Global Struggles

Unit 71941 - 1960

America and World War II

The Early BattlesChapter 21 Section 2

Holding the Line Against Japan

• American aircraft carriers were out at sea during the attack on Pearl Harbor

Holding the Line Against Japan

• The Fall of the Philippines – After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor they

turned their attention to the Philippines– General Douglas MacArthur

• In charge of American Forces

– Troops ate horses and mules and the conditions were primitive

– Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave• MacArthur – “I came through, and I shall

return.”

Holding the Line Against Japan

• The Fall of the Philippines– The people remaining on the Bataan

Peninsula were forced to become prisoners of the Japanese• Marched 65 miles to a Japanese Prison Camp• Bataan Death March – ten thousand troops

died on the march

– Philippines finally surrendered to the Japanese

Holding the Line Against Japan

• The Doolittle Raid on Tokyo– Roosevelt wanted to bomb Tokyo but

American planes could not reach it unless on an airplane carrier

– Idea• Put B-25 bombers on the carriers and they

would be able to reach Tokyo but. . . • The B-25 Bombers cannot land on the

aircraft carriers• Never Fear – There is a solution

– After bombing Japan the American B-25s will land in China

Holding the Line Against Japan

• Japan Changes Strategy – Admiral Yamamoto wants to attack

Midway Island • Would lure the American fleet out in the

Pacific and he would be able to destroy the fleet

Holding the Line Against Japan

• The Battle of the Coral Sea– The Japanese wanted to attack New

Guinea because it would cut off America’s supply lines

– America sent two carriers to stop the Japanese

– Both sides launched an all out airstrike – New Guinea is able to remain free from

the Japanese

Holding the Line Against Japan

• The Battle of Midway– Americans had already learned of

Japan’s plan to attack Midway – The Japanese fleet ran into an ambush – Admiral Yamamoto was forced to retreat – Battle of Midway is seen as the turning

point in the Pacific for Americans• 362 Americans killed• 3,057 Japanese killed

Stopping the Germans

• The Soviet Union was begging Roosevelt to send troops to Europe

• Great Britain (Churchill) wanted to attack the periphery or the edges of the German Empire

• Roosevelt agreed with Churchill and he ordered the invasion of Morocco and Algeria

Stopping the Germans

• The Struggle for North Africa– Invade Morocco and Algeria for two

reasons• Invasion would give the army some

experience without a lot of troops• Once American troops were in North Africa

they could help the British fight the Germans

– General Erwin Rommel “Desert Fox”• Commanded the German Forces

Stopping the Germans

• The Struggle for North Africa– The British forced Rommel to retreat – American General Dwight D Eisenhower planned

to trap Rommel between two allied forces • American troops won their land and advanced into

Tunisia while the British headed west

– In Tunisia the American Forces finally faced the German Army for the first time and did HORRIBLE• Americans were outmaneuvered and outfought

– The British and the Americans troops together were able to push the German troops out of North Africa

Stopping the Germans

• The Battle of the Atlantic – After Germany declared war on the

United States German Submarines entered American coastal waters

– Cargo ships were easy targets• Cities on the east coast dimmed their lights • People put up black out curtains• Drive without their headlights on

Stopping the Germans

• The Battle of the Atlantic – Because of the large number of ships

that were sunk oil had to be rationed • Government built the first long distance

pipeline from Texas to Pennsylvania

– Convoy System is back in action– American airplanes and warships began

using new technology • Radar, sonar, depth charges

Stopping the Germans

• The Battle of Stalingrad– Hitler ordered the German army to attack

the Soviet Union • Capture strategic oil fields, factories, and

farmlands and Stalingrad

– Stalingrad• If the Germans captured Stalingrad then the

Soviet Union would loose their resources• Stalin ordered his men to hold the city – Retreat

was Forbidden• Germans fought from one place to the next but

they were not equipped for the cold weather

Stopping the Germans

• The Battle of Stalingrad – Both sides lost about half a million

soldiers each – The Soviet Union managed to hold onto

Stalingrad and push the Germans back• The Battle of Stalingrad is seen as the

turning point in the European Theater