Download War in the Pacific

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Date
Reading Study Guide
Chapter
27
Section 3 (pages 770–773)
War in the Pacific
Before You Read
TERMS & NAMES
In the last section, you read how the United States and the Allies won
the war in Africa and Europe.
In this section, you will learn about how the Allies defeated the
Japanese in the Pacific.
Bataan Death March Forced march
of captured Americans and Filipinos in
Philippines
As You Read
Use this diagram to take notes on the events that led to the defeat of
Japan.
May 1942
June 1942
Battle of Midway Naval battle
between American and Japanese
forces won by the Americans
island hopping Strategy of invading
weakly defended Japanese-held
islands
Manhattan Project Secret program
to build an atomic bomb
Hiroshima Japanese city on which
the first atomic bomb was dropped
March 1945
Copyright © McDougal Littell Inc.
Japan Expands Its Empire
August 1945
(pages 770–771)
What was the Bataan Death March?
At the same time as the attack on Pearl Harbor,
Japanese forces launched attacks throughout the
Pacific. By Christmas of 1941, Japan controlled
Hong Kong, Thailand, and the U.S. islands of Guam
and Wake. The Japanese also pushed further into
southeast Asia.
Japanese forces invaded the Philippines in
December 1941. They pushed Allied forces from the
capital city of Manila into the Bataan Peninsula.
Allied troops led by U.S. general Douglas MacArthur
fought the Japanese to a standstill for several months.
Meanwhile, the Allies feared that the Japanese
might also invade Australia. As a result, President
Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to Australia in 1942.
Shortly after MacArthur left, the Japanese mounted
an offensive. The Allied troops on the Bataan
Peninsula surrendered. The Japanese forced them to
march 60 miles to a prison camp. Along the way
about 10,000 men died. The trip became known as the
Bataan Death March.
1. Why did General MacArthur leave the
Philippines?
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THE RISE OF DICTATORS AND WORLD WAR II
263
War in the Pacific continued
(page 771)
Who won the Battle of Midway?
In the spring of 1942, the Allies began to turn the tide
against the Japanese. In May, the U.S. Navy clashed
with Japanese forces in the Coral Sea off Australia.
Neither side won a clear victory. But the Americans
blocked Japan’s push toward Australia.
The opposing navies clashed again in June off the
island of Midway in the central Pacific. The U.S.
Navy destroyed four Japanese carriers and at least
250 planes. The United States lost one carrier and
about 150 planes. The battle severely weakened the
Japanese navy. Thus, the Battle of Midway was a
turning point in the war.
2. Why was the Battle of Midway
considered the turning point of the war?
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The Allies Advance; Iwo Jima and
Okinawa (page 772)
What was island hopping?
After the Battle of Midway, the Allies went on the
attack. They began to liberate the lands that Japan
had conquered.
The Allies chose not to retake every Japaneseheld island. Instead, they decided to invade
islands that the Japanese defended weakly. The
Allies could then use the captured islands to stage
further attacks. This strategy was known as
island hopping.
In October 1944, Allied forces invaded the
Philippines. The effort included a massive naval
battle off the Philippine island of Leyte. The Allies
won and almost destroyed Japan’s navy. Allied forces
then came ashore. They liberated Manila in March
1945. Three years after leaving the Philippines,
General MacArthur had returned.
264 CHAPTER 27 SECTION 3
In early 1945, the Allies began bombing Japan.
They wanted to increase the bombing campaign. To
do so, they had to establish bases closer to Japan.
They chose to attack the Japanese-held islands of Iwo
Jima and Okinawa.
In February 1945, U.S. marines invaded Iwo Jima. In
April, they stormed Okinawa. The Japanese defended
the islands fiercely. The Allies took the islands, but not
before many soldiers died on both sides.
3. Why did the Allies attack the islands of
Iwo Jima and Okinawa?
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Atomic Weapons End the War
(page 773)
What was the Manhattan Project?
The Allies planned to invade Japan in November
1945. American military leaders feared that an
invasion would result in large numbers of casualties.
American officials considered the use of an atomic
bomb on Japan, instead of invading.
In 1942, a top-secret program to build an atomic
bomb had begun. It was known as the Manhattan
Project. The project team worked for three years to
construct the weapon.
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an
atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. The
explosion killed more than 70,000 people. In
addition, it turned five square miles into a wasteland.
The United States dropped another bomb on
Nagasaki on August 9. Finally, Japan surrendered.
World War II was over.
4. How did the United States develop the
atomic bomb?
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Copyright © McDougal Littell Inc.
The Allies Turn the Tide at Midway