Their Sacrifice, Our Freedom: World War II in Pacific

Transcription

1 Their Sacrifice, Our Freedom: World War II in Pacific TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction II. Film Outline III. Quiz IV. Lesson #16: Introduction to WWII in the Pacific V. Lesson:#17: The American Character VI. Lesson #18: Causes of American Involvement in WWII VII. Lesson #19: War Propaganda VIII. Lesson #20: Should We Have Dropped the Bomb?

2 Their Sacrifice, Our Freedom: World War II in Pacific Movie: Lesson Plans and Materials The Movie Since America's founding days, women have been stepping forward to serve this country. From uncommon soldiers who disguised themselves to fight and nurses that faced horrific would to those who proudly wear the uniform today, women have always contributed to our military might. This is their story. It's a tale of war and peace... a quest for status and recognition... a patriotic journey to protect the freedoms we all cherish. The Curriculum There are five lesson plans, three handouts, one quiz, one power point are created to accompany the movie, Their Sacrifice, Our Freedom: World War II in the Pacific. The lessons have been written to include national teaching standards from the areas of United States history, government and civics, and economics. Our lesson plans and materials also fit very nicely into a sociology or gender studies classroom as well. Throughout the lesson plans, you will find that we have purposely integrated cognitive, skill and affective objectives. Because we believe that students should take an active part in learning history, critical thinking skills are emphasized throughout the lesson plan series. The procedures in the lesson plan give the history educator suggestions on how to mix both traditional (content-centered) and progressive (student-centered) teaching methodologies. Numerous Ways to Incorporate this Curriculum into your Classroom The materials have been created to use as one unit or as stand-alone lessons. The power point presentation, for example, is created with full knowledge that slides will be deleted and added based upon an individual instructor s needs. It is our hope that each educator will easily be able to pick and choose which activities are most appropriate for their classroom.

3 The Sacrifice, Our Freedom: WWII in the Pacific Movie Outline Part 1 1. December 7, 1941 a. Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, Oahu, HI 1. Hawaii was a U.S. territory a. Home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet 2. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor with fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo planes a. Attack lasted less than 2 hours i. Much of the fleet was sunk or on fire ii. Battleship Row took the hardest hit 1. All 8 of the biggest battleships were sunk or heavily damaged b. The only part of the fleet not hit were the aircraft carriers which were on maneuvers out at sea c. Japanese also bomb Hickam Air Field i. Hit 200 bombers and fighter planes 3. 2,400 sailors, Marines, soldiers, airmen, and civilians were killed b.there had been friction between the US and Japan 1. US did not like that Japan had invaded Manchuria in 1931 and that they had marched into China in 1937 a. Froze Japanese investments and had a commercial blockade 2. The next day President Roosevelt declared war on Japan a. Japan was an Axis partner alongside Germany and Italy i. Americans would have to fight on two fronts 1. Germans and Italians in Europe 2. Japanese in the Pacific, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and China c. Japan s Imperial Fleet Commander Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto 1. Mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor a. Knew the US military was weak and the country was just coming out of a Depression i. Factories, industrial yards, shipbuilding plants, had been sitting empty b. Any supplies the US had had been sent to Great Britain 2. Believed the Japanese military was unstoppable a. Had been at war for 10 years prior to attacking the US

4 II. II. b. By 1941 Japan was a serious threat to the whole Pacific Rim Join Up and Fight! i. Attack on Pearl Harbor created a lot of response within the American public 1. Many volunteered to join the armed forces 2. Women went to work in factories ii. In early 1942 the Japanese had seized several island chains 1. The British had to surrender Singapore 2. The Japanese were closing in on Allied troops b. Douglass MacArthur i. Was stationed in the Philippines during Pearl Harbor 1. Responsible for the 25,000 troops stationed here 2. Japanese landed on December 22, 1941 a. Much larger force than anticipated b. Forced MacArthur s troops to retreat i. Bataan Peninsula 1. Held off Japanese for 3 months 2. Had almost no ammunition or supplies 3. Reinforcements never came ii. Roosevelt asked MacArthur to leave before they were captured or forced to surrender 1. Did not want to leave his men but obeyed Roosevelt s orders a. I shall return c. Fear on the Home Front i. A Japanese submarine shelled an oil refinery off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. On Feb. 23, Fears triggered the creation of the War Relocation Authority (WRA) a. Rounded up over 120,000 Japanese-Americans b. Put them in barbed-wire internment camps i. Despite the internment, over 10,000 Japanese- Americans volunteered to fight for the US in Europe against the Nazis ii. 442 nd Regimental Combat Team all Japanese unit became the most decorated outfit in US history Back to Bataan a. American and Filipino troops could no longer hold the Japanese i. Surrendered on April 9 th 1. Became POWs

