Mataitusi 1

Jared Mataitusi

Comment [WS1]: Hi Jared overall your

writing is very good. I added some suggestions
in some paragraphs just for clarification on
what you want to point out in your writing.
Other than that, I think the overall tone of
your writing is very informative and makes me
want to read more about Japaneses role in
WWII. Im surprised were still friends with
them Van Vleets..hehehehehe.

Major McClure
History 100
15 November 2014
Defining Total War
In the years leading up to 1945, the world powers of the Axis and Allied forces had become
involved in a global conflict. With casualties augmenting exponentially, each country began
exerting an all-out effort in hopes of ending the war, and their countrys suffering, quickly.

Comment [WS2]: Since I have no idea what

Axis force is and what Allied force means
perhaps you may want to explain or list
countries that are part of those forces. Just a
thought if you can do it. Otherwise, Im still
confused about those two terms

Though it began as a limited war, with time, World War II transformed into a definitively total
war across the globe that can most notably be seen through the war efforts on the American
home front, the desperate measures taken by the Japanese towards the end of the war, and the
drastic Allied offensives made to secure an unconditional Japanese surrender.
As resources were being used far more quickly than had ever been estimated, the war began
to affect American lives at home as well as on the battlefront. BThe effects of the war were felt

Comment [WS3]: Great intro sentence for

this paragraph.

by many Americans as the country struggled to maintain a strong force in the battlefield and at

Formatted: Highlight

the same time calm the growing desperation for basic daily survival in our homeland. The first
effect was the longevity of the war. Becauseecause the war lasted longer than expected and

Formatted: Highlight

expanded into the Pacific Theater as well as in Europe, the number of American soldiers needed

Comment [WS4]: What is that? Is that a

group of islands in the South Pacific? Can you
put in parenthesis countries or islands that are
part of it?...just a thought.

to fight the war grew exponentially. Therefore, many qualified men and young men of age were
called upon to serve in the military. Secondly, iIn order to sustain this vast number of soldiers

Formatted: Highlight
Formatted: Highlight

overseas, the resource supply at home began to drain as families in the states received ration
cards, greatly limiting their monthly allowance of food. In order to compensate for their lack of
food, families began to grow victory gardens, which quickly gained popularity and spread to

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families across the nation (Muehlbauer, 366). (add sentence or 2 about what victory gardens
are in this spot) Thirdly, as tAs thousands of men left the workforce for the military on a regular
basis and with wartime production increasing, millions of jobs opened up all over the country.
The American woman became an essential and critical part of the labor force. In the three years
between 1941 and 1943 more than five million women joined the workforce for the first time,
many of which crossed social boundaries and joined skilled labor positions, such as welding,

Comment [WS5]: Double check if a comma

is needed here after last name when citing
sources.
Comment [WS6]: Add another sentence or
two here to explain what victory gardens
are because you merely mentioned it but you
didnt go into details on what they are. So this
spot is good to do that. If theres an example
from the literature you can add it here as well
to better understand the term victory
garden.
Comment [WS7]: Add this sentence
Comment [WS8]: Changed to past tense

plumbing, and operating heavy machinery (Muehlbauer 366). Lastly, wWith skyrocketing

Comment [WS9]: Double check if a comma

is needed after last name in citing sources.

manufacturing and wartime production, the Second World War cost the United States federal
government over $300 billion in manufactured, processed, and agricultural goods, which
translates to $4 trillion in modern currency. The U.S. was producing wartime goods on such a
high level that President Franklin Roosevelt had to establish a War Production Board in 1942 to
control all war materials to be manufactured, sold, and purchased in addition to the allocation of
resources (Muehlbauer, 367). This global war impacted all walks of life of the American people.
It was a time of great sacrifice for many households as women entered the labor field in full

Comment [WS10]: Double check if a

comma is needed after last name in citing
sources.

force crossing boundaries of gender-based jobs and professions. The victory in the battlefield and
could not have been successful without the support from every American back home.
Plagued with a poor economic foundation as well as a severely crippled navy, Japan realized
that desperate measures would need to be taken to remain in the war. As the Allied forces began
their two-pronged approach through Southeast Asia, their immense numbers of warships, planes,
and men seemed nearly overwhelming to the Japanese. Quickly, Lieutenant General Tadamichi
Kuribayashi began a complete overhaul in Japanese tactics to combat the Allies, as evidenced in
the Japanese attempt , first becoming apparent to Americans in the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1944.
Prior to their landing on the volcanic beaches of Iwo Jima, the Japanese had developed an

Comment [WS11]: What is that approach?

Can you explain it with another sentence?

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extensive series of tunnels and caves that connected over twenty miles of defensive lines and
fortifications beneath the surface of the small island (Muehlbauer, 406). The purpose of these

Comment [WS12]: Check the comma on

this one too for citing sources.

levels of defense was for the Japanese soldiers to be able to fight off as many Allies as possible
until their fortification became overrun, after which they would use the tunnels to move to the
next level of defense and continue the cycle of fighting and retreating until the island was taken
over. Though this form of defense-in-depth begins with the acceptance that they will most likely
lose the island in the end, the strategic purpose of this defensive style was to incur such high
casualties on Americans that they would pull out of the war. Though it did not achieve its
strategic goal, this form of defense was tactically effective on multiple islands, gravely damaging
Allied resources.
Desperate measures were not only taken by the soldiers on the ground but also by those in
the air as well as civilians. Named after the divine wind that saved the Japanese homeland
from an attack by Mongolian warships in the thirteenth century, suicide bombers known as
kamikaze pilots began to form in masses (Mayer, 194). Based on the Japanese culture of loyalty

