Week 3: The War In the Pacific - the "Ethics of War"

Key Questions to Focus on this Week: 

How did WWII end in the Pacific Theatre?  
What ethical issues need to be examined more closely? 
How does WWII compare to other global conflicts? 


What do I need to do this week? 

• Read through the THREE parts of this week's content.  A.  War in the Pacific    B. Firebombing of Japan    C.  The End of the War
• Reflect and discuss some of the issues from WWII with others close to you - classmates, family members, friends 
• Optional - explore other material, sources and perspectives - keep in mind the 'winners of war' generally write history - and so alot of the sources we study are from an ALLIED (American, Canadian, British, Chinese) perspective. 

There is nothing due on Teams this week for Socials 10  and there will be no meeting. 

You have a Wrap-Up World War II assignment due next week on Wednesday, April 29th, 2020. 

We will meet next on Thursday, April 30th at 9am and 12:30pm to discuss the Cold War. 

Part A. Fighting in the Pacific Theatre

Ok, let's take a closer look at the war in the Pacific. 

The aircraft carrier, rather than the battleship, was the decisive factor in the naval warfare in the Pacific. It was an air war supported by airfields like the one below where planes could take own their runways.  Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers served as escorts and provided anti-aircraft cover for the carriers. The Americans won the naval war because they sank more Japanese carriers and they outnumbered the Japanese by more than two to one. Below, you can see the aircraft carrier, Enterprise, which was used in the Pacific in WW II.

The American strategy of island hopping or leapfrogging enabled them to secure airbases closer and closer to Japan. The cost in casualties of securing these islands was very high for the Americans as Japanese soldiers preferred to die rather than surrender.

Battle of Midway - Historians agree this was a turning point. The Americans sank four of the five Japanese carriers and destroyed nearly 300 planes. This is comparable in importance to Stalingrad and El Alamein.

However the Battles of Okinawa and Iwo Jima were also very significant. The death toll was extremely high for both the Japanese and American troops.  Japanese soldiers used tactics like suicide missions and kamikaze bombing missions to instill terror and show their willingness to 'fight to the death'.  The Americans had major pressure at home to lower their casualty numbers, and military generals use these battles as reasoning for why the Americans 'needed' to drop the atomic bombs on the Japanese.  Critics of this claim that the Japanese troops were going to lose the war and were about to surrender to due the firebombing campaigns and massive casualty numbers. 


TASK:  Watch the last 15 minutes of the documentary "World War II in space".  Start at 1hour :15min and watch to the end.  It shows the end of the war in the Pacific.  This is definitely an American military perspective of World War II and the Battle of the Pacific.  (If this video link doesn't work, it will be uploaded to Files in our Team).  

If you'd like, watch the whole thing, its quite interesting footage, but that is optional.  

Key Questions To Think About As You Watch

• What was the fighting like in the Pacific theatre of war?  Why do you think soldiers would be willing to fight until death, even if they knew they were going to lose the war? 
• Why do you think military generals in Japan were willing to 'sacrifice' their citizens for battles at the end of the war, when it was clear that they would lose? 
• How did the American military/politicians justify the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Japan? 

Part B: Did the USA Need to Drop the Atomic Bombs to Win the War? 

Firebomb Attacks of Japan: 

One major aspect of the fighting in the Pacific theatre that is missing from the History Channel documentary that I asked you to watch above, is the impact of "incendiary bombing" or FIREBOMBING campaigns that the American airforce pilots committed against Japanese cities.  

These firebombing campaigns targeted civilians, and were aimed at cities were most of the buildings were made of wood, and where streets were narrow - the thought would be that the fires would be more intense and more effective at killing people.  (Note:  Canadian and British pilots also firebombed cities like Dresden in Germany in the European theatre. 60,000 German civilians were killed in Dresden, as many of the wooden homes lit on fire and burned the city.  These acts are considered controversial, and could be considered war crimes as well).

Read the following source about the firebombing of Tokyo in 1945: 

"Specifically, Curtis LeMay (U.S. General in charge of Pacific Theatre) wanted to use low-level (1,500 to 2,400 meters) firebomb attacks on Japanese cities, knowing the houses tended to be made of wood, were along narrow, crowded streets, and were often involved in making components for military industries.

