American History Unit 28 Test Part One

On December 8, 1941, the Japanese attacked the Philippines where General Douglas MacArthur had been attempting to accomplish what task?

He was sent to shape and train a Filipino Army of 125,000 men. Actual trained US regulars were no more than a few thousand.

The US carrier, Yorktown, was badly damaged in the battle as well, but what miracle occurred to give the Americans hope?

The US carrier Yorktown was damaged and had to go in for repairs which they thought would take months, but miraculously took only three days.

How many US warships were in the harbor at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack?

There were 70 American warships in the harbor at the time of the attack including eight out of the US's nine battleships lined up on Battleship Row in nice, neat little rows making them easy targets for the Japanese raiders.

What were three things that the Japanese overlooked in their almost perfect attack?

They did not bomb the fuel reserves, the electric plant, or the ship repair facility. All three of these oversights added greatly to the speedy recovery of the United States Navy for the remainder of the war.

Who were the Flying Tigers?

They were an American volunteer group who guarded the Burma Road when it was open or flew "the Hump," which was the air route over the Himalayas from India to China ferrying Lend-Lease supplies to China.

The other Mariana Islands, formally German possessions, had been entrusted to what country?

They were the property of Japan after World War I when German colonies had been broken up according to the Treaty of Versailles. This allowed Japan close proximity to swoop down and take Guam from the tiny garrison of 555 men composed of Navy, Marine, and civilian construction workers who were building a submarine and air base.

What "first" occurred in the Battle of the Coral Sea?

This was the first battle ever where enemy boats did not fire a shot at each other throughout the entire battle. Fighter planes and dive-bombers did all of the damage to the ships, not big guns.

What was the Manhattan Engineering District?

This was the most secret of projects set up by FDR to make an atomic bomb.

On December 18, 1941, just 11 days after Pearl Harbor was bombed, FDR issued an executive order creating the Roberts Commission, headed by Supreme Court Justice Josephus Roberts, to determine what kind of action?

To investigate whether there was dereliction of duty by any military personnel.

What geographic locations did the Japanese choose to attack?

US Guam, US Wake, US Philippines, Thailand, Malaya, Singapore, Burma, Hong Kong

What eventually happened to General Short and Admiral Kimmel?

Ultimately Short and Kimmel were exonerated when the Freedom of Information Act allowed the releasing of documents covering this incident. In 2000 the US Senate passed a resolution saying Short and Kimmel were not guilty of dereliction of duties but the Department of Defense still refuses to restore the men's rank or honor.

When it became apparent that the Philippines would fall, FDR ordered General MacArthur to evacuate himself, his wife, and son from the Philippines on March 18th. What reason did Roosevelt state for his order?

"He was too valuable to lose."

What were the famous beginning words of the speech that President Roosevelt spoke on December 8, 1941 before a joint session of Congress?

"Yesterday, December 7,1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

What were the losses at Midway for the Japanese?

4 Carriers, 1 Cruiser, and 258 aircraft

What was the Japanese response to the defeat at Midway?

Admiral Yamamoto was forced to retreat in shame as the defeat was the first for the Japanese navy. The Japanese Emperor commanded that the word "Midway" would never be uttered again.

Even though the Japanese took the early lead during the battle of Midway, what was the outcome of the battle?

Admirals Chester Nimitz and Raymond Spruance caught each of the Japanese aircraft carriers with their dive-bombing Dauntless aircraft and systematically sent four big carriers to the bottom. The battle lasted three days but ended with sweet revenge for Pearl Harbor.

What famous scientist wrote a letter to President Roosevelt to express his fears about the pending development of the atomic bomb?

Albert Einstein, the German scientist who had defected from Germany to the US, co-wrote a letter to President Roosevelt in 1939 expressing his fears that the first country to develop an atomic bomb could blackmail its enemies into surrender and win the war.

The Victory at Midway marked what point in the war?

Americans marked Midway as the turning point in the war.

After the Japanese had taken Rabaul, New Guinea, what was their next objective?

Their next goal was to isolate Australia by first taking Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands and then taking Port Moresby in New Guinea.

What is one story of the bravery of the Mighty Marines?

At one point Henderson Field was defended by 33 Marine riflemen with four implanted machine guns on a ridge, who had killed or wounded over 930 Japanese in one night. In the morning, Platoon Sergeant Mitchell Paige, who had crawled from machine gun to machine gun all night giving short bursts to deceive the enemy from knowing everyone in his platoon was wounded or dead, charged down the hill with only 17 men from another squad including the cook and mess men to take the remaining Japanese.

Who were the scientists that were a part of the atomic bomb project?

Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, an American physicist, was the lead scientist on this project but gifted scientists from Italy, America, Hungary, Germans and even the father of the Atomic Age, Niels Bohr from Denmark, came together to work with enriched uranium and plutonium to make the bomb.

What was the outcome of Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle's plan?

