Japan Advances WWII
Lesson 121
Fighting in the Pacific:
Japan Adances
Japan Advances
Japan captured Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Japan won the Battle of the Java Sea.
After General MacArthur left, the Philippines fell to the Japanese.
He promised that he would return.
Japan Advances
The Allies were able to stop a Japanese advance toward New Guinea.
The Japanese wanted to capture Midway.
The Americans had cracked the Japanese communications codes.
Four Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk.
The Allies were victorious.
Japan Advances
The Allies captured Guadalcanal after months of fierce fighting.
The Allies continued moving through the Solomon Islands.
Admiral Yamamoto was shot down.
General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz began a pattern of island
hopping to move closer and closer to Japan.
(1880–1964) American
general during World War II

who led the campaign to

free the Philippine Islands

from Japan

Douglas MacArthur
a Pacific island on which the Allies won an important
battle against Japan

Midway
a ring-shaped coral island or a string of coral islands
atoll
Japanese Advances
Map Resources
Japanese aircraft carrier
(1884–1943) the admiral who
led the Japanese fleet at the

Battle of Midway during World

War II

Isoroku Yamamoto
(1885–1966) the commander of
the American forces at the battle

of Midway during World War II;

leader of island hopping campaign

in the Pacific

Chester Nimitz
Only one American carrier, the Yorktown, was sunk.
a military strategy used in World War II in which the
Allies gradually established bases on undefended islands

in the Pacific in an effort to move closer to Japan’s main

islands

island hopping
Allied Advances
Map Resources
Review
How did the United States defeat the Japanese at

Midway?

The United States had broken the main Japanese navy

code, and the US Navy knew when and where the

Japanese fleet would be. American aircraft did their job,

sinking four Japanese aircraft carriers and forcing the

Japanese fleet to head back.