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Defeat of Japan in WWII (Early Japanese Success (WWII Europe, Ill Equipped…
Defeat of Japan in WWII
Early Japanese Success
WWII Europe
Ill Equipped
Inexperienced Troops
Underestimation
Japanese Brutality during WWII
Kempeitai
Occupied territories - Mass executions of Locals
Sandakan Death Marches
Comfort Women
'Death Railway'
Biological Warfare Testing
USA's Contributions
Economic Strength
USA was the largest industrial producer
Able to switch from consumer goods to military production
Citizens willing to work (post-Great Depression) vs forced labourers used by Axis powers
Social/ Economic Strength
Women Ordnance Workers (WOWs) worked in factories to produce weapons, vehicles and military supplies
Japan emphasised the role of women as mothers & child-bearers
Japan recruited women into the workforce too late into the war to make a substantial impact
Superior Military & Naval Strength
The attack on Pearl Harbour did not destroy USA's capacity to retaliate in the Asia Pacific
3 key events proved USA's superior strengths
Doolittle Raid on Tokyo
Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of Midway
Island hopping & continued bombings on mainland Japan
Strategic US attacks on important islands one by one
Allowed the USA to recapture Phillippines & take Iwo Jima + Okinawa
These islands allowed the USA to send out daily bombings on Japan
A quarter of Tokyo was destroyed, 250k buildings destroyed
Use of the Atomic Bomb
Despite continued Allied bombing of Japanese cities & collapse of Japanese economy, Japan refused to surrender & adopted kamikaze tactics
Allies wanted unconditional surrender
Why use an atomic bomb?
Dropping of atomic bomb on 6 Aug 1945 over Hiroshima
1/3 killed instantly
70k or more injured & died soon after
7km radius of destruction & radioactive rain
9 Aug 1945, 2nd atomic bomb dropped over Nagasaki
40k killed instantly, 25k burnt, nuclear radiation caused severe effects
Truman promised not consider Emperor Hirohito as a war criminal
Threat towards USSR
Cracks within alliance
USA wanted to end war in Japan without Soviet help
USSR demanded to have a share in occupation of Japan, similar to Germany
Harry Truman was a staunch anti-communist