The document summarizes key events in the Pacific theater of World War II leading up to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki: 1) The U.S. pursued an island-hopping strategy to capture strategic Japanese islands for airbases, suffering casualties in battles in the Gilbert Islands, Saipan and Guam. 2) MacArthur led forces to recapture the Philippines from 1944-1945, where the U.S. faced fierce resistance from Japanese defenders. 3) Battles on Iwo Jima and Okinawa in early 1945 involved heavy casualties from Japanese forces using kamikaze tactics and hiding in caves to fight to the end.