Transcript America in WWII

The United States in
World War II
1941-1945
Causes of WWII in Europe
1. The rise of dictators:
– > Fascism: Mussolini takes control of Italy.
• A strong government controlled by a dictator.Very anti-communist,
very nationalistic.
– > Communism: Stalin takes control of the USSR.
• Communism/Socialism appeals to the working class
– > Nazism: Hitler takes control of Germany.
• The Nazi party is socialist in name only (National Socialist German
Workers’ Party. It is anticommunist, and nationalistic (believing
their country is better than all others).
– > Militarists in Japan: Japanese military officers take
control of the Japanese government.
• These militarists assassinated the Prime Minister, and invaded
China.
Causes of WWII in Europe
2. American Isolationist policies
– Many Americans were discouraged by the rise of dictators
and military rule in Europe. It seemed like everything the
Allies had fought for during WWI was useless.
– Seeing growing aggression in Italy and Germany, Congress
wanted to make neutrality standard.
– > Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1935.
-> This act made it illegal for Americans to sell any arms (weapons) to
countries at war.
• The hope was that the Neutrality Act would keep Americans from
getting involved in international wars, and prevent a depression like
what happened after WWI.
– > This Neutrality Act was first tested in 1936, when the
Spanish Civil War broke out.
• Congress passed another Neutrality act – making it illegal to sell arms
to either side of a Civil War.
Causes of WWII in Europe
3. Alliances between fascist powers
-> Following the Spanish Civil War, Hitler
(Germany) and Mussolini (Italy) signed an
agreement.
– > This agreement was called the RomeBerlin Axis
-> The next month, Japan aligned itself with
Germany and Italy as well – signing the
Anti-Comintern Pact.
– This pact required Japan and Germany to
share information about communist groups.
– Both Japan and Germany were concerned
about the USSR – which was getting larger
and more powerful.
– The new dictatorships in Italy, Germany, and
Japan, would not last if communist ideas
spread in these countries.
-> The three countries – Japan, Germany, and
Italy, became known as the Axis Powers.
Causes of WWII in Europe
4. Germany Expands
• Hitler took control of the German government,
assuming first the Chancellorship, then becoming
a dictator.
-> Hitler and his gov’t passed the Enabling Acts.
– > These acts gave Hitler and his cabinet the power
to pass legislation without the approval of the
Reichstag (German Parliament).
– Hitler then had all of his political rivals assassinated.
(Night of the Long Knives)
-> In September 1935, Hitler passed the Nuremburg Laws.
– This stripped Jews of their citizenship, and forbade marriage
between Jews and “Aryans”.
– > Soon after, the first pogrom (Kristallnacht) began. 30,000 Jews
were rounded up and sent to concentration camps.
– This is the beginning of the Holocaust. (We will explore this in
more detail later).
Causes of WWII in Europe
5. Germany takes Austria
– In late 1937, Hitler began calling
for a unification of all Germanspeaking people, including those
living in Austria and Czechoslovakia.
– Hitler also used Lebensraum as
an excuse – saying the German
people needed more “living space”.
• The Anschluss
– In February of 1938, Hitler threatened the Austrian
government. The Austrian Nazi party overthrew the
Austrians.
– Hitler sent troops in. Germany and Austria were now
unified.
Causes of WWII in Europe
6. Germany takes the Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia)
-> The Sudetenland
– > Hitler wanted to take over the Sudetenland (land in
Czechoslovakia that was ethnically German).
– Great Britain and France mobilized their armies – France was an
ally of Czechoslovakia, and if Germany invaded, they would have to
declare war.
– To avoid war, Mussolini suggested a conference to decided the fate
of Czechoslovakia.
-> The Munich Conference opened in September of 1938.
– Representatives from Britain, France, Italy, and Germany were
present. The Czech government had not been invited.
– > Britain and France ultimately caved to appeasement.
– They were so worried about declaring war on Germany that they
agreed to let Hitler take the Sudetenland as long as Germany
stopped its advances.
– > Instead, Germany quickly conquered the rest of Czechoslovakia.
Causes of WWII in Europe
7. Germany invades Poland
• Hitler next began making
demands on Poland –
asking for Danzig in
October, 1938.
– Hitler’s demands on Poland convinced the British and
French that their policy of appeasement had failed.
• On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland.
– France and Britain declared war on Germany. World
War II had begun.
Causes of WWII in Europe
8. Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression
Pact
• Hitler wanted to avoid a
war on two fronts. He
proposed a nonagression
pact between Germany
and the USSR.
