Download 1 Pearl Harbor Define: The attack on Pearl Harbor in

#1 Pearl Harbor
Define: The attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941 was a surprise
attack on the U.S. by the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Significant Detail #1: All of our U.S. Naval ships that were present during the attack
were all lined up neatly in Battleship Row. This made it easy for the Japs to be
successful because if they missed their target, the chances of them hitting something
was very high.
Significant Detail #2: The attack by the Japs was made to prevent the US from
attacking the Japanese military from their plans of attacking overseas territories such
as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Significance: This is significant to WWII for two reasons: it made the United States
retreat from Isolationism and it also made the United States declare war on the
Japanese. The cause was the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the effect was that
the United States entered the war.
Cause/Effect: The immediate effect from the attack on Pearl Harbor is that it caused
the Unites States to enter WWII against the Japanese.
#2 Operation Overlord (D-Day)
Define: Operation Overlord was the name for the operation that started the invasion of
western Europe during World War II. The Allies landed on the shore on June 6, 1944.
Significant Detail #1: The Allies formed new technology to make Operation Overlord a
successful mission. An example of one of the technologies the Allies created was the
mulberry to help make offloading supplies easier.
Significant Detail #2: Operation Overlord was the largest land-sea-air operation in army
history. After a week of war, the Allies gained and 80 mile strip of France, had landed a
million troops, secured 567,000 tons of supplies and over 170,000 vehicles in France.
Significance: Operation Overlord/D-Day was significant to WWII and the United States
because it allowed the Allies to gain a front in Europe and eventually lead them to
taking over Germany from the west.
Cause/Effect: The new technology and decisive planning led the Allies to be
successful in their operation.
#3 Battle of Midway
Define: The Battle of Midway in June of 1942, is where U.S. planes based on land and
on carriers defeated a Japanese fleet on its way to invade Midway. This battle was
named the turning point in WWII.
Significant Detail #1: The United States effectively defeated the Japanese in the Battle
of Midway. The Japanese’s goal was to eliminate the United States as a strategic
power in the Pacific during the war.
Significant Detail #2: When the Allies destroyed four of Japan’s aircraft carriers, their
naval strength correspondingly decreased as well.
Significance: This battle was significant to WWII because the Japanese never fully
recovered from this battle. After the Battle of Midway, the Japanese navy was on
defense for the remainder of the war. This battle is significant to the United States
because this is the stage in WWII where the Allies, along with the US, were getting
smarter in battle and stronger.
Cause/Effect: The Allies had been decoding messages sent from the Japanese since
the spring of 1942, this allowed the Allies to be prepared for any attack.
#4 Iwo Jima
Define: The battle of Iwo Jima or Operation Detachment, was where the Allies fought
for the territory of Iwo Jima. The battle was about a month long, but after time, the
Allies were successful in capturing Iwo Jima. The battle lasted from Feb. 19- March 26
in 1945.
Significant Detail #1: Capturing the island of Iwo Jima was important to the United
States because the island contained highly useful airfields. This gain for the Allies was
important because the Allies were fighting overseas so having a place to store supplies
was highly useful.
Significant Detail #2: The defense of the Japanese during the battle of Iwo Jima was
strong in the sense of having multiple bunkers on the island, hidden artillery, and also
underground tunnels.
Significance: The battle of Iwo Jima was significant because it allowed the Allies to
“gain foot” into the war. As soon as the Allies took Iwo Jima, the Japanese were no
longer a great threat to us anymore. This is true because we had defeated them on
other various occasions and after the battle, we had taken their land as well.
Cause/Effect: The operation lasted a month long, this long duration weakened the
Japanese and caused the US to gain the upper hand and take over the island.
#5 The Manhattan Project (A-Bomb)
Define: The Manhattan Project was a program that created the world’s first atomic
bombs during WWII. The program was carried out through the United States but was
supported by Canada and the United Kingdom from 1942 up until 1946.
Significant Detail #1: The Manhattan Project cost the United States nearly 2 billion US
dollars. To this day the price tag is equivalent to 26 billion US dollars.
Significant Detail #2: In the beginning, there were only a few Universities that were
conducting research. Among these were Columbia University, the University of
Chicago and the University of California at Berkeley. The wide spread research of the
atom lead the country to be successful in our attempts.
Significance: This is significant the the war because it allowed the Allies to have new
technology for battle and have the chance to have the upper hand while fighting. This
was also significant to the United States itself because we were advancing with
technology as well as education.
Cause/Effect: German physicists had found that by splitting the Uranium atom, they
could utilize the new found energy as a weapon in war. In response to Germany’s new
knowledge, the United States passed a research program called the Manhattan Project.
The project received its name in late 1941 when design and build of an atomic bomb
were in research.
#6 Island-Hopping
Define: The strategic movement made popular by the United States during WWII
involving set troops to take over one island to the next in a leapfrog rotation. The
Americans utilized this strategy in WWII until they were in control of the Pacific.
Significant Detail #1: The strategy was long and hard on the troops. This showed the
strength of our military during the war.
Significant Detail #2: The Allies took over the Pacific one island at a time until we
reached Japan.
Significance: The idea of island hopping is significant to WWII because it allowed the
Allies to slowly become stronger. The technique is significant to the Unites States
because of the same reason.
Cause/Effect: The Allies took out one island after the next until we were strong enough
to fight Japan and win.