Review
•
Hitler (Germany) and Mussolini (Italy) were in full
control of Europe as the WW2 begins.
•
Hitler’s Final Solution to the “Jewish Question”
–
Work/Death Camps- Places of
Genocide
on the Jewish
populations across Europe.
•
France had been defeated and Britain and Russia
were alone in the War against the Axis powers.
•
Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor
•
America was mobilizing for
TWO
war fronts.
• The Pacific (defensive first)
Europe under German occupation
• Puppet Govts - Vichy France
• Brutality towards “Sub humans”? • Death Camps
• Genocide & The Holocaust
Allies Strategy
•
1
st- Fight the Axis in North Africa
• Use Africa as a testing ground for the harder fight in Europe
• Staging grounds for attack on Europe
•
2
nd- Invade Europe
• One invasion from N. Africa to Italy
• Second invasion from Britain into Nazi Occupied France
Operation Torch
•
Stalin asked FDR and
Churchill for help by
opening another front in
Europe.
•
Allied attack in N. Africa
called Operation Torch
•
Begins late 1942 & led
by
General George S.
Patton
Operation Avalanche
•
After its victory in N. Africa, the
Allies turn to
Italy
as its next
target in July 1943
•
After Sicily is taken, Italy
surrenders & joins the fight
against Germany
•
Mussolini tries to flee the
country disguised as a German
soldier but is arrested
•
April 28,1945 Mussolini &
mistress executed. Taken to
Milan for public display
D-DAY
•
“Operation Overlord”
•
May 1944 the long awaited invasion of France was
ready (open a new front in Europe)
•
June 6th 1944- D- Day
•
Led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower (supreme
commander of the all Allied Forces in Europe)
•
Thousands of planes, ships, tanks and landing crafts
•
3.5 million troops
–
23,000 parachuted before dawn
•
Small numbers of Germans inflicted heavy casualties
–
Allies lose over 10,000 men
–
Some of bloodiest fighting of the war
Battle of the Bulge
• Begins on in December 1944 in the Ardennes Forest (border of France & Belgium)
• Germany concentrated fighting in the center of the Allied line. This causes a “bulge” effect which gave the battle its name.
• Attack failed due to lack of troops and supplies.
• Extremely low temps caused 101st
Airborne division’s weapons to freeze. Fought valiantly, suffered heavy losses.
• January 1945, Hitler removes his troops from the Ardennes.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
•
Dies April 12, 1945
German Surrender & VE Day
• Britain and America pushing from the West
• Soviet Union pushing from the East
With Allies crashing down on Berlin -Hitler commits suicide, Germany Surrenders
V E Day – Victory in Europe Day
War in the Pacific
•
Japanese attack
–
Pearl Harbor, Hong
Kong, Singapore,
Guam, Philippines,
and Burma
• Bataan Death March -7,000 dead
• Rubber and Oil resources
Doolittle’s Raid on Tokyo
• Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle led 16 bombers in an attack on Tokyo and other cities –
April 1942
• Attack did little damage, but boosted America’s morale by showing Japan we would fight back
• Forced Japan to make
defensive ring around Japan
Battle of Coral Sea
•
May 1942
•
Off the coast of Australia
•
First all Aerial battle
between planes launched
from carriers
•
No clear winner in the
battle – but the U.S. did
block the invasion of
Australia – our ally
•
And Stopped the Japanese
advance
Battle of Midway
• Naval battle around Midway Island in the Central Pacific
• U.S. destroyed 4 Japanese carriers and 300 planes
• Turning point in the war
• Japan could not push
offensively with out carriers
• Japan retreats to defensive position
America now on the Offensive
:
New Strategy –
Island Hopping
•
The Pacific Ocean was so
BIG – the U.S. needed a
way to get closer to
mainland Japan before
invading
•
Attack key islands 1 x 1
moving closer to Japan
•
Get within striking
1. Bomb
2. Invade
3. Build an
airfield
to bomb
the next
island
Battle of Guadalcanal
•
1
stIsland Hopping Battle
•
August 1942 – Americans
win first major LAND
victory on the island of
Guadalcanal
•
U.S. used Navajo Indians
as “Code-talkers”
•
Helped the U.S.
