Reading

Preston and Wise, Men in Arms, pp. 274-391

Learning Objectives

Summarize the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Explain US and Japanese strategy at the opening of WWII.

Be familiar with the timeline of key events in the Pacific Theater.

Summarize the battles for Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

Describe the decisions that led to the employment of the atomic bomb.

Background

Japan invades China in 1931.

Japan joins the Axis in Sept 1940.

US, British, and Dutch impose oil embargo in July 1941 to put brakes on Japanese imperialism.

Japanese expect armed conflict, but buy time and surprise through negotiations.

US population focused on war in Europe.

Japanese Strategy

Three PhasesPhase I: Surprise attacks, then strategic defense.

• Knock out US fleet; seize vital areas; establish defensive perimeter.

Phase II: Strengthen perimeter; make any offensive action by the US prohibitively costly.Phase III: Defeat and destroy any forces that attempt to penetrate the perimeter.

Long US LOC and natural strength of defense should almost guarantee success.

Pearl HarborSurprise

Deception operationsFirst significant use of carriers.Tactical home run, but strategic foul ball…or strikeout?

• Healthy fleet could cause problems, but US may not have challenged Japan’s other strategic moves.

Failed to hit carriers, subs, fuel, or repair facilities.

• Failed to exploit initial success.• “Cowardly” attack united public opinion against Japan and

guaranteed US entry.

Critical Vulnerability??US Pacific Fleet

• Destruction of battleships proved counterproductive. US carriers proved to be “surface” that cost Japanese the war.

Pearl HarborFog

B-17s scheduled arrival coinciding with attack force arrival.Mini-subs

FrictionSunday AM attack

Bad LuckFlight line prepped for terrorist attack.

Unity of Command?

Admiral NimitzPOA

• North, Central, Southern Pacific

• Primarily open ocean

Carrier Air

Island Hop

General MacArthurSWPA

• Southwestern Pacific

• Many large land masses

Maneuver

Retake PI

Island Hop, but more land to use

Island Hopping CampaignLtCol (then Maj) “Pete” Ellis develops OPLAN 712 “Advanced Base Operations in Micronesia” (aka “the Orange Plan”) in 1921.

Predicts that Japan will strike first." . . . it will be necessary for us to project our fleetand landing forces across the Pacific and wage war in Japanese waters. To effect this requires that we have sufficient bases to support the fleet, both during its projection and afterwards. To effect [an amphibious landing] in the face of enemy resistance requires careful training and preparation to say the least; and this along Marine lines. It is not enough that the troops be skilled infantrymen or artillery men of high morale; they must be skilled watermen and jungle-men whoknow it can be done--Marines with Marine training."

MajGen Lejeune circa 1923"... on both flanks of a fleet crossing the Pacific are numerous islands suitable for utilization by an enemy for radio stations, aviation, submarine, or destroyer bases. All should be mopped up as progress is made. . . The presence of an expeditionary force with the fleet would add greatly to the striking power of the Commander-in-Chief of the fleet. . . . The maintenance, equipping, and training of its expeditionary force so that it will be in instant readiness to support the fleet in the event of war, I deem to be the most important Marine Corps duty in time of peace."

LogisticsLogistics plays a crucial role in the Pacific.

Island Hopping to seize advanced (primarily air) bases and cut Japanese LOC.

Japanese have qualitative edge in military hardware at the beginning of war.

Choose quality over quantity (Zero, Yamato).Unable to replace assets quickly.

US is master of mass production.Average quality, tremendous quantity.Implement ideas from captured equipment.

US subs operate independently and sink Japanese ships faster than Japan can produce them.

1941December 7 Pearl Harbor

Dec 8 US & GB declare war on Japan

Dec 9 China declares war on Japan

Dec 10 Prince of Wales and Repulse sunk

Japan invades Burma, Hong Kong, Philippines, Guam, Wake, & Borneo

1942 The Empire Expands

February Singapore falls

March New Guinea

April Bataan

May Corregidor

1942

April Doolittle Raid on Tokyo• Tactical operation with strategic impact.• Shifts morale in both countries• Adapt and overcome…

May Coral Sea

June Midway

July-November GuadalcanalIsland not officially “secured” until Feb ’43.

Battle of Midway June 1942Japanese get greedy.

Not satisfied w/ original perimeter.Want base to bomb Hawaii.Deliver killing blow to US fleet.

US breaks Japanese code.Complex plan

Aleutians, Midway, Fleet, etc.

Yamamoto uses “operational push” instead of “recon pull” tactics.

Attacks island to prep for invasion before locating US fleet.

First naval battle fought entirely with airplanes.

Midway: The Tide TurnsPatrol planes spot Japanese main body just as they are about to RTB.Midway-based A/C strike Japanese TF and inflict minimal damage on ships while losing majority of planes.Japanese A/C attack Midway with little impact.US carrier-based torpedo attack has same outcome as land-based attack, but distract fighters and allows dive bombers to hit TF.Japanese lose four heavy carriers, all planes, and many of their best pilots; US loses Yorktown.

