Transcript Victory in Europe and the Pacific

Victory in Europe and the Pacific
Chapter 14
Section 4
End of WWII
In Europe, World War II officially ended on May 8,
1945, or V-E Day (Victory Europe Day)
The Allies were able to defeat the Axis powers for
many reasons
Because of their location, the Axis powers had to
fight on several fronts at the same time
Hitler also made some poor military decisions
Example: Hitler underestimated the Soviet Union’s
ability to fight
War Ends in Europe
End of WWII
The huge productive capacity of the United States
was another factor
At the same time, Allied bombing hindered German
production and caused oil to become scarce which
nearly grounded the Luftwaffe (German Air Force)
War in the Pacific
Although Germany was defeated, the Allies still had
to defeat the Japanese in the Pacific
By May 1942, the Japanese had gained control of the
Philippines, killing thousands of prisoners during the
Bataan Death March
However, after the battles of Midway and the Coral
Sea, the United States took the offensive
General Douglas MacArthur began an islandhopping” campaign to recapture islands from the
Japanese
Pacific War
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March began at Mariveles on April 10, 1942.
Any troops who fell behind were executed. Japanese troops beat
soldiers randomly, and denied the POWs food and water for many
days. One of their tortures was known as the sun treatment. The
Philippines in April is very hot. Therefore, the POWs were forced
to sit in the sun without any shade, helmets, or water. Anyone
who dared ask for water was executed. On the rare occasion they
were given any food, it was only a handful of contaminated rice.
When the prisoners were allowed to sleep for a few hours at
night, they were packed into enclosures so tight that they could
barely move. Those who lived collapsed on the dead bodies of
their comrades. For only a brief part of the march would POWs be
packed into railroad cars and allowed to ride. Those who did not
die in the suffocating boxcars were forced to march about seven
more miles until they reached their camp. It took the POWs over a
week to reach their destination.
Route of Bataan
Death March
Bataan Death March
Bataan Death March
Execution of a Prisoner of War (POW)
War in the Pacific
The captured islands served as stepping stones to
the next great objective—Japan
The Americans gradually moved north and were able
to blockade Japan
Bombers pounded Japanese cities and industries
At the same time, the British pushed Japanese forces
back into the jungles of Burma and Malaya
Burma and Malaya
Jungle
B-29 Bomber
War in the Pacific
In early 1945, bloody battles on Iwo Jima and
Okinawa showed that the Japanese would fight to
the death rather than surrender
Some young Japanese became kamikaze pilots who
flew their planes purposefully into U.S. ships
Iwo Jima
Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Okinawa
Kamikaze Pilots
A kamikaze Attacking USS Columbia
Kamikaze Crashing Into the USS Essex
Building the Atomic Bomb
While Allied military leaders planned to invade,
scientists offered another way to end the war
They had conducted research, code-named the
Manhattan Project, that led to the building of an
atomic bomb for the United States
The new U.S. President, Harry S. Truman, decided
that dropping the bomb would save American lives
The Allies first issued a warning to the Japanese to
surrender or face “utter and complete destruction”,
but the warning was ignored
Manhattan Project
President Harry S. Truman
Dropping the Bomb
On August 6, 1945, a U.S. plane dropped an atomic
bomb on the city of Hiroshima, instantly killing
more than 70,000 people
Many more died from radiation sickness
When the Japanese did not surrender, another bomb
was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945
The next day, Japan finally surrendered ending World
War II
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
As many as 140,000 had
died in Hiroshima by the
bomb and its associated
effects, with the estimate
for Nagasaki roughly
74,000.
Atomic Bomb
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima
“Little Boy”
Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki
“Fat Man”
Replicas of “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” in a
Museum
Injuries from Atomic Bomb
Powerpoint Questions (13 points)
1. On what date did World War II officially end? What
is this day called? (2 points)
2. The Japanese killed thousands of prisoners in a long
walk known as the ?
3. Identify the strategy to recapture islands occupied by
the Japanese.
4. Identify the two islands on which bloody battles were
fought in early 1945. (2 points)
5. Define kamikaze.
Powerpoint Questions (13 points)
6. What was the name of the plan to build the first
atomic bomb?
7. What event occurred on August 6, 1945?
8. What event occurred on August 9, 1945?
9. Identify the names of the two atomic bombs. (2
points)
10. Which President made the decision to drop the
atomic bombs?
The End