Pearl Harbor Attack
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- On December 7th of 1941 Japan launches a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. It happened just between 7 and 8 in the morning when they first started attacking.This battle went on for about two hours, even if two hours seem a short period of time it was still devastating. It destroyed nearly 20 naval vessels, in which it included 8 enormous battleships and 300 airplanes.Over 2,000 American soldiers died on the battle field and nearly 1,000 were wounded.The day after the attack president Franklin asked congress to declare war on japan they approved and three days later Japan's allies Germany and Italy also declared war on the U.S. They had more than two years into this conflict and finally America had finally joined WW2.
Battle of Midway
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After six months of the attack on Pearl Harbor , the U.S defeated Japan in one of the deadliest naval battles of World War 2.This was one of the most important turning point in the pacific campaign, this victory allowed the U.S and its allies to move into a offensive position.
Atomic Bomb |
Island Hopping
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Island Hopping is one of the phrase given to the strategy employed by the United States to gain military bases and to secure the small islands in the Pacific. This attack was lead by General Douglas MacArthur, Commander of the Allied forces in the South west Pacific and Chester the Commander-in-chief of the Pacific fleet. The United states troops targeted the islands that weren’t as strongly defended by the Japanese. They took control of theses islands and quickly build landing strips and small military bases. Then they proceeded to attack the other islands from the bases they had established. Slowly the United states army moved closer to Japan to take control of the surrounding islands.In February of 1945 U.S. troops invaded Iwo Jima. This was a bloody fight that last 36 days and cost 6, 381 american men. Nearly 20,000 Japanese soldiers carry on. In April came this invasion of Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the war in the Pacific in which the Japanese launched a huge attack on the US invasion fleet.The island hopping strategy was very costly. The US soldiers were not used to their style of fighting and the Japanese had the advantage of controlling many of the other islands.Many of the US soldiers suffered of illnesses such as Malaria, dysentery and skin fungus.Lastly the island hopping campaign was successful. It allowed the US to gain control over islands in the Pacific to get close enough to Japan to launch a main land invasion.Therefor the island hopping took a really long time and was it very costly even after war was near to ending in Europe it appeared that the war might continue in the Pacific.The US made plans to end the war quickly and force Japan’s surrender. They achieved this with the World’s first Atomic bombs.
Primary source:Donald Stratton
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Donald Stratton still can't take off his memory of the deafening explosions, searing heat, machine gun blasting and the screams of his friends from his head.
“Never a day goes by for all these many years when I haven't thought about it.I don't talk about it too much, but when December rolls around I do. It's important the American people don't forget." Mr. Stratton quotes
“Never a day goes by for all these many years when I haven't thought about it.I don't talk about it too much, but when December rolls around I do. It's important the American people don't forget." Mr. Stratton quotes