Name: Vignesh Sundararaj Class: 4E1 School: Montfort Sec Sch

Acronyms for this chapter

PF: Pacific Fleet inv: invasion R&C: Roosevelt and Churchill

Background of this Chapter (used for introduction/links/conclusions)

• Despite signs of impending war a/g J, A forces in A-Pr were generally ill-equipped and unprepared for battle.
• B chose to focus on war in E a/g NG as it’s struggling to survive. Netherlands and most of F fell under Nazi
occupation.
• USA’s powerful PF (need to reinforce military in the Philippines) severely damaged during J PH attack
• These affected ability of A to respond effectively a/g J — seen from Source 7.1 in TB
• J PH attack paved way for inv of SEA. USA PF crippled and couldn’t lend strength to challenge J inv. J began
attacking many countries SEA while attacking PH (inv Malaya, Philippines and occupied Thailand)
• Rapid retreat and defeat of US and B forces exceeded J expectations and encourage them to think of
complete victory, such that they. Planned to seize control of resources necessary to feed industries and mil
machine and to set up perimeter defence around the zone to protect its conquests but in the end, J was
defeated in WW2

Strengths of the USA :

Economic Strengths
• USA was the largest ind producer in world at the time.
• Though USA mostly produced goods for consumption instead of mil eqt, it’s able to quickly switch over to mil
prodxn.
• After econ crisis of GD, USA had many unemployed people who were eager at work. These willing citizens
proved to be far better workers than those who were forced into labour in fascist states.
• J didn’t have such str ind foundation or capabilities to supp their war effort. J not able to protect their
merchant fleet from attacks by A submarines = A attacks weaken J’s econ even further as war proceeded
• J peeps had less food and its factories had less resources as A crippled J’s raw materials and pxn.
• Thus, A work hard to sink J merchant vessels and bomb their factories.
• USA factories were well out of range and its MS were well protected by mil convoys — Source 7.2 in TB
• Therefore, Us involvement ultimately led to DoJ, as econ strength of USA gave it the capacity to fight a long-
drawn war, which J was unable to do.

Military and Naval Strengths

• Despite J PH attack, USA still determined and mil str enof to fight back a/g J.
• A able to effectively use their mil str a/g J.
• Critically, for J, PH didn’t totally destroy USA’s capacity to retaliate in A-P.
• 3 aircraft carriers of US PF weren’t involved in PH attack
• There were 3 key events which proved that J failed to break USA’s resolve: Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, Battle of
the Coral Sea and Battle of Midway.
• Sea battles in particular helped to stall J’s advance thru SEA
• In addition to 3 events mentioned, USA showed its mil might thru continued aerial bombings of mainland J in
later years of war because of capture of strategic land bases like the Philippines and Iwo Jima.
• 11/44: A bomb aircraft factory in Tokyo
• 9/3/45: Campaign intensified where a quarter of Tokyo destroyed — 250000 buildings and 185000 people killed
• Over 8 mil civilians fled J cities for countryside;
• J factories all struggling with shortage of Rez d2 A submarine attacks on J MF
• Flight of its workers and destruction of its factories brought J econ (needed to sustain WE) to brink of
collapse.
• Therefore, US involvement contributed to DoJ as its mil and naval strengths not only prevented J from
expanding southward to secure a decisive victory but also crippled J econ, which further weakened JWE and
led to its defeat.

History Elective Defeat of Japan 1! of !3

Name: Vignesh Sundararaj Class: 4E1 School: Montfort Sec Sch

Contribution of Women to the US War Effort

• W played integral part in boosting A’s industrial machine esp USA’s. Using propaganda campaigns, A
countries actively encouraged women to contribute to WE. For example, in USA, Women Ordnance Workers/
WOWs worked in factories to produce weapons, vehicles and mil supplies necessary for war effort. Some also
joined armed forces (for example: Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service - WAVES) as nurses and
soldiers.
• On the contrary, J, like G, emphasised role of women as mothers and child-bearers and stressed that they
should stay at home. It’s only later in the war that J made efforts to encourage women to enter the workforce.
By then, J’s industries and supply routes all crippled.
• Therefore, US involvement contributed to DoJ as contribution made by women to war effort strengthened
their mil machinery and capacity to fight a long-drawn war, which J’s unable to do.

Ineffective defence of overextended Japanese Empire: key military defeats from 1942-45
• 1942: J occ almost full of SEA, which’s a large territory for J forces to manage
• J empire had overstretched itself and it’s difficult for J forces to maintain and defend newly occupied SEA
territories
• Key mil defeats by A a/g J forces decimated the numbers of experienced J pilots and aircraft carriers
• J struggled to keep up with WE w/ limited funds, rez and manpower
• However, combined rez and manpower of A forces allowed them to recover quickly from J attacks
• As a result of its ineffectiveness in defending an overstretched empire, DoJ was imminent as they couldn’t
fight a long-drawn war a/g A.

