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HomeMy WebLinkAbout15_Mil-WWIIpac Asiatic - Paci c e a t e r "Uncommon valor was a common virtue." Of the Marines at Iwo Jima, Admiral Chester Nimitz. A lthough Japan sided with the Allies in World War I, Japan became a “revisionist” power, intending to alter the balance of power in Asia in its favor. Seeking natural resources and imperial expansion, Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937. Combining the Axis revisionist powers, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy in 1940. Japanese leaders wanted to dominate French Indochina (Vietnam), the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), British Malaya and Singapore, and the Philippine Islands, then a U.S. protectorate. During 1941 U.S. diplomats tried to dissuade Japan from its designs by cuing o American oil and metals unless Japan withdrew from China. In response, the Japanese planned multiple aacks. Launched from aircra carriers, Japanese war - planes bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941 and Manila, in the Philippines. Aer bier combat on Bataan, Corregidor, and Luzon, Americans surren- dered the Philippines to Japan in May 1942. Evacuating to Australia, on orders by Pres. Roosevelt, U.S. Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur vowed to return to liberate the islands. Allied strategy gave priority to “Europe First” but Americans began striking at Japan. Flying from U.S. Navy aircra carriers Hornet, Col. James Doolile’s 2-engine B-25 Army bombers conducted a symbolic raid on Tokyo in April 1942. Deploying submarines across the Pacic, Americans learned that they had to correct technical problems with their torpedoes, which failed to explode. Signicant bales blunted Japanese drives into the Pacic though the Japanese did bomb Darwin, Australia. Using planes from aircra carriers, a U.S. eet turned back a Japanese eet in the Coral Sea (May 1942) and defeated a Japanese eet trying to seize Midway Island (June 1942). In the Solomon Islands, Marines, supplemented by U.S. Army soldiers, seized Guadalcanal (August 1942-February 1943) while the navies fought bales oshore. Cooperating with Australian soldiers, Americans shied to the oensive in New Guinea (August 1942-January 1943). Meanwhile, political leaders decided to include mi- norities in all U.S. Armed Forces. Native Americans from several tribes enlisted in the Marine Corps and became famous as the “Code Talkers.” African- American enlistees and draees served in the army’s 93rd Infan- Iwo Jima, with another 50,000 casualties taking Okinawa. e Americans mounted heavy air aacks on the Japanese Home Islands in 1945. Flying mostly from bases on Tinian and Saipan, U.S. B-29 bombers launched a massive bombing campaign. Combined with the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Japan and eective American submarine aacks sinking many Japanese cargo ships, it appeared that the devastating air bombardment must bring Japan to surrender. e air raids caused thousands of civilian casualties, burning or damaging all but a few Japanese cities. While continuing campaigns to control more of China, Japanese leaders correctly picked the beaches that the Allies intended to use to invade Japan, reinforced defenses there, prepared more kamikazes, and trained civilians to resist Allied landings. Hoping to avoid an invasion, American leaders de- cided to use the war’s most controversial weapon. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had approved a secret plan to develop uranium and pluto- nium into atomic bombs. Axis scien- tists also sought to create such extraor- dinary weapons. Lacking resources, the Axis ended their atomic research, but American, British, and Canadian scien- tists tested an atom bomb in New Mexico (July 1945). Aer Roosevelt died in April, Vice Presi - dent Harry Truman succeeded to oce and ordered the dropping of atom bombs. American planners had pre- selected the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as atomic targets, and conventional bombers had avoided them. When Japan ignored warnings about a powerful new weapon, the Americans dropped a uranium bomb on Hiroshima on 6 August (killing 80,000 Japanese) and a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki on 9 August (killing 65,000). Also on 9 August, Russia declared war on Japan and invaded Japanese-occupied Manchuria, Korea, and Sakhalin Island. e combination of the two atom bombs and Russia declaring war led Japan’s em- peror Hirohito on 14 August to order his military lead- ers to agree to peace, with the only condition that Hiro- hito would continue as Japan’s leader. On 2 