– Stalin agreed. This way, Germany would go to war with Britain
and France, but the USSR would not have to join the war.
-> August 23, 1939 – Soviet and German representatives
sign the Nazi-Soviet Nonagression Pact. (MolotovRibbentrop Pact).
– Germany and USSR also agreed to split Poland in two – half
going to the USSR, and half to Germany.
Causes of WWII in Europe
8. Poland Falls
-> German blitzkrieg (lightning war) broke through
the Polish lines. Warsaw is conqureed Sept 27, 1939.
By October, the Polish army is defeated.
9. France Falls
– The Nazi army first invaded Belgium, Luxembourg, and the
Netherlands – this was to get around a barricade line
between France and Germany.
• The Nazis quickly took France. Their tanks outmatched
the combined British and French army.
-> The Miracle at Dunkirk, however, allowed most
British troops to evacuate back to Britian.
-> The French surrendered on June 22, 1940.
Timeline Assignment
• Your assignment for the rest of class:
• Create a timeline of the first few years of WWII.
Look to your notes to find at least 8 events to
place on the timeline.
• The events must be placed in correct order,
including dates, and a summary of why each
event is important. You may also include
appropriate images/drawings.
• You may work in pairs. You may listen to music.
• Worth 50 points (quiz grade)
America’s Reaction
• The United States faced a
big decision.
• Most people did not want to
go to war in Europe – they
did not want to get into
debt again, and they did not
want to risk American lives
in another war overseas.
• In contrast, many thought
that it was the United
States’ responsibility to
assist the Allies in Europe –
Nazi Germany was
committing atrocities across
Europe, and many Americans
felt the Germans needed to
be stopped.
America’s Reaction
• FDR had to make a decision:
– The U.S. military wanted to keep weapons/tanks, etc.
on American soil, to protect the country.
– U.S. laws prevented the U.S. government from
extending credit to countries that hadn’t paid their
WWI debts.
– Many Americans did not want to be in another
European war.
– However, FDR realized that the United States could
not just stand by and allow Nazi Germany to
conquer Europe.
• He proposed the Lend-Lease Agreement.
Lend-Lease Agreement
• The Lend-Lease
Agreement allowed
the United States to
create weapons and
send them to their
allies in Europe, with
the agreement that the
Allies would do one of
two things:
– Return the undamaged/unused items
– Replace the items if they were destroyed
• This allowed FDR to get around the issue of selling
arms to other countries. The USA was just loaning
them.
Battle of Britain
• By 1940, the Nazi army had conquered huge amounts of
Europe.
– Britain was the only significant hold out. Because of the Miracle at
Dunkirk, most of Britain’s army had been able to flee across the
channel.
-> However, in June of 1940, the Germany Luftwaffe (air force)
began to attack British shipping in the channel, then tried to
destroy the British air force. This battle – which lasted 3
months – was called the Battle of Britain.
-> August 23, 1940: German Luftwaffe bombs London by
accident. Britain responded by bombing Berlin.
• This crossed a new line – now both sides were bombing
residential areas. Germany wanted to “terrorize the British
people into surrendering”.
• Britain didn’t surrender, however. Instead, they hid in the
subway systems when the air raid sirens sounded.
Resistance
• Thanks in great part to the British air force (called the Royal
Air Force), Germany was never able to conquer the British
islands.
• The French Resistance persisted in Paris, as well as in the
French colonies – Morocco, Algeria, etc.
• Although the
United States had
agreed to the
Lend-Lease
Agreement, the
USA was still not
formally engaged
in war.
The Holocaust – Why this is Important
• The Holocaust (Hebrew: Shoah) is perhaps the
greatest single tragedy in human history.
-> During the Holocaust, the Nazis killed 6 million
Jews, as well as millions of people from other
groups that the Nazis considered to be “inferior”.
– This included…Jews, Gypsies (Romany), anyone nonstraight, African immigrants, East Asian immigrants,
anyone physically or mentally handicapped, gays,
lesbians, transsexuals, prisoners of war, communists,
the Polish… plus many more.
– 11 million people were killed, in total
The Holocaust – Nuremberg Laws
• One of the first steps that the Nazi Party implemented
against the Jews was a series of laws called the
Nuremberg Laws. (We mentioned them briefly earlier)
-> The Nuremberg Laws…
– > Banned marriage between Jews and Christians
– > Jews were no longer German citizens
– > A “Jew” is defined as a person with at least one Jewish
grandparent
– > Jews could not hold public office, or vote
– > Jewish passports were marked with a red J
– > Jews were banned from certain jobs: law, medicine, owning
businesses, working in government positions, teaching, or
working as farmers.
