.

6 August 1945

A B-29, the Enola Gay, left Tinian to

bomb the Japanese industrial city of

Hiroshima.

The bomb utterly destroyed the city.

“Little Boy”

The First

A-bomb

Length: 10! feet

Diameter: 29"

Weight: 9,700 pounds

Yield: 12.5 kilotons

• Ended the war in Europe 3 months

earlier with assault on Berlin

• The end of the Pacific war was near

• 8 August 1945 - Declared war on Japan

• Moved forces into Manchuria and Korea

Soviet

Union

Despite its destruction, Japanese

military elements still refused to

consider unconditional surrender.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima

9 August 1945

Another B-29 bomber dropped a second

atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki.

The Second

A-bomb

Length: 10' 8"

Diameter: 5'

Weight: 10,000 pounds

Yield: 22 kilotons

“Fat Man”

Atomic Bomb Data

Date

Target

Plane

Pilot

Bomb

6 Aug 1945

Hiroshima

B-29

"Enola Gay"

Col. Tibbetts

"Little Boy"

9 Aug 1945

Nagasaki

B-29

"Bock's Car"

Maj. Sweeney

"Fat Man"

Emperor

Hirohito

• Faced with an

ultimate decision

• Advised his Supreme

Council to accept the

Potsdam Declaration

His cabinet agreed, but

only upon the condition

that the imperial

system remain.

U.S. Secretary of State

Statement in August 1945

The imperial system would remain.

The Emperor must submit to the Allied

commander's authority during the

occupation of Japan.

The Emperor's final status would rest

on free elections at a later date.

Allies Converge on Tokyo Bay

2 September 1945

The Japanese foreign minister and the

representatives of the Imperial General

Staff board USS Missouri (BB-63).

Signing the Surrender Document

Japanese Foreign Minister

Mamoru Shigemitsu


General Yoshijiro Umezu

Chief of the Army

General Staff


Gen. Douglas

MacArthur


Admiral

Nimitz

Representatives Signing

the Surrender Document

• United States

• Japan

• United Kingdom

• China

• Soviet Union

• Australia

• Canada

• France

• The Netherlands

• New Zealand

V-J Day!!

(Victory in Japan)

• Treaty signed

onboard USS

Missouri in

Tokyo Bay

2 Sep 1945

World War II: The Pacific War

1941-1945

Jul 1941

7 Dec 1941

11 Mar 1942

18 Apr 1942

8 May 1942

4 Jun 1942

7 Aug 1942

9 Feb 1943

Aug 1943

~ U.S. halted oil sales to Japan

~ Japan bombed Pearl Harbor

~ MacArthur left Philippines

~ Doolittle raided Japan

~ Battle of Coral Sea

~ Battle of Midway

~ Marines landed on

Guadalcanal

~ Guadalcanal secured

~ Aleutians recaptured


1941-1945

Mar 1944

15 Jun 1944

18 Jun 1944

Jul 1944

20 Oct 1944

23-26 Oct 1944

19 Feb 1945

~ Rabaul bypassed

~ Saipan landing

~ Battle of the Philippine

Sea

~ New Guinea secured

~ MacArthur invaded

Philippines

~ Battle for Leyte Gulf

~ Iwo Jima landing


1941-1945

1 Apr-21 Jun 1945

6 Aug 1945

8 Aug 1945

2 Sep 1945

~ Battle of Okinawa

~ Atomic bomb dropped

on Hiroshima

~ Soviets declared war on

Japan

~ Japan surrendered

Documents

CHAPTER 9 WORLD WAR II: THE PACIFIC WAR 1941 - …9.0+-+World...CHAPTER 9 WORLD WAR II: THE PACIFIC WAR 1941 - 1945 . ... Kaneohe Bay struck simultaneously ... Japanese Master Plan