War in the Pacific

1. What was the importance of the Battle of Midway?

The Japanese wanted to move towards the Island of Midway to get closer to Hawaii but they were successfully stopped by the Allies. The Americans knew they would be attacking the island because they broke the Japanese code. When American Admiral Chester Nimitz attacked with torpedo and bomber planes, while the Japanese planes were still on the decks of their fleets, the results were devastating. The Battle of Midway was important because it was the turning point in the Pacific War. Soon after the Allies began regaining territory from the Japanese by conquering island by island. Every island captured allowed the Allied forces to move closer to Japan and inevitably attack.



2. What strategy did the United States adopt in fighting Japan?

The United states adopted the strategy of island hopping. Island hopping is moving from island to island, winning back territory from the Japanese. Every island captured allowed the Allied forces to move closer to Japan and inevitably attack.



3. Why did the Japanese fight so hard on Iwo Jima?

Iwo Jima was probably the most heavily defended spot with 20,700 Japanese troops entrenched in tunnels and caves. This is because Iwo Jima was critical to the United States as a base from which heavily loaded bombers might reach Japan. Also if the Allies capture Iwo Jima than just one obstacle, the island of Okinawa, stood in in between them and a final assault on Japan.



4. Why did the Allies believe Okinawa was a foretaste of an invasion of Japan?

The Allies believed Okinawa was a foretaste of an invasion of Japan because the Japanese fought extremely hard, this includes using ritual suicide, instead of surrendering in shame. Casualties were devastating. More than 7,600 Americans had died and 110,000 Japanese.



5. What was the Manhattan Project?


The Manhattan Project was a secret project led by General Leslie Groves with the help of research directed by American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The project was the development of the atomic bomb.


6. Ultimately, why did President Truman decide to drop atomic bombs on Japan?


Truman did not hesitate to use the bomb as a military weapon to end the war.