Ch 24.3 The US in WWII

The American ___ severely damaged three of the four carriers. The decks of these ships had been cluttered with returning planes, bombs and torpedoes, and fuel, which blew up in the American attack. As ____ had predicted, these fires and explosions destroyed all three ships. American aircraft later destroyed the fourth carrier in this group.

bombs Fuchido

Battle of Guadalcanal

1942; Allies go on the attack for the first time and gain ground on the Japanese

Battle of Leyte Gulf

1944; major sea battle featuring nearly 300 ships in which Allies virtually destroyed Japan's navy

Battle of Okinawa

1945; another battle, after which some Allied leaders concluded that invading Japan might cost a million lives

Battle of Iwo Jima

1945; battle in which the Allies fought to gain control of an island from which they could more easily bomb Japan

Beginning in late 1944 the massive new American ____ began making regular raids on Japanese cities. Allied bombers dropped many tons of explosives on ___ and other centers. In order to provide a better base from which to launch these raids, American forces set out in February 1945 to capture ____. This tiny volcanic island lay some 750 miles south of ____, the capital of Japan. The island's rugged terrain was heavily guarded by Japanese soldiers. American troops greatly outnumbered the defenders. For the first time in the war, however, the Japanese troops were fighting for land that was actually part of ___. Hidden in ___ and tunnels and protected by concrete bunkers, they fought ferociously.

B-29 bomber Tokyo Iwo Jima Tokyo Japan caves

As the Japanese gained ground, MacArthur planned a retreat to the ___. There he hoped to hold off the Japanese for as long as possible. Simply getting his troops into this defensive position, however, took hard fighting and brilliant leadership. Once there, the soldiers found that food, medicine, and other supplies were terribly short. MacArthur urged Allied officials to send ships to help relieve his starving troops. War planners, however, decided that such a move was too ____. As Secretary of War ____ grimly noted, "There are times when men have to die."

Bataan Peninsula risky Henry Stimson

Americans got something else to cheer about in May 1942, when news reached home about the _____. This battle featured the one part of the ____ that had not been badly damaged at Pearl Harbor—the _____.

Battle of Coral Sea Pacific fleet aircraft carriers

The first major action took place on the seas—the _______. Here nearly 300 ships took part in the largest ___ battle ever fought. By this time, the Allies held a huge advantage in numbers of ships. When the battle was over, the Japanese had lost four carriers, three battleships, and a number of other vessels. What little was left of their fleet would play no major role in the rest of the war.

Battle of Leyte Gulf naval

_____, as the event came to be known, did not do major damage to the Japanese targets. It did, however, have some significant effects. One was to finally give the American people something to celebrate. The other effect was to worry and anger ____'s leaders. Their outrage—and their concern about ____—would ___ their judgment and lead to major military mistakes in the months ahead.

Doolittle's raid Japan future attacks cloud

As you have read, _____ had troubled Japan's leaders. They were determined to stop any future attacks on the Japanese mainland. To do this, they knew they had to destroy what remained of the United States ___ power. Japanese military planners decided to try to lure the Americans into a large ___ battle. The first step would be to attack the American-held ____, which sat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They hoped the attack would pull the American fleet into the area. For the first time, the Japanese advance had been halted.

Doolittle's raid naval sea Midway Island

At the same time, other Japanese forces were easily taking control of the ____ (today known as ____) and _____. In the Battle of ____ they caused much damage to the Allied navies. The Japanese also conquered British-controlled ____ as well as a number of key positions in the South Pacific. In this way, they gained control of rich ____ reserves, which were vital to their military plans. They also established strategic bases for future operations.

Dutch East Indies; Indonesia British Borneo Java Sea, Burma oil

American fighters in the Pacific also benefited from Allied gains in ____. Early in the war, Allied leaders had followed the strategy of focusing their efforts on ___ first. This cut down on the numbers of soldiers, sailors, and supplies available for the ____ war. Then the ____ began to push back German advances, and the Allies made gains in ___, ___, and ___. This allowed Allied war planners to send more resources to the ___.

