WW2 - The War in Asia after the battle of Midway

The Pacific War Battle of Midway

In the first months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan had significant military success. The turning point came in June 1942 at the Battle of Midway, the first American victory. The Japanese fleet sustained heavy losses and was turned back. In August 1942, American forces attacked the Japanese in the Solomon Islands, forcing a costly withdrawal of Japanese forces from the island of Guadalcanal in February 1943. Allied forces slowly gained naval and air supremacy in the Pacific, and moved methodically from island to island, sustaining significant casualties. The Japanese, , successfully defended their positions on the Chinese mainland until 1945.

Background briefing: After the battle of Midway

After Midway dealt a decisive blow to Japanese naval power in June 1942, the Allied forces launched their island-hopping strategy. This approach, championed by Admiral Nimitz and General MacArthur, involved bypassing heavily fortified Japanese positions while capturing strategically vital islands. Key campaigns included Guadalcanal, where Marines fought from August 1942 to February 1943, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, and the Philippines. The U.S. submarine campaign devastated Japanese shipping, while American industrial might produced vast numbers of ships and aircraft. By 1945, Japan's empire was cut off from vital resources, setting the stage for the war's final phase.

1. The war for Asia

Activity 1: Island hopping map

After the naval battle of Midway and the Kokoda campaign in 1942, the Allied forces began a campaign to defeat Japan in the Pacific theatre.

In this activity you will create a GIS map that examines the major battles of the Pacific War.

See below for instruction on completing your map

How to make a Pacific Battles Map

  1. Make sure you are signed in to your google account. Open Google MyMap

  2. Click “create map” in the top left of the screen.

  3. Click on “untitled” at the top left hand and change the name to reflect your map.

    EG Pacific Battles Map.

  4. Click on the search button to search your first location. (Guadacanal)

  5. You can enter the information about each battle by clicking on the pen.

  6. You can add photos by clicking on the camera and searching images

Your GIS map will need to cover these seven (7) major battles.

  1. Guadalcanal: February 1943. -

    The first significant naval defeat of Japanese forces

  2. Saipan: June 15, 1944 -

    The US forces capture an island from which they can launch long range B52 bomber attacks on Japan

  3. Battle of the Philippine Sea: June 19, 1944 -

    Japanese navy suffers significant losses and almost total destruction, the defeat opens the way for an attack on Iwo Jima.

  4. Battle of Leyte Gulf: October 23 to 26, 1944 -

    Largest naval battle in history and the effective end of the Japanese naval campaign, also the first use of Kamikaze attacks by the Japanese.

  5. Battle of Iwo Jima:  February 19 to March 26, 1945 -

    Capturing this important naval base, allowed the US to begin an extensive bombing campaign against Japan.

  6. Battle of Okinawa: April 1 to June 22, 1945 -

    The last big battle of the Pacific war, notable for the extraordinary civilian and military casualties.

  7. Hiroshima and Nagasaki: August 6 and 9, 1945

    A nuclear end to the biggest war in history.

Include the following information for each battle.

  • The date(s)

  • A picture

  • The number of casualties

  • Number of planes and/or aircraft carriers destroyed

  • Strategic significance of the battle

Posters served as propaganda tools.

Propaganda is a form of communication that promotes a particular perspective or agenda by using text and images to provoke an emotional response and influence behavior.

Governments issued propaganda posters to encourage citizens to take action by, for example, enlisting, buying war bonds, or working in factories.

Propaganda posters often appeal to emotion over logic. They do this by using popular images of home or nation, vibrant colours, and large fonts to convey simple, direct commands or statements.

To do: Watch the slideshow and answer the questions

2. The end: Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Debate: Should the US have dropped the bomb?

In this debate, your group will be investigating and presenting your opinion on the fairness and effectiveness of the American decision to use nuclear bombs against Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Each group will have up to five (5) minutes to make their case and rebut the opposing view.

Historians argue for and against

The background to the decision 

  1. Firebombing of Japanese cities had destroyed 67 cities and killed between 500 000 and 900 000 people.

  2. The casualties and nature of the Pacific battles.

  3. The Japanese history of surrender. Why didn't Japan surrender after Hiroshima?

  4. The alternatives. Could the US have tried something else, or used the bombs in a less destructive manner?

  5. The Manhattan project. What did the Americans know about the impact of these devices

  6. Is there evidence that the Japanese were considering surrendering

  7. The ethical considerations of vaporising a city(s) Is it ever Ok?

  8. The ethical considerations of a land based invasion and/or a naval blockade cutting off supplies. Would this conventional strategy have led to more deaths?