• By the 1936, half of Germany’s Jews were out of work.
The Holocaust – Nuremberg Laws
• Why not leave Germany?
- > Most Jews had been well integrated into
German society
-> People are reluctant to leave their homes and
the lives they had built there
- > Many lived in communities with many family
members and friends, and did not want to abandon
them
- > Most assumed that the conditions would surely
improve over time – the harshness of Nazi rule
was only temporary – it wasn’t worth leaving their
homes and lives for
The Holocaust - Emigration
• Many DID try to leave!
- > Between 1933 and 1939, 350,000 Jews did
escape Nazi Germany
-> Many fled to other European countries (including Otto Frank, father of
Anne Frank, who fled to the Netherlands with his family). However, the Nazi
army soon conquered these countries as well.
- By 1938. the American consulate (in charge of immigration) had a
backlog of 100,000 applications for emigration
- > After the Anschluss, 3,000 Jews PER DAY
applied to emigrate to the United States
- > Millions of Jews who tried to flee Germany and
other countries in Europe simply couldn’t
The Holocaust - Emigration
• Why not go to the United States?
• Several factors made this very difficult:
– Nazi orders prevented Jews from taking more than $4.oo out of
the country.
– Many countries were anti-immigrant and/or anti-Jewish, and refused
to allow Jews to immigrate there
– In the USA, laws restricted granting a visa to “anyone likely to
become a public charge” (live off the gov’t)
– High unemployment rates in the USA also made immigration
politically unpopular, so it was unlikely that policies would change.
• These QUOTA ACTS limited immigration from all countries, with no
exception for refugees
– As time went on, more and more Jews tried to flee Europe, but
many were turned away once they arrived in other countries, and
forced to go back.
• Ultimately, most Jews did not leave Europe simply because
they could not go anywhere else.
America Edges Toward War
• In order to get support from the American people,
FDR explained the role that America would have to
take.
• He said that Britain was fighting for democracy, and
that it was the responsibility of the United States to
help defend democracy.
-> FDR also mentioned the “four freedoms” that both
the USA and Britain followed
– > Freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom from
want, and freedom from fear.
DO NOW: 2 Minute Response / Warm Up (Participation)
How do these “freedoms” relate to the Holocaust? In what ways
were the Nazis violating these freedoms?
America Edges Toward War
• FDR’s first step toward supporting
Britain was the Lend-Lease
Agreement. This was designed to
support Britain as the “last man
standing” to defend democracy in
Europe.
-> FDR warned the American people
that if Britain fell to the Nazis, an
“unholy alliance” of Germany, Japan, and
Italy would try to conquer the rest of
the world, and eventually the United
States.
• Most Americans agreed with this, and
supported the Lend-Lease Act.
USSR Joins the Allies
• After calling off the invasion of
Britain, Hitler (Nazi Germany)
looked to expand again in the East.
-> In June 1941, Hitler launched a
massive invasion of the Soviet Union.
-> This was in direct violation of the
Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
• Winston Churchill (Prime Minister of Britain) was antiCommunist, and he thought Stalin was a harsh ruler.
-> However, Churchill stated that any person or country,
“who fights against Nazism will have our aid”.
-> The USSR joined the Allies.
• FDR expanded the Lend-Lease program to include
sending aid to the USSR, as well as China
Hemispheric Defense Zone
• With the USA now lending supplies
to the Allies, there was a new
problem: German U-Boats, sinking
the supply ships, and British vessels.
• Roosevelt could not order the U.S.
Navy to protect British ships. The
USA was still technically neutral.
-> Instead, FDR developed the idea of
a hemispheric defense zone.
-> Roosevelt declared the entire
western half of the Atlantic Ocean was part of the
Western Hemisphere, and therefore neutral.
• The U.S. Navy was then able to patrol the western half of
the ocean and tell the British where the German subs
were.
Atlantic Charter
• August 1941: Roosevelt and Churchill meet face to
face on board American and British ships anchored
near Newfoundland, Canada
-> During these meetings, the two men agreed to the
Atlantic Charter
– > Post-war world of democracy, non-aggression, free
trade, economic advancement, and freedom of the seas.
• Following this meeting, FDR told Churchill he
planned to “force an incident” to give the USA an
excuse to go to war with Germany.