5 III. IV. a. Ordered to march 60 miles in the heat to prison camps The Bataan Death March i. Many were sick, starving, or wounded to being with ii. The Japanese did not provide food, water, or medicine iii. Those who stopped or dropped where often bayoneted or shot b. More than 10,000 unarmed American and Filipino soldiers had died The Doolittle Raid a. A week after the Bataan Death March, on April 18 th, a squadron of B-25 bombers flew over Tokyo to bomb military installations i. Launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet 1. Army Air Corps Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle led the training and the mission a. Did not do much damage to Tokyo i. 16 B-25 bombers only had enough fuel for one run ii. Mission rattles the Japanese and gave the Americans the boost they needed b. Proved the importance of the aircraft carriers which would later dominate the war i. Each carrier was surrounded and protected by about 30 different types of ships Midway a. The Japanese continued to capture one island chain after another in the Pacific i. Turned towards an American base at Midway 1. Code breakers cracked the Japanese secret radio transmissions a. The US would know when and where the Japanese would strike next i. Knew that they intended to send a large multi-carrier task force to take the island in early June of Americans arrived just as the Japanese began their air attacks on June 4 th a. Hundreds of American dive bombers and torpedo planes surprised the Japanese i. All four of the carriers the backbone of the Imperial Fleet - were sunk ii. We lost one carrier, a destroyer, and 98 planes b. Admiral Chester Nimitz the Commander in Chief of US Naval forces in the Pacific is credited the victory

6 i. Midway is still considered the greatest victory of the US Navy 1. First turning point of the war in the Pacific Part 2 I. Semper Fidelis I. The Marines are the smallest military combat service i. Are actually a branch of the Navy 1. Established on November 10, 1775 in Pennsylvania a. Tun s Tavern, Philadelphia ii. America s rapid deployment force II. Began their campaign with an offensive called Island Hopping III. August 7, 1942 Guadalcanal i. Largest island on the Solomon chain 1. Located near a key Japanese shipping route 2. Combat see-sawed back and forth with victories between both sides a. So many ships sunk around Guadalcanal that Americans began to call it Iron Bottom Sound ii. The Marines lived up to their ferocious warrior stereotypes 1. Many Japanese attacks were banzai suicide attacks a. Would also pretend to be dead before attacking i. Marines had to learn to be extra careful iii. Conditions on the island were bad 1. Many parts of the island were leech-infested jungles and swamps 2. Malaria was an issue a. Often above 100 degrees iv. It took the Allies 6 months to defeat the Japanese at Guadalcanal 1. Over 30,000 Americans or Japanese were wounded or killed 2. Proved the Americans could beat the Japanese II. The Tide Turns: Allies on the Offensive I. Made strong gains in 1943 and 1944 i. Were on the offensive on almost every front 1. Marines continued Island Hopping using each amphibious landing to force the Japanese into retreat II. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto decided to head to the front lines himself i. Americans were listening in on Japanese radio transmissions fighter planes were sent to intercept Yamamoto s flight a. His plane was shot down on April 18, Japan s most famous military leader was dead III. Saipan I. Marianas Island chain key objective