Desire of Allies to secure a quick victory: both methods worked against its aim and made Allies even
more determined to fight and end the war quickly

Liberation of Allied PoWs

• J turned to forced labour in order to solve shortages of manpower and rez. The largest no of FLers came from
the J satellite state of K.
• Thousands of workers from A forced to work in factories/on construction projects such as the Thai-Burma
Railway.
• These FLers often worked in harsh conditions, were malnourished and were denied even the most basic
health facilities.
• PoWs were also used as FLers.
• > 100000 PoWs were captured in fall of SG alone while >27000 American PoWs captured during war. Over 1/2
of PoWs became FLers in JWE. 

Moreover, J army had secret army unit called the Kempeitai, which specialised in torturing prisoners (cruel/
inhumane treatment)
• J hostility t/w A PoWs frequently highlighted in A propaganda and strengthened determination of Allied
powers to end war to liberate PoWs and J-occ territories.
• This resolve strengthened drive of A to devise effective strategies to DoJ and end war to free PoWs.

Minimise Allied losses from kamikaze attacks

• Kamikaze spirit of J fighters was another consideration that influenced A desire for a quick solution to the
war. Practice of kamikaze refers to suicide missions by J air pilots a/g A ships with intention to inflict max
damage
• Kamikaze was first used in the defence of Leyte in the Philippines and became increasingly used as a tactic to
attack A when they tried gaining control of J territories island-by-island.
• A leaders worried that cont KA would lead to ext high casualty rate, hence they wanted to fire their resolve so
as to bring a quick decisive victory to minimise further losses.

History Elective Defeat of Japan 2! of !3

Name: Vignesh Sundararaj Class: 4E1 School: Montfort Sec Sch
Allied victory in Europe
• J relied on continued success of Hitler’s armies in E to distract A esp so when J had limited resources, the
overextension of J empire and strength of USA.
• When USA formally enter WW2, R&C agreed that DoG first.
• Then, J lost their major partner in the war. By this time, J was alone in facing the Allies.
• Even b4 DoG in 5/45, it’s obvious to leaders of J and A that J couldn’t hope to win war.
• The J emperor looked for new ministers who would secure a peace treatment. However, none were willing to
accept A demands for unconditional surrender.
• Instead, they preferred to continue fighting and hoped to nego peace terms with A.
• A demands for US was not based only on their desire of complete victory but to also avoid situation which
pre-existed after WW1 in E, where they feared that if J was deeply humiliated by a peace settlement but
remained in control of its militarist elite, it would try to rise again to seek revenge and to threaten its
neighbours like G.
• Popular opinion at home also influenced demo leaders’ desire to deliver complete victory to its people.
• A enraged by stories of J atrocities, esp a/g their PoWs.
• Many of them resent J and want to see them totally defeated.
• As far as A were concerned, it seemed that J’s determined to never surrender. J leaders couldn’t bring
themselves to reveal their weakness to A, let alone accept US. Hence, with the A victory over G, J’s fate was
sealed as it had to stand alone and was no match for A who then focused all their attention and resources to
J, which led to DoJ in 08/45.

USA dropping of atomic bombs on Japan: controversial; significant led to J’s defeat in war
• Allied scientists began to work on bomb since 1942 since Manhattan Project.
• As war in AP became increasingly violent, A considered using bomb instead of sending more ground troops
against J.
• W/ AB, A desired to impress SU and defeat J without Soviet help.
• SU played a mar role in liberation of E, and occupied 1/2 of E whenG surrendered.
• Although Soviets had joined with B and USA a/g G, they’re deeply divided by ideology: Stalin wanted
communist p-war order and Truman and Churchill wanted to contain spread of comm
• Stalin also demanded a share in occ of J in same way he had in occ of G
• In addition, USA received reports that Soviet scientists were also working on projects similar to MP, hence
USA wanted to gain an edge > SU by being 1st to use AB successfully.
• 6/8/45: A bomber ‘Enola Gay’ flew over Hiroshima and dropped AB, “Little Boy’ at 0815 as city lay sleeping.
• 1/3 city’s poplin including women and children killed instantly, many of them eval by incredible heat and blast
wave of explosion
• Another >70000 J citizens injured and many died soon after.
• Firestorm incinerated everything within 7km of where bomb fell and destroyed 2/3 of city’s buildings in an
instant. 30min later, black radioactive rain feller sure land, poisoning more land and peeps.
• USA then announced to world its discovery of AB and repeated its demand for J to ‘surrender
unconditionally’.
• Stalin declared war on J on 8/8 but J’s leadership still didn’t surrender immediately.
• 9/8: USA dropped 2nd AB on Nagasaki : 40000 people killed instantly and another 25000 burnt by explosion,
1000s affected by long-lasting effects of AB —> devastated and lay in ruins
• N radiation from explosion —> severe effects on human body (nausea, vomit, skin diseases, genetic
mutations, hair loss and cancer)
• 15/8/45:J Emperor Hirohito announced his US to A
• 2/9/45: formal ‘instrument of surrender’ was signed on board the A battleship, USS Missouri
• Hence, from the events mentioned above, USA’s use of AB on J was instrumental in forcing Japan to
surrender, thus triggering J’s defeat in WW2.

History Elective Defeat of Japan 3! of !3