Week of March 27th - March 31st

[1Michael]

Basics of Pearl Harbor Attack:

• Date: December 7, 1941- Sunday- 7:40 AM and 8:50 AM
• Location: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory
• War Results:
  • Japanese major victory
  • US Declaration of War on Japan
  • Germany and Italy Declare War on the US (Tripartite Pact)
  • US declares War on Germany and Italy
• Battle Results:
  
  • All eight US Navy battleships were damaged, with 4 being sung
  • 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers, and anti aircraft ship and 1 minelayer ship were sank or damaged
  • 188 US aircraft were destroyed (Pacific Fleet)
  • Fortunately, all US aircraft carriers were out at sea at the time, so they were saved- very important in the war in the Pacific
• Deaths/Casualties:
  • 2,402 killed
  • 1,282 wounded
• Remember Pearl Harbor
  • One of the most patriotic songs during WWII
  • It was played at family and religious gatherings throughout the country

Why did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor?

• After Japan invaded French Indochina in 1940, US stopped trading oil with Japan
• Japan signed the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact in April, 1941, guaranteeing that Japan and USSR would not go to war
• Japan realized they needed US trade to be successful in war
• Only way to force US' hand was to hit them hard in a surprise attack forcing them out of the war
• Japan knew that this plan was a huge risk, but thought it was the only way to defeat the US
• Plan backfired, Instead, Japan "awoke a sleeping giant".

Backdoor to War Conspiracy

• Some people believe that FDR knew about Pearl Harbor, but let it happen to bring the US into the war

Wednesday- Bombing in Japan- August 6, 1945

FDR's War Message

• Pearl Harbor was not the only area Japan attacked on December 7
• "Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya."
• "Last night Japanse forces attacked Hong Kong."
• "Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam."
• Last night Japanee forces attacked the Philippine Islands."
• "Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island."
• "This morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island."

Bataan Death March- Philippines- 1942

• Up to 10,000 Filipino and 650 American POW's died during march

Doolittle's Raid- April, 1942

• American forces bombed Tokyo, Japan as soon as possible and crash-landed in China
• More for revenge than military purpose- boost American morale- we got them back- like 9/11 at the time
• Also showed Japan that we're not knocked out of the war- on the contrary, we're coming in stronger

Battle of Coal Sea- First Turning Point in Pacific

• Stalemate, but at least Japan didn't win
• Probably first battle in history that wasn't on land

Battle of Midway

• June 1942
• Major turning point in Pacific
• About getting control of runways on island
• US massively destroyed Japan- Japan was never quite the same again
• Magic- US method of deciphering Japanese military code

Island-Hopping in the Pacific

• Going from island to island
• Lots and lots of islands in the Pacific
• Got the more strategically important islands first, and then the rest surrendered- cut off from supplies
• Often times, invading the islands are like a mini D-day invasion

If we invaded Japan, about a million lives would be lost- ironically, US actually saved lives by using the atomic bombs instead

Solomon Islands- Guadalcanal

Kamikazes

• Japanese planes suicide missions
• Filled their planes with explosives and crashed into US ships
• US had to try to shoot them down before they hit the ship so the planes would break apart and fall into the sea

Battle of Leyte Gulf, Philippines

• Oct 20, 1944 – Dec 31, 1944
• US crippled Japanese navy

Iwo Jima- February-March, 1945

• Mount Suribachi- famous flag raising 
• US had been bombarding the island for days to try to weaken the Japanese
• 6,821 US Deaths at Iwo Jima
• US eventually won

Battle of Okinawa- April-June, 1945

• First Japanese mainland island US tried to take over- the rest were Japanese controlled
• US won- tough fighting- Japanese fought to the death

Summer 1945- Preparing for the Invasion of Japan

• Operation Downfall
• Planned for October 1945
• Estimated to have over 1 million casualties
• Estimated to have 267,000 deaths
• Never took place because of atomic bombs
  • Didn't want to bomb culturally important cities like Tokyo, went after more industrial cities instead

The Manhattan Project

• Code name for the development of the atomic bomb
• 1939-1945
• Trinity Test- July 16, 1945- New Mexico- first ever atomic bomb exploded

Hiroshima Bombing

• Enola Gay-B29 Super-fortress- designed to carry atomic bomb- Paul Tibbits was the pilot
• Uranium bomb was nicknamed "Little Boy"
• Blast was momentarily hotter than the sun
• Radiation Sickness and Atomic Shadow

Nagasaki Bombing

• Plutonium bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man", imploded
• Plane was called Bockscar, piloted by Charles Sweeney

VJ Day

• August 14/15, 1945 (Official UK) 2 days because of time difference
• September 2, 1945 (Official for US)
  • When Japan official signed of USS Missouri

Potsdam Conference-July, 1945

• On July 26, the US, GB and China issued the Potsdam Declaration
• Announced the terms for Japan's surrender
• "We will not deviate from them. There are not alternatives."
• Dismantle the current government of Japan (excluding Emperor Hirohito)
• The Allies (US) will occupy Japan
• Japan will consist only of the major islands (Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku). It will lose all territory gained in WWII and years leading up to it.
• Japanese military forces will be disarmed and allowed to return home
• There will be war crimes trials for the atrocities committed by Japan throughout WWII
• Democracy will be promoted as well as Freedom of speech, religion, and of thought, as well as respect for fundamental human rights (Universal Declaration of Human Rights- 1948)
• Japan will be allowed to have industry so they can make money to pay for reparation, World trade will also be enabled at some point
• Allied (US) occupation of Japan (1945-1952) will end once Japan accomplishes all the above points.
• "We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction."- President Harry Truman