Europe Europe Pacific Soviets North Africa, Italy, and France Pacific

A key goal in the Solomons was the capture of an island called _____. The Japanese had nearly completed an ____ there, making it a tempting target. The rest of the island, however, offered little. It was covered by swamps and dense jungles. Daytime temperatures regularly reached into the 90s. Millions of ____-carrying insects filled the air. It was a miserable place to fight.

Guadalcanal airfield disease

In spite of this, American forces came ashore on ____ in August 1942. For the next six months, they fought in bloody combat with Japanese forces. The battle took place on ____. Each side won small victories until finally, in February 1943, Japanese forces fled the island. It was a key moment in the war. "Before that," recalled one soldier, "we weren't looking for the Japanese, they were looking for us.... But from there on out, the Japanese were on the run."

Guadalcanal land, at sea, and in the air

The Japanese lost a staggering 110,000 troops in the fighting. As on ____, their willingness to fight on when ___ was certain filled the Americans with amazement—and dread. "I see no way to get them out," noted one American general, "except to blast them out yard by yard." In spite of the terrible losses, the Americans finally gained control of the island in June 1945. As you will read, the lessons learned on ____ would have a major impact on the final days of the war.

Iwo Jima death Okinawa

iwo To lies 750 miles south of ___. The small island, known as ____ until 2007, covers barely eight square miles. Yet during World War II over 100,000 soldiers fought for a month to capture this tiny scrap of land. It was some of the ___ fighting of the war. On February 19, 1945, the U.S. Marines stormed the beaches of the island then called ____. The marines made easy targets for the Japanese, who had dug miles of ____ and built dozens of hidden concrete ____ throughout the island. From these hiding places they could pick off American troops without being exposed.

Japan Iwo Jima heaviest Iwo Jima tunnels bunkers

The Japanese had a large advantage in the number of ships and carriers they could bring to the battle. The Americans, however, had one great advantage. Naval intelligence officers had broken a ___ and learned about the plans for attacking ___. Americans knew the date for the planned attack—June 3, 1942. They also knew the ____ from which the Japanese ships would approach.

Japanese code Midway direction

MacArthur and his forces fought on bravely. Soon, however, illness and hunger began to take their toll. In March 1942 ____ was ordered to leave his men. He did so reluctantly, promising, "I shall return." Less than a month later, 10,000 American and 60,000 Filipino troops on Bataan ________.

MacArthur surrendered

The Battle of ____ had changed the entire balance of power in the ___. Japanese ____ power, which had been a key to its early success, was greatly reduced. Now on a more equal footing with the Japanese, the Americans began to make plans of their own in the Pacific.

Midway Pacific naval

Early in the Battle of Iwo Jima, marines managed to capture the island's tallest point, ____. You read about this moment earlier in this section. Some Americans thought that the capture of Mount Suribachi meant that the battle was over, but the Japanese troops refused to surrender. The fighting raged on for several more weeks. By the time it was over, nearly 7,000 Americans were dead and many more were wounded. More than 20,000 Japanese defenders had been on Iwo Jima when the Americans landed. All but a thousand of them fought to the death.

Mount Suribachi

Also deadly for the Americans were the Japanese guns mounted high on the slopes of _____, an extinct ____ on the southern tip of the island. The Americans knew that they must capture ____ or be blown off the island. On the morning of February 23, a group of Marines finally made it to the top of ____ and raised the American ___ as thousands of soldiers below watched and cheered. A few hours later a larger flag was raised. This second flag raising is shown in the famous photograph on this page. The American flag now flew over ____, but fierce fighting lasted for another month before the Americans finally captured the island. An estimated 25,000 American soldiers were killed or wounded. Among the dead were three of the six men who raised the flag atop Mount Suribachi.

Mount Suribachi volcano Suribachi Mount Suribachi flag Iwo Jima

American ingenuity and diversity also played a role in the Allied success. One example was the hundreds of ____ of the ___nation who served in the Marines as ___. Their main job was translating messages into a coded version of the ____ language. This ____ language is so complex that the ___code-breakers were never able to figure it out. ___ code talkers could quickly and accurately transmit vital information about troop movements, enemy positions, and more. Their contributions helped the Allies win many major battles.

