Victory in the PacificLecture 27.4 World War II

Using a naval strategy of island hopping to Japan’s doorstep and bombing Japanese cities to ruins, the American military faced suicidal Japanese resistance that only broke following the use of nuclear war.

The Hook: Connect what we discuss to this…

America’s official entry into World War II began in the Pacific (infamously on 7 December 1941)

America and its new allies believed that the war in Europe should be given priority.◦ Why?

The Pacific War: The Big Picture

First goal: Halt the Japanese drive toward AustraliaAmerica’s primary allies in the Pacific War

ChinaGreat BritainFrance (Free French)Philippines (American territory before the war)

The Pacific War was a naval war◦ The Japanese Empire in the western

Pacific consisted of hundreds of islands spread across the world’s largest ocean.

◦ Islands were “unsinkable aircraft carriers” and served as bases for attack

◦ At the height of the Japanese Empire, it extended from Alaska to New Guinea; Manchuria to the approaches to New Zealand

The aircraft Carrier and airplane of great importance

The Marine Corps most celebrated operations were in the Pacific War

A Different War: The Geography of the Pacific

In the Pacific War, the enemy was not white◦ Japanese Americans in the west were put

into concentration camps◦ Racial differences were exaggerated for

propaganda by both sides The Japanese believed that the

Emperor Hirohito was divine and they were willing to die for him

Bushido- Samurai Code-Fight to the death- Never surrender◦ Japanese looked at surrendering troops

as losing their honor and not deserving of life

◦ Japanese were particularly brutal with prisoners

A Different War: The Character of the Enemy

Goal 1: Stop the Japanese drive to Australia◦ Australia was to be the base for

American operations- its loss would be devastating Japanese were bombing Northern

Australia within a month of their attack on Pearl Harbor

Japanese approach to Australia checked at the Battle of the Coral Sea May 1942 Fist time Japanese expansion is checked First naval battle carried out by

airplanes- Battleships do little

Americans to stage their first offensive from Australia in August 1942- Guadalcanal

Stopping the Rising Sun: Spring 1942

◦ Japanese drive toward Hawaii checked at the Battle of Midway 3-6 June 1942 Part of a two pronged Japanese attack

Japanese plans were intercepted and read by cryptologists

America focuses forces near Midway American Aircraft Carriers spared by

the attack at Pearl Harbor were key in this battle

Japan loses four carriers and withdraws

◦ First clear defeat of the Japanese- last Japanese offensive Japanese strategists doubted that

Japan could lose a war with America if it lasted longer than 6 months In retrospect, how was this battle the

beginning of the end for Japan?

Midway and Turning the Tide

Some Images of Midway

Some Images of Midway

Some Images of Midway

Allies begin to push Japanese away from Australia at the Battle of Guadalcanal◦ Protect the lifeline between Australia and America◦ Japanese cut off American forces for a time

Lived off rats, moldy rice and rainwater- a very tenuous hold on the islands for the first few months

Troops plagued by disease, hunger, heat and Japanese attacks Three different naval engagements dislodge the Japanese by February 1943

First successful offensive against Japan- Same time as Operation Torch in North Africa

Guadalcanal: First Allied Offensive (August 1942- January 1943)

Using a naval strategy of island hopping to Japan’s doorstep and bombing Japanese cities to ruins, the American military faced suicidal Japanese resistance that only broke following the use of nuclear war.

The Hook: Connect what we discuss to this…

American strategy to defeat Japan popularly known as island hopping◦ Target islands where it was

believed the Japanese were weaker and isolate stronger islands

◦ Two prongs: Western- New Guinea to Philippines to Okinawa (Army Douglas MacArthur) Eastern-Central Pacific to Iwo Jima (Navy and Chester Nimitz)

Island Hopping to Tokyo

The Japanese became more reluctant to withdraw form islands as the Americans drew closer to Japan

Tarawa a group of islands 2500 mi southwest of Hawaii

Largest island was 3 miles by ½ mile- defended by 4700 Japanese

Japanese do not withdraw- all by 17 die fighting

Americans underestimated Japanese will

Nearly 3000 Marine casualties in taking this small island (about twice the size of Cambridge Springs)

Tarawa : The Costs of Island Hopping

Conquest of the Marianas Islands put American planes within range of Tokyo

Japanese would continue suicidal resistance◦ Saipan was defended by 30,000 Japanese- all by 1000 dies

defending the island Japanese civilians pushed their children over cliffs and then

jumped rather than accept surrender to the Americans Taught that surrender would be worse than death

Key question: Would the Japanese continue to fight until every last Japanese was killed?◦ What would it take to defeat 70 million peopl eon the

home islands? At this time, Japanese military planners believed

the war was lost- only could hope to negotiate terms of defeat

Saipan and the Marianas: Bringing the Japanese Home Islands into Range

The American evacuation of the Philippines in 1942 was the most significant humiliation of the war

General MacArthur wanted to deliver on his promise to return

Debate on whether this was strategically important to defeat Japan

The Japanese though the remainder of its navy to defend the islands

Leyte Gulf-Largest naval defeat in history◦ Lost 60 ships- including the largest

battleship ever built The Yamoto◦ Japan, an island nation now had no navy to

guard it Japanese resistance in the Philippines

did not end until July 1945- 60,000 casualties

The Philippines and Leyte

Using a naval strategy of island hopping to Japan’s doorstep and bombing Japanese cities to ruins, the American military faced suicidal Japanese resistance that only broke following the use of nuclear war.

