Transcript The End of the War

The End of the War
Section 5
War in the Pacific
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Island Hopping
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U.S. tries to gain control of the Pacific
Attacked islands as they closed in on Japan
 Tarawa
 Gaudalcanal
 Saipan
 Iwo Jima
 Guam
 Okinawa
 Philippines
Passed over islands of no strategic importance
A Deadly Routine
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American ships would shell the island with an
artillery barrage
Marines would come ashore under heavy
gunfire
Hand-to-Hand fighting would lead to
Americans overcome the fierce Japanese
resistance
Navajo Code-Talkers
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Used their own language to radio messages
from island to island
Japanese were unable to decode/decipher
messages
Examples:
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besh-lo = “iron fish” – submarine
Ne-as-jah = “owl” – observation plane
Japanese Military
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Bushido – “Way of the Warrior”
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Emphasized loyalty, honor, and sacrifice
Surrendering was dishonorable
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Japanese fought to the death or commited suicide
rather than surrender
Kamikaze – suicide missions were Japanese
pilots deliberately crashed into U.S. ships
Attacking the Home Islands
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April 1945 – U.S. prepared to invade Japan
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Operation Downfall
Bombers continually hit factories and cities
Japanese people suffered terribly, yet leaders
still promised victory
Bomb or invade?
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Expected casualties
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Between 250,000 and 1,000,000
Japanese were training civilians to fight back
Japanese threatened to execute POW’s if
U.S. invaded
Casualties in other parts of Asia expected to
be as high as 250,000 if U.S. waited
Prevented Soviets from attacking Japan as
well
Potsdam Declaration
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Issued Ultimatum
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Requested surrender or:
Face “the inevitable and complete destruction of
the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitably
the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland”
Defense Minister Fumio
Kyuma
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"I now have come to accept in my mind that in
order to end the war, it could not be helped that
an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and
that countless numbers of people suffered great
tragedy." Mr.Fumio Kyuma, who is from
Nagasaki, said the bombing caused great
suffering in the city, but he does not resent the
U.S. because it prevented the Soviet Union from
entering the war with Japan
Opposition
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Considered to be immoral
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War crimes, crimes against humanity, state
terrorism
Unnecessary, Japan ready to surrender
Hiroshima – August 6, 1945
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90,000-140,000 total deaths
1950-1990 – 9% of cancer deaths caused by
radiation
Cont.
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Nagasaki – August 9th, 1945
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40,000-80,000 deaths
Many survivors of the bombing of Hiroshima were in
Nagasaki
Approx 400,000 Hibakusha – “explosion-affected
people”
Unintended casualties
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Allied POWs.
Korean and Chinese laborers.
Students from Malaya on scholarships.
Some 3,200 Japanese American citizens.
Deadliest War in History
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Total loss of Human life
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Approx. 72 million people
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http://worldwar2database.blogspot.com/2010/10/world-war-iicasualties.html
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China – 20 m
 Germany – 7.2 m
 Japan – 2.7 m
 Poland – 5.6 m
 Soviet Union – 23 m
 United Kingdom – 450,000
 United States – 418,500
Nuremberg Trials
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12 Nazi Leaders
sentenced to death.
Thousands of other
Nazis imprisoned.
Japanese leaders tried
and executed as well.