Japan's Road to Defeat

Perceptions of Japan, 1942

What were Western perceptions of the Japanese military in 1942?

In retrospect why were these early perceptions of the Japanese military misguided?

Strategy of War Faction

Repeat success of Russo-Japanese War

Limited not total war

Failure of strategy

1) Underestimated American will to fight

Stereotypes vs. actual reaction

2) Weakness of colonial empire

Unable to win hearts and minds of local populations in Korea, Manchuria, China, and S.E. Asia

Inadequate merchant shipping

Merchant shipping capacity

6.7 million tons, Nov 1941

Armed forces required 4 million tons during wartime

Iron ore imports

5.1 million tons, 1941

1.7 million tons, 1944

3) Population and productive capacity

Mismatch in population, resources and industrial output

Steel output of 1941

Pittsburgh 95 million tons

Japan 40 million tons

Japan's Road to Defeat

Midway, June 1942

US control of central Pacific

*U.S. Island hopping campaigns, 1943-5

Southern route

Guadalcanal, Aug 7, 1942-Feb. 1943

Northern route

Tarawa, Nov. 1943

Saipan, July 1944

Control of skies

Iwo Jima

Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945

U.S. bombing raids, 1944-5

Tokyo incendiary raid, March 9-10, 1945

17 lb. napalm/person

16 sq. mi. destroyed

80,000-100,000 dead

1.5 million homeless

Major Gen. Curtis LeMay

Break morale and destroy productive capacity

Brig. Gen. Bonner Fellers

"One of the most ruthless and barbaric killings of non combatants in all history."

Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944

Control of SE Asian seas

Iron ore imports: 144,000 tons, 1945

Tactics of Desperation

*“Special attack” (kamikaze), 1944-5

*Bleeding strategy

Iwo Jima, June 1944

Japanese

21,000 killed

Americans

7,000 killed

19,000 wounded

Okinawa, April 1945

Japanese killed

65,000 troops

100,000 civilians

Americans

65,000 killed or wounded

Atomic bombings

*Hiroshima, August 6, 1945

78,000-140,000 killed

*Nagasaki, August 9, 1945

27,000-70,000 killed

Surrender

Aug. 14, 1945

"End of War Day"