The Pacific War
Turning Points in the Pacific
Since much of the contested territory in the Pacific theatre of war constituted islands, the country with the strongest navy fleet would prove successful. In early 1942, the Japanese navy looked unstoppable. It had conquered many islands in the Pacific Ocean, and had severely damaged the United States Pacific Naval Fleet during the surprise attack against Pearl Harbor. During this attack, the United States Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers were not on base, and therefore were not damaged. Those three American aircraft carriers, plus a fourth that was transferred from the Atlantic Ocean fleet, were all that stood between the Japanese navy and Hawaii. If those American carriers were sunk or destroyed, the Japanese had the ability to invade Hawaii. In this interactivity, learn about the three major turning points of World War II. Click the player button to begin.
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General Douglas MacArthur
Along with serving in World War I, General Douglas MacArthur served a vital role as in the Pacific Theatre of War during World War II. Douglas has ties to Norfolk, Virginia, as his mother Mary Hardy MacArthur was born in the city. Norfolk has a museum for General MacArthur located in the former City Hall.
MacArthur was commander of the United States Army in the Far East. After an attack from the Japanese, MacArthur and his troops retreated to the Bataan peninsula. MacArthur escaped from the island of Luzon but promised to return. In 1942, MacArthur was appointed as the supreme commander of the Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific. He spent the next years of his life commanding the “island hopping” campaign. As shown in the image, MacArthur returned and liberated the Philippines in 1944. For his defense of the Philippines he was awarded the Medal of Honor. MacArthur was promoted to the rank of general and given control of all of the United States Army forces in the Pacific.
Minority Contributions in the Pacific
American Indians and Hispanic Americans served important roles in the Pacific theatre of war. Called the Code Talkers, American Indians created their own code to use in the war. This code confused the Japanese. Hispanic Americans fought in non-segregated units, and many were captured in the Battle of the Philippines and forced on the Bataan Death March. In this interactivity, you will investigate the roles American Indians and Hispanic Americans served in the Pacific theatre of war. Click the player button to begin.
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Mexican Americans in World War II
Mexican Americans joined the United States military during World War II. Nearly 300,000 Mexican Americans enlisted in the military, and many became decorated war heroes. While the Mexican Americans fought for liberty and equality, they returned home and experienced mistreatment. View A Class Apart from eMediaVASM to learn about the role of Mexican Americans during World War II.
The Atomic Bomb
With the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa captured by June 1945, Americans had acquired the necessary military bases to invade mainland Japan. Germany had surrendered in May 1945, so the full power of the Allies could be brought against Japan to end the war. The United States military was not looking forward to invading mainland Japan. If the Japanese soldiers and civilians had fought so fiercely protecting other lands like Iwo Jima and Okinawa, how much harder would they fight to protect their home? In this interactivity, click each of the tabs to learn about the use of the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Click the player button to begin.
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Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Was dropping two atomic bombs on Japan the correct decision? The use of atomic bombs on the Japanese will always be a debatable topic. After the war in Europe ended, the Japanese continued to fight and resist surrender. Not wanting to risk more American lives by a full invasion of Japan, President Harry Truman was stuck with the decision to use the atomic bomb or continue with the military plan. View Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from emediaVASM to learn how the atomic bombs dropped on Japan ended World War II.
The Pacific War Review
Now that you have completed your investigation of the war in the Pacific, review your knowledge in this non-graded interactivity. Click the player button to get started.