War in the Pacific Flashcards
Battle of Coral Sea
Took place to prevent the invasion of Australia, it was a stalemate, and the Japanese’s first expansion failure.
Battle of Midway
Japan wanted to occupy Midway, a group of US-owned islands in the Pacific. The Japanese’s code was broken, and the battle saved Hawaii. It was decisive US territory, and the Japanese Navy was left extremely damaged.
Iwo Jima
The US planned to use the land as an emergency landing strip for bombers or a base for fighter escorts and their pilots during bombing campaigns. While fighting, the Japanese dug into bunkers on the island. The US outnumbered the Japanese 3 to 1. In the end, the Japanese lost all but 1,000, meanwhile, the US lost 7,000. The battle took 36 days to win.
Battle for Okinawa
It was the bloodiest Pacific battle and the last major battle of WWII. Okinawa was supposed to be the Allies’ center of invasion, it lasted 82 days. Both sides suffered, but the Japanese suffered more.
Manhattan Project
The race to develop the atomic bomb before the Nazis. It took place from 1941 to 1945, and the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Hiroshima
The United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan on August 6, 1945. it weighed 5 tons and was named ‘Little Man’ aboard the Enola Gay. The bomb was equivalent to 15,000 tons of dynamite. Some people died immediatley and others died from radiation sickness.
Nagasaki
The United States warned the Japanese they would drop more bombs if they didn’t surrender, but they didn’t respond. The US dropped the second bomb on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The bomb was nicknamed “Fat Man” and was aboard the plane Bockscar. Land was destroyed and many people died
Japanese surrender - V J Day
The Japanese surrendered under the order of Emperor Hirohito, who gave permission for an immediate and unconditional surrender. V-J or V-P day stands for Victory over Japan or Victory in the Pacific Day. Japan surrendered in August, but made their formal surrender in September, aboard the U.S.S Missouri.
