Transcript European Theater

The European Theater
War in Europe (Early Period)
a.
b.
Sept. 1, 1939: Germany invaded Poland with blitzkrieg attack (WWII begins)
i.
France & Great Britain declare war the next day
ii.
The Holocaust intensifies
April, 1940: Germany resumed “Blitzkrieg” attacks
i.
Neutral nations fell quickly ---> Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway
ii.
France fell to Hitler in late June 1940
c.
Summer/Fall, 1940: Battle of Britain (German Luftwaffe vs. Royal Air Force RAF)
d.
June, 1941: Hitler double crossed Stalin and invaded Russia through Poland
i.
Big Mistake! Stalin used Scorched Earth military tactic
ii.
Harsh winter and lack of useable supplies resulted in over 1 million Nazi
loses
The European Theater
4. Last Events to U.S. Entry
a.
1941: U.S. attempted to stop Japan’s invasion of China (in Civil War)
i.
Sent ultimatum (warning)
ii.
Issued a scrap metal and oil embargo
b. By Aug. 1941: Indo-China fell to Japan
i. U.S. began a full trade embargo against Japan
ii. Japan responded by:
1. Sending a negotiator to Washington D.C.
2. Preparing for an attack on the U.S. (decoded message)
Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor
The European Theater
5. December 7th, 1941: Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
a.
U.S. Pacific Fleet was based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
b.
Attack was meant to cripple U.S. fleet so couldn’t interfere with Japan
c.
Six aircraft carriers and 353 Japanese planes attacked in two waves
d.
e.
2,403 died (1,177 killed on the U.S.S. Arizona)
U.S. declared war on Japan the next day “…Date that will live in Infamy…”
f.
Germany & Italy declared war on the U.S. on Dec 8, 1941 (Tripartite Pact)
g.
The U.S. was officially in the war! (Isolationism was over)
Pacific Theater
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Doolittle Raid
a. James Doolittle led a raid on Tokyo with B-25 bombers b.
Helped boost American Morale
c. Showed the Japanese were not invincible
d. Inflicted little damage to the city
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Island Hopping
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The Supreme Allied Commander for the Pacific Theater was Gen.
Douglas MacArthur The U.S. adopted the Island Hopping or
Leap Frog strategy moving from island to island
The Fighting in the Pacific was difficult for several reasons:
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100 degree heat ---> humidity caused jungle rot & diseases Many
islands
Japanese motto “Death before dishonor”
Kamikaze attacks: suicide attacks damaged 300 ships and caused
15,000 casualties
Pacific Theater
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Key Victories for the Allies
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Battle of Midway
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Japanese hoped to use Midway as a base to neutralize Pearl
Harbor
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Balance of power in the Pacific shifted towards the Allies
Battle of Guadalcanal
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The Japanese advance was stopped
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All momentum shifted to the U.S.
Battle of Iwo Jima
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20,500 Japanese killed and 6,000 U.S. lives lost
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Put Americans within striking distance of Japanese home islands
Possible Options for Finishing off the Japanese
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Invasion of Japan which could cost over 1,000,000 Allied soldiers
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Use of the Atomic Bomb (secret)
Atomic Bomb
President Truman relied on advisers, but Truman made the final decision
i.
Saving U.S. lives & $ and shorten the war by 12-18 months
ii.
The fact that conventional warfare had not forced a Japanese
surrender, despite high casualties
iii.
Estimates that Japan still had 4 million soldiers ready to fight
and die
The Defeat of Japan in 1945
a.
Aug 6: Little Boy was dropped from the B-29 bomber nicknamed the
Enola Gay, exploding 2000 feet above Hiroshima (100,000 died)
b.
Aug 9: Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki (100,000 died)
c.
Aug 14: V-J Day; Sept 2, 1945: Japan signed the unconditional
surrender
Result: The Allies had won World War II. The war literally ended with a bang
and no country has used the atomic bomb since Nagasaki. Peace would be
short lived, however, as tensions with the Soviet Union were on the rise which
would begin the Cold War.
U.S.S. Arizona
U.S.S. Arizona Today
The European Theater
European Theater
a. Name given to the fighting that took place in Europe
b. 1942: Britain stood alone against Axis
c.
Gen. Dwight Eisenhower = Supreme Allied Commander of the European Theater
d. Allies first invaded through Sicily and up into Italy
e. Mussolini was overthrown and killed
The European Theater
f.
Eastern Front: Stalingrad
i.
The Nazis were fighting the Russians in Stalingrad (Aug 1942-Feb 1943)
ii.
One of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare
iii. Nazis are defeated; turning point of the war for the Allies
D-Day
The European Theater
g. Western Front: D-Day
i.
General Eisenhower planned D-Day for June 6, 1944
ii.
Allied invasion across English Channel into Normandy, France
iii. Largest military invasion in history
iv. Allies success allowed them to push further into France
D-Day Map
The European Theater
Battle of the Bulge
i. Hitler’s last major offensive
ii. Allies were pushing from the West (from France), South through Italy,
and from the East (Soviets)
iii. Germany was surrounded
German Surrender
a.
Hitler committed suicide before he could be captured
b.
Germany officially surrendered on May 7, 1945; following day is known as VE Day
c.
Now the Allies had to figure out how to defeat Japan