Pacific Theater•Operations will be spread out over a larger area than the European Theater•Sea power plays bigger role, aircraft carrier becomes most important ship in the fleet•US will engage Japanese much quicker than they did the Germans•Plan of attack-

–Island hopping-conquer only strategically important islands in the Pacific while ignoring others

Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz

Commanded all US Naval forces

US Army General Douglas MacArthur

Commands US ground forces in Pacific

Admiral Bull Halsey•Born in NJ•Commands US carrier groups in key battles

Admiral Fletcher

Commands US carrier groups

Admiral Spruance

Commands US carrier group

Admiral Kimmel

Scapegoat for US losses at Pearl Harbor

Colonel Doolittle•Born in NJ•Gave US moral victory early in war by bombing Tokyo

USS New Jersey•Most decorated battleship in US history

Japanese hit Pearl Harbor•US Pacific Fleet suffers major losses•Kimmel is “fall guy”

Bataan and Corregidor•US loses control of Philippine Islands•Gen. MacArthur give his “I Shall Return” speech•Bataan Death March sees over 70% of US troops die•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPlfhVEw-7U

Doolittle’s Raid on Tokyo•US receives moral boost from raids that really did very little damage to Tokyo•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k8x-Qb7KIE

•Most of 160 crewmen survive

The Battle of the Coral Sea•Sounds like a very lovely place for a battle•Aircraft carrier replaces battleship as most important ship in fleet•Battle is considered a tie

The Battle of Midway

•TURNING POINT IN PACIFIC THEATER•Luck played large role in US victory•Tide of war turns in 5-10 minute period •Japan loses 4 best carriers and hundreds of pilots• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=140LAvErsXs

Battle of Guadalcanal •Turning point in Pacific Ground War•Long and costly battle for control of the island and the waters around it•Reason Mr. Ryan began to like history at the tender age of 4• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SQqVEu135E

The Island Hopping Campaign

•Series of battles that take place in 1943-1944 all over the South and Central Pacific islands•Truk, Tarawa, Kwajalein, Bouganville, Marshalls, Eniwetok are among the most vital

The Battle of the Philippine Sea

•US retake Guam, Saipan, Tinian Islands•US pilots shoot down over 600 Japanese planes and sink 3 carriers in the Marianas Turkey Shoot•Sets up US plan to retake Philippines

Battle of Leyte Gulf and the retaking of the Philippines

•Naval battle sees the last of Japanese sea power destroyed•Kamikaze attacks used for first time•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hziFBOx4yqc

•By March 1945, US clears all Japanese resistance

MacArthur returns to Philippines

Battles for Iwo Jima and Okinawa•Last large ground battle of the war•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWG-ViT4lpg

•Both Japanese commanders commit suicide•US suffers heavy losses to take both islands•Japanese losses are staggering•Kamikaze attacks increase

• Flag Raising on Mt. Surabachi by Joe Rosenthal• 3 of 6 men killed during Battle for Iwo Jima• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YedHaLF5So

Firebombing of Tokyo

•Revenge plays factor•16 square mile are destroyed by round the clock bombing raids•Kobe, Osaka, and Nagoya are later targeted

The Manhattan Project•Oppenheimer led team that designs bomb•July 16, 1945 test was successful at Trinity site•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcmxLVGd4wE

•“I have become death, the destroyer of worlds”

Defeat of Japan

•August 6, 1945 US B-29 Enola Gay drops “Little Boy” uranium bomb on Hiroshima•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v

=NF4LQaWJRDg

Defeat of Japan

•August 9, 1945 US B-29 Bock’s Car drops plutonium bomb “Fat Man” on Nagasaki•USSR declares war on Japan•Surrender terms are agreed upon

• V-J Day – Surrender takes place on September 2, 1945 on the

deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay

• Cost of War:– US lost 292,000 soldiers in battle and 456,000 total

• Yalta Conference– UN meets April 1945 in San Francisco– Defeat of Germany and post war Europe are

discussed• Potsdam Conference

– Post war Europe is argued– War crimes trials are set

• Nuremburg trials• US occupation of Japan