Download 5 The End of the War

1
5 The End of the War
Reading Focus
Key Terms
Taking Notes
• How did American forces
advance in the Pacific?
• Why did Japan finally
surrender?
• What made World War II
the deadliest war in
history?
island hopping
As you read, prepare an outli ne
of this section. Use roman nU lller_
als to indicate the major headings, capital letters for the
subheadings, and numbers
for the
supporting I. War in the Pacific
A. U.S. goals
details.
1.
The sample
2.
at right will
B. Island hopping
help you
1.
get started.
2.
Navajo code-talkers
kamikaze
Potsdam Declaration
Bataan Death March
Holocaust
Nuremberg Trials
C.
II. The Surrender of Japan
Main Idea
In the Pacific, the Japanese continued to resist
American advances until two atomic bombs were dropped on
their home islands.
A.
B.
Selling the Scene
American troops at
""""'_J Saipan
Predict What might happen if
other islands in the Pacific prove
as hard to capture as Saipan?
As Allied armies swept into Europe, a battle
raged on the Pacific island of Saipan (si PAN). An American force of
nearly 100,000 pounded a Japanese garrison of 32,000 troops. By the
end, the Americans would suffer some 14,000 casualties. The
Japanese would lose almost every soldier on Saipan.
Although greatly outnumbered, the Japanese fought to the bitter
end. Many charged to their deaths shouting "banzai" ("ten thousand
years") and carrying nothing but spears. Others jumped from cliffs
to avoid capture. One reporter wondered, "Do the suicides ... mean
that the whole Japanese race will choose death before surrender?"
The surrender of Germany left only Japan to defeat. Still, as the
battle of Saipan showed, the price of final victory could be immense.
War in the Pacific
While the war raged in Europe, the Allies kept up pressure on Japan.
The United States had two main goals in the Pacific war: to regain
the Philippines and to invade Japan.
Island Hopping To gain control of the Pacific Ocean, American
forces used a strategy of capturing some Japanese-held islands and
going around others. In this island-hopping campaign, each island
that was won became another steppingstone to Japan.
A deadly routine developed. First, American ships shelled an
island. Next, troops waded ashore under heavy gunfire. Then, in handto-hand fighting, Americans overcame fierce Japanese resistance.
Navajo soldiers made a key contribution to American strategy in
the Pacific. Using their own language, they radioed vital messages
from island to island. The Japanese intercepted the messages but
were unable to understand these Navajo code-talkers.
796
*
Chapter 27
The World War /I Era
In October 1944, American forces under General MacArthur
finally returned to the Philippines. In hard-fought battles, the
Americans then captured the islands of Iwo Jima (EE woh JEE muh)
and Okinawa (oh kuh NAH wuh) from the Japanese.
Japanese leaders stressed an ancient code known as Bushido, or
the Way of the Warrior. It emphasized loyalty, honor, and sacrifice. To
surrender was to "lose face" or be dishonored. In suicide missions,
kamikaze (kah muh KAH zee) pilots loaded old planes with bombs
and then deliberately crashed them into Allied ships.
Attacking the Home Islands By April 1945, American forces
were close enough to launch attacks against the Japanese home
islands. American bombers pounded factories and cities. American
warships bombarded the coast and sank ships. The Japanese people
suffered terribly. Yet, their leaders promised a glorious victory.
United States military leaders made plans to invade Japan in the
autumn. They warned that the invasion might cost between 150,000
and 250,000 American casualties.
The Surrender of Japan
Truman, Churchill, and Stalin met at Potsdam, Germany, in July
1945. While there, Truman received word that American scientists
had successfully tested a secret new weapon, the atomic bomb. A single bomb was powerful enough to destroy an entire city. Some scientists believed that it was too dangerous to use.
From Potsdam, the Allied leaders sent a message warning Japan
to surrender or face "prompt and utter destruction." Japanese
After the Battle of Midway,
the United States took the
offensive against the Japanese
Empire.
,_ location On the map,
locate (a) Pearl Harbor,
(b) Midway Island,
(e) Philippine Islands, (d) Iwo
Jima, (e) Okinawa, (f)
Hiroshima.
2. Movement Which battle did
the United States have to
win before moving against
Iwo Jima and Okinawa?
3. Critical Thinking
Drawing Conclusions
Based on this map, why do
you think aircraft carriers
were vital to American
strategy in the Pacific?
60' N
SOVIET UNION
M~ p~,""
o
CANADA
'-
W
() C L.\.\i
E
S
Robinson Projection
250
500 Miles
I
I i
I
o 250 500 Kilometers
o
I
Caroline Is.
