Start of the War 1939 Hitler Invaded Poland (Blitzkrieg) Great Britain and France declare war on Germany WWII Begins Sept. 3 1939 World Map Three different fronts Europe, North Africa & Asia/Pacific Islands
2 Alliances Allied Powers Axis Powers
Soviet Union United States Great Britain France Germany Italy Japan Hitlers Westward Expansion April May, 1940 Hitler attacks and conquers Denmark, Norway, Luxemburg, The Netherlands, and Belgium. Hitler Westward Expansion Maginot Line- A series of underground forts armed with heavy artillery by the French to stop a German attack. Hitlers Westward Expansion Attack on France- Battle of Dunkirk May 1940 Germans went around the Maginot Line instead of across Germans trap French and British forces on the Dunkirk beaches Fall of France June 1940 French surrender Germans set up a government in France called the Vichy government led by Henri Petain May 1940 Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain Awesome quote Unknown woman: "Winston, you appear to be drunk!" Winston: "And you my dear are ugly but tomorrow I'll be sober."
Hitlers Westward Expansion Great Britain stands alone Battle of Britain 1940 Battle by air London bombed night after night Purposefully attacks civilians
Hitlers Westward Expansion Royal Air Force (RAF) Counterattacked Aided by radar (new invention) Inflict major losses on the Luftwaffe (German Air force) Hitler stops invasion of Britain and turns attention to Soviet Union Hitlers first defeat Review Year WWII starts? What are the 3 different fronts? What countries belong to the Axis Powers? What countries belong to the Allied Powers? What is the Maginot Line? When does France fall? What is the name of the Nazi government set up in France? When is the Battle of Britain? Who wins the Battle of Britain? What is the name of the German air force?
Europe: The Eastern Front 1941 Desiring Lebensraum or living space for the German empire, Hitler launches Operation Barbarosa and attacks the Soviet Union The U.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt U.S. practiced Isolationism Most Americans did not support intervention WWI too fresh Lend-Lease Act March 1940- Congress approves assisting any country whose defense is vital to US security. (Aiding the Allied Powers)
August 1941 The Atlantic Charter
Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt meet To discuss strategy against The Axis powers.
Lay the groundwork for a Post-war world and discuss Creation of the United Nations Pearl Harbor Dec. 7 1941 After US embargo, Japan planned to seize the resource rich territories of south east Asia Problem: the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor Admiral Yamamoto devised a plan to remove this threat with a surprise attack
Admiral Yamamoto
The attack on Pearl Harbor began a few minutes before 8 a.m. December 7 Hawaiian Time Japanese planes attacked in two waves lasting two hours a total of 353 planes reached O'ahu. over 3,500 Americans killed/ wounded sank/badly damaged 18 ships - including all 8 battleships of the Pacific Fleet - and over 350 destroyed or damaged aircraft. At least 1,177 lives were lost when the Battleship U.S.S. Arizona exploded and subsequently sank.
Warnings? The U.S. had broken the Japanese diplomatic code and knew an attack was imminent. A warning had been sent from Washington, but it arrived too late. Early warning radar was new technology. Japanese planes were spotted by radar before the attack, but they were assumed to be a flight of American B-17s due in from the West Coast. A Date That Will Live in Infamy The Japanese attack brought the U.S. into the war on December 8, 1941
The North African Front Germany took over Libya and had made way into Egypt Fall 1942 Operation Torch- British and American forces defeat Germany
Europe: The Eastern Front Hitler invaded the Soviet Union on June 22 1941 Believed he could win before winter Over 4.5 million axis troops invaded Conquered western part of Soviet Union quickly
Battle of Stalingrad July 1942- Feb. 1943 Germans bombarded the city Soviets counterattack and Germans surrendered Turning point in war Hitler realizes he cant conquer Soviet Union The Allied Offensive in Europe Operation Overlord (D-day) June 6, 1944 Allies invasion of France against the Germans Landed on the beaches of Normandy, France US General Eisenhower In 3 months broke through German defensive lines Historys greatest naval invasion Over 425,000 Allied and Axis troops were killed, wounded, or went missing
The Allied Offensive in Europe June 1944 -Rome falls to the Allies August 1944- the Allies liberated Paris March 1945- Allies advanced into Germany Soviet troops occupied Warsaw in Jan 1945 and entered Berlin in April Death of Mussolini After the Allied occupation of southern Italy (1943), the King ordered Mussolini to be arrested in order to sign the armistice. Imprisoned, then liberated by the Germans, Mussolini lived in northern Italy until his capture and execution, on April 28, 1945, along with his mistress, Claretta Petacci, by military forces of the Italian Resistance.