Even though the US bombers were spotted early and had to launch 200 miles ahead of schedule, they were able to drop their bombs. Some bombers landed successfully in China, while others crashed in the China Sea.

What were some of the highlights of General Douglas MacArthur's military career?

Graduated first in his West Point class, youngest WWI commander in France, Youngest superintendent of West Point, Youngest Chief of Staff of US Army, Mobilized the Philippine army

Where is Guadalcanal?

Guadalcanal is a prominent 90-mile long, mountainous, jungle island infested with malaria infecting mosquitoes. It is located in the chain of the Solomon Islands in the Coral Sea north of Australia on the same plane with New Guinea.

What honors were bestowed upon Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare?

He became the Navy's first Ace of WWII and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Though killed in aerial combat a year later, his hometown of Chicago named O'Hare Airport in Chicago for him.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle devised what plan of attack against Japan?

He strategized to launch 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers from the navy aircraft carrier, Hornet, under the command of Admiral Bull Halsey, 400 miles from the Japanese mainland to bomb Tokyo.

What was Roosevelt asking of Congress?

He was requesting that Congress declare war on Japan.

In addition to their bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese put together a string of simultaneous lightening attacks similar to what kind of attacks?

Hitler's blitzkrieg in Europe

Why was the location of Guadalcanal important?

If the island had been occupied by Japanese, its position would have cut off the straightest waterway from Hawaii to Australia.

What were the findings of the Roberts Commission?

In only two months the commission found Short and Kimmel guilty. Both were relieved of their commands and forced to retire with a lesser rank. Strangely, neither was court- martialed.

On June 4, 1942 when the Japanese attacked the island of Midway, they thought the US navy had lost the carrier Yorktown in the battle of the Coral Sea. What was the real condition of the Yorktown?

In reality, the Yorktown had been repaired and was in full service. The US carriers Enterprise and Hornet were 200 miles away but came steaming to the rescue of Midway.

What kind of geographic location is Wake?

It is an atoll, or a ring-shaped reef, island, or chain of islands formed of coral.

Guam, the largest of the Marianas Islands, belonged to what country?

It was ceded to US after the Spanish American War and was essentially unfortified in 1941. It was only serving as a way station for American ships traveling to the Philippines.

What famous attack occurred on December 7, 1941?

Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor destroying five battleships, three cruisers, several smaller vessels, and almost two hundred airplanes.

Who were the Japanese leaders who coordinated the attack?

Japanese Emperor Hirohito, and Japanese Premier Tojo sent Fleet Admiral Yamamoto on one of the most successful surprise attacks in naval history.

What tactics did the Japanese use to psychologically challenge the Marines?

Japanese inhumane terror acts included placing several heads of Marines on stakes. The Marine defenders refused to be shaken.

What was the fate of Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle?

Of the 80 men, eight men were captured by the Japanese of which three were sent to a mock trial and later executed, while the others were tortured and starved. Of these remaining four, three lived to be freed. Doolittle and his crew made it to China and were aided by American missionary John Birch in getting home. Doolittle thought the raid had failed.

World War II produced many heroes like Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare, a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. What was his heroic act?

On February 20, 1942, O'Hare was flying back towards his carrier because of low fuel. He saw a squadron of Japanese bombers speeding toward the defenseless American fleet. He diverted the Japanese bombers, shot down five, and then attempted to dive at the planes to clip off a wing or a tail. His efforts successfully turned back the squadron.

How many people worked on the Manhattan Project?

Over 130,000 people worked on some part of the project night and day but most had no idea what the ultimate end was for the work they were doing.

How many casualties were incurred in the attack on Pearl Harbor?

Over 2,403 American lives were lost and another 1,178 were wounded.

What was the purpose of the attack on Pearl Harbor?

Six aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, and 10 other ships carried 423 combat planes toward the huge US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The mission was to try to wipe out the US fleet.

In March, 1942 the Japanese invaded Burma to shut the door on American supplies that were going in to their arch enemy, China. What road were they trying to cut off?

The 800 mile Burma Road. This road joined Lashio in British Burma to Kunming in China.

The Americans quickly retreated from the city of Manila to what area?

The Bataan Peninsula, where they held out for six months with soldiers eating snakes, lizards, and monkeys.

What battle began the day after Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941?

The Battle of Hong Kong, when the Japanese invaded the British colony. The Japanese 50,000 troop superiority to British 15,000 troops had completely occupied Hong Kong by Christmas Day.

The Doolittle Raid on Tokyo set up what other battles?

The Battle of the Coral Sea and The Battle of Midway. After the Tokyo bombing, the Japanese went after US carriers that could launch bombers headed for Japan.

What was the name of the battle that occurred near the Tulagi Isands?

The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought May 4-8, 1942.The Japanese had no trouble taking Tulagi; however, the force heading for New Guinea ran into US fighters from the carrier, Lexington, which gunned down the Japanese carrier Shoho sinking her in ten minutes. This attack forced the Japanese to withdraw.

