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Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy's main Pacific base. Japan attacked by both air and sea, using 6 aircraft carriers, 360 airplanes, 28 ships, and several subs. They pushed the strike in two ways: the main attack by means of ships and airfield and the finishing blow. This resulted in the death of 2,402 people and the destruction of many ships and planes. This led the United States to declare war on Japan and the Axis powers on December 8, 1941 -
A Date Which Will Live In Infamy
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR was left with no choice but to join the war against Japan and the Axis Powers. He pleaded with congress to declare war on Japan, stating a nuimbe of other locations that Japan had already attacked. In addition, he also stated that the United States was a peaceful nation, but would not go against its own morals and character whn they are being deliberatley attacked by another nation. Congress officially declared war on Japan on December 8, 1942. -
The Bataan Peninsula
By December of 1941, the U.S. had engaged Japan in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately, Douglas MacArthur, U.S. commander in Asia, underestimated the strength of Japan's army, and was forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. This retreat was followed by another retreat by MacArthur, only this time U.S. forces stayed behind. Eventually, 75,000 American troops surrendered to the Japanese and were forced to march 55 miles, resulting in the deaths of over 7,000 American troops. -
The Manhattan Project
In 1942, FDR gave the developement of the atomic bomb top priority in order to defeat the Japanese in a swift manner. In the years previous to the developement of the bomb, scientists had found ways to split the nuclei of certains hich would create explosions on a grand scale. With this knowledge, scientists had pondered at the thought of weaponizing this science, and saw it come to life in 1944 The project was overseen by Col. Leslie Richard Groves and Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer. -
Doolittle Raid
In order to send a mesage to the Japanese army, the U.S. planned a night attack on the city of Tokyo. Unfortunately, U.S. planes were detected early by the Japanese, leading Colonel James Doolittle to commence the attack during the day. The bombing killed 50 Japanese civilians and damaged approximately 100 buildings. The attack had minimal military gain for the U.S., but it frightened the Japanese and boosted U.S. morale. -
Battle of the Coral Sea
In May of 1942, Japan advanced to take New Guinea, which was vital to the U.S. effort against the Japanese. In order to prevent the Japanese takeover of New Guinea, the U.S. sent 2 aircraft carriers to counter the attack. The battle lasted from May 7th to May 8th, with both sides relying on aerial forces to combat eachother. Eventually, the battle ended in a draw, but Japan called off their attack on New Guinea, boosting U.S. morale for the first time since the war began. -
Battle of Midway
Considered to be the decisive battle of the Pacific front, the Battle of Midway lasted from June 4 to June 7, 1945. The battle was vital to the U.S.'s campaign against the Japanese because by the end, Japan had little to no naval support, shifting the momentum of the war in favor of the U.S. Before the initial battle, Admiral Nimitz of the U.S. forces received intelligence that the Japanese would be preparing to attack midway in a definitve battle against the U.S., allowing Nimitz to prepare. -
Okinawa
On April 1, 1945, U.S. forces landed in Okinawa, Japan in order to gain a strategic advantage over the Japanese. Okinawa was a vital point to obtain because it would allow the U.S. to bomb the Japanese home islands. Up to this point, the U.S. had been using a tactic known as "island hopping" to secure strategic points along the way to the Japanese home islands. The battle of Okinawa lasted for about month, eventually ending in victory for the U.S., and resulting in the deaths of 50,000 troops. -
Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, President Truman made the difficult decision to drop an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, in order to drive them to unconditional surrender. The bomb decimated over 60% of the developed city, and killed over 70,000 Japanese civillians. The bomb was the first part of the final effort against the Japanese, which were ruthless in their own right. In battle, Japanese soldiers often killed themselves rather than surrender, therefore forcing the U.S. to go to the extreme. -
Nagasaki
A mere 3 days after the bombing of Hiroshima, the U.S. drove Japan to surrender by launching another atomic bomb attack on the city of Nagasaki. Initially, the bomb was estimated to have killed an estimate of 40,000 people on impact. But, by the end of 1945, over 70,000 citizens died due to the radiation caused by the bomb. The destruction of Nagasaki drove Japan to surrender on August 14, 1945, marking the end of WWII.