The Hook: Connect what we discuss to this…

Japanese planners knew that the Americans next moves would be to Iwo Jima and Okinawa

Americans publically called for an unconditional surrender- Unacceptable for most Japanese◦ Bushido Code and Emperor worship

Japanese hoped to negotiate acceptable conditions to stop fighting though the Soviet Union (neutral)

Japanese hoped to negotiate after showing the Americans how costly unconditional victory would be in defending Iwo Jima and Okinawa

Ketsu-Go Japanese plan to defend the home islands

Japan and the war by 1945

Using a naval strategy of island hopping to Japan’s doorstep and bombing Japanese cities to ruins, the American military faced suicidal Japanese resistance that only broke following the use of nuclear war.

The Hook: Connect what we discuss to this…

A tiny volcanic island 4.5 mi by 2.5 mi 760 mi from Tokyo

Contained airfields that could accommodate bombers retuning from Japan

18,000 Japanese defenders reduced to 216

A bigger battle would follow for Okinawa

Iwo Jima: The Price of a Rock Feb-Mar 1945

Tokyo was largely built of wood General Curtis Lemay planned to bomb it

with incendiary bombs Ruined 16 square miles of Tokyo

◦ 267,000 buildings destroyed◦ 100,000 civilians killed◦ Crossing a moral divide- How many civilians can

you kill in pursuit of victory? General Curtis Lemay “If the Japanese

would have won the war, I would have been considered a war criminal

The Firebombing of Tokyo: The Worst Bombing of the War

Next phase of the attack on Japan: Okinawa◦ Larger island with Japanese population◦ Americans: Staging ground for an

attack on home islands 350 miles from islands

◦ Japanese: An opportunity to break American resolve and negotiate peace

Largest military force in history set sail for Okinawa◦ 200,000 troops 40 Air Craft Carriers

18 battle ships 200 destroyers- larger than D-Day

Okinawa: Japan Communicating the Cost of Unconditional Surrender

Japanese did not resist the landing of American troops 1 April 1945◦ Lure them into a trap and kill as many as

possible- Japanese dug into mountains and hills

◦ Japanese would charge Americans in suicide attacks

Kamikaze- Divine Wind- suicide attacks on American ships landing reinforcements on the island

The bitter fighting reinforced the dehumization of propaganda- Marines report enjoying killing Japanese and Japanese disfigured American dead◦ Enemy not fully human◦ Made the decision on nuclear bombing of

Japan much easier◦ World War II in HD: Okinawa - YouTube

A Most Bitter Battle

Okinawa and Imperial Resistance

Japan succeeded in showing the Americans how costly an invasion of the Japanese mainland would be◦ Suicidal resistance 100,00 Japanese dead◦ Exacted a high price for victory

12,200 dead 26,600 injured Americans- Largest battle of the Pacific War

◦ Hoped to bleed a negotiated settlement out of United States

Calculations for an invasion of Japan envisioned million casualties (30 Okinawas!)

Operation Downfall- planned invasion of Japan◦ Some divisions expected casualty rates of 90%

A death sentence Japanese continued to refuse calls for

unconditional surrender- Germany surrenders in 9 May 1945

Summer of Doom: The Pacific War in the summer of 1945 Japanese continued to hold out

hope they could negotiate terms for a surrender◦ Citizens prepare for suicidal

resistance of home islands- children taught to charge tanks and set off explosives- Every Japanese a Kamikaze

Americans prepare for the invasion in November

A successful experiment conducted in a remote desert in New Mexico would significantly change the calculation

Americans were secretly working on developing a nuclear device during the war: The Manhattan Project◦ 16 July 1945- first successful

nuclear blast◦ Japan’s resistance to surrender

and estimates for the costs of World War II convinced Truman that he needed to use nuclear weapons Power and impact not fully

understood What choice did Truman have?

The Decision to use nuclear weapons on Japan

Hiroshima: 6 August 1945

Did Harry Truman really have a choice in using the newly discovered nuclear weapon on Japan?

Morning of 6 August, a lone B-29 bomber flew over the industrial port of Hiroshima and dropped a single bomb◦ 70,000 killed instantly

Explosion and firestorm◦ 70,000 more die within 5 years

Pictures from Hiroshima◦ Craft a summary of the effects of this blast

Nagasaki and Conditional Surrender Nagasaki, another industrial center near

Hiroshima targeted by a second atomic bomb 3 days after Hiroshima◦ Soviet Union declares war on Japan (a promise they

made at Yalta) and invades Japanese-held Manchuria◦ Bombing killed 60,000

American secretary of State backed off the demand of unconditional surrender◦ “The Emperor and government of Japan shall be subject

to the command of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces” (Douglas Mac Arthur) Belief that cooperation of the emperor would allow a more

orderly occupation

Hirohito’s Surrender: V-J Day Hirohito made an extraordinary radio

address (he never talked directly to the people)

Noted that the enemy had a new and terrible weapon, and Japan would “cease hostilities” for the welfare of all humanity◦ Some radicals in the Japanese

government tried to stop him◦ Official surrender signed on the USS

Missouri 2 September 1945◦ Hirohito would continue as the Japanese

Emperor till 1989 Americans preparing for Operation

Downfall felt that their death sentences had been commuted

V-Jay Day Celebrated

Using a naval strategy of island hopping to Japan’s doorstep and bombing Japanese cities to ruins, the American military faced suicidal Japanese resistance that only broke following the use of nuclear war.

The Hook: Connect what we discuss to this…

The Costs of the World’s Most Violent War War had killed at least 30 million people Destroyed major cities in Europe, Japan and

China People left without homes, jobs, families World exposed to the horrors of the

holocaust and the prospect of nuclear war Look at the chart on 827. What conclusions

can you draw from this?