4. What are the 2-3 most important aspects of this island you think you should know?

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1 In 1941, France invaded French Indochina. This is the area of Thailand that the French still controlled under imperialism. They had controlled this area for its resources and for power for decades. The USA put an oil embargo on Japan. An embargo means that you restrict trade for one reason or another. The United States placed an oil embargo on Japan hoping that it would constrict their ability to continue their expansion in Asia. Japan did not have easy access to oil and depended on trade with the United States in order to fuel their factories, machines and weaponry. They did not like that the United States limited the amount of oil that they could buy. 1. What details do you observe in this cartoon? 2. What is happening in this cartoon? 3. What point is the artist trying to make with this cartoon? 4. What are the 2-3 most important aspects of this island you think you should know?

2 ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR When the attack started around 8:00 am on the Sunday morning of December 7, 1941 many of the crew were sleeping off a night out on the town in their racks below decks. They never made it up to the main deck before the ship was bombed and then rolled over. Japanese fighter planes attacked the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, launching one of the deadliest attacks in American history. The assault, which lasted less than two hours, claimed the lives of more than 2,500 people, wounded 1,000 more and damaged or destroyed 18 American ships and nearly 300 airplanes. Almost half of the casualties at Pearl Harbor occurred on the naval battleship USS Arizona, which was hit four times by Japanese bombers. Men trapped inside started banging on the bulkhead trying to get the attention of passing small boats. Almost 400 men were trapped inside the ship. On the 8 th and 9 th of December after cutting holes in the exposed bottom of the USS Oklahoma, 32 men were pulled out alive. Banging continued through the 10 th of December but nothing could be done because they were trapped below the water line. The ship s side could be drilled through under the water. The sailors standing watch over the USS Oklahoma could only wait and listen to the banging of their friends and fellow service men. They knew that they were dead when the banging stopped and the trapped sailors suffocated. 1. Based on the last island about the oil embargo, why do you think the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor? 2. How would you feel if you if you heard your friends trapped inside the USS Oklahoma? 3. Do you think that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was enough reason to plunge the USA into a war in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific for three years? Why?

3 ! The Empire of Japan The Japanese moved quickly throughout the Pacific after the bombing of Pearl Harbor taking over Guam, Wake Island, Hong Kong, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, and Burma. 1. Why do you think that the Japanese wanted to move quickly to take over islands in the Pacific? Look at this quote from the Emperor Hirohito. Remember that the Emperor was just a figurehead, the Military of Japan was really in charge of the country. "The fruits of victory are tumbling into our mouths too quickly." Emperor Hirohito (On his Birthday) - 29th April What do you think the Emperor meant by this quote? Look at the quote below: In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success. - Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander in Chief of the Japanese Navy (1940) 3. What do you think the military Admiral meant by this quote?

4 THE BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA The tide began to turn in favor of the United States in The US defeated Japan in the Battle of Coral Sea, saving Australia from a Japanese invasion. Below is a first hand account of a US sailor who fought in the Battle: Up to the time of Coral Sea, I had only read in Hemmingway's novels about "the sweet smell of death". The area was a full disaster, and I realized what the "sweet smell of death" really was. There were parts and particles; some ship, some shipmate. The bomb landed in a compartment used to stow arresting cable components, and particles of arresting cable had limited the bomb blast. We sorted out pieces of ship from parts of the soda fountain, and put pieces of the crew in body bags, the other trash in garbage cans until the compartment was clear enough to use shovels, then fire hoses, then Cresol (a cresote disinfectant) and swabs. And always the "sweet smell of death". And the thought crossed my mind then, and many more times, where is my number? There was sadness, and respect, for the dead, but not the wholesale celebration this present generation embraces. We gave them a military burial at sea, and went on with the business of war. As far as fear, or terror, no! There was none of it anywhere I could see or hear. Just a pure dedication to fight the enemy with all that we had, to survive with our ship. 1. What does this account tell you about the Battle of the Coral Sea was like? 2. Think about the ferocity of the Japanese military. Do you think that they could have won and taken Australia? 3. The sailor in this quote said that he had a pure dedication to fight the enemy with all that we had. Thinking about his description of the Battle, why do you think he felt this and not fear?

5 THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY Next, the US defeated Japan in the Battle of Midway, heavily damaging hundreds of Japanese planes and all of the aircraft carriers on the island. The Japanese military, embarrassed by the loss at the Battle of the Coral Sea, decided to attack the US Navy at Midway. Admiral Yamamoto planned to quickly knock down Midway s defenses with an invasion on the small island and establish a Japanese air base there. He wanted the U.S. carriers to come out and fight but Yamamoto planned the attack to happen where the carriers would arrive too late to save the island. He wanted to then destroy the entire U.S. fleet through air power. However, the USA s intelligence officers figured out Yamamoto s plan. The US Admiral had carriers waiting to ambush the Japanese. The surprise attack was a success had heavily damaged many Japanese carriers. The perserverance and skill of the US Navy aviators saved Midway from the Japanese. 1. Look at the map above. Why do you think the island was called Midway? 2. Why do you think the USA wanted to protect this island from Japanese control? (again look at the map) 3. How important is communication in war based on this battle?

6 ISLAND HOPPING and GUADALCANAL After the Battle of Midway, the US began to engage in an island-hopping (or leapfrogging ) strategy, thus bypassing islands heavily secured by Japan in favor of taking Islands. The aim of the strategy was to take smaller islands that were not as heavily manned as larger islands, such as the Philippines. The USA wanted to hop from island to island so that they could get closer to the mainland of Japan on which they wanted to launch an attack. In this way, countless American lives would be saved by taking the islands that were easier to seize rather than trying to invade and take larger islands. The goal of the island hopping campaign was to save American lives and get close to Japan. A turning point occurred when the Japanese experienced a devastating loss at the Battle of Guadalcanal. This was the first offensive against Japan, which means that it was the first battle in the war in which the USA attacked the Japanese first. The US launched a combined attack of land, sea and air operations. 1. Write two reasons why island hopping is a smart strategy. 2. Why do you think the USA had not gone on the attack before Guadalcanal?