• By the end of 1941, Germany and the United States
had a stalemate in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The United States and Japan
• 1937: Japan begins invasions of China, within four years,
controls much of the Chinese coast
-> 1939: United States wants to help protect Britain’s colonies in
the Pacific from Japan
– USA puts economic pressure on Japan.
-> USA refuses to sell oil (80% of Japanese oil came from USA), scrap
metal, and airplane fuel
-> 1940: Japan officially joins the Axis
• 1941: USA begins sending Lend-Lease Aid to China, hoping
China would be able to defeat Japan
-> July 1941: Japanese aircraft are positioned to attack British
colonies in the Pacific
– Roosevelt responds by enforcing American presence in the
Philippines
-> November 26, 1941: six Japanese aircraft carriers, two
battleships, and several other warships set sail for Hawaii…
The United States and Japan
• November 27, 1941: American commanders at Pearl
Harbor, HI receive a warning from Washington that
Japan was militarizing.
– However, Hawaii was not
mentioned as a possible
target.
– Most assumed Japan
would attack the
Philippines
– No one thought Japan
would try to launch such
a long range attack
• Pearl Harbor was attacked,
December 7, 1941
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
• December 7th, 1941
• 6:45 AM: An American destroyer sinks a Japanese
submarine near the entrance to the Harbor
• 7:02 AM: Army radar picks up a cloud of aircraft.
Officers assume it’s a flight of planes due in from
California
• 7:49 AM: The first wave of 183 Japanese planes is
ordered to attack
– The force includes planes armed with torpedoes, as well
as machine guns. The target is the fleet of American ships.
Other bombers attack the airfields
• 8:55 AM: The second wave of 167 planes continues
the attack
Aftermath
-> Ultimately, Japan’s
surprise attack is
devastating:
-> 21 American ships
sunk or damaged
-> 188 airplanes
destroyed
-> 2,403 Americans
are killed
-> 1,178 are injured
• Japan lost 29 aircraft, and five midget submarines.
65 Japanese soldiers were killed/injured.
• In response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR delivers a
speech, asking Congress to declare war.
-> The Senate voted 82 to 0; the House, 388 to 1. The
United States declares war on Japan.
America mobilizes for war…
-> The United States developed a new system to help
American companies: cost-plus contracts.
– > The gov’t agreed to pay for the cost of a product, PLUS a
guaranteed percentage of the cost as a profit.
->This meant that the more a company produced and the
faster it did the work, the more money it would make.
• This system was expensive but it ensured that war
materials were produced quickly and in high quantity.
-> The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was also
established.
– > This government agency helped companies that were not
making military goods convert their production to help the
war effort.
Building the U.S. Army
• Even before the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt
wanted to expand the U.S. Army
-> In June 1940, after the fall of
Poland, the gov’t
introduced the Selective
Service and
Training Act.
– > This was a peacetime draft the goal of the SSTA was to train
new recruits before they were
needed in any battles.
• Many Americans were against a
peacetime draft at first, however,
opinions changed once France
fell to Germany.
A Segregated Army
• Although basic training for the Army promoted
unity, there were still problems.
-> Many recruits were rushed through training so
quickly that they didn’t remember what to do
• There was also a lack of supplies – troops practiced
using sticks instead of rifles, and with trucks labeled
“tank”.
-> At the start of WWII, the U.S. military was
completely segregated.
– African-American troops had separate barracks, latrines,
mess halls, and recreational facilities.
-> Once trained, African-Americans were organized
into their own military units, led by white officers.
A Segregated Army
-> To combat this inequality, the National Urban
League set two goals:
– >1. To promote effective participation of African
Americans in all aspects of the war effort
– > 2. “To formulate plans for building the kind of United
States in which we wish to live after the war is over”
-> This led to the Double V campaign
– > VICTORY over Hitler’s racism abroad
– > VICTORY over racism and segregation at home
• Many African-Americans who joined the military
hoped that, if the United States wanted to show
itself as a defender of democracy, then it would have
to deal with its own inequalities.
A Segregated Army
• Despite this segregation,
many African Americans
distinguished themselves
in combat
• The Tuskegee Airmen
(99th Pursuit Squadron)
were a squadron of
African-American fighter
pilots who helped win the Battle of Anzio in Italy.
• The all African-American 761st Tank Battalion was
commended for its service during the Battle of the Bulge.
• Although the military did not end all segregation by the
end of the war, it did eventually integrate military bases.
The military was fully integrated in 1948.
Women in the Military
• Women served in most branches of the military during
WWII, but in non-combatant positions
– Women worked in administrative and clerical positions – jobs
usually filled by men – allowing these men to train for combat.
