netw rks
NAME _______________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________
America and World War II, 1941–1945
Cop
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pani
es,
Inc.
Per
mis
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is g
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MidwayJune 4 –7, 1942
TarawaNov. 20 –23, 1943
GuadalcanalAug. 7, 1942 – Feb. 9, 1943
Coral SeaMay 4 – 8, 1942
Leyte GulfOct. 23–26, 1944
SaipanJune 15–July 9, 1944
GuamJuly 21–Aug. 10, 1944
Marshall Islands
Feb. 1944
Iwo JimaFeb. 19 –March 26, 1945
HiroshimaAug. 6, 1945
NagasakiAug. 9, 1945
OkinawaApr. 1–June 22, 1945
ManilaMarch 4, 1945
AttuMay 11–27, 1943
Japan surrenderson battleship MissouriSept. 2, 1945
Tokyo
ShanghaiChongqing
Bangkok
Batavia
Darwin
Nanjing
Lashio
Beijing
HongKong
Singapore
Pearl Harbor
(U.K.)
(U.K.)
(U.K.)
(U.K.)
(U.S.)
NewHebrides
ElliceIs.
GilbertIs.
Sakhalin
Kuril Is.
Borneo
Java
Palau Is.
Luzon
Mindanao
Okinawa
Sumatra
Solomon Is.
Wake Island
Kiska
Guam
Nauru
NEW GUINEA
Aleutian Is.
HawaiianIslands
Halsey
MacArthurHalsey
Nimitz, N
ov. 1943
SouthChina
Sea
Philippine Sea
PACIFICOCEAN
INDIANOCEAN
Sea ofJapan
CoralSea
Yellow R.
Yangtze R.
INDIA
BURMASIAM
(THAILAND)
FRENCHINDOCHINA
PHILIPPINES
SOVIETUNION
MONGOLIA MANCHURIA
CHINA
AUSTRALIA
180°
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120°E100°E 140°E 160°E 160°W
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Japanese Empire andconquestsFarthest extent ofJapan’s conquests,July 1942Allied forcesMajor battleAtomic bombing
Island Hopping in the Pacific, 1942–1945
Geography and History Activity
Island Hopping
Advancing on JapanThe war in the Pacific involved a major geographic obstacle: the Pacific Ocean. In order to attack Japan, U.S. forces would have to advance across thousands of miles of ocean and attack heavily fortified Japanese positions on small, strategically important islands. The U.S. strategy involved a two-pronged advance. The U.S. navy would island hop through the central Pacific while the Army advanced through the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and the Philippines. Tarawa was the U.S. navy’s first objective. The Japanese base there had to be captured in order to put air bases in the nearby Marshall Islands. After the Marshall Islands, the U.S. navy targeted the Mariana Islands. The U.S. military planners wanted to use the Marianas as a base for a new heavy bomber, the B-29 Superfortress. From airfields in the Marianas, the B-29s would be in range of the Japanese mainland and could begin a bombing campaign intended to end the war.
Caption: This map shows the naval and army advances across the Pacific from 1942–1945.
United States History and Geography: Modern Times
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netw rks
NAME _______________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________
America and World War II, 1941–1945
Copyright ©
The McG
raw-H
ill Com
panies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom
use.Geography and History Activity Cont.
Understanding Concepts1. What geographic challenge led to the use of island hopping?
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2. What were some of the dangers posed by the island hopping strategy?
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3. What did the United States gain by capturing the Mariana Islands?
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Applying Concepts
4. How do you think U.S. bombing of the Japanese mainland contributed to the end of the war in the Pacific?
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5. Do you think the United States was justified in the use of atomic weapons in the Pacific? Why or why not?
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Directions: Answer the questions below in the space provided.
The Difficulties of Island HoppingBy the fall of 1943, the U.S. navy was ready to launch its island-hopping campaign, but the geography of the central Pacific posed a problem. Many of the islands were coral reef atolls. The water over the coral reef was not always deep enough to allow landing craft to get to the shore. If the landing craft ran aground on the reef, the troops would have to wade to the beach. Wading ashore under enemy fire led to very high casualty rates among U.S. troops.
United States History and Geography: Modern Times
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