Steve Smith
HIS/120
06/14/2012 James Hendrickson
The Military Experience: War in the Pacific
America had been watching the in Germany and Japan since it began but wanted more than anything to remain separated from it, after all American’s could not seem to find their way out of the depression. Then on December 7, 1941 The Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and America has In 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt seeing the rapid armament of Britain, France, China, and the Soviet Union asked Congress for authorization to build 50,000 warplanes a year, just in case, Congress granted the request and many Americans found new employment for the government not only making …show more content…
Japan moved quickly to occupy the French-Indochina areas that Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, in their plan to control all of Asia. America retaliates by cutting off all trade with Japan. With Japan in desperate need of resources turned their focus to the Dutch West Indies, but with extensive presence of the Far East it severely limited Japans ability to expand into other area so now Japan knows the United States must be forcibly removed from …show more content…
1Includes only losses in ground combat. I have not been able to find separate figures for naval and air losses in the war against Japan.
These losses would have been quite significant for Britain.
2Prior to 15 August 1945.
The Island Hopping wars included Iwo Jima. This island war started in February 1945 and lasted 30 days. America’s main reason to take over Iwo Jima was to stop Japan’s merchant fleet from being able to bring supplies from food-rich sectors in South East Asia and to stop communication warnings that America was coming to bomb. America also wanted to have a safe haven for its long flights that were to bomb other islands in the area. On day two of the attack on Iwo Jima the United States Marine Corps raised the American flag on Mountain Suribachi.
America labeled Iwo Jima as a strategic island because of its place in the Pacific Ocean. Here the American military would attack Japan’s mainland without having to worry about losing more planes and men. After 30 days of fighting and bombing America gained control over Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was the biggest battle in the Pacific and America suffered casualties that were more than Japan. Along with the many deaths on Iwo Jima by American taking control over the island they saved 2,400 B-24’s from landing at sea in emergency