-> May 1942: Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps is
established, but women are not part of the regular army
-> 1943: WAAC is replaced by the Women’s Army Corps
- an official branch of the military.
– Director Colonel Oveta Hobby explained to the female
recruits: “You have a debt and a date – a debt to democracy, a
date with destiny”.
• Women also served as nurses, and as air service pilots.
Early Battles in the Pacific
-> Only a few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the
Japanese also attacked American airfields in the Philippines.
-> The American forces in the Philippines were badly
outnumbered, so the American commander Douglas
MacArthur decided to retreat with his troops to the Bataan
Peninsula.
– The Americans were held out
for more than three months
– However, gradually, the lack of
supplies and the spread of
malaria, scurvy, and dysentery
took their toll.
• The American forces at
Bataan finally surrendered
(though MacArthur managed
to escape to Australia, under
Roosevelt’s orders).
Bataan Death March
->Nearly 78,000 American
prisoners of war were
taken at Bataan.
-> They were forced to
march 65 miles to a
Japanese prison camp.
-> Thousands died – it
became known as the Bataan Death March
– “[The Japanese] would halt us in front of these big wells,
so we could see the water…anyone who would make a
break for water would be shot or bayonetted.” (Leon
Beck)
• The Philippines had fallen by May of 1942
Doolittle Raid
• April 18th, 1942 –
American bombs fell
on Japan for the first
time.
-> This is called the
Doolittle Raid.
(Named after James
Doolittle, who was
in charge of the mission)
• FDR wanted to bomb Tokyo, but the Japanese navy
prevented any American aircraft carriers from getting
close enough to launch short-range bombers
-> Instead, long-range B-25 bombers were sent out
– These could take off from an aircraft carrier, but couldn’t land
on it. Instead they landed in China.
Japanese Response
• In response to the Doolittle Raid, the Japanese
forces prepared a two-pronged attack:
– > The Japanese navy planned to attack AmericanAustralian supply lines in New Guinea
– > They would also attack Midway.
• Both attacks were unsuccessful
– > American code-breakers had already broken and
translated the Japanese code.
– > American ships and planes were able to
prevent the Japanese from damaging the
supply lines (Battle of the Coral Sea)
Battle of Midway
-> American Admiral Nimitz set up an ambush for
the Japanese fleet.
-> The Japanese attacked Midway on June 4, 1942
– > The Japanese planes ran into a blizzard of
antiaircraft fire, and many of the planes (38) were
shot down
-> While the Japanese regrouped, the Americans
launched a counter-attack
– American bombers sank 4 Japanese aircraft carriers.
– The Japanese navy was forced to retreat
Battle of Midway
-> The Battle of Midway was a huge turning point
in the War in the Pacific.
• It provided a boost in morale to the Americans – they
had proven that they could still “hold their own”.
-> The Japanese navy lost four of its 6 aircraft carriers –
the fleet was
now crippled
• Japanese
casualties:
3,057
• American
casualties: 362
Paper Assignment
• Ultimately, the Pacific War
between the United States
and Japan would come to an
end when President Truman
made the decision to drop
the Atomic Bomb on Japan.
• His actions have been both
criticized and defended by
historians for the past halfcentury
• Your assignment – write a
persuasive essay answering
the following question:
“Was dropping the atomic
bomb the right decision?”
Stalingrad
-> In spring of 1942, Hitler was sure he would be
able to win the war.
• Rommel, the “desert fox” was pushing British
forces back in north Africa.
• German submarines were sinking American ships
rapidly, and preventing American troops and
supplies from reaching Europe
-> Hitler thought that one last offensive in Russia
would push the USSR back. The rest of the Allies
would fall soon after.
Stalingrad
• Hitler wanted to focus on attacking the Soviet economy. The Nazi
army captured oil fields, industries, and farmland.
-> The key to Hitler’s attack, however, was the city of Stalingrad.
-> If the Nazis took Stalingrad, the Soviets would be cut off from
the resources they needed to stay in the war.
• Stalin ordered his troops to hold the city at all cost.
• The Nazis were forced to fight from house to house
-> On November 23, 1942, Soviet reinforcements surrounded the
city - trapping 250,000 German troops.
• Only 5,000 of those captured would survive the Soviet prison
camps.
-> The battle of Stalingrad was a huge turning point in the war in
Europe - it put the Germans on the defensive.
Casablanca Conference
-> At the Casablanca Conference in North Africa, Churchill and
Roosevelt came up with a plan to defeat the Axis in Europe.
