The Pacific TheatreAnd

America’s Entry Into WWII

Chapter 16 Section 2

I. Japanese Empire1. Japan was eager to become

the major empire of the Pacific.

2. In 1931-1932 Japan conquered China’s northern province of Manchuria.

3. By 1941 Japan had a stronghold on the Pacific islands, Korea, and Taiwan.

4. Japan wants to be the dominant empire in the Pacific and Asia.

5. What problems did Japan face in building an empire in the Pacific?

Hideki TojoIsoroku YamamotoIsoroku Yamamoto

II. Neutral America?

1. Neutrality Acts 1935-1937a. “Cash and carry” (1939) pay for materials

but must take away themselves.2. Military Preparedness

a. The Ocean Navy and Air Force are built up.

b. 1940 Selective Service Act (Draft)

3. Lend-Lease Act of 1941a. Allowed president to lend or lease goods to any

nation whose defense he deemed necessary for the defense of the US.

b. Total amount $50 billion.4. Japanese Embargo

a. Who does the Pacific belong to?b. 1940-1941 the US protested the Japanese

occupation of French Indochina (Vietnam).c. US responded by cutting off sales of vital scrap iron

and oil to Japan.

III. America Enters WWII:Pearl Harbor

1. To avoid further American response the Japanese attacked the Pearl Harbor naval base on December 7, 1941.

2. Yamamoto planned the surprise attack on the US.

3. How did the Japanese plan to catch the European colonial powers and the US by surprise?

4. USA declares war on Japan the following day.

5. Germany and Italy immediately declare war on the US.

6. Did Admiral Yamamoto make a wise decision in bombing Pearl Harbor? Why or why not?

7. Why was America “lucky” at Pearl Harbor

IV. Early Victories for Japan1. European and American possessions

in the Pacific were falling to Japan.2. Americans were defeated in Bataan,

Philippines.3. Bataan Death March4. Why do you think the Japanese

changed their approach from trying to win the support of the colonized peoples to acting as conquerors?

Doolittle Raid April 18, 1942

1. A raid on Japan led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle.

2. The first carrier based attack of WWII by the United States. (Hornet)

3. Large planes with far greater range than carrier-based bombers were used.

4. The attack on Tokyo did not cripple the Japanese, but it did lift the moral of the American people.

Battle of Coral Sea 4-8 May 1942

• Strategic victory for Allies–Morale boost–Weakened aircraft force–Could not fight @ Midway–Opened up South Pacific to

invasion• In what ways was this battle a new

kind of naval warfare?

Battle of Midway

1. The Americans then turned the tide of the war for good after defeating Isoroku Yamamoto at the Battle of Midway.

Guadalcanal – Aug. 1942-Feb. 1943

• Douglas MacArthur• The Island of Death• The beginning of the end• Explain General Douglas MacArthur's Island-hopping strategy.• What was the strategic significance of Guadalcanal?• Why was it important for America to be successful at

Guadalcanal?