Transcript Winning World War II

Winning World War II:
Important Allied Victories
Pacific Theater
Battle of Guadalcanal
August 1942-February 1943
Significance:
• Halted the Japanese advance in the South Pacific.
• Prevented Japanese assaults on the Australian mainland.
• Fought from
August of 1942February of 1943
• Small Island in
the Solomon
Island chain,
northeast of
Australia.
•Battle fought for
control of airstrip
on the island
• Dense jungle
• Over 28,000
Japanese soldiers
killed
• 4,000 U.S.
soldiers killed.
The Thin Red Line:
26:30 -32:30
1:27:00 - 1:36:30
Battle of Stalingrad – (July 1942 – Feb. 1943)
Battle of Stalingrad – (July 1942 – Feb. 1943)
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Over half a million German soldiers were
killed, nearly 1 million Soviet soldiers died
and another half million Soviet citizens were
killed. It was the bloodiest battle in the war.
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Stalingrad was a major industrial
city that supplied much of the
western Soviet Union with
petroleum from the Caucasus.
The battle lasted for over 6 mos.
Germany bombed the city and
destroyed over 90% of the
buildings.
Civilians inside the city were
encouraged to pick up weapons
and fight against the invading
Germans.
The fighting went back and forth
with the Germans nearly capturing
the strategic city.
The use of individual assault rifles
and tanks played significant roles
in the fighting.
The Germans were then pushed
back and never again threatened
any major Soviet cities.
Battle of Stalingrad – (July 1942 – Feb. 1943)
D-Day (Invasion of Normandy) – (June 1944)
D-Day (Invasion of Normandy) – (June 1944)
• The invasion was successful but caused
25,000 Allied casualties.
• However, this broke the defenses of the
Atlantic Wall and marked the beginning of
the end for Nazi Germany.
• S.P.R. 4:31-28:10
• By 1942 Hitler had created a
formidable “Atlantic Wall” to defend
the Atlantic coast.
• The world knew that an amphibious
invasion had to happen along the
Atlantic coast in order to defeat Nazi
Germany.
• June 6th, 1944 became known as
D-Day or “designated day,” the day
designated to begin the invasion.
• For months prior to D-Day, Allied
bombers bombed locations up and
down the Atlantic Wall to soften the
defensive positions set up on the
beaches.
• The night prior to D-Day thousands
of paratroopers dropped behind
German lines.
• The next morning thousands of
Allied ships made the attack across
the English Channel from Britain.
Disguised .50 mm artillery gun
Disguised bunker in Normandy
German defenses on the beaches of Normandy.
German soldier inside a “pill box” looking for
the impending invasion.
Another “pill box” or bunker. This one on Juno Beach. Most of these
German defensive positions were not taken out by the Allied air attack in
the weeks prior to the invasion
Battle of the Bulge – (Dec. 1944 – Jan. 1945)
Battle of the Bulge – (Dec. 1944 – Jan. 1945)
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Within four months, Nazi Germany had
surrendered to the Allies, the war in Europe was
over.
• Band of Brothers: 45:42-49:10
• In December of 1944 the
Germans attempted their
last offensive, driving the
U.S. forces back 60
miles.
• Hitler hoped to force the
Allies to peace talks so
he could refocus on the
Eastern front and the
Soviets.
• One division, the 101st
Airborne, was surrounded
and trapped in the town
of Bastogne.
• After one and a half
months, General Patton’s
3rd Army (infantry and
tank division) broke
through the German lines
and the Allies pushed
them into full retreat.
Battle of Iwo Jima – (Feb. – March 1945)
Battle of Iwo Jima – Feb. – March 1945
YouTube Clip:
Flags of our Fathers / Letters
From Iwo Jima MashUp
• Both a strategic island and a symbolic victory
due to the fact that it was the first battle fought
on Japanese homeland.
• One of the final pieces of the U.S. “Island
Hopping Strategy” in the Pacific.
• For years, the Japanese defenses had been
established, creating hundreds of bunkers and
“pill boxes” and tunnels that extended
throughout the island.
• This was the largest amphibious invasion in
the history of warfare.
• The use of bombers to destroy the defenses
did little. U.S. forces relied upon Higgins Boats
to land on the beaches as well as tanks and
the use of napalm to destroy vegitation.
• After 36 days of fighting, the U.S. forces
overwhelmed the Japanese soldiers.
• Of the nearly 22,000 Japanese soldiers, only
250 were taken alive (most fighting until death,
many committing suicide).
• There was nearly 27,000 U.S. casualties.