• 1. They would step up the bombing of Germany - aiming to destroy
military and industrial targets as well as “undermining the morale of the
German people.”
• 2. Attacking Italy via
the island of Sicily.
Churchill called Italy
the “soft underbelly”
of the Axis.
• Churchill believed that
if the Allies invaded Italy,
the Italians would quit
the war.
1. Strategic Bombing
• Between January 1943 and May 1945, the Royal Air Force
(Britain) and the United States Eighth Army Air Force
dropped 53,000 tons of explosives on Germany.
-> The Allied offensive did NOT destroy the German economy
or undermine morale.
-> However, it did cause a severe oil shortage, and wrecked
the railroads.
• The bombing also destroyed so many aircraft factories that
Germany’s air force could not replace those planes lost in
combat.
-> By the time the Allies landed on the French beaches, they
had ensured that the Nazis would not be able to attack them
from the air.
The “Soft Underbelly”
->The invasion of Italy began before dawn on July 10, 1943.
• The Allied troops made it ashore on Sicily with few casualties.
-> A new vehicle called the DUKW - an amphibious truck – was
effective in bringing supplies to the troops.
• 8 days after the troops came ashore, American tanks led by Gen.
Patton smashed through
enemy lines and captured half
of the island.
-> By August 18th, the Germans
had evacuated the island.
• The Allied invasion of Sicily
also created a crisis within the
Italian government.
The “Soft Underbelly”
-> The King of Italy,Victor Emmanuel, and a group of Italian generals
wanted to remove Mussolini from power.
-> July 25, 1943, the King invited Mussolini to the palace and had
him arrested.
• At this point, the Italian government began secretly negotiating with the
Allies.
-> September 8, 1943 - Italy officially surrendered to the Allies.
• Hitler, however, was not ready to lose Italy.
-> German troops invaded and took most of North Italy - it would take
the Allies 5 months to break through the German lines.
-> The Italian Campaign became one of the bloodiest of the war –
costing the Allies more than 300,000 casualties.
• The Allies had broken the Axis - the final push would be an Allied
invasion of France - Operation Overlord.
The Big Three
• Roosevelt
wanted to
meet with
Stalin before
the Allied
troops
Joseph Stalin
Franklin Roosevelt
Winston Churchill
launched
their invasion of France
-> Stalin agreed, and the two met in Tehran, Iran. The two leaders
reached several agreements:
-> Stalin would launch a full-scale offensive against the Germans
when the Allies invaded France
-> Roosevelt and Stalin would break Germany into pieces when the
war was over - to prevent it from becoming powerful again
-> Stalin promised that once Germany was beaten, the USSR would
help the USA defeat Japan
-> Stalin became a member of the “Big Three” – the three powerful
leaders of the Allies
Planning Operation Overlord
• Hitler had fortified the coast of France
• The Germans believed that the Allies would land in Pas-deCalais – the area of France closest to Britain
• The Allies wanted Hitler to believe this false information
• They placed empty
tents, rubber tanks,
and fake landing craft
along the coast close
to Calais
• These fake tents and
tanks looked real to
German spy planes,
and fooled the Nazis.
• The real landing target
was Normandy.
Planning Operation Overlord
• By the spring of 1944, the Allies were ready to invade.
• 1.5 million American soldiers had been sent to England
• 12,000 airplanes
• 5 million tons of other equipment
-> The only thing left to do was pick the date for the invasion:
-> The date had to have several criteria:
-> The invasion had to begin at night (to hide the ships)
-> The ships had to arrive at low tide (to see the beach obstacles)
-> The low tide had to arrive at dawn so the gunners could see their targets
-> Paratroopers had to be dropped behind enemy lines – that meant the night
before had to be moonlit
-> Plus, the weather had to be good!
• This meant there were only a few days each month when the
invasion was possible.
• General Eisenhower made the final decision – after seeing a weather report
for June 6, 1944, he said, “OK, we’ll go.”
D-Day – June 6, 1944
• Nearly 7,000 ships carrying more than 100,000 soldiers set
sail for the coast of Normandy.
• 23,000 paratroopers were dropped inland, to scout the
beaches
• Allied fighter-bombers raced up and down the coast –
targeting bridges, bunkers, and radar sites.
• Thousands of shells fell on the beaches. The beaches were
code-named:
“D-Day” – What does it mean?
-> Utah
= D was a code letter used for any important invasion
-> Omaha
day. “D” stood for day.
-> Gold
= Days leading up to “D-Days” would be coded + or –
-> Sword
to say how much time had passed/needed to pass.
