Transcript War in the Pacific

War in the Pacific
Background
• Japan invades China in 1937.
• Japan joins the Axis in Sept 1940.
• US, British, and Dutch impose oil embargo
in July 1941 to put brakes on Japanese
imperialism.
• Japanese expect armed conflict, but buy
time and surprise through negotiations.
• US population focused on war in Europe.
Situation
• Growing Japanese Empire starved for resources
– Needed for economy / war machine
– Oil, rubber, rice, metals, etc
• Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
– Pre-emptive Strike
• Successful opening offensive
– Border extended 14,200mi
• Over half the earths circumference
• Each offensive conducted in an area larger then European
and Mediterranean Theatres combined
Defensive Phase
Offensive Phase
Tarawa
Pearl Harbor
Marianas (Saipan, Tinian, Guam)
Wake Is.
Iwo Jima
Kiska/Attu – Aleutians
Okinawa
Philippines (Bataan)
Firebombing Tokyo
Guam
Hiroshima, Nagasaki
“Turning Point”
Midway - June 1942
• Japanese get greedy.
– Not satisfied w/ original perimeter.
– Want base to bomb Hawaii.
– Destroy US naval fleet.
• US breaks Japanese code.
• Jap. complex plan with many targets.
– Aleutians, Midway, Fleet, etc.
• First naval battle fought entirely with
airplanes.
Midway: The Tide Turns
• Japanese lose four heavy carriers, all planes,
and many of their best pilots
• US loses A/CC USSYorktown.
Offensive Phase
• “Twin Thrusts”
• MacArthur from south
• Purpose
– Push back and destroy the enemy
– By-Pass enemy strongholds
– Regain the Philippines
• Capture of New Guinea puts him in a position to
retake Philippines
Offensive in the Southern Pacific
MacArthur
Twin Thrusts – Nimitz
• Nimitz from across the Pacific
– Carrier Fleet vulnerable to land air bases
• Purpose
– Cut the enemy in two
– Break enemy will to fight
• Firebombing
– Prepare to invade Japan
Offensive in the Central Pacific
Nimitz
Tarawa
• 1943
– (Mac) March Bismark Sea (limited Japanese
reinforcement of Southern Pacific)
– (Nim) November Tarawa and Makin (Gilberts)
• 1944
– (Nim) February
Kwajalein & Eniwetok
(Marshalls)
– (Mac) February-June New Guinea
– (Nim) June-August Saipan, Tinian, Guam
(Marianas)
• B29s able to bomb Japan
– (Mac & Nim) October
Leyte Gulf
• Destroyed much of Japanese Navy
• Largest Naval Battle in History
Iwo Jima (Nimitz)
• 9 Feb 1945
• Objective: Airfields
• Pre-invasion bombardment: 3 days.
– Weather limited effectiveness of this.
• 3, 4, 5 MARineDIV
– 1st wave gets ashore, but when bombardment lifts for
them to move inland, all hell breaks loose.
• Southern half of island in US hands by D+2.
– Takes 34 more days to secure remainder of island (8
square miles total).
Iwo Jima
• Nothing fancy; simple but costly.
– “Throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete.”
• 36 days, 26k US casualties including 6k KIA.
• 1k of 20k defenders survived
• 2400 B-29s w/ 27k crewmen made unscheduled
landings on island by the time the war ended.
• 27 Medals of Honor awarded.
1945
• February-March Iwo Jima
(Nim.)
• March Tokyo raids
• Low level incendiary bombing runs with much
destruction. Designed to force surrender but
didn’t.
• April-June Okinawa (Nim.)
– Japanese home island – very tough
resistance
• August
• 6th Hiroshima
• 9th Nagasaki
• 14th Japan surrenders.
• September 2
VJ Day
• Using the data below, create a bar
graph or line graph showing U.S.
casualties in the Pacific theater in WWII.
• What “trends” can you identify?
Battle
Dead
Wounded
Tarawa (Gilberts)
1,001
2,300
Guam (Marianas)
3,000
7,000
Saipan (Marianas)
3,426
13,160
Iwo Jima
6,000
17,200
Okinawa
12,500
35,500
A New Formula for Mass
Destruction
• Japan warned, but refused to surrender.
• Planners estimate 3-5x as many casualties as at
Okinawa.
• Hiroshima
– 6 August 1945
– 60-70k killed or missing
• Nagasaki
– 9 August
– 40k killed
• Logical outcome of “Total War”?