Japan Strikes in the Pacific

A Surprise Attack• Japan had been conquering territory in

Southeast Asia.• This was a potential threat to the American

owned Philippine Islands and Guam. We blocked Japan from getting oil.

• Japan felt that the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was a “dagger pointed at the throat” of Japan and they feared a US attack.

• Japan planned a secret attack on the US early in the morning on December 7, 1941.

Pearl Harbor

• The US knew that the Japanese planned an attack, but they didn’t know where or when.

• In just 2 hours the Japanese had sunk 18 ships (destroying most of the Pacific fleet) and killed 2,400 Americans.

• The next day (Dec. 8, 1941), Congress declared war on Japan.

• President Roosevelt described the attack as “a date which will live in infamy.”

The Japanese are Victorious

• After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese quickly begin taking territory.

• The Japanese soon controlled Guam, Wake Island, The Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaya, and Burma.

• Japan controlled 1 million square miles and 150 million people

The Allies Strike Back

• The Americans began air attacks on Japanese cities.

• These were known as the famous “Doolittle Raids”

• By June of 1942, another Japanese code had been broken by the US. It called for an attack at Midway Island.

• The Battle of Midway turned the war in favor of the US.

“Island Hopping”

• General Douglas MacArthur of the US was the leader of the Allied land forces in the Pacific.

• He believed that the best way to defeat the Japanese was to “island hop” or jump around the islands of the Pacific that the Japanese did not defend well.

• His first target was the island of Guadalcanal. 6 months later, the US were victorious and Japan abandoned the island.