Death of Hitler By Spring of 1945 Hitler had moved into an underground bunker in Berlin April 28, before midnight Hitler married Eva Braun April 30, 1945 Hitler commits suicide Noon attended last military conference; told the Soviets were a block away Around 3:30 Hitler committed suicide by shooting himself and taking poison; Eva committed suicide by swallowing poison Bodies were burned, remains put in a shell crater and buried
End of the War in Europe May 7, 1945 German commanders surrender War in Europe was finally over
The Yalta and Potsdam Conference Yalta Conference 1945: meeting between The Big Three (Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill) Established the United Nations organization Germanys unconditional surrender After Germanys surrender the country would be divided into 4 zones which would be governed by the U.S., Great Britain, France and Soviet Union. Potsdam Conference- 1945 Conflicts between new U.S. President Harry Truman and Stalin over the governments of eastern Europe. Democracy or communism? De-Nazification and Democratization of Germany Germany turned into an agricultural and light industry economy
Review Questions What is Operation Overlord known as? Who were the Allied forces attacking? Where were they landing? Why did Hitler commit suicide, who was close to Berlin? What year did the German commanders surrender? According to the Yalta Conference what was going to happen to Germany? Third Front: Asia/Pacific War in Europe was over on May 7, 1945 with the Allies defeating the Axis Powers But war continued with Japan Japanese Control 1942: China, nations of eastern and southern Asia, and a string of Pacific islands The Allies had a long road to victory General Douglas MacArthur was the commander of the army in the Pacific
Battle of Midway 1942 Turning point of the war in the Pacific This victory by the Allies finally stopped the Japanese advance Now the Allies were on the offense Allies new strategy: Island Hopping Capture some Japanese held islands while bypassing others Very Successful Battle of Iwo Jima February 19, 1945-March 26, 1945 Island was crucial to continue B-29 raid on mainland Japan
Battle of Iwo Jima 22,000 Japanese defended the island More was expected of the Japanese soldier than any other soldier in WWII. They were to fight valiantly with no hope for survival. Every man on Iwo Jima knew the island would be his grave. The motto of the Japanese soldier was
Kill 10 Americans before you die.
If surrounded, a Japanese soldier would fight on. If wounded and disabled a Japanese would wait and blow himself and his captor up. The Marines could not treat the Japanese soldier as they would hope to be treated. Their only choice was to exterminate him.
February 23, 1945 Flag raising on top of Mt. Suribachi
Battle ended 3/26/1945 Americans captured island 6,825 Americans were killed. Virtually all 22,000 Japanese perished.
Unconditional Surrender Japanese then lost Battle of Okinawa 80,000 Americans died Still, showed no willingness to surrender Allies start planning an invasion of Japan U.S. President Truman had a decision: should the U.S. use the A-Bomb???? Atomic Bomb Pros: avoid invasion of Japan, no American casualties, end war quickly Cons: kill innocent people; lead to nuclear warfare July 1945 testing of the a-bomb in New Mexico Secret name for the creation of the a- bomb= Manhattan Project
The Atomic Bomb President Truman decided to use the bomb August 6, 1945 one atomic bomb (little boy) was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan 2/3 of city instantly destroyed 70,000 people killed instantly 100,000 wounded or missing By 1946 up to 118, 000 deaths The Atomic Bomb 2 days later Soviet Union (Allies) beat the Japanese in Manchuria and Korea Still, the Japanese do not surrender August 9 second atomic bomb (Fat Man) dropped on city of Nagasaki 80,000 people killed August 10 1945 Japan surrenders Formal surrender September 2 1945 WWII finally over Allied Powers win WWII Little Boy
Weight= 8818.49 lbs Length=9.84 ft Diameter=2.3 ft Fat Man Weight= 10,200 lbs Length= 10.6 ft diameter= 5 ft
the intense heat etched any surface facing the fireball.