Transcript 4_America_Joins_the_Warx

Battle of Britain
• June 1940 - France falls to Hitler
– Great Britain now stood alone against Germany
– Under Winston Churchill’s leadership, Britain had no intention of
giving in
• Before he could invade Britain, Hitler first had to destroy
Britain’s air defense – the Royal Air Force (RAF)
• In the summer and fall of 1940, the German air force
(Luftwaffe) fought the RAF and bombed London
– Military and civilian targets were bombed
• The RAF held off the Luftwaffe and Britain did not
surrender despite constant bombing raids
– Hitler was forced to postpone his plans to invade Britain
– This was the first decisive victory against Germany
U.S. Involvement
• At the beginning of the war, many Americans wanted to
remain neutral
– Roosevelt recognized that the conflict threatened U.S. security
– He looked for ways to help the European democracies without
direct involvement in the war
• In 1941, Congress approved the Lend-Lease Act – which
allowed the U.S. to lend, lease, or sell resources and
equipment to the Allies
– The United States sent Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and other
Allies about $50 billion worth of weapons, ammunition and food
Pearl Harbor
• In order to expand the Empire of Japan, Hideki Tojo planned to conquer
more Asian territories
– The Japanese believed that only the U.S. Navy stood in their way
• December 7th, 1941 - Japanese warplanes bombed the huge American naval
base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
– The attack came as a complete surprise
– Japan hoped the attack would cripple the fleet and give Japan dominance over
the Pacific
• The barrage only lasted for a couple of hours but it was
devastating
– Nearly 20 naval vessels, including 8 enormous battleships, and more than 300
airplanes were destroyed
– About 2,400 American servicemen and civilians died in the attack
– More than 1,000 more were wounded
America Joins WWII
• President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan
– He famously called December 7, 1941 “a date that will live infamy”
– His request to declare war was approved by all but one vote (470-1)
• Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S.
– Congress responded by declaring war as well