World War II: Pacific Theater

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World War II Pacific Theater
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Todays Objective

• As an introduction to WWII in the Pacific,
  students will use classroom reference materials
  to learn the basic geography of that theater of
  war.
• Students will learn how geography was an
  influence in this theater of war.

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The Pacific Theater

• Over sixty years ago, a generation of young
  Americans left their homes to fight in a world
  war.
• The war took place on two different fronts, or
  theaters Europe and the Pacific.
• Consider this When the Japanese attacked the
  U.S. fleet on December 7, 1941, most Americans
  had never heard of Pearl Harbor and did not even
  know where it was.
• Now our troops were traveling to far off places
  to fight in the war.

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A different type of war.

• Soldiers confronted environments and cultures
  that they had never heard of.
• Their war involved vast distances, isolations,
  and harsh unfamiliar surroundings that placed
  special burdens on them.
• They served in remote and far flung places.
• Many struggled and died in places their families
  had never heard of.
• They waged a bloody war against a determined
  enemy.

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After Pearl Harbor..

• The Japanese continued to move East and South.
• The day after Pearl Harbor, they attacked the
  Americans in the Philippines.
• They conquered new territory while we recovered.
  (Hong Kong, Singapore and the Malayan peninsula)
• By May of 1942, they reached the Coral Sea, but
  we were waiting. It was a setback for the Japanese

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Battle of Midway

• Americans were using Midway Island for refueling
  for planes.
• The Japanese sent a large fleet there.
• If they take the island, the flights will stop.
• The U.S. navy sinks four aircraft carriers,
  scoring a clear victory and turned the tide of
  the war in the Pacific.
• The Japanese begin losing ground

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Battle of Guadalcanal

• To defeat Japan, American forces start a long
  campaign of island hopping. Taking back islands
  that Japan had conquered.
• August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division lands on
  Guadalcanal. They fought for 3 ½ years.
• Large and small battles were needed to get the
  U.S. closer to strike Japan.

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Battle of Iwo Jima

• Feb. 1945, 35,000 Marines land in one day on this
  tiny island.
• 36 days of combat 7,000 Americans lost, 22,000
  Japanese lost.
• Bombardment of Japanese factories and military
  bases can begin.
• Japan lost almost of all of its territory.

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Battle of Okinawa

• April of 1945, more than 180,000 Americans landed
  on this island.
• They face a Japanese army half their size
• The Japanese fight to the end, losing over
  110,000 soldiers.
• Americans bombing raids damaged the island of
  Japan. They are unwilling to surrender and fight
  to the end.
• Unfortunately, they only surrender when atomic
  weapons are used against a city.