communicate safely
without the Japanese
translating our messages
The Navajo Language
•
Only about 25 non-Navajo people in the entire
world could speak the language
•
Made up words for terms that didn’t exist in their
Americans re-take the Philippines
•
October 1944 –
American returned to
the Philippines after
“Island Hopping” our
way there
•
General MacArthur
made good on his
promise to “return” to
the Philippines
Battle of Leyte Gulf
•
300 Ships
•
US devastates the
Japanese Navy
•
Japanese feeling
pressure turn to
Kamikaze attacks
Japanese “Kamikazes”
Japanese turn to Kamikazes
•
“Divine Wind”
•
Japanese suicide pilots
•
Filled planes full of
explosives and crashed
them into Allied warships
•
Sank and/or damaged
hundreds of ships
The Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa
•
The Allies started to bomb Japan to weaken
their defenses
•
In order to get close enough, the Allies would
have to establish bases on islands near Japan
•
Japanese forces would defend these islands
Mt. Suribachi
Island Hopping on
Iwo Jima
Population- 22,000 Japanese Soldiers
1. Bomb: 74 days in a row
Iwo Jima
3. Build an airfield: Already
there, used for bombers and
fighters to destroy Japanese
cities.
Iwo Jima Casualties
6,821 US Dead
20,000 US Wounded
Nearly all 22,000 Japanese fought to the death. Reputation built.
Famous “Raising the Flag over Iwo Jima” Used to sell war bonds and inspire
Iwo Jima was used to support the bombing of Japanese cities, and as a staging area for hopping to the next island, Okinawa.
Battle of Okinawa
•
Japanese defend
island fiercely
•
Last hurdle before U.S.
would invade Japan
•
Mass-suicide by
Japanese started to
make the U.S. wonder
– “will they ever
Okinawa Facts
500,000 Civilians living there before the battle
150,000 Civilians killed during the ugly battle
97,000 Japanese soldiers before the battle
7,000 Japanese soldiers survived the battle
Hundreds of Japanese “Kamikaze” pilots trained to crash into US Navy boats killing 5,000 Americans
US invasion force of 200,000 soldiers
Iwo Jima was used to support the bombing of Japanese cities, and as a staging area for hopping to the next island, Okinawa.
Okinawa was going to be the stepping stone into Japan…
The Manhattan Project
Einstein shares Atomic discovery with FDR–
– A Large amount of energy is released by splitting the nuclei of uranium or plutonium atoms
• Govt. creates Top-secret program to develop atomic weapons
• Los Alamos, New Mexico
• By 1945, they had produced an atomic bomb
• First successful test July 15, 1945
J. Robert Oppenheimer sees the first blast
Invade or Test our new weapon?
1. U.S. considers an invasion of Japan
–
Estimated Costs - 200,000 American casualties –
and perhaps 1-2 million Japanese casualties
2. U.S. considers using an “Atomic Bomb” to
end the war quickly
–
Estimated costs – 200,000 Japanese casualties
Iwo Jima was used to support the bombing of Japanese cities, and as a staging area for hopping to the next island, Okinawa.
U.S. uses the atomic bombs
• President Truman warned Japan to either surrender or else face “complete
destruction”
• Japan refused
• U.S. drops bombs on – Hiroshima (70,000 killed
instantly, 70,000 more over the next month)
– Nagasaki (40,000 killed instantly another 40,000 over the next month)
The Decision
Little Boy – Hiroshima
Conclusions: The Impact of World War II
•
World War II was the biggest, most deadly,
war in world history:
–
Europe was destroyed by the war & lost its
place as the epicenter of power in the world