Guadalcanal7 August 1942First offensive action of the war.

1st Marine Division

Critical airfield.First plane makes emergency landing on 12 Aug.2 USMC squadrons arrive on 20 Aug.Only one “healthy” carrier left by end of battle.

Lightly opposed landingNavy bugs out, taking majority of supplies with them.

Later redeem themselves during critical 12 Nov naval battle when they turn back major Japanese force.

Guadalcanal

Japanese piecemeal counterattacks.Maneuver, mass, and surprise all hampered by jungle.

• 8 day forced march

USMC conducts vigorous patrols.• 2d Raider Bn conducts month-long patrol.

Japanese attempt to reinforce by sea, but suffer significant losses in the process. (7 of 11 transports)

Jungle causes significant casualties.Over 1k new cases of malaria per week.

Army comes in to mop up in November.

Results

Island “secured” in Feb ’43.

Japan suffers critical losses in all areas.600 a/c, 2300 aircrew

25k soldiers (1/2 in combat, ½ to illness)

2 BB, 3 CV, 12 Cruisers, 25 destroyers• Roughly same number as US, but Japan unable to

replace.

Institution of CATF/CLF.

1st Marine Division Staff

23 Generals, 1 admiral, 3 Commandants;

40 officers with 700 yrs of combined service.

1943March Bismark Sea (limited Japanese reinforcement of Southern Pacific)

November Tarawa and Makin (Gilberts)

1944 February Kwajalein & Eniwetok (Marshalls)

February-June New Guinea

June-August Saipan, Tinian, Guam (Marianas)• B29s now able to be recovered after hitting Japan

October Leyte Gulf • Destroyed much of Japanese Navy

The Low Road

MacArthur leap-frogs through his AO.Skips heavily defended islands and areas and leaves them to “wither on the vine” by taking less well defended surrounding islands and cutting off LOC.

Seizure of New Guinea puts him in a position to retake Philippines.

Works around coast of NG to take advantage of naval superiority, again bypassing and cutting off strong points.

1945

February-March Iwo Jima

March Tokyo raids • Low level incendiary bombing runs with much

destruction. Designed to force surrender but didn’t.

April-June Okinawa

August• 6th Hiroshima

• 9th Nagasaki

• 14th Japan surrenders.

September 2 VJ Day

Iwo JimaD-Day 9 Feb 1945Airfields again the objectives. 450 ships Pre-invasion bombardment shortened from 12 to 3 days.

Weather limited effectiveness of even this.

3, 4, 5 MARDIV1st wave gets ashore, but when bombardment lifts for them to move inland, all hell breaks loose.

Southern half of island in US hands by D+2.Takes 34 more days to secure remainder of island (8 square miles total).

Iwo Jima

Nothing fancy; simple but costly.“Throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete.”

36 days, 26k US casualites including 6k KIA.   

1k of 20k defenders survived   

2400 B-29s w/ 27k crewmen made unscheduled landings on island by the time the war ended.

27 Medals of Honor awarded. 

"The battle of Iwo Island has been won. The United States Marines by their individual and collective courage have conquered a base which is as necessary to us in our continuing forward movement toward final victory as it was vital to the enemy in staving off off ultimate defeat. By their victory, the 3d, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and other units of the 5th Amphibious Corps have made an accounting to their country which only history will be able to value fully. Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue. "Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

OkinawaD Day 1 AprilLast stop before the mainland.1200 ships1, 2, 6 MARDIV + 3 Army divisionsUSMC heads north; secures northern ½ of island by D+4. Combined Army/USMC battle determined Japanese defenders until late June.

Gen Geiger named to command Tenth Army when Buckner is KIA.

Better job of using combined-arms, but still ugly.

Desperation

Kamkaze = Divine Wind

1900 planes launched against US during Battle for Okinawa.

6 April• 355 launched

22 get through defenses 3 US ships sunk.

                                

The Costs

US 7k KIA31k WIA

Japan130k KIA10k POWLost 700+ aircraft

Victory was never in doubt…What was in doubt, in all our minds, was whether there would be any of us left to dedicate our cemetery at the end, or whether the last Marine would die knocking out the last Japanese gun and gunner. Let the world count our crosses.

MajGen Graves Erskine, CG 3d Marine Division, following the Battle for Iwo Jima

What platoon are you guys?

Platoon, hell! We’re the 2nd Battalion, 22d Marines, what’s left of us anyway.

Exchange between Marines following the Battle for Sugarloaf Hill on Okinawa, May 1945

A New Formula for Mass

Japan warned, but refused to surrender.Planners estimate 3-5x as many casualties as at Okinawa.Hiroshima

6 August 194560-70k killed or missing

Nagasaki9 August40k killed

Compare Dresden 35-135kTokyo 120k KIA/WIA

Logical outcome of “Total War”?