Changing Gears… The war with Japan began on December 8,

1941 In the months that followed Pearl Harbor

Japan began to the take control of surrounding territories.

At this time Japan had approximately 200,000 men. Why were these men so successful with their territorial endeavors on their home front?

The United States strikes BackIt took six months for the United States to

rebuild its naval forces in the Pacific. The Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of Midway“Island Hopping” was the most common

strategy of the US Navy and Marines during 1942-1944 in the Pacific

The Battle of the Philippine Sea

The struggle for the Philippians The battles of the Philippians Sea and Leyte

Gulf. Marines take on Iwo JimaBy the end of 1944 the Philippians were free

of Japanese control but a high price.

Easter 1945The Battle of OkinawaThis invasion was the biggest attempted by

the Untied States To counter the Japanese used pilots on suicide missionsBy the end of the encounter more American soldiers had lost their lives at Okinawa than at the beaches at Normandy.

The end is near With the War in Europe ended the allies

focused its remaining strength on Japan. With the capture of Guam, American bombers

were no able to reach the main land of Japan and bomb major cities and cause mass destruction to the cities

With the war not ending soon enough President Truman would soon have to make the decisive decision of the War in the Pacific…

Whether or not to Drop the Atomic Bomb

The Atomic BombsThe first of two Atomic Bombs was dropped

on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The Second was dropped on Nagasaki on

August 9, 1945Five days later Japan surrendered to the

United States