Transcript Timeline of WW2

Who’s Who in the War
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Axis Powers (Bad Guys!)
– Germany
– Italy
– Japan
– Austria and Bulgaria
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Allied Powers (Good Guys!)
– Great Britain
– France
– USSR
– United States
Timeline of WW2
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1939- Germany invades
Poland – WW2 starts!
1940 - Germany invades
Norway, Denmark, France
and Belgium
1940 - The Battle of
Britain begins between
Germany and Britain. It
lasts over a year.
1941 - Axis Powers
controlled most of
Western Europe. Hitler &
his army win most battles
in the 1st years of the war!
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1941- Hitler decides to
invade the USSR to gain
“living space”- called
Operation Barbarossa –
U.S.S.R enters on side of
the Allies
1941- FDR agrees to send
aid to all people fighting
Nazi’s (Atlantic Charter)
12/7/41- Japan attacks
Pearl Harbor. U.S.
declares war on Japan. 3
days later, Germany &
Italy declare war on U.S.
D-Day- The Invasion of Normandy
(Operation Overlord)
Led by U.S. General Dwight Eisenhower
 7,000 ships, 100,000 soldiers, 23,000
paratroopers involved!
 Purpose= invade France to drive out the
occupying Germans.
 Omaha Beach- most fierce fighting. Over
2,500 Americans killed or wounded.
 Allied success- huge failure for Hitler

Storming Omaha Beach…..
D- Day images
Omaha Beach- France
A Turning Point Against Japan
Battle of Midway- Pacific Ocean
 Japanese ran into U.S. ambush at Midway
which was discovered by breaking Japanese
secret code!
 U.S. destroys numerous planes & 4 of
Japan’s largest aircraft carriers!
 Considered a turning point against Japan
because we stop their advance in the
Pacific.
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Downfall of Mussolini & Hitler
 April,
1945- Mussolini is captured by
Italian forces & executed with his
mistress in public- end of Italian war
effort.
 As Russian forces march to Berlin,
Hitler commits suicide to avoid
capture. Germany surrenders & the
war in Europe is over!
Mussolini in Death
Mussolini & Mistress
The Downfall of Japan
After the surrender of Germany, the U.S.
focuses on defeating Japan
 1945- most of Japanese navy & air force
destroyed but army fought on.
 To end the war, President Truman decides to
use the secret atomic bomb to put a quick
end to the war.
 2 bombs are dropped on the cities of
Hiroshima & Nagasaki & kill over 140,000
people (estimate) – Japan surrenders in
September 1945 – WW2 is over – the Allies
have won!
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Images of the A-Bomb
Mushroom Cloud from “Fat
Man”
Building located miles from
bomb site
The Costs of War
 Total
War casualties:
– Germany = 5,600,000
– United States = 405,400
– Japan = 2,133,400 (140,000 of these
were killed by the atomic bombs
dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki)
– U.S.S.R. = 17,700,000 (It is
estimated Stalin killed at least 20
million more than reported in this
number!)
Effects of the War
1. Worldwide Jewish population devastated
by the “holocaust”. (over 6 mil dead)
 2. The United Nations Forms (UN)–
peacekeeping group similar to the League
of Nations – goal- prevent future wars.
 3. “Iron Curtain” falls over Eastern Europe
– Stalin & the USSR take control of Eastern
European nations & cut them off from the
rest of the world – communism installed as
the form of govt. in these nations. This
starts the “Cold War”
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A Split Berlin
Europe After WWII