Download U.S. History Notes #31

NO #31 European & Asian Theatres Of WW2
Mr. Lua U.S. History
Y-12
Complete the following steps. It will be collected on the day of our next exam:




"Part
"Part
"Part
“Part
A" (Worth 10 Points): Write down information as Mr. Lua presents it. If you are ever absent, take your own notes from the information below.
B" " (Worth 10 Points): Find the answer to the "Checkpoint" questions along the left margin. You do not have to copy the questions (just label and answer).
C" (Worth 5 Points): Select 5 Underlined concepts below and write a description of them, a definition, or create an illustration.
D” (Optional, 25 Points): Take out a second sheet of paper then copy all of the information below, as shown (word for word and in outline form).
Checkpoint 1
List the 3 countries that the Allies
dealt with prior to invading Germany
Checkpoint 2
List 2 important things about the
Tuskegee Airmen?
Checkpoint 3
What relationship does D-Day have to
Operation Overlord?
Checkpoint 4
What 2 operations was Dwight D.
Eisenhower put in charge of?
Checkpoint 5
List 4 places that Japan conquered in
the 6 months after the Pearl Harbor
Attack?
Checkpoint 6
After WW2, why was the Bataan
Death March considered a "crime
against humanity?"
Checkpoint 7
Why was winning the Battle of Midway
important for the U.S.?
I. The European Theatre: Defeating Italy & Germany
A) After entering WW2, the United States joined other Allied nations in an effort to defeat Germany.
B) Operation Torch (November 1942): the Allied invasion of North Africa, led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower
1. Goal: liberate North Africa from German control
2. 1st major contribution of the United States (300,000 Allied troops were killed--20,000 Americans)
C) Italian Campaign (Sept. 1943): Goal = defeat Italy + remove Benito Mussolini from power
1. Proved to be a success despite two harsh years of combat.
2. Tuskegee Airmen contributed to Italian campaign.

They were the 1st all African American air force squadron in U.S. history

Never lost a single plane despite over 1,500 bombing missions!

Their successes offered proof against popular stereotypes that Blacks wouldn't have the ability or loyalty
to effectively serve.
D) Operation Overlord (June 1944): the Allied invasion of Northern France
1. Goals: liberate France from German control, then utilize France for an eventual invasion of Germany.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was put in charge of the entire operation.

One of the few times in U.S. history than an American army had invaded another country.

Considered the largest amphibious (sea to land) invasion in human history.
2. “D-Day” = nickname given to the 1st & most important day of Operation Overlord.

10,000 Allied soldiers died on D-Day (6,600 were American)

Hitler’s Atlantic Wall defense made the invasion deadly for the invading Allies.
3. Operation Overlord was eventually a success, one that clear the way for an invasion of Germany.

1,200 fighting ships, 804 transport ships, 10,000 planes, 132,500 soldiers were involved in the operation
E) German Campaign (Late 1944)
1. Goal = Defeat Germany with a 2 sided invasion (Soviets from east, Americans + British from the West)
2. Began with massive bombings of German cities (targeting government buildings, factories, and civilians)

Dangerous--2 out of every 10 U.S. bomber planes were destroyed by German defenses.
3. Battle of the Bulge (last significant battle in Europe & Germany’s last major military resistance)

Resulted in 100,000 German deaths! Adolf Hitler committed suicide shortly after this battle
4. “V-E Day” (Victory In Europe), nickname given to Germany's "unconditional" surrender on May 7, 1945,

With Germany and Italy defeated, the Allies then directed all attention to fighting Japan
II. Pacific Theatre: Defeating The Japanese Empire
A) The "Pacific Theatre" battles took place at the same time as those in Europe.
1. Each battle offers proof that the Japanese were determined and unlikely to surrender.
2. This would be a major factor in President Truman's decision to use atomic bombs to end war (see below)
B) Japan dominated the Pacific Theatre in the six months after the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941
1. It conquered a landmass that dwarfed what Hitler’s Third Reich had seized in Europe!

Had seized Korea, Myanmar, Indochina (today's Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos), and large chunks of China
2. Battle For Philippines, at Bataan (April 1942)

U.S. had controlled it since 1902, but Japan desired the Philippine Islands for its central location in
Southeast Asia, which would allow it to conquer other nearby oil-rich places.

Japan captured the Philippine Islands as 70,000 U.S. & Filipino troops surrendered (largest surrender ever
in U.S. history)
3. Bataan Death March

American & Filipino prisoners-of-war were forced to march for 6 days (63 miles)to a prison camp.

Estimated that 7-11,000 prisoners-of-war died during the 63 mile march (little food or medicine provided)

After WW2, this event would be considered a “crime against humanity”
C) U.S. began a cluster of victories starting in 1942
1. Battle of Midway (June 1942):

Midway Islands are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean--the halfway point between Asia & North America

Japan designed a plan to take control of the Islands as a launching board for other attacks:
 A second attack on Pearl Harbor (with the goal of taking over all of Hawaii)
 An eventual invasion of the western United States.