-> Juno
= D-Day means “Day Day”
D-Day – June 6, 1944
-> The American landing at Utah beach was a huge success
• The German defenses were weak
• American troops took the beaches in less than 3 hours
• Americans lost less than 200 people
• The British and Canadian landings at Gold, Juno, and Sword
went well too
-> Omaha Beach was a different story…
-> Americans faced intense German fire
• The American assault almost disintegrated – the American General
(Omar Bradley) was planning a retreat.
• Slowly, the Americans took the beach
-> More landing craft arrived, ramming their way through obstacles
-> Ultimately, Omaha Beach was also a successful landing
D-Day – June 6, 1944
• By the end of the
day, the Allies had
successfully landed
troops in France:
• 35,000 American
troops landed at
Omaha, with
another 23,000
at Utah Beach.
• Over 75,000 British
and Canadian troops had successfully landed as well.
Hedgerows
• Although D-Day was a success, it was only the
beginning
-> Allied troops had to make their way through
hedgerows – dirt walls, several feet thick, covered in
shrubbery
• The hedgerows had been built to control cattle, but
also allowed Germans to easily defend their positions.
-> The Battle of the Hedgerows ended on July 25,
1944 when American bombers were able to blast a
large hole in the German lines.
-> Allied forces liberated Paris on August 25, 1944
Battle of the Bulge
-> Hitler decided to stage one last offensive.
-> He planned to cut off Allied supplies coming through
the port city of Antwerp, Belgium.
• The German forces moved quickly and caught the
American defenders by surprise.
-> As the German troops raced west, their line bulged
outward – giving the battle its name: the Battle of
the Bulge.
• The German army ran to Bastogne – a major Allied
stronghold. However, the Americans arrived first.
• When the Germans demanded the Americans
surrender, the American commander sent back a oneword reply: “Nuts!”
Battle of the Bulge
-> Eisenhower ordered General
Patton to rescue the Americans |
holding Bastogne.
-> Three days later, through a
snowstorm, Patton’s troops
slammed into the German lines.
-> On Christmas Eve, the German
troops were forced to halt.
• Two days later, Patton’s troops
broke through the German
lines and rescued Bastogne.
• Although fighting continued for three more weeks, the
United States had won the Battle of the Bulge.
V-E Day: The War Ends in Europe
• By the time the Battle of the Bulge ended, the Soviets had
driven Hitler’s forces out of Russia and across Poland.
• Soviet troops liberated concentration camps on the way
• By February 1945, the Soviets were only 35 miles from Berlin
• Meanwhile, American
troops had crossed
the Rhine River, and
soon they were within
70 miles of Berlin.
-> On April 21, Soviet
troops reached Berlin.
-> Hitler knew he
couldn’t win the war,
and committed suicide
in his Berlin bunker.
V-E Day: The War Ends in Europe
• Hitler’s successor, Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz
wanted to surrender to the Americans and British, but
to continue fighting the
Soviets.
• Eisenhower insisted on
unconditional surrender.
-> On May 7, 1945, Germany
surrendered. The following
day (May 8) was
proclaimed “V-E Day”
for Victory in Europe.
Island Hopping in the Pacific
• While Eisenhower’s and Patton’s troops were
planning their invasion of France, Admiral Nimitz
planned America’s strategy in the Pacific.
-> This strategy was called “island hopping” –
where the American Navy would “hop” from
island to island, getting closer and closer to Japan.
• In the meantime, Gen. MacArthur would re-take
the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and the
Philippines (rescuing those in the Japanese prison
camps)
Island Hopping in the Pacific
• At first, the Island Hopping campaign didn’t work as
planned.
• Many Pacific islands were surrounded by huge coral
reefs, which made it difficult for ships to reach the
shore.
-> At Tarawa Atoll, the Navy’s first objective, there were
big problems
-> 20 ships ran aground. The Marines had to wade in
shoulder-deep water to get to the island.
-> The entire time, they were shot at by Japanese soldiers.
-> Over 1,000 U.S. Marines died at Tarawa alone
Island Hopping in the Pacific
• One vehicle had been successful at Tarawa, however, and soon the
U.S. Navy was producing them quickly.
-> The amphtrac (amphibious tractor) was a boat with tank treads
– nicknamed the “Alligator”.
• It was originally developed to help people stranded in Florida
swamps.
-> Because of the
“Alligator” the U.S.
assaults on later
Pacific islands – the
Marshall Islands
and later Mariana
Islands – were
much more
successful.