Native Americans Navajo code talkers Navajo unwritten Japanese Navajo

The next American target was ____. Only 350 miles from Japan, this island was to be the launching pad for the final invasion of Japan itself. First, however, it had to be captured. This would be the ____ task the Americans would face in the Pacific.

Okinawa bloodiest

Allied troops invaded ____ on April 1,1945. The Japanese forces retreated to the southern tip of the island to plan their response. Five days later, they attacked. The island of Okinawa was filled with ____ and tunnels. Japanese soldiers used these skillfully to hide and to launch deadly assaults. Over 12,000 Americans died in the Battle of Okinawa, and thousands more were injured.

Okinawa caves

The attack on _____ had been a tremendous success for the Japanese. They had dealt a blow to the __________ that would take months to overcome. The damage to American sea power—combined with the Allies' decision to focus their energy and resources on defeating the Axis in Europe—would for a time limit the ability of the United States to strike back at the Japanese. ____ also had an enormous emotional impact. For the Japanese, it provided a major boost to national ___ and encouraged them to continue their assault. For Americans, it inspired a firm resolve to fight. Some Japanese leaders seemed to sense the dual danger of Japanese ___ and American ____.

Pearl Harbor U.S. Pacific Fleet Pearl Harbor pride confidence anger

In late October 1944, MacArthur waded ashore to fulfill his promise to return to the _____. It would take his soldiers many more months of tough fighting to gain full control of the islands.

Philippines

Japan's attacks on Hong Kong, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, and Burma were part of a large offensive that had one other major target: the American-controlled islands of the _____. General ___ led the defense of that island chain. He commanded a small force of Americans, plus a number of poorly trained and equipped ___ soldiers. In fact, MacArthur's troops were no match for the Japanese invaders, who came ashore in December 1941.

Philippines Douglas MacArthur Filipino

The loss of the ____ was a low point for the United States in the Pacific war. Days later, however, Americans finally got some good news. On April 18, 1942, Army Lieutenant Colonel ______ led a group of 16 American bombers on a daring air raid of ____ and several other Japanese cities. The airplanes had been launched from an aircraft carrier several hundred miles off the coast of Japan.

Philippines James Doolittle Tokyo

Ever since leaving the ____ in early 1942, General ___ had looked forward to the day when he could fulfill his promise to return. By the middle of 1944, that day was at hand. Allied forces had fought to within striking distance of the Philippines. After much planning, MacArthur was ready to attack.

Philippines MacArthur

The Battle of Coral Sea took place as Japanese forces were preparing to invade the British controlled ___ on the island of ____. To prevent this attack, U.S. Admiral ___ sent two aircraft carriers on the attack. In the battle that followed, the American and Japanese navies both suffered damage. For the Americans, this included the loss of an aircraft carrier and several dozen aircraft. Yet they had stopped the Japanese attack. For the first time, the Japanese advance had been halted.

Port Moresby New Guinea Chester Nimitz

A first step was to win control of territory in the _____. The Japanese had moved into these islands in the spring of 1942. This threatened nearby _____, which was fighting alongside the Allies in the Pacific. An Allied presence in the Solomons would help protect Australia. It would also provide a ____ for further efforts to push back the Japanese.

Solomon Islands Australia base

During the battle, Japanese planes did manage to destroy one of the American carriers, the ____. Nimitz, however, had placed the rest of his ships perfectly. The surviving ships of the Japanese battle fleet were too far away to threaten them. As the Battle of Midway ended, it was clear the Americans had won a tremendous ___. The plan to invade ___ had been stopped, and Japan's navy had suffered a terrible blow. Japan's once great advantage on the ___ no longer existed.

