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Global Struggles
Unit 7
1941 - 1960
America and World War II
The Early Battles
Chapter 21 Section 2
Holding the Line Against Japan
• American aircraft carriers were out at sea
during the attack on Pearl Harbor
Holding the Line Against Japan
• The Fall of the Philippines
– After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor they turned
their attention to the Philippines
– General Douglas MacArthur
• In charge of American Forces
– Troops ate horses and mules and the conditions
were primitive
– Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave
• MacArthur – “I came through, and I shall return.”
Holding the Line Against Japan
• The Fall of the Philippines
– The people remaining on the Bataan Peninsula
were forced to become prisoners of the Japanese
• Marched 65 miles to a Japanese Prison Camp
• Bataan Death March – ten thousand troops died on
the march
– Philippines finally surrendered to the Japanese
Holding the Line Against Japan
• The Doolittle Raid on Tokyo
– Roosevelt wanted to bomb Tokyo but American
planes could not reach it unless on an airplane
carrier
– Idea
• Put B-25 bombers on the carriers and they would be
able to reach Tokyo but. . .
• The B-25 Bombers cannot land on the aircraft carriers
• Never Fear – There is a solution
– After bombing Japan the American B-25s will land in China
Holding the Line Against Japan
• Japan Changes Strategy
– Admiral Yamamoto wants to attack Midway
Island
• Would lure the American fleet out in the Pacific and
he would be able to destroy the fleet
Holding the Line Against Japan
• The Battle of the Coral Sea
– The Japanese wanted to attack New Guinea
because it would cut off America’s supply lines
– America sent two carriers to stop the Japanese
– Both sides launched an all out airstrike
– New Guinea is able to remain free from the
Japanese
Holding the Line Against Japan
• The Battle of Midway
– Americans had already learned of Japan’s plan to
attack Midway
– The Japanese fleet ran into an ambush
– Admiral Yamamoto was forced to retreat
– Battle of Midway is seen as the turning point in
the Pacific for Americans
• 362 Americans killed
• 3,057 Japanese killed
Stopping the Germans
• The Soviet Union was begging Roosevelt to
send troops to Europe
• Great Britain (Churchill) wanted to attack
the periphery or the edges of the German
Empire
• Roosevelt agreed with Churchill and he
ordered the invasion of Morocco and Algeria
Stopping the Germans
• The Struggle for North Africa
– Invade Morocco and Algeria for two reasons
• Invasion would give the army some experience
without a lot of troops
• Once American troops were in North Africa they could
help the British fight the Germans
– General Erwin Rommel “Desert Fox”
• Commanded the German Forces
Stopping the Germans
• The Struggle for North Africa
– The British forced Rommel to retreat
– American General Dwight D Eisenhower planned to
trap Rommel between two allied forces
• American troops won their land and advanced into Tunisia
while the British headed west
– In Tunisia the American Forces finally faced the
German Army for the first time and did HORRIBLE
• Americans were outmaneuvered and outfought
– The British and the Americans troops together were
able to push the German troops out of North Africa
Stopping the Germans
• The Battle of the Atlantic
– After Germany declared war on the United
States German Submarines entered American
coastal waters
– Cargo ships were easy targets
• Cities on the east coast dimmed their lights
• People put up black out curtains
• Drive without their headlights on
Stopping the Germans
• The Battle of the Atlantic
– Because of the large number of ships that were
sunk oil had to be rationed
• Government built the first long distance pipeline from
Texas to Pennsylvania
– Convoy System is back in action
– American airplanes and warships began using
new technology
• Radar, sonar, depth charges
Stopping the Germans
• The Battle of Stalingrad
– Hitler ordered the German army to attack the Soviet
Union
• Capture strategic oil fields, factories, and farmlands and
Stalingrad
– Stalingrad
• If the Germans captured Stalingrad then the Soviet Union
would loose their resources
• Stalin ordered his men to hold the city – Retreat was
Forbidden
• Germans fought from one place to the next but they were
not equipped for the cold weather
Stopping the Germans
• The Battle of Stalingrad
– Both sides lost about half a million soldiers each
– The Soviet Union managed to hold onto
Stalingrad and push the Germans back
• The Battle of Stalingrad is seen as the turning point in
the European Theater