WW2 Japan's Pacific Campaign

WW2 Japan's Pacific Campaign

Grade 10 World History

Lesson Objectives:

• Explain how Japanese expansionism led to war with the Allies in Asia.

• Describe Japan's early battle successes.

• Explain how the Allies were able to stop Japanese expansion.

• Summarize Allied battle strategy.

Japanese leaders had dreams of empire. In 1931, Japan occupied Manchuria -- six years later they swept into the heartland of China to increase their resources which signaled a confrontation with the West.

Japanese Advance

• The Americans were aware of Japanese imperial intentions.

• In response to Japanese occupation of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in July 1941, US cut off oil shipment to Japan.

• Japan continued its advanced as they swept through British and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia.

• Japan's greatest strategist, Isoroku Yamamoto considered Hawaii as "a dagger pointed at [Japan's] throat."

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a way that the United States tried to stop Japan's aggression in the Pacific?

• The United States cut off oil shipments to Japan.

• The United Staes sent its entire naval fleet to the Philippines.

• The United States broke the Japanese code used to send secret messages.

• The United States planned attacks on British and Dutch colonies in the Pacific region.

Day of Infamy

• In the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese surprisingly attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

• In two hours, the Japanese had sunk or damaged 19 ships, including 8 battleships, with more than 2300 killed and over 1,100 wounded.

• In his speech addressed at the Congress, President Roosevelt declared war on Japan.

Open Ended

What were the causes and effects of Japan's attack on the United States?

Japanese Victories

• Japan later occupied Guam and the Philippines as they continued seizing British possessions in Asia such as Hong Kong, Malaya, and Thailand -- then Singapore.

• The Japanese also conquered the resource-rich Dutch-East Indies (Indonesia) and then taking Burma to achieve plans of attacking India, the largest British colonies.

• Japan promoted "Asia for the Asiatics" to win the support of Asians by promoting anticolonists ideas.

The Japanese were known for their brutal treatment of their enemies.

Multiple Choice

What is one reason that the Japanese wanted to conquer the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia)?

• The area was rich in natural resources.

• The area was a gateway to South Pacific.

• The area was home to many native Japanese.

• The area was the home of the British naval fleet.

Allies Turn the Tide

• In April 1942, the Americans bombed Tokyo. Although it did little damage, it showed that Japan was vulnerable to attack.

• In May 1942, American intercepted a Japanese strick force headed for Port Moresby in New Guinea.

• Battle of the Coral Sea - both sides sued new kind of naval warfare where planes taking off from huge aircraft carries attacked ships. This battle was a victory for the Allies as they stopped Japan's southward advance.

Multiple Choice

How was the Battle of the Coral Sea a different type of naval warfare?

• Airplanes from aircraft carriers attacked the ships.

• Submarines sent nuclear bombs toward the battleships.

• Land-to-sea missiles were sent form faraway shoes to strike the ships.

• Radar on submarines was used to detect where the ships at sea were located.

Battle of Midway

• Japan targeted Midway Island, 1,500 miles west of Hawaii but the Americans anticipated their advance.

• On June 4, Americans surprised the Japanese Navy as they destroyed 332 Japanese planes, all four aircraft carriers, and one support ship.

• Yamamoto ordered his crippled fleet to withdraw.

• By June 7, 1942, the battle was over and it turned the tide of war in the Pacific.

Open Ended

How did Midway show the value of military intelligence?

An Allied Offensive

• The Allies planned an offensive under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the Allied land forces in eh Pacific.

• His plan is to "island-hop" past Japanese strongholds to capture weaker Japanese -controlled islands then use seized islands for bases.

• When the Allies learned about the Japanese building a huge airbase on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, the Allies attacked it on August 7, 1942.

Multiple Choice

Why did the Allied forces need to act quickly in their attack on Guadalcanal?

• The Japanese were establishing industries there.

• The Japanese were building a huge air base there.

• The Japanese were starting to set up colonies there.

• The Japanese were holding Allied prisoners of war there.

Battle of Guadalcanal

• The battle for control of the islands turned into a savage struggle as both sides poured in fresh troops.

• In February 1943, after six months of fighting on land and at sea, the battle finally ended.

• After losing more than 24,000 of a force of 36,000 soldiers, the Japaense abandoned what they came to call "the Island of Death."

Big Idea: Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and brought the United States into World War II.

Why it matters now: World War II established the United States as a leading player in international affairs.