The End of

the War in

the Pacific

Japanese Empire at Its Height

• 150 million people added to the Japanese Empire

• How many did they start with- 71 million

U.S. Turned the Tide in 1942 and 1943

• U.S. productive capacity was significantly greater than Japan’s

• The Japanese were stopped (Coral Sea), beaten (Midway), and CRUSHED (Marianas Turkey Shoot)

Japanese Total War Efforts

P-38• Plane that can finally match the Japanese

‘Zero’

• Top U.S. ace 40 kills

Atoll Fighting-Not Fun

• Reefs hamper landing craft

• No place to hide

• It’s hard to imagine that this type of fighting would be enjoyable atoll…

Nimitz coming from Central PacificMacArthur From Southern Pacific

The U.S. Island Hopped Towards Japan in Two Prongs

Marianas Turkey Shoot

• Huge Battle Between Pretty Much All That Was Left of the Japanese Navy and Naval Air Force and an Even Bigger Force of U.S. Armada

• Japanese fighters were now outdated and their experienced pilots were dead

• Stats– 395 of 430 total Japanese naval aircraft shot down– U.S. lost 130 planes, but over 80 of these crashed by

running out of fuel while fighting and being unable to land on U.S. aircraft carriers

Japanese Civilians

• U.S. started to capture islands with Japanese civilians living on them

• Civilians had been told by the Japanese army that they would be raped and tortured if they were to surrender

• Thus, U.S. forces watched as hundreds of these civilians blew themselves up and/or threw themselves off of cliffs

After Germany Fell, Surely Japan Knew It Couldn’t Win

• However, main remaining hope was to prevent an invasion of the home islands and achieve a negotiated peace

• U.S. demanded unconditional surrender– A big problem for the honor-loving Japanese– Also, what would happen to the emperor?

• was seen as divine… schoolgirl supposed to avert eyes

• what if the U.S. refuses to allow the emperor to remain in power?

General Transition On Japanese Islands from Banzai Attacks to

Defensive Struggles to the Last Man

• Bonzai attacks- wild charges at the enemy = death in glory and bravery– But not necessarily the most effective technique

• Defensive Struggle- Japanese will sell each life dearly– The point is to make the casualty statistics change the U.S.’s

calculus regarding an invasion of the home islands

• Leads to incredible U.S. casualty numbers on Iwo and Okinawa

• Kamikaze tactics are an offshoot of this new technique– Also connected to the fact that the Japanese have few trained pilots

and inferior aircraft left – Some buzz bombs (with pilots inside) were carried to the battlefield

on Japanese bombers, and dropped to be steered into ships- another form of Kamikaze fighting

Kamikaze fighters

• “divine wind” • Most trained pilots had been killed

• Japanese fighters had been outclassed by newer U.S. fighters

Iwo Jima and Okinawa were the Last Steps Before the Home Islands

• Okinawa is actually considered a part of Japan proper, so that will add to the ferocity of its defense

• 74 days of bombing to prep for Iwo Jima landings • U.S. military has reached productive capacity

– More troops and ships and equipment were launched at Iwo (a few square miles) than the U.S. used in the entire North African campaign• 1300 ships involved and ¼ of a million men in

Iwo invasion

Bombarding of Iwo and Okinawa did Little Against Entrenched Positions

• Suribachi (high point on Iwo Jima) = Sonuvabitchi due to its impregnable guns and AA

• Both were incredibly bloody fights- digging out an entrenched and fanatical enemy

• *Clip from ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’

The Atomic Bomb• the Manhattan Project would eventually employ more than 130,000

people and cost a total of nearly $2 billion ($20 billion in 2004 dollars)

• Irony of the fact that a great many of the U.S.’s scientists were refugee European Jews

• Weapons weren’t ready until after V-E day…

• Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in an effort to prevent an invasion of the Japanese home islands…

• controversial decision, but only later- top U.S. officials never wavered in its use – Argued that the bomb saved lives, perhaps even Japanese lives– Plus, we’ve spent billions on it. Why, if not to use it?