Greatest extent of
Japanese control, 1942
o F;ljuator
i \' {J/. \ ,\
I
-
Jf. I. , \ ,\
Allied advances
...
180"
90' E
Major battles
1201N
1?OW
o
~"
Chapter 27
Section 5
*
797
LINKING PAST AND PRESENT
...
'
Americans
Remember
the
Holocaust
In 1945, American troops were
shocked by the sight of Jewish
prisoners in Nazi concentration
camps (left). Today, many cities in
the United States and other countries have Holocaust museums. At
right, a visitor looks at pictures of
some of the victims. The remembrance banner was cre ated by an
America n student. linking Past
and Present Why is it important
for us to remember the Holocaust?
leaders did not know about the destructive power of the atomic
bomb. They ignored the Potsdam Declaration.
On August 6, 1945, the American bomber Enola Gay dropped an
atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The blast destroyed most of the
city, killing at least 70,000 people and injuring an equal number. On
August 9, a second atomic bomb was dropped, on Nagasaki. About
40,000 residents died instantly. In both Nagasaki and Hiroshima,
many more people later died from the effects of atomic radiation.
On August 14, 1945, the emperor of Japan announced that his
nation would surrender. The formal surrender took place on
September 2 aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The warship flew
the same American flag that had waved over Washington, D.C., on
the day that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
V-J ("Victory in Japan") Day sparked wild celebrations acroSS
the United States. People honked their car horns. Soldiers and
sailors danced in victory parades.
The Deadliest War in History
World War II was the deadliest war in history. The exact number of
casualties will probably never be known. However, historians estimate that between 30 million and 60 million people were killed.
World War I had been fought mainly in trenches. During World
War II, bombers destroyed houses, factories, and farms. By 1945, millions were homeless and had no way to earn a living.
798
*
Chapter 27
The World War /I Era
After the war, Americans heard horrifying stories of the brutal
mistreatment of prisoners of war. When the Japanese captured the
Philippines in 1942, they forced about 75,000 American and Filipino
prisoners to march 65 miles with little food or water. About 10,000
prisoners died or were killed during the Bataan Death March .
The Holocaust In the last months of the European war, Allied
forces uncovered other horrors. The Allies had heard about Nazi
death camps. As they advanced into Germany and Eastern Europe,
they discovered the full extent of the Holocaust, the slaughter of
Europe's Jews by the Nazis. During the war, the Nazis imprisoned
JewS from Germany and the nations they conquered. More than 6
million Jews were tortured and murdered.
When Allied troops reached the death camps, they saw the gas
chambers the Nazis had used to murder hundreds of thousands. The
battle-hardened veterans wept at the sight of the dead and dying.
After touring one death camp, General Omar Bradley wrote:
" The smell of death overwhelmed us even before we
passed through .... More than 3,200 naked, emaciated
bodies had been flung into shallow graves. "
-Omar N. Bradley, A General's Life
Nearly 6 million Poles, Slavs, and Gypsies were also victims of
the death camps. Nazis killed many prisoners of war, as well as people they considered unfit because of physical or mental disabilities.
War Crimes Trials As the full truth of the Holocaust was revealed,
the Allies decided to put Nazi leaders on trial. In 1945 and 1946, they
conducted war crimes trials in Nuremberg, Germany. As a result of
the Nuremberg Trials, 12 Nazi leaders were sentenced to death.
Thousands of other Nazis were imprisoned. The Allies also tried and
executed Japanese leaders accused of war crimes.
~
.
S'e ction 5 Assessment
*'
Recall
Critical Thinking and Writing
1. Identify Explain the significance of (a) Navajo codetalkers, (b) Potsdam
Declaration, (e) Bataan Death
March, (d) Holocaust,
(e) NurembergTrials.
2. Define (a) island hopping,
(b) kamikaze.
6. Exploring the Main Idea
Review the Main Idea statement at the beginning of
this section. Then, write the
opening words of a speech
PresidentTruman might have
given to explain why he decided to use the atomic bomb.
7. Drawing Inferences The
Allies did not try enemy leaders as war criminals after
World War I. Write a paragraph
explaining why you think they
conducted such trials after
World War II and whether you
agree with this decision.
Comprehension
3. What strategy did the United
States follow in the Pacific?
4. How did the United States
force Japan to surrender?
5. Why was World War II more
deadly than World War I?
v
'~\
.
-
Take It t o the NET
Preparing a Report Use
the Internet to find out
about the Manhattan
Project, the secret government project to develop the
atomic bomb. Write a summary of its goals and
progress. Visit The
American Nation section of
www.phsehool.eom for
help in completing the
activity.
Chapter 27
Section 5
*
799