An attack on Dresden in Germany in mid-February had killed an estimated 60,000 people in one night when incendiary bombs created a firestorm that subsumed the residential area of the city. It was believed the effect would be greater in Japanese cities.

Of course, this went against civilized warfare, but the arguments were used that its success would shorten the war. Ironically, in most cases it had the opposite effect, causing many Japanese to recommit themselves to the war effort even though they knew they would lose. Indeed, the more LeMay’s intensified the firebombing of Japanese cities, the more the Japanese side fought on.

On March 9, 1945 of Operation Meetinghouse, in which 334 U.S. B-29 planes took off, eventually destroying much of downtown (Shitamachi) Tokyo.

Unfortunately, this was not the only attack during the war. In total, Tokyo would be struck 106 times by firebomb campaigns in the coming months, and dozens of other cities all around Japan were attacked repeatedly, basically indiscriminately, as well.  This was before the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

Looking back in history, it is questionable whether or not these attacks were legal.  People on both sides (including Americans)  believe that the firebomb attacks went against international law. They certainly were immoral, which many acts during war are.  It also makes us question whether the atomic bombs were necessary - or whether or not they were simply dropped on Japan to show off to Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union that the USA now had the most powerful weapon in the world. 

Today, a museum honors the memory of the victims with numerous, highly informative displays.  It reinforces the reality that it usually is the civilians who suffer the most from the horrors of war. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2020/03/09/commentary/japan-commentary/march-1945-firebombing-tokyo-immorality-war/#.Xp3zk8hKg2w

TASK: Video Clip - The Fog of War - Lesson 5

The video clip is a series of interviews with Robert McNamara - one of the key U.S. military advisors in the 20th century.  He worked with more than 4 US Presidents, advising them on decisions during WWII and the Cold War.  He admits in these interviews that the actions of U.S. generals in WWII should have been considered war crimes.  It's very interesting. 

• How does this video clip show a different perspective than the one shown in the History Channel documentary? 

Part 3: The End of the War - the Nuclear Age

On August 6, the United States dropped a uranium gun-type atomic bomb ("Little Boy") on the city of Hiroshima. American President Harry S. Truman called for Japan's surrender 16 hours later, warning them to, "expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth." 

Three days later, on August 9, the United States dropped a plutonium implosion-type bomb ("Fat Man") on the city of Nagasaki. You can see a photo of the actual bomb below, as it was being loaded for transport over the Pacific.

 

Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects of the atomic bombings killed 90,000-146,000 people in Hiroshima and 39,000-80,000 in Nagasaki; roughly half of the deaths in each city occurred on the first day.

• On August 15, six days after the bombing of Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war, Japan announced its surrender to the Allies.
• The bombings' role in Japan's surrender and their ethical justification are still debated by historians and other scholars

Below, you can see the mushroom cloud that arose from the bomb after it exploded over Nagasaki on Aug 9, 1945.

             

August 15th marks the end of World War II.  It was V-J Day, but also the end of World War II.  While this conflict was finished, it also marked the beginning of the Cold War - a time of intense tension and proxy war fighting between the USSR and the USA.   That will be our next unit of study. 

TASK: Watch the next two videos to investigate the impact of the atomic bombs and how the Japanese leaders decided to surrender.  

VIDEO 1 - Hiroshima - Dropping the Bomb - BBC
VIDEO 2- Nagasaki & Hiroshima Bomb and Surrender - BBC

• As you watch, note how devastating this weapon was at the time.  Note also that the nuclear weapons that we have today are 100s of times more powerful than those dropped in 1945. 
• What's your perspective on the dropping of the nuclear bomb - were they necessary to win the war? 
• How did this act change the course of history moving forwards?  

Ok - you are finished the material for this week! You don't need to post anything this week.  Pause and take a break.

When you are ready, begin the wrap-up assignment for World War II.  It's your task for next week.
You will need your notes from this week's work to complete the Wrap-Up Assignment for World War II.   Find the assignment on Teams.  It's due on April 29th - next week.  

Email Ms. Sawatsky with any questions, any time, or if you need help =)