The superior Japanese air strength sank the British battleships "Prince of Wales" and "Repulse" along with four destroyers. Even though the British had superior manpower on the ground, what was the outcome at Singapore?

The British fortress was overrun and the largest surrender of British soldiers ever, some 80,000 troops plus 50,000 from Malaya surrendered and were sent to Singapore prison camps or to work on the Burma railroad. Most never came home.

Singapore, a British outpost manned by Indian, Australian, and British troops located on the southern coast of Malaya, was called what name?

The Gibraltar of the Pacific, because it was thought to be completely impenetrable.

The Japanese did not take the defeat lightly of the first day of the Battle of the Coral Sea. How did they retaliate the next day?

The Japanese found the carrier, Lexington, and bombed and torpedoed her, until she had to be abandoned and torpedoed by the US to prevent capture.

Who occupied Guadalcanal?

The Japanese had occupied Guadalcanal with mostly construction workers which the US Marines captured on August 7, 1942.

Singapore is an island at the tip of Malaya, so the British thought the Japanese would attack Singapore from the sea. But the British were wrong. Where did the Japanese attack?

The Japanese overran Thailand and sent jungle troops through Malaya, the back door of Singapore. Even though a causeway linking Singapore to the mainland was blown up, Japanese crossed the Straits of Johar in inflatable boats.

What did the Battle of Hong Kong reveal about the nature of the Japanese war mindset?

The Japanese proved their capability for atrocities like the Germans when they massacred 20 gunners who had surrendered as well as torturing and killing 60 wounded soldiers along with the medical staff from a hospital. The Japanese continued to terrorize the Chinese women until the end of the war.

Even though the odds were against the Marines 6 to 1, how did the Marines fare in Guadalcanal?

The Marines on Guadalcanal repulsed three invasions by the Japanese, the second one pitting 6,000 Japanese against 1,000 US Marines, but the Marines continued to hold the important airstrip Henderson Field.

In his book, Infamy, John Toland presents the data that attempts to point to what conclusion?

The assertion that FDR knew about the upcoming Japanese attacks. The President appointed a commission to find scapegoats to cover up his knowledge. FDR knew Britain was tiring, and if they fell to the Germans, the US would have to fight the war alone. He, therefore, not only allowed the attack, but withheld information from Pearl Harbor's two senior commanders on Hawaii, General Walter Short and Admiral Husband Kimmel, that would have allowed them to prepare adequately and defend their commands.

Many scientists around the world were fearful that the Germans were working to develop what weapon?

The atomic bomb.

Wake Island was attacked by Japanese bombers but Wake was able to repel the first attempted landing and hold out for another two weeks before surrendering to the Japanese. In 1943 when the Americans' retake of the island was imminent, the Japanese commander ordered what actions?

The blindfolding and execution of the remaining 98 civilian prisoners for fear of a revolt. One of the prisoners escaped to carve a message on a rock near the mass grave that read: 98 US PW 5-10-43 He was later captured and beheaded. The inscription on the rock can still be seen today.

At 6:30 am a Japanese submarine was blown up just outside Pearl Harbor, and at 7:00 am the raid was on. What did the first wave of the attack consist of?

The first wave of Japanese planes consisted of 40 torpedo planes, 50 high level bombers, 50 dive-bombers, and 50 fighter planes. Their attack was swift and deadly.

With Jonathan Wainwright in command the Americans retreated from the Philippines to what location?

The fortified island of Corregidor which was a labyrinth of underground tunnels. This small force held out another month on Corregidor until forced to surrender on May 8, 1942, surrendering the largest American Army ever . . . 79,000 men.

What was the Bataan Death March?

The incident in which already weakened American prisoners were marched 60 miles through intense heat with almost no food or water. Anyone who fell or got out of line for water or took food from civilians was shot, bayoneted, or beheaded. An estimated 5,000-11,000 died before they reached the prison camp.

What were the reasons for the allied defeat in Burma?

Untrained troops and a power struggle between British, American, and Chinese leadership contributed to the defeat as well as on-going disputes between General Stillwell who believed the key to victory was training Chinese ground troops and Major General Claire Lee Chennault who believed operating air bases out of China would win the war.

What three important islands lie between America's Hawaiian Islands and the Philippine Islands?

Wake, Midway, and Guam. These were primary Japanese targets because their size and location made them excellent potential military bases.

The Americans had broken the Japanese code, and knew that each of the islands had a specific code name. In one of their intercepted transmissions, they learned that the next targeted island was code named AF. How did they test their intercepted information?

Wanting to make sure that AF was Midway Island, they had Midway Island send a radio transmission that they had problems with their distillation plant. Sure enough, a little later, the Americans intercepted a Japanese transmission that AF had distillation problems. Admiral Nimitz knew that Yamamoto was bringing his carriers to Midway.