• the Japanese did surrender a few days after the second bomb was dropped… the emperor himself came on the radio (civilians hadn’t heard his voice before)

End of World War II • August 15th, 1945

V-J day… allies occupied Japan

Hansen Name ______________

World War II The Pacific Front- The End of World War II • Japanese ___________________________

– 150 million people added to the Japanese Empire – How many did they start with- _____________

• U.S. Turned the Tide ____________________________– U.S. productive capacity was _____________________

than Japan’s – The Japanese were stopped (______________), beaten

(____________), and CRUSHED (________________)

• ___________– Plane that can finally match the Japanese ________

• Atoll Fighting-Not Fun– Reefs hampered landing craft– _______________________________– It’s hard to imagine that this type of fighting would be

enjoyable __________… • Marianas Turkey Shoot

– Huge Battle Between Pretty Much ________________ ___________________________________________ and Naval Air Force and an Even Bigger Force of U.S. Armada

– Japanese fighter planes were now ____________ and their _______________________________were dead

– Stats• ___________________ total Japanese naval aircraft

___________________• U.S. lost 130 planes, but over 80 of these

________________________________________ _________________________________________ and being unable to land on U.S. aircraft carriers

• Japanese ______________– U.S. started to capture islands with Japanese civilians

living on them– Civilians had been told by the Japanese army that they

would be __________________ if they were to surrender– Thus, U.S. forces watched as hundreds of these civilians

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

• After Germany Fell, Surely Japan ________________ ___________________________________________

– However, main remaining hope was to prevent ________ _________________________________________ islands and achieve a negotiated peace

– U.S. demanded _______________________________• A big problem for the ___________________ Japanese• Also, what would happen to the ___________?

– was seen as __________… schoolgirl supposed to avert eyes

– what if the U.S. refuses to allow the emperor to ________________?

• General Transition On Japanese Islands from ________________ to Defensive Struggles ________________

– Bonzai attacks- wild charges at the enemy = death in ______________________________

• But not necessarily the most ___________ technique– Defensive Struggle- Japanese will sell _____________

_________________• The point is to make the casualty statistics change the

U.S.’s calculus regarding ______________________– Led to incredible __________________________

numbers on Iwo and Okinawa – __________ tactics are an offshoot of this new technique– Also connected to the fact that the Japanese have few

______________________________________________– Some __________ (with pilots inside) were carried to the

battlefield on Japanese bombers, and dropped to be steered into ships- another form of Kamikaze fighting

• Kamikaze Fighters– _________________________ – Most trained pilots had been____________– Japanese fighters had been ___________ by newer U.S.

fighters

• Iwo Jima and Okinawa were _________________ _______________________________

• Okinawa is actually considered a part of _________, so that will add to the ______________________________________

– _____________ of bombing to prep for Iwo Jima landings – U.S. military has reached ___________________________

• More troops and ships and equipment were launched at Iwo (a few square miles) than the U.S. used in the entire ___________________________________

– ________ships involved and _____of a million men in Iwo invasion

• Bombarding of Iwo and Okinawa did Little Against Entrenched Positions

– Suribachi (high point on Iwo Jima) = _____________ due to its impregnable ____________________

– Both were incredibly bloody fights- digging out an _________________________________ enemy

– *Clip from ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ • The Atomic Bomb

– the _________________________ would eventually employ more than ___________ people and cost a total of nearly ___________ (_________________ in 2004 dollars)

– Irony of the fact that a great many of the U.S.’s scientists were refugee ______________________

– Weapons weren’t ready until after __________… – Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in an effort to

prevent an _________________________________ __________________________________________…

– controversial decision, but only _______- top U.S. officials _____________________________________

• Argued that the bomb saved lives, perhaps even ___________________________________

• Plus, we’ve spent billions on it. Why, _________ ____________?

– the Japanese did ____________ a few days after the second bomb was dropped… the ________________ came on the radio (civilians hadn’t heard his voice before)

• End of ______________– August 15th, 1945– ______________… allies occupied Japan