Transcript PowerPoint
An Overview of Early American Involvement American Soldiers • 5 million volunteers, 10 million drafted • Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) • non-combat duties – nurses, ambulance drivers, radio operators, electricians, pilots • Minorities Served (over 1.3 million) in segregated units • Mexican, African, Chinese, Japanese, and Native Americans • Tuskegee Airmen • all African American squadron that fought against Germans over Italy • won highest awards from military for successes • Purple Heart Battalion • all Japanese Americans battalion that fought in Africa & Italy • became the most decorated unit in U.S. history • Home Front Employment Expands • due to the high numbers of soldiers, women & minorities are hired to work in factories, and the Depression officially ends WWII Teams Allies Axis • Poland • Germany • Britain • Japan • France • Italy (switches sides) Additions: • USSR • U.S. • Italy • China • and over 40 other countries • USSR (switches sides) • 7 other small countries Battle of the Atlantic (1941 – 1943) • Battle between Britain and Germany over control of Atlantic Ocean • From 1941 to 1943 Germany dominated the battle using UBoats to destroy cargo ships • With American aid, but 1943 Allies were able to control the Atlantic • Significant because U.S. now able to safely provide supplies, weapons, soldiers to war in Europe Battle of Stalingrad (1941 – 1943) • Germans wanted to destroy the major industrial city • quickly gained control of 90% of city, then the winter set in • Soviets surrounded the city, trapping the Germans • at the end of January 1943 Germans surrendered • turning point on Eastern Front – Soviets began to move westward towards Germany North African Front (1942 – 1943) • Allied Offensive – “Operation Torch” • Allied invasion of Axis controlled North Africa • American General Eisenhower fought against German General Rommel (“desert fox”). • Allied victory Doolittle’s Raid (1942) • following Pearl Harbor Japanese quickly took over parts of mainland Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines • Lt. Colonel Doolittle led 16 bombers on an attack against Tokyo and other major Japanese cities • Weakened Japanese morale Battle of Coral Sea (1942) • five day battle where the Japanese were trying to take over Australia • Japanese vs. Americans & Australians • all fighting was done by planes • first time since Pearl Harbor a Japanese attack had been stopped Battle of Midway (1942) • Japan wanted to seize this island near Hawaii • U.S. broke a Japanese code allowing us to successfully defend the island • the U.S. bombed and destroyed Japanese aircraft carriers, a cruiser, and 250 planes • turning point in War in the Pacific • led to the Island Hopping Campaign Italian Campaign (1943 – 1945) • Allies moved North from Africa towards Italy • quickly captured Sicily • Mussolini overthrown in Italy • Hitler sent German forces to Italy to fight the Allies • Fighting continued in Italy, until Germany was near collapse The END of the War D-Day (1944) • code name “Operation Overlord” • purpose of the attack was to free parts of France from Axis control, then move into and destroy Germany • Attack came in three phases – paratroopers, airplanes dropped bombs, and then infantry landed on the beaches • Allies were successful and began to slowly gain back control of France (had been controlled by Germany for 4 years) Island Hopping Campaign • American strategy in the Pacific • began after the Battle of Midway • Allies began to move from island to island in the Pacific, seizing control from the Japanese • Allies began moving closer and closer to Japan Battle of the Bulge (1944) • following the Allied capture of the first German city, Hitler ordered an offensive attack • Germans attempted to divide the Allied lines in half • battle lasted for a month, with an eventual Allied victory • Germans lost 120,000 troops, 600 tanks, and 1,600 planes • Germany could no longer effectively attack, could only defend themselves • simultaneously the Soviets were continuing to push westward towards Germany Yalta (1945) • Stalin, Churchill, and FDR meet • determine that when the Germans surrender… • Germany & Berlin will be split into four zones • Stalin will allow free elections in Eastern European countries he has liberated from Hitler • Stalin will aid in war with Japan – attack from the west FDR Dies (1945) • FDR dies of a stroke • Vice President Harry Truman assumes office of the President V-E Day (1945) • Soviet troops enter Berlin with Americans approaching from the West • Hitler commits suicide in his underground bunker • A week later, on 8th of May 1945, Germany surrenders unconditionally • war is over in Europe – Victory in Europe Day Battle of Iwo Jima (1945) • strategically important island, needed as a base to attack mainland Japan • heavily guarded by Japanese – over 20,700 Japanese soldiers were stationed on the island • Eventually the Allies succeeded in taking the island • only 200 Japanese soldiers survived the battle • showed the Japanese commitment to fighting to the death Battle for Okinawa (1945) • last location needed to gain access to Japan • Japanese used kamikaze attacks to fight off the Allies • By the time the Allies won the island, 7,600 Americans had died & 110,000 Japanese had died • estimated that the cost of invading mainland Japan could be over 1.5 million Allied lives