HIS 164: Dr. Bruce
Study Sheet to Accompany “The World at War” Series
Vol. 23: Pacific – Island to Island War, February 1942-July 1945

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Between our discussion of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 7 December 1941 and February 1942, the following events have taken place in the Pacific theater of operations:

• On the same day as the attack at Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces are also carrying out attacks on Wake Island, the Philippines, Guam, Hong Kong, and Malaya. 

• By May 1942, all of these have fallen to the Japanese, culminating with the Allied surrender of forces and the infamous Bataan Death March.  Treatment of prisoners included countless accounts of harsh brutality, beating and bayoneting American and Allied prisoners during the long journey.  Over 7,000 men died during the Bataan Death March.

• April 1942 – the Doolittle Raid in which a force of 16 American land-based bombers take off from the US aircraft carrier Hornet 700 miles off the coast of Japan, bombing Tokyo and several other Japanese cities.  It’s a total surprise for the Japanese, does little damage, but makes the Japanese determined to destroy American carriers, which are keeping the US in this war.

• May 1942 – the Battle of the Coral Sea, a key naval engagement between American and Japanese forces, actually fought by their naval aircraft rather than the ships themselves – the enemy ships never came in sight of each other.  Both the Americans and the Japanese lost one carrier and sustained heavy damage on another.  The battle was not a decisive victory for either side, but it did demonstrate a gain of momentum for the Americans, which would be important for the coming battle.

• June 1942 – the Battle of Midway.  The Japanese hoped to attack the small American force at Midway, drawing the American fleet out in the islands defense.  The plan was to finish off the Americans there, and then move toward the now weakly defended Hawaiian Islands and take that position, thus controlling the Pacific.  The Americans, however, were able to decode enough of the Japanese secret transmission to know of the attack at Midway and set their own trap.  The Japanese arrived to find a heavily defended force at Midway.  It was a major victory for the Americans, restoring the balance of power in the Pacific, and was a major turning point in the war.  The Japanese carrier force and its naval air power never recovered from their defeat at Midway.

• August 1942 – Battle for Guadalcanal.  This marks the beginning of the U.S. Island Hopping campaign across the Pacific, taking positions island-by-island, moving slowly, painfully toward a final attack on the Japanese home islands.

NOTE: As this documentary begins, you see the peak of the Japanese advance across the Pacific, culminating in Japanese bombings of the Australian mainland.  Allied Forces, though, will push the Japanese back, and the close of 1942 marks the beginning of the end of the war in the Pacific.

 BEGIN ANSWERING QUESTIONS HERE:

1. November 1943, the Battle for Tarawa

        -       Note the mentality/psychology of killing discussed by the veterans
-       Note the intensity of Japanese resistance/unwillingness to surrender
-       What were the Marines expecting of Tarawa’s defenses?  What was the reality? 

2. As the Allied forces move to invade Saipan, Tinian, and Guam, the Japanese fleet moves out to stop them.  This leads to fighting in this grouping of Islands, known as the Marianas.  Victory is so easy for the Americans due to the inexperienced Japanese pilots (many of their trained pilots were lost in earlier conflicts) and superior American technology that the aerial battle becomes known as the Marianas Turkey Shoot, June 1944 (NOTE: This is part of the larger Battle of the Philippine Sea #3).  Key results/significance?

3. U.S. Naval commanders decide that they must find and attach the main Japanese fleet.  The Americans locate it, but over 200 miles away, which means many American aircraft will run out of fuel before they can return from the attack, and those that make it back will have to land on the carriers at night – extremely difficult.  Americans order the attack despite this, and the ensuing fight is also part of the Battle of the Philippine Sea (discussed in part above #2), June 1944.  Key results/significance?

4. Note discussion of intensity of fighting on Palau Island Group, especially Peleliu: 4 out of 10 Americans fighting killed or wounded.

5. 20 October 1944, Americans with General McArthur return to the Philippines, prepared to retake the islands.  The Japanese try to stop this allied invasion with a naval force attacking in Battle of Leyte Gulf.  Note fighting on land, too, as Americans slowly push inland and take back the islands, the rage of the civilian populace against those who collaborated with the Japanese, etc.

6. February 1945 marks the preparations for the U.S. attack on Iwo Jima, an island of volcanic rock, 8-square miles in size, and only 600 miles from the Japanese home islands.  Note the psychology of killing that the veterans from this battle discuss, and the way(s) in which they view the Japanese.  Also note continued Japanese determination to avoid surrender, hoping Americans would tire of the casualties and retreat.

7. U.S. Attack on Okinawa, 1 April 1945, only 350 miles from the Japanese home islands.  What is the impact of the Japanese kamikazes?

Note the role of civilians in the battle of Okinawa and the veterans’ views of them.