USS Yorktown victory Midway seas

In the early days of the war, the Japanese saw little reason to heed Admiral _______'s warning. After all, following Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces won a quick string of impressive victories. In late 1941 they drove American forces from ____ and ___. Elsewhere, they captured the British stronghold at ____. Then they launched a campaign against the British base at ____ The British had believed that this mighty fortress would never fall to invaders. It took the Japanese just two weeks to capture it. In the process, they handed the British what Winston Churchill called "the greatest disaster and capitulation [surrender] in British history."

Yamamoto Wake Island and Guam Hong Kong Singapore

Nimitz's plan worked perfectly. Just as he had expected, the Japanese launched their attack in the early morning hours of June 4, 1942. The first stage was an ___ attack, meant to prepare Midway Island for a future landing by Japanese forces. The attacking Japanese planes took off from a group of four aircraft carriers that were leading the assault on _____. American air defenses were waiting and managed to fight off the air raid.

air Midway

The Americans also benefited from the _____ of Japanese war planners. These planners had recognized possible ____ in their plan. Yet they chose to ___ them. It seemed as though their recent success had led them to believe they could not be defeated. They were wrong. Using his advance knowledge of Japanese plans, Admiral ___ placed his three available ______ carefully. His goal was to stop a Japanese landing at ___ and to avoid contact with the larger Japanese ____.

carelessness flaws ignore Nimitz aircraft carriers Midway fleet

The Allies were stunned by the rapid success of the Japanese military in the months after Pearl Harbor. They had not realized that Japanese soldiers were so highly skilled and well trained. The Japanese military also had excellent equipment. For example, Japanese ____ were as good as—or better than—anything the Allies could produce. Japanese ships and ____ were also of high quality. These factors gave the Japanese an important advantage early in the war. The British were the first to discover the true strength of Japan's military in ____, ____, and ____. American soldiers were about to learn the same lesson.

fighter aircraft torpedoes Hong Kong, Singapore, and Burma

The Allies also began to take advantage of America's tremendous ____ power. The fighting in the Pacific was extremely costly, and both sides lost dozens of ships and thousands of aircraft. These were losses the ____ were unable to replace. Busy ______, meanwhile, produced planes and ships at an amazing rate.

industrial Japanese American factories

The Battle of Leyte Gulf also saw the first major use of a new Japanese weapon—the ____ attack. The term kamikaze is a Japanese word meaning "______." It refers to a famous event in Japanese history—a sudden ____ that drove off a fleet preparing to invade Japan in the 1200s. In World War II, however, a kamikaze was a ___ who loaded his aircraft with ___ and deliberately crashed it into an enemy ship. It was understood that the attack would lead to the ____ of the pilot. As a Japanese admiral explained, such tactics were "the only way of assuring our meager strength will be effective to the maximum degree." The kamikaze attacks did not change the outcome of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, but the Allies would come to fear these ____attacks.

kamikaze divine wind storm pilot bombs death suicidal

The Allied victory at Guadalcanal set a pattern that was repeated in the coming months. The Allies would use a powerful combination of _______ forces to capture key ____.

land, sea, and air islands

The fighting was over, but the suffering of the soldiers was just beginning. For five days and nights, the Japanese forced the already starving and sick soldiers to ____ through the steaming forests of ____. Those who dropped out of line were beaten or shot. Those who fell were left for dead. The Japanese provided little food or water. Thousands of soldiers perished on this so-called _______. Those who completed this terrible journey did not fare much better. In the Japanese _____, lack of food and medicine claimed hundreds more American and Filipino lives.

march Bataan Bataan Death March prison camp

The surviving Japanese planes raced back to their carriers to ___ and rearm. They were followed by American aircraft. The Japanese desperately fought off dozens of American bombers. Finally, several planes from the ______ broke through the Japanese defenses.

refuel USS Enterprise

These key islands would then become the _____ for future military actions. The Allies focused on Japanese _____ and simply skipped over ______. In this way, the Allies made steady progress in the Southwest Pacific in 1943. In 1944 the Allies captured locations in the ____, ____, ___, and ____ islands. You can trace this progress in the map above.

stepping-stones weak spots strongholds Gilbert, Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana