World War Two 1939-1945: The War in the Pacific

Note to teachers:

• All notes describe how Graeme Stacey uses this material. You are free to adopt, change, or ignore any of these suggestions.

• Before the start of the lesson, use handout 2.1: Timeline of Origins & Events of the Asia-Pacific War, from the Resource Guide, “Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific 1931-1945”. A link to this resource is available on the HKVCA website in English here: http://www.hkvca.ca/tztrans/e/human_rights.htm and in French here: http://www.hkvca.ca/tztrans/f/human_rights.htm

• Discuss information from the “Interwar Period”, and follow events to 1941.

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LESSON OUTLINE & OBJECTIVES

In today’s lesson, we will look at the growing war in the Asia-Pacific region.

• You will learn about:– The goals of an aggressive Japan.– The reason behind attacks like “Pearl Harbor”.– The role Canada played in defending the British colony of Hong

Kong.– The fate suffered by our soldiers after being defeated by the

Japanese army.

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• The Emperor of Japan was in the process of expanding his empire.• Japan had control of Korea, Mongolia, and parts of China.• Japan continued south, securing resources (rubber, tin, oil).• The British were reinforcing their interests in the Pacific, but could

not do much because they were occupied with Germany.

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• The US had denied Japan access to oil.

• Oil was available in the Dutch East Indies.

• To get it & control it, Japan needed to control the seas.

• The only threat to Japanese naval dominance was the US.

• Japan planned strategic attacks against the US and Britain.

• On Dec. 7, 1941, they hit Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Wake Island, and Midway Island.

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Pearl Harbor• Of the many attacks, Pearl Harbor was the most significant.• Japan had studied the use of carrier-based aircraft.• They used this strategy to strike at the US Pacific Fleet based in

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

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• Canada declared war on Japan on Dec. 7, 1941.• The United States declared war on Japan on Dec. 8, 1941.• Hitler, honoring a treaty with Japan, declared war on the US.• The US, honoring a pledge to Britain, adopts policy of “Hitler First”.

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• The US would fight Japan, but the priority was defeating Hitler.• The US lost many ships, but they soon recovered and the US

President now had the full support of the public.• This was a major turning point, bringing the US into the war.

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Hong Kong• Hong Kong was the most significant

attack for Canada.• 1,975 inexperienced Canadian

troops were sent to Hong Kong.• 50,000 experienced Japanese troops

attacked on Dec. 7, 1941.• The Canadians fought valiantly

against overwhelming odds.• The Canadians held them off for

more than two weeks.

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• In one battle, 100 Canadians held off two Japanese regiments, inflicting over 800 casualties on the Japanese.

• The Japanese commander was forced to apologize when he learned how many defenders caused those casualties.

• On Christmas Day, 1941, Japan occupied Hong Kong.• 555 Canadians died, almost ½ in Japanese prison camps.

Sai Wan Bay Cemetery (283 Canadian soldiers are buried there)

World War Two 1939-1945: The War in the Pacific

Note to teachers:

• From the Resource Guide, “Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific 1931-1945”, students are given Handout 3.1-Canadian Prisoners of War, and asked to read to the subtitle, “Japan Attacks”.

• As a class, discuss “Why did we send troops?”, “What mistakes were made?”, “Who made them?”

• Use Google Earth to look at Hong Kong and discuss its defence. Find key locations such as the reservoir and the Gin Drinkers Line.

World War Two 1939-1945: The War in the Pacific

Note to teachers: • The handout (3.1) is not assigned reading, but serves as a back-up for students who

miss one or both days of video. The handout also serves as a reference point for key discussions.

Note to English or French-Immersion teachers: • As a class, we watch “Savage Christmas” streamed from the National Film Board

website. Links to the film and accompanying discussion notes are available from the HKVCA Teachers’ Contributions page.