What this lesson teaches
I can explain the reasons the Allies won and World War II ended in Europe and the Pacific.
Syllabus K227, War in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, Learning Outcomes. Explain the reasons for the end of World War II.
Make a guess
Japan held many islands across the Pacific. How do you think the Allies advanced towards Japan?
- By taking useful islands for bases and skipping others.
- By capturing the islands in turn, one by one, so no garrison was left behind.
- By landing directly in Japan early in 1942, before it could prepare.
Show the answer
By taking useful islands for bases and skipping others.
Captured airfields let planes reach the next target. Skipped garrisons were cut off from supplies.
The Allies captured key islands to use as bases and skipped others, leaving Japanese garrisons cut off.
Japan's empire was spread across many islands and long sea routes. At the Battle of Midway in June 1942, Japan lost important aircraft carriers. After that, growing Allied air and naval power let the Allies choose where to attack.
Island hopping meant capturing useful islands and skipping others. A captured island gave airfields and ports. From there, planes and ships could reach the next target. In 1944, bases in the Marianas let long-range bombers attack Japan regularly.
A garrison is a group of troops defending a place. A Japanese garrison left on a skipped island still held it. But cut off from supplies, it could not stop the advance. Skipping it saved lives and time. Still, some of the islands the Allies did attack cost many lives.
- Midway, June 1942
- Japan loses key aircraft carriers.
- Island hopping
- Capture key bases; skip and isolate others.
- Marianas, 1944
- Bases that let bombers reach Japan.
Worked example: Does holding an island stop the advance?
A cut-off Japanese garrison stays on its island while Allied forces move past.
- Ask whether the troops can get supplies or block the Allied route.
- If not, they hold the island but cannot affect the war.
- So the Allies can use their forces elsewhere.
Watch out for this
Island hopping meant attacking every island in turn.
It meant attacking only useful islands and skipping the rest.
Check your understanding
Why did the Allies skip some Japanese-held islands?
- Those islands had no Japanese troops on them, so there was no reason to land.
- The Allies lacked the ships and landing craft to reach those islands.
- Cut-off garrisons could not stop the advance, so attacking them was not worth it.
Show the answer
Cut-off garrisons could not stop the advance, so attacking them was not worth it.
Yes. Bypassing them saved lives and time.
Check your understanding
Why did the Allies bypass some Japanese-held islands?
- Capturing key bases let them cut off other garrisons, saving time and lives.
- They planned to capture the islands one by one, starting nearest Australia.
- Those islands had no Japanese troops, so there was no garrison to capture.
Show the answer
Capturing key bases let them cut off other garrisons, saving time and lives.
Cut-off garrisons could do little to stop the advance.