September Japanese diplomats signed surrender documents on board the U.S. baleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. As a result of World War II, the Allies required Japan to give up most of its empire, evacuate China, and dismantle its military forces. America denied Russia an occupation zone in Japan, but Korea was divided into Russian and American zones. Under Gen. MacArthur’s supervision, Japan wrote a new constitution and gradually rebuilt to again become a major industrial nation. ough predating the war, independence movements grew in colonies throughout Asia during the 1940s. Several new nations gained independence between 1946 and 1949, including the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Burma, and Indonesia, but France fought to keep its colony in Vietnam. A civil war rocked China, with Communist forces winning in 1949. Joseph G. Dawson III, PhD, Texas A&M University try Division and 96th Engineer Baalion. Some African Americans who entered the Marine Corps became gun- ners in anti-aircra baeries and others came under enemy re in several bales while their logistics units unloaded supplies. Most African-American sailors in the Pacic worked as wardroom stewards, one of whom, Dorie Miller from Waco, Texas, won the Navy Cross for exceptional actions at Pearl Harbor. Others worked in the navy’s famous Construction Baalions (“Seabees”). Assembling powerful naval, air, and land forces, U.S. leaders conducted two parallel drives by “island-hopping” across the Pacic, capturing some Japanese-held islands but bypassing others. Gen. MacArthur led the drive in the Southwest Pacic and U.S. Navy Adm. Chester Nimitz (from Fredericksburg, Texas) led another through the Central Pacic. Americans made amphibious assaults at several locations, landing Marines on Tarawa (November 1943) in the Gilbert Islands and Marines and Army soldiers to Kwajalein and Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands (January-February 1944). A massive amphibious aack onto Saipan (Marianas Islands) began in June 1944, the same month as the Allies landed at Normandy in German-held France. Perhaps the most controversial landing by Marines came at Peleliu in the Palau Islands (September 1944), a stepping-stone to the Philippines. e drives across the Pacic culminated with U.S. naval victories in the Philippine Sea (June 1944) and history’s largest naval bale at Leyte Gulf (October 1944). MacArthur directed the campaigns to regain the Philippines (October 1944-March 1945). By 1945 it seemed that Japan might negotiate to end the war. It appeared that the Allies were winning by recapturing many Pacic islands and conducting campaigns in Burma and elsewhere. Chinese soldiers fought more than 1 million Japanese troops in China. But Japanese leaders rejected the Allies’ “unconditional surrender” policy. Unocially, they proposed conditions such as keeping Korea, retaining parts of China, and not allowing Allied troops to occupy Japan. e Allies rejected these conditions. However, some Japanese believed that they were inicting such high American casualties that the Allies would not invade Japan. But the Americans were undeterred even aer the costly Bales of Iwo Jima (March 1945) and Okinawa (April-June), where the Japanese employed hundreds of kamikazes—suicide pilots who intentionally crashed their airplanes into U.S. warships. More than 23,000 Americans became casualties taking cc President Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933 - 1945 Portrait by Frank O. Salisbury CAMPAIGNS There were 21 campaigns in the Asiatic-Pacic eater. e streamer is yellow with a narrow blue, white and red center stripe and a narrow white, red and white stripe on each side. e yellow color presents Asia; the blue, white ans red stripes taken from the American Defense Medal refer to the continu- ance of American Defense aer Pearl Harbor. e red and white stripes are the Japanese colors. ÛPHILIPPINE ISLANDS 1941-1942 ÛBURMA 1941-1942 ÛCENTL PACIFIC 1941-1943 ÛEAST INDIES 1942 ÛINDIA-BURMA 1942-1945 ÛAIR OFFENSIVE, JAPAN 1942-1945 ÛALEUTIAN ISLANDS 1942-1943 ÛCHINA DEFENSIVE 1942-1945 ÛPAPUA 1942-1943 ÛGUADALCANAL 1942-1943 ÛNEW GUINEA 1943-1944 ÛNORTHERN SOLOMONS 1943-1944 ÛEASTERN MANDATES 1944 ÛBISMARK ARCHIPELAGO 1943-1944 ÛWESTERN PACIFIC 1944-1945 ÛLEYTE 1944-1945 ÛLUZON 1944-1945 ÛCENTL BURMA 1945 ÛSOUTHERN PHILIPPINES 1945 ÛRYUKYUS 1945 ÛCHINA OFFENSIVE 1945 BELLIGERENTS ÛALLIES ÛAXIS Australia Japan China VERSUS Manchukuo Netherlands Mengjiang New Zealand Soviet Union United Kingdom United States and others STATISTICS ÛTotal U.S. Service members (Worldwide) 16,112,566 ÛBale Deaths 291,557 ÛOther Deaths in