U.S. Intelligence successfully cracked Japan's top secret coded messages/plans about Midway Islands

Cracking Japan's military codes allowed the U.S. Navy to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese ships
headed toward Midway: 4 Japanese aircraft carriers, 250 planes, & killed Japan's most experienced pilots

Importance of the Battle Of Midway
 Japan was forced to be on the defensive and was never able to invade Hawaii or the west coast U.S.
 The United States began an "Island Hopping" strategy
2.
Checkpoint 8
Briefly summarize the "Island
Hopping Strategy"
3.
Checkpoint 9
What were 2 goals of the U.S. in the
Battle at Leyte Gulf?
4.
Checkpoint 10
How many Americans died at both the
Battles of Iwo Jima + Okinawa?
5.
After Battle of Midway, the U.S. began an "Island Hopping Strategy"--The goal:

Get near Japan by invading/conquering islands close to it.

Use nearby islands to launch bombing raids against Japanese cities.

Continue bombings until a land invasion of Japan is possible.
Battle for Philippines, at Leyte Gulf (October 1944)

U.S. had two major goals: Take back Philippine Islands & then cut off Japan’s access to its oil supplies.

Largest naval battle in human history: Japan sent most of its remaining navy, but in the end lost 3
battleships, 4 aircraft carriers, 13 cruisers, & 500 planes!

Japan introduced the use of Kamikaze pilots (used for one-way suicide missions).
 Pilots were ordered to fly into important U.S. ships!
 Some pilots volunteered out of patriotism, some were brainwashed into action, some were forced.

Importance: Battle was an absolute disaster for Japan: its navy was severely destroyed and was only able
to play a small role in future battles. U.S. successfully regained control of Philippine Islands
Battle Of Iwo Jima (March 1945)

Japan's defensive strategy
 Fight the battle from underground using an elaborate tunnel system that stretched for 16 miles with
1,500 rooms: each soldier was expected to kill 10 Americans in order to avoid a shameless death.
 Defend Iwo Jima to the death! Only 200 out of 20,700 Japanese survived! 6,000 Marines were
killed in comparison, although 17,000 were wounded!

U.S. Marines invaded & eventually captured the island after 36 days of intense fighting
 Iwo Jima was then used to begin frequent bombing raids on Japanese cities
 The new B-22 bomber plane frequently launched from this island
Battle Of Okinawa (April 1945)

The U.S. attempted a land invasion to gain control of Okinawa Islands (only 350 miles from Japan)

U.S. Navy suffered its largest loss of ships in U.S. history (36 ships were destroyed, 368 damaged)
 Why? Japan intensified its use of Kamikaze pilots—over 1,900 in this battle alone!

Notable facts:
 12,000 Americans died compared to 110,000 Japanese!
 The islands were used as airport runways to begin bombing missions on the Japanese islands.
III. President Truman's Decision

Checkpoint 11
List the 2 main options that President
Truman had for ending the war.
Checkpoint 12
Summarize 1-2 points of those that
SUPPORTED using the atomic bomb.
Checkpoint 13
Summarize 1-2 points of those that
OPPOSED using the atomic bomb.
Checkpoint 14
List the 2 Japanese cities that were
targeted by atomic bombs
Victory at Iwo Jima & Okinawa put the U.S. in a perfect position to enter the next phase of the war: attacking
mainland Japan. Although several options existed, President Truman's two major choices were:
A) Option #1: Invade Japan:
1. Drop conventional bombs, then suffocate it with a naval blockade, then invade it with ground forces.
2. Allied forces had already started to relentlessly bomb 66 major Japanese cities.
3. Biggest example: “Firebombing Of Tokyo”

In March 1945, 334 “B-29” planes had bombed Japan’s capital

High winds caused fires to start terrible “firestorms” which destroyed much of the city.

83,000 Japanese were killed; 125,000 wounded, and 1.2 million homeless!
B) Option #2: Use the atomic bomb (creation of the top secret Manhattan Project)
1. Those that supported this option claimed it would:

Bring a quick end to the war

Make an invasion unnecessary (therefore save the lives of Allied soldiers)
 One official estimated that an invasion would cost 1 million U.S. soldiers & 500,000 British soldiers!

Instantly launch the U.S. as the most powerful nation in the world, or "superpower status."
2. Those that were against this option argued:

The atomic bomb was unnecessary since Japan was near defeat anyway
 Its cities would not be able to withstand more bombings

It would be unmoral (wrong) to use the bomb without fair warning:

It would unnecessarily kill thousands of innocent Japanese civilians

It would set a bad pattern for the future, as nation's might create more destructive weapons.
C) On 26 July 1945, President Truman publicly demanded that Japan surrender, or else face “prompt and utter
destruction.” Japan failed to respond. Truman selected option #2 above.
D) On August 6, 1945, a plane named Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima
1. It was the first time in human history that such a destructive weapons was used in combat.
2. 80,000 instant deaths, 35,000 injured, 2/3 of city’s buildings were destroyed.
3. Japan’s leaders failed to surrender
E) Three days later, U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb on city of Nagasaki.
1. 39,000 instant deaths; 25,000 injured; 40% of city was destroyed.
2. “V-J Day”—Japan unconditionally surrendered on August 15th, 1945 in reaction to the 2nd bomb.
F) WW2 officially ended