Comment [WS13]: Check the comma on

this one too for citing sources.

and integrity, young men volunteered in droves to be kamikaze because such a duty was
considered to be noble and courageous, but also showed their loyalty to their country and their
emperor (Muehlbauer, 407). The sole purpose of kamikazes was to fly their bomb-laden aircraft

Comment [WS14]: Check the comma on

this one too for citing sources.

directly into American ships in hopes of inflicting significant damage to the ship upon impact.
This mentality of sacrificing ones life not only played a role in battle but also transcended into
civilian life. During the island-hopping campaigns of Japanese islands, hundreds of thousands of
Japanese civilians committed suicide prior to being captured because in their culture, death for
their country was far more noble than capture by the enemy (Parker, 335). Though such a
mentality that had permeated all spreads facets of society did cause a scare amongst some

Comment [WS15]: Check the comma on

this one too for citing sources.

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American soldiers, it forced the Allies to recognize that the rules of traditional warfare did not
apply to fighting in the Pacific theater and that the only way to win this war would be through a
complete, unconditional surrender.
With the rapid increase of American casualties in the Pacific on top of the war lasting longer
than ever expected, the United States needed to bring the war to a close and do so quickly.
However, despite the increasing brutality of American offensives, Japanese resiliency was so
firm that it would require extreme measures to achieve an unconditional surrender. On 9 March
1945, Operation Meetinghouse began with hundreds of B-29 Superfortress bombers taking off,

Comment [WS16]: Whats that? What does

this group do?

headed for Tokyo, Japan. These bombers had been stripped of nearly all weapons, allowing for a
larger load capacity as well as increased speed (Olsen, 68). Once reaching the suburbs of Tokyo,

Comment [WS17]: Check the comma on

this one too for citing sources.

more than seven tons of napalms were dropped from each Superfortress onto the city of Tokyo
and its suburban surroundings. In a raid that raid that lasted more than three hours, the United
States accrued over 83,000 Japanese casualties, almost all of which were civilians (Parker, 339).

Comment [WS18]: Check the comma on

this one too for citing sources.

From that point on, Japanese cities were targeted one by one until nearly all of Japan had been
burned to the ground. Yet, with the walls of the Japanese empire crumbling to the ground the
Japanese high command refused to end the war, but rather continued to attempt to achieve an
honorable death for its soldiers.
With Japan still in the war, Allied forces needed another means for bringing Japan to its
knees. As noted by one Marine, E. B. Sledge, We were resigned to the dismal conclusion that
our battalion wasnt going to leave the island until all the Japanese were killed, or we had all
been hitThe only glimmer of hope was a million-dollar wound or for the battle to end
soon,(Sledge, 128). Contemplating the idea of an amphibious invasion of the mainland,
estimates of American casualties were upwards of one million men over a long period of time.

Comment [WS19]: Check the comma on

this one too for citing sources.

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The decision was made that the fastest way to bring down Japan was through the use of atomic
weapons. On 6 August 1945, President Harry Truman authorized the dropping of an atomic
bomb on the city of Hiroshima. In a matter of minutes, over 90,000 Japanese died in a city that
was obliterated. Still, surrender was not an option. Three days later, a second, larger bomb was
dropped on Nagasaki, killing 35,000 and wounding another 50,000. It was only after this second
attack that Emperor Hirohito alas realized that Japan was at the mercy of the Allies and
surrendered on 15 August 1945 (Muehlbauer, 411).
Upon first entering the global conflict, the United States exercised limited war, as it was
acting far below its potential. Many felt that there was no use in enlisting the entire countrys
support in this war when the war would only last for a short period of time. However, it was soon
realized that a short war was not a feasible option and that it would require more support from
the home front. Then, as Japan opened a second front for the war, Americas potential was made
known to the world and massive wartime production began. On the other end of the war, the
Japanese struggled to remain afloat in this war. Resorting to extreme and often suicidal tactical
methods, the Japanese began their new strategy of attrition to stay in the war. As long as they
could utilize their resources to maximize American casualties, it did not matter how these
resources were used. Because of the effectiveness of Japans newfound tactics, the Allied forces
needed to end the war quickly to minimize the heavy losses suffered in the Pacific. Though
controversial by nature, the United States resorted to heavy napalm raids on mainland Japan in
an attempt to reach the desired unconditional surrender of the Axis powers. When Japanese
resiliency proved stronger than napalms, President Truman turned to atomic weapons to finish
the war. Two nuclear bombs and hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilian casualties later,
Japan surrendered. The Second World War impacted everyday citizens in every country in the

Comment [WS20]: Check the comma on

this one too for citing sources.

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war. Be it home front manufacturing or civilian massacres, each country involved turned all
resources and manpower towards the war effort while maintaining no limitations on the extent of
offensive targets, proving without a doubt that World War II was a definitively total war.

Word Count: 1589

Comment [WS21]: This last part of the

paragraph seems to be repeating what was
said in the first 2 pages of your writing. If you
want it as a summary at the end here, perhaps
you can cut some stuff out so it isnt like word
nd
rd
for word like in the 2 and 3 pages...make it
generalized. Also, your title is Total War
for this paper, perhaps in this last paragraph
you should use that wording in your final
paragraph so the reader can better
understand what total war means for you
the writer. So its a good section to define
those words and say it whether this was a
total war or not and what constitutes a
total war is it because the entire country
participated such as women went to work and
did mens job and so on and so forth.. just
something to think about buddy. Good luck!