Service (Non-eater) 113,842 ÛNon-mortal Woundings 671,846 secret plan to develop bomb in New Mexico Islands (January-February 1944). A massive regain the Philippines (October 1944-March President Harry S. Truman 1945 - 1953 Portrait by Greta Kempton 93rd Infan- Dorie Mille r Navajo Code talkers. Admirals Spruance, Mitchner, Nimitz and Lee. February 1945. Admirals Spruance, Mitchner, Nimitz and Lee. February 1945. B-29 4-engine bomber Army Air Corps pilot James L. Boone, Jr. ‘44, om College Station, on the road to Baguio, Philippines, May 1945. Foster L. ompson, om Leona, Texas, was a Marine ghter pilot who shot down the last Japanese zero in WWII while ying a Corsair F4U over Okinawa. Gen. Ryan greets Marine Joe L. Hedrick of Wheelock, Texas. Hedrick earned the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service on Iwo Jima. Photo taken on Guam, 1945. Floyd Gravi, brother of Joanne Yeager of College Station, was a Japanese POW. He was the only one of Joanna Yeagers’ three brothers who made it home om the war. Philippines, 1941. A TBM-1C lands on an aircra carrier. Seaman FC Gerald McCaskill, om Bryan, Texas, served aboard the USS Tennessee BB-43. 113,842 Û 671,846 Lt. jg George H.W. Bush in a TBM-1C Avenger, the Barbara III. Û Û Û c e a t ecc APresident Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933 - 1945 Portrait by Frank O. Salisbury CAMPAIGNS here were 21 campaigns in the Asiatic-Pacic eater. e streamer is yellow with a narrow blue, white and red center President Harry S. Truman 1945 - 1953 Portrait by Greta Kempton Û Korea, and Sakhalin Island. e combination of the two - hito would continue as Japan’s leader. On 2 September Japanese diplomats signed surrender documents on As a result of World War II, the Allies required Corsair F4U over Okinawa. Floyd Gravi, brother of Joanne Yeager of College Station, was a Japanese POW. He was the only one of Joanna Yeagers’ three Seaman FC Gerald McCaskill, Seaman FC Gerald McCaskill, om Bryan, Texas, served aboard the USS Tennessee BB-43 © 2010 e Memorial for all Veterans of the Brazos Valley, Inc .Le-Write InkUnited States 48-star ag A President Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933 - 1945 Portrait by Frank O. Salisbury Asia President Harry S. Truman 1945 - 1953 Portrait by Greta Kempton A CAMPAIGNS ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ 1941ÛWORLD W A R I I Û 1 9 4 5 CAMPAIGNS Û ÛÛ Û Û Û pilot streamer is yellow with a narrow blue, white and red center stripe and a narrow white, red and white stripe on each side. e yellow color presents Asia; the blue, white ans red stripes taken from the American Defense Medal refer to the continu ance of American Defense aer Pearl Harbor. e red and white stripes are the Japanese colors. ÛPHILIPPINE ISLANDS 1941-1942 ÛBURMA 1941-1942 ÛCENTL PACIFIC 1941-1943 ÛEAST INDIES 1942 ÛINDIA-BURMA 1942-1945 ÛAIR OFFENSIVE, JAPAN 1942-1945 ÛALEUTIAN ISLANDS 1942-1943 There were 21 campaigns in the Asiatic-Pacic eater. e streamer is yellow with a narrow blue, white and red center Japan to give up most of its empire, evacuate China, and dismantle its military forces. America denied Russia an occupation zone in Japan, but Korea was divided into Russian and American zones. Under Gen. MacArthur’s supervision, Japan wrote a new constitution and gradually rebuilt to again become a major industrial nation. ough predating the war, independence movements grew in colonies throughout Asia during the 1940s. Several new nations gained independence between 1946 and 1949, including the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Burma, and Indonesia, but France fought to keep its colony in Vietnam. A civil war rocked China, with Communist Joseph G. Dawson III, PhD, Texas A&M University Û 444 5555555555555555555555555555555555555555 Japan to give up most of its empire, evacuate China, and dismantle its military forces. America denied Russia an occupation zone in Japan, but Korea was divided into Russian and American zones. Under Gen. MacArthur’s supervision, Japan wrote a new constitution and gradually rebuilt to again become a major industrial nation. ough predating the war, independence movements grew in colonies throughout Asia during the 1940s. Several new nations gained independence between 1946 and 1949, including the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Burma, and Indonesia, but France fought to keep its colony in Vietnam. A civil war rocked China, with Communist Joseph G. Dawson III, PhD, Texas A&M University Army Air Corps pilot 55555555555555555555555555555555 James L. Boone, Jr. ‘44, om James L. Boone, Jr. ‘44, om Hedrick of Wheelock, Texas. Hedrick earned the Purple