Island Hopping
Ember Jetter A4
Causes and Effects
American v. Japanese Perspective
The Japanese caused the Americans to go to war with them after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese felt threatened by the U.S. due to their actions of aiding other Asian countries who were their allies. The Japanese wanted to control all of Asia as seen in the quote “It is Japan's mission to be supreme in Asia, the South Seas and eventually the four corners of the world.” stated General Sadao Araki (history.org). This quote is legitimate because this General was from the Japan side and activity made decisions for the war. While the Japanese were fighting to control all of Asia the Americans were not impressed by the territory, as seen through Pfc James A. Donahue's statement in The Guadalcanal Journal, "he jungle is thick as hell......The second day was murder. All along the way were discarded packs, rifles, mess gear and everything imaginable. The second night it rained like hell and the bugs were terrific. The Second Battalion had reached the Lunga River. We had to cross four streams......We cleared brush from the river for an expected Jap landing. The patrols are going deeper into the jungle each night. They tried to ambush us last night. We are not allowed to fire". This quote is validated for a effect of the war because when the Japanese came into U.S. territory and caused us to fight, the U.S. decision makers for the war effort wanted us to fight on their territory and not our own, due to the lingering amount of causalities.
Similarities and Differences
American v. Japanese Perspective
The Americans were forced to use primarily naval advances and front line combat, while the Japanese were able to use their air force. Due to the war going down in Japan- or right off their coast in the pacific, in various islands- the U.S. could send very little air fleets due to the technology that the Japanese had to counter attack them midair with nowhere to land, this is why it was important to claim the islands and have a base to come from. American Pfc James A. Donahue's says in The Guadalcanal Journal, "We have been bombed every day by airplanes", which shows the advantage that the Japanese had on the Americans.
U.S. soldiers on the Mariana Islands
U.S. Naval Historical Center
U.S. forces in Leyte
U.S. Naval Historical Center
The War's Final Weeks
U.S. Naval Historical Center
The Iwo Jima memorial in Washington D.C., is based off of this image.
Citations
Taylor, A. (2011, September 25). World War II: The Pacific Islands. Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/09/world-war-ii-the-pacific-islands/100155/
The Pacific Theater of Operation. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://thedropzone.org/pacific/default.html
Guadalcanal Journal: A Personal History of the Battle For Guadalcanal. (2012, September 22). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://guadalcanaljournal.com/the-guadalcanal-journal/
(n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from https://www.uscg.mil/history/weboralhistory/GM1RobertMullins_IwoJimaDiary.pdf
A Marine Diary: My Experiences on Guadalcanal. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://www.nettally.com/jrube/intro.html