Transcript The US at War

The US at War
SSUSH19: The student will identify the origins, major
developments, and the domestic impact of World War II,
especially the growth of the federal government.
Elements C and F
European, Pacific, & North African Theaters
The Allies struggle in
Europe


By May 1940, Germany had conquered
Denmark, Norway, & Poland
 British had tried to stop Germany’s invasion of
France, but failed
June 1940 – Prime Minister Winston Churchill
addressed the people:
 “We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the
end. We shall fight in France and on the seas
and oceans; we shall fight with growing
confidence and growing strength in the air. We
shall defend our island whatever the cost may
be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds,
in streets and on hills. We shall never
surrender…”
Britain holds its ground…




Hitler started the campaign
against Great Britain using
tactics like blitzkrieg, or
lightning war.
The Battle of Britain lasted for
months with Hitler and the
Germans giving up, which
resulted in their first failure of
the war.
Germany also lost at
Stalingrad (against USSR) –
some of the worst conditions of
winter experienced there
During Germany’s last major
offensive attack on the Allies at
the Battle of the Bulge in
Belgium they lost again
moving Europe closer to war’s
end.
f. Compare the geographic locations of the European
Theater and the Pacific Theater and the difficulties
the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and
medical supplies to troops.
European Theater




Fighting was primarily
land-based
Large scale bombing
raids
More countries
involved
German soldier tended
to surrender when
defeat was apparent
Pacific Theater




Fighting was primarily
at sea or launched from
sea
Island hopping & island
invasions
More up-close fighting
Japanese land soldiers
& Kamikaze pilots
would fight to the death
North African Theater


Many of the African
campaigns took place
near the Mediterranean,
with Italy and Germany
fighting for the Axis
Powers, and the United
Kingdom (later with the
U.S.) for the Allies.
North African operations
consisted of battles in
Egypt and Libya,
Morocco and Algeria, and
Tunisia. These
operations were mostly
spread across three
years, from 1940-1942.
Not long after fighting there started,
American troops were landing in
Algeria, trying to advance to the east,
while British soldiers in Egypt fought
westward.
c. Explain major events;
include the lend-lease
program, the Battle of
Midway, D-Day, and the
fall of Berlin.
Pacific Theater –
Battle of Midway


June 1942 (6 months after Pearl
Harbor), the US entered the war in
the Pacific (Midway—northwest of
Hawaii)
 Turning point in the war –
boosted US morale
Immediately the US defeated the
Japanese in the first battle costing
them 4 aircraft carriers &
hundreds of airplanes


Caused irreparable damage to the
Japanese Fleet
In desperation, the Japanese
turned to the use of kamikaze
pilots to try and avoid defeat.
 They would commit suicide by
intentionally crashing planes into
US ships to sink them.
Pacific Theater –
Battle of Midway



US adopted the
strategy of island
hopping, engaging the
Japanese in battle, one
island at a time.
1944, US captured the
island of Guam, where
they could launch
bombing attacks on
Japan.
Capture specific
islands to take power
away from the elite
Japanese pacific fleet.


Gen. MacArthur
Commander of Allied
forces in the SW
Pacific
Battle of Midway

How did the Battle of Midway change the war in the
Pacific?
US enters the European
6, 1944, D-Day, the Allied
theater June
forces launched a massive seaborne



invasion of France.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower led
the US troops
 “We will accept nothing less than
victory!”
Conducted in two phases:



Allied Victory!

Air Assault- landing of 24,000
British, American, Canadian, and
Free French airborne troops.
Amphibious landing- of Allied
infantry on the coast of France
US forces met with fierce German
resistance & firepower – many
causalities for both sides on the
beaches of Normandy
Within a few weeks one million Allied
forces had succeeded in pushing the
Germans east, liberating France
Facts of D-Day





Was the largest amphibious invasion of
all time, with 160,000 troops
Over 5,000 ships were in use
Total width of the D-Day invasion= 61.7
miles
Until the very last minute, Normandy
was the most heavily guarded secret
17 Million maps supported the mission,
Training maps used fake names
Fall of Berlin





By the Spring of 1945, the German army was
militarily defeated
Final Chapter of the destruction of Hitler’s 3rd
Reich.
 April 16th, 1945
Stalin’s 20 armies (Russia)
 6300 tanks and 8500 aircraft
Allies held off to give Soviets a Free-Hand
Huge Artillery Barrage and Air-Raid on April
20th….. Hitler’s Birthday.
Fall of Berlin



Hitler moved into a bunker
in Berlin in the Spring of
1945
• He even went as far as
to recruit children & the
elderly for the German
army to defend the city
Once the Russians
crushed the city, Hitler
committed suicide on April
30, 1945  May 7th 1945
Germany surrendered.
War in Europe was
officially over.
Pacific Theater –
dramatic ending



On August 6, 1945, the
United States dropped an
atomic bomb on the
Japanese city of
Hiroshima.
After waiting 3 days for a
surrender from Japan, the
US dropped another on
Nagasaki.
The bombs annihilated
the cities, killing
thousands of people.
 August 15, 1945,
Japan surrendered,
making it official on
Sept. 2
Practice Questions

In 1944, journalist Ernie Pyle wrote, “It
seems to me a miracle that we ever took
the beach at all.” What can you infer
about D-Day from this statement?




A) there were not enough soldiers and
machines to go to war
B) it was long, bloody, and very difficult
battle
C) the United States was unprepared
D) the beach terrain was difficult
Practice Questions

President Truman authorized the
dropping of two atomic bombs on
Japan as a way to
 A) Bring World War II to a quick
end
 B) Earn the backing of Allies in the
war effort
 C) Gain the surrender of Germany
 D) Spur international atomic
research