Island Hopping in the Pacific
-> As the forces under Admiral Nimitz hopped across the Pacific,
Gen. MacArthur began his campaign to re-take the Philippines.
-> The campaign began in August, 1942 – and continued into 1944
• MacArthur’s troops, supported by the U.S. navy, captured Japanese
bases in New Guinea, then moved to Leyte Gulf.
• Landing in Leyte (the first step toward taking back the Philippines),
MacArthur said, “People of the Philippines, I have returned!”
• Trying to stop the American invasion, the
Japanese dispatched aircraft carriers, and
ambushed the American ships in Leyte Gulf.
-> The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest
naval battle in history.
-> It was also the first use of the Japanese
kamikaze.
Island Hopping in the Pacific
• Luckily for the Americans, the commander of the Japanese fleet
ended up retreating – believing that American reinforcements
were on their way.
-> Although the Japanese force retreated, the campaign to
recapture the Philippines was long and grueling.
-> Over 80,000 Japanese were killed – less than 1,000
surrendered.
• MacArthur did not capture Manila, the capital, until March of
1945.
-> During the battles, 100,000 Filipino civilians were killed.
-> The remaining Japanese soldiers in the Philippines were still
fighting when word came in August, 1945, that Japan had
surrendered.
Japan is Defeated
• Roosevelt suffered a stroke and died, April 12, 1945. His VicePresident, Harry Truman, was left as Commander in Chief for
the rest of the war.
-> American bombers were facing a problem – they were unable
to successfully bomb Tokyo.
• Even the larger bombers would not have enough fuel to accurately
correct their positions and hit the city.
-> To counter this, the U.S. military decided to invade the nearby
island of Iwo Jima.
-> February 19, 1945, 60,000 U.S. Marines invaded Iwo Jima.
• Using the amphtracs, flamethrowers, and explosives, the
Marines took the island from the occupying Japanese, but not
without suffering 6,800 casualties.
Japan is Defeated
-> During the attacks on Japan, American planes also engaged in
firebombing.
-> Firebombing was controversial –
-> The bombs were filled with napalm – jellied gasoline
-> Even if the bombers missed their targets, the fires would still spread
-> However, the fires would also kill civilians
• Some fires would get so intense that they sucked the oxygen from the
air – asphyxiating thousands of people
• General Curtis LeMay decided to use firebombs, as they would
hopefully destroy Japanese production plants, and therefore end the war
more quickly.
• The firebombing of Tokyo killed over 80,000 people
-> By June 1945, Japan’s six biggest industrial cities had been
firebombed – destroying half of the urban area in each.
Japan is Defeated
-> Despite intense firebombing, Japan refused
to surrender.
• Many American officials believed that, if Japan
was invaded, the Japanese would surrender.
-> The Americans invaded Okinawa Island in
order to use it as a base from which to
attack Japan.
• Shortly after the capture of Okinawa, the
Japanese emperor – Hirohito – urged his government to find a
way to end the war.
-> Many Japanese leaders were ready to surrender, but with a
condition – the Emperor had to remain in power.
• The Americans refused to accept anything but unconditional
surrender, and sent Japan one final warning.
The Atomic Bomb
-> Since the late 1930s, America had been developing atomic weapons
technology. This project was code-named the Manhattan Project.
• On July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb was detonated in New Mexico – a
successful test.
•
•
President Truman was briefed about the
Manhattan Project, and the possibility of using
the Atomic Bomb in war.
Truman said he, “regarded the bomb as a
military weapon and never had any doubts it
should be used.”
-> Two Atomic Bombs were used, both dropped
by a B-29 Bomber called the Enola Gay:
-> Little Boy – 16 kilotons – uranium based
– dropped August 6, 1945 at 8:15 AM on
Hiroshima
-> Fat Man – 21 kilotons – plutonium based
– dropped August 9, 1945 at 11:02 AM on
Nagasaki
Nagasaki
bombing
Nagasakibefore
after bombing
Hiroshima
Hiroshima
before
afterbombing
bombing
V-J Day
• Losses - Hiroshima: August 6, 1945
• 76,000 buildings (63% of the city)
• Between 80,000-120,000 died
instantly, thousands more died later
from burns and radiation sickness
• Losses - Nagasaki: August 9, 1945
• 40% of the city was destroyed
• Between 40,000 – 75,000 died
instantly, thousands more died later
-> The same day as the Nagasaki bombing,
the USSR declared war on Japan.
-> August 15, 1945: Japan surrenders
-> This day is known as V-J Day (Victory in
Japan)
• The war had ended. The Allies had won.