End of World War II

Chapter 25, section 5

Island-Hopping in the Pacific• U.S. military plan in to get closer to

Japan by invading 1 island at a time

Island-Hopping in the Pacific

• Fighting in the Pacific was extremely difficult

• Most of the fighting took place in jungles

Douglas MacArthur

• In charge of the US forces in the Pacific

• After Midway, directs “island hopping” in the Pacific

• By 1944, USA begins blockading Japan

Defeat of Germany

• Hitler rejects surrender

• Battle of the Bulge—last German offensive of WWII

• By 1945, Germany can no longer defend itself..under constant bombing

Defeat of Germany• April 1945, Soviet

Union first to enter Berlin

• 80% of city destroyed

• May 1st, Hitler commits suicide

• May 8th, V-E Day

Defeat of Japan

• By 1945, most of Japanese navy and air force destroyed.

• Still had army of over 2 million men

Battle of Iwo Jima

• One of bloodiest battles of WWII

• Iwo Jima small 14 square mile long island

• Very strategic, close to Japan

Battle of Iwo Jima

• 25,000 Japanese on island

• USA bombs for 74 days

• 7,000 tons of bombs dropped and 20,000 shells hit the island

Battle of Iwo Jima

• Feb.1945, 110,000 American marines invade

• Takes a month for USA to control the island

• Only 216 Japanese captured• USA loses 25,000 troops

Battle of Iwo Jima

• 27 Medals of Honor given out

• Most than any other campaign in American history

Battle of Okinawa• April to June 1945• Last main island

before Japan• 50,000 American

casualties • 2,000 Kamikazes• Japan now open

for invasion

The Manhattan Project

• 1939, Albert Einstein writes letter to FDR about Germany’s attempt to create a Super Bomb

• FDR creates The Manhattan Project to develop it first

The Manhattan Project

• July 16, 1945 in deserts of New Mexico, the first successful Atom Bomb is tested

• Now bomb is ready for us

The Manhattan Project

• President Truman is informed of the bomb while going over Japanese invasion options

• Did not know of The Project

Atomic Bomb Decision

• A lot of debate on whether or not to use

• Allied plan for land invasion already devised

• If USA invaded Japan, it was projected the war would last 3 more years with 250,000 possible American causalities

• Truman decides to use the bomb

Hiroshima

• August 6, 1945• First use of

atomic weapons in history

• 140,000 killed• 90% of city

destroyed

Nagasaki

• August 9, 1945

• Second atom bomb dropped

• Similar results

Japanese Surrender

• September 2, 1945

• MacArthur accepts surrender on USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay

• V-J Day