7 i. B-29 bomber planes could use it as a base in which to bomb Japan ii. Occupied by the Japanese for over 25 years II. June 15, 1994 Marines landed i. Defended by more than 30,000 Japanese III. Japanese Prime Minister Tojo was confident they could beat the Americans at Saipan i. Were to hold the island at any cost 1. Killed their own wounded, did not take prisoners 2. Used women, children, elderly as human shields during Japanese counter-attacks 3. Would commit suicide rather than become a prisoner a. Were jumping off cliffs holding their wives and children IV. After 3 weeks the US 27 th Infantry Division overwhelmed the Japanese i. Declared secured on July 9, ,000 Japanese killed in combat 2. 5,000 by suicide ii. American casualties were high 1. 3,500 Marines, sailors, soldiers killed 2. 13,000 wounded V. Tojo and his entire cabinet were so embarrassed they were forced to resign on July 18, 1944 IV. Beginning of the End I. The Japanese were weakening i. One day in June 1944, American pilots shot down 220 Japanese planes over toe Mariana Islands 1. Great Mariana Turkey Shoot II. Americans were planning to retake the Philippines i. October 1944, Americans landed to Leyte 1. October 20 th, MacArthur came ashore and rose an American flag on Filipino soil 2. Battles would rage until the US entered Manila on February 3, 1945 a. POWs from the Bataan Death March were being held at the Cabanatuan internment camp i. Were rescued by the end of January 1. Jan. 30 th, the 6 th Army Rangers broke into the camp 2. Freed 511 POWs V. Kamikaze! I. Leyte Gulf - one of the largest naval battles in modern history

8 VI. VII. VIII. i. Kamikaze attacks 1. Japanese pilots would fly their planes nose down into Allied ships a. The Divine Wind Iwo Jima I. February 19, 1945 i. Marines made an amphibious landing on the volcanic island 1. Less than 700 miles away from Japan 2. Important for its airstrips a. Could provide emergency landing for the B-29 bombers ii. Predicted it would take a week to capture 1. Beaches are made of nothing but volcanic ash a. Cannot dig b. Tanks, amtracs (amphibious, armored, tracked, personal carrier), jeeps were stuck 2. The Japanese had been there for years digging into the mountain a. 20,000 Japanese 3. Americans - Swiss Cheese a. Full of bullet holes by the time they landed iii. Took over a month to capture Iwo Jima 1. 28,000 Marines were killed or wounded 2. Japanese lost over 20,000 a. Only 216 were taken prisoner iv. Three airstrips on the island 1. Two completed, one under construction a. B-29s made emergency landings even while the battle was going on v. Images of the flag raising at Mt. Suribachi 1. Immortalized the battle of Iwo Jima Okinawa I. Japan would not give up i. Unleashed full fury of Kamikaze pilots 1. Some put the number at over 700 deaths of Kamikaze pilots throughout the war with over 200 skips sunk or damaged a. Estimated 10,000 sailors killed or wounded by kamikaze attacks The Final Days I. Operation Olympic i. Code name for the final invasion of Japan 1. If we invaded, we would lose over a million soldiers 2. More than 2 million Japanese would be killed or wounded

9 II. Roosevelt died April 12, 1945 i. VP Harry S. Truman took over as President 1. War in Europe ended on May 8, 1945 a. Enough troops and weapons to invade Japan III. The Manhattan Project i. America s program to develop the atomic bomb 1. Truman did not want to be the first to use it a. Ordered the Army Air Corps to begin carpet bombing Japanese cities especially Tokyo i. The Japanese would still not give in ii. August 6, A B-29 bomber took off from Tinian Island carrying a single bomb a. Atomic bomb i. Dropped on Hiroshima 1. Killing nearly 100,000 people 2. The Japanese would still not surrender iii. August 9, Another B-29 dropped an atomic bomb a. Nagasaki i. Japanese Emperor Hirohito decided to surrender IV. MacArthur was in charge of the formal surrender i. September 2, 1945 Tokyo Bay 1. Aboard the battleship USS Missouri a. Admiral Halsey did not have the flagship Missouri b. Truman asked him to change his flagship i. Truman was from Missouri 1. His daughter had sent off the ship