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The War in the Pacific
The United States in World War II
#3
I. The Allies Stem the Japanese
Tide
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A. Battles in the Pacific
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1. After Pearl Harbor, General Douglas
MacArthur army was forced to retreat from
the Philippines.
2. The Doolittle raid lifted American morale
when 16 bombers dropped bombs over
Tokyo.
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3. The Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942
resulted in the Americans and Australians
succeeding in stopping the Japanese drive
toward Australia.
4. The Battle of Midway on June 3, 1942
resulted in U.S. planes sinking 4 aircraft carriers
and 250 planes.
5. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in
the war and the Americans began their “island
hopping toward Japan.
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“I shall return.”
MacArthur’s pledge
after he was forced to
leave the Philippines.
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Do the skill builder questions 1,2 on p.
580
II. The Allies go on the Offensive

A. Japanese Defense
1. After Midway the U.S. started winning battles.
 2. The battle of Guadalcanal began in August 1942
and after 6 months of fighting the Japanese had
suffered their first defeat on land.
3. In October, 1944 MacArthur invaded the Philippines
at Leyte Gulf and MacArthur had returned to free the
Filipino people.
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4. As a result of these repeated defeats Japan
began to use the Kamikaze.
5. The Kamikaze were Japanese pilots who
crashed their bomb laden planes into U.S. ships.
6. Despite the damage of the Kamikaze pilots
Japan lost 3 battleships, 4 aircraft carriers, 13
cruisers and almost 500 planes in the battle for
Leyte Gulf.
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B. Iwo Jima
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1. After the retaking of the Philippines
Americans began to move quickly toward
Japan.
2. Iwo Jima, an island of cold lava was
defended by 20,700 Japanese soldiers in
tunnels and caves.
3. 6,000 marines died taking this island and
only 200 Japanese survived.
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C. Okinawa
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1. In April 1945 U.S. marines invaded Okinawa.
2. 7,600 marines died, but over 110,000 Japanese
died.
3. The battle of Okinawa was a chilling preview to
the loss of life that would occur if the Allies invaded
Japan. Churchill predicted that one million Americans
would lose their lives.
III. The Atomic Bomb Ends the
War
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A. The Manhattan Project
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1. Led by Robert Oppenheimer this project
was the most ambitious scientific experiment
in history.
2. The first nuclear test took place in the
desert near Alamogordo, New Mexico on July
16, 1945.
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B. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
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1. The plane Enola Gay dropped the first
atomic bomb, “Little Boy” on Hiroshima on
August 6, 1945.
2. The second bomb “Fat Man” was dropped
on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 after the
Japanese refused to surrender.
3. Japan officially surrendered on September
2, 1945 and WWII officially ended.
IV. Rebuilding Begins
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A. Yalta, Nuremberg, and Japan
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1. At the Yalta Conference in Feb, 1945 the Big
Three discussed the fate of Germany and the creation
of the United Nations.
2. The Nuremberg Trials were held to try Nazi party
leaders for their war crimes and racial persecution of
Jews.
3. MacArthur introduced capitalism to Japan,
introduced free elections and rebuilt Japan from its
ashes of defeat.