Unit 9: World War 2 (1939-45)

Winning the War in Europe and the Pacific Theaters

Hitler’s Fortress Europe December 31, 1941

Sicily, July 1943

El Alamein, Oct. 1942

Stalingrad, 1942-43

1944

Tebessa

The Battle of Stalingrad (Sept. 42 – Feb. 43)

• True turning point of war in Europe!

• Fought deep in Russia (USSR)

• Brutal house -house; block -block fighting

• 330,000 Ger dead or captured; 1 Million USSR dead

• Germany forced to retreat!

North Africa Campaign(1940 – May 1943)

• Two goals: take pressure off U.S.S.R. & establish base to attack Italy!

• Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower or “Ike” leads the U.S. invasion in Nov. 1942 to join British.

• US and Gen. George S. Patton (aka. Blood & Guts) helped British force Axis surrender in Tunisia. Meet in Casablanca, Morocco in Jan. 1943 to plan next step.

• 240,000 Axis troops captured and Allies were in control of N. Africa!

Invasions of Sicily and Italy(July 1943 – April 1945)

• Gen. Patton and Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower with British invade island amphibiously and Sicily surrendered in 38 days; Mussolini rescued and sent to Milan, Italy to rule “puppet state”

• Allied advance was slow and hard up the “bloody boot.”

• Italy surrendered Sept. 3, 1943, but Hitler would not give up Italy easily!

• Battle of Anzio (May 44) led to capture of Rome

• Mussolini killed in April 28, 1945 by Italian mob

• 190,000 US; 500,000 Germans died!

D-Day Invasion of Normandy (France) June 6, 1944)

• Deception was key for invasion to work

• Ike said 85% may die• 23,000 Airborne troops and gliders

dropped behind lines• 47 Divisions (21 US, 26 UK & Canada +

others) & 4400 ships hit 5 beaches at dawn on D-Day - 150,000 troops.

• 2,000 US casualties on Omaha and Utah beaches (4200 Allies)

• 500,000 by week’s end & 1 Million Allies in France by end of June!

• Paris liberated Aug. 24, 1944 and its on to Berlin, Germany!

60 Miles Wide – 150,000 troops began to wade ashore at dawn.

The Battle of the Bulge(Dec. 1944 – Jan. 1945)

• A German surprise counter attack in Belgium to break Allied lines.

• Gen. Patton moved his 250,000 army in 3 days from W. France to help stop the “bulge!”

• US held at Bastogne, Belgium and by Christmas Day the skies had cleared and airborne troops and bombs stopped the advance.

• Greatest battle in W. Eur. 80,000 US; 100,000 Ger casualties

• Germany would never again mount another offensive in the war.

V-E Day! May 8, 1945

• FDR died April 12, 1945• Germany surrendered to

Allies!• US, Br, and USSR in

Berlin (USSR 1st in)• Hitler (Apr. 30, 1945)

suicide• Harry Truman US

President

December 7, 1941: A Day of Infamy!

7:55 AM – Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

18 warships (8 battleships); USS Arizona 1177 died on one ship!

400 planes 2400 dead and 1200

wounded America was awakened

and vowed revenge!

The Battle of Midway (June 4-6, 1942)

May 7-8, 42 – The Battle of Coral Sea –US lost one carrier, Jap. drive to Port Morseby and Australia stopped!

June 4-6, 1942 – The Battle of Midway –Adm. Chester Nimitz sunk 4 carriers

Japan abandoned plans for attacking Fiji, Samoa, and Midway and goes on defensive.

Midway was turning point of Pacific War.

The Battle of Guadalcanal and Island Hopping Campaign

Aug 7, 1942 – Feb 9, 1943 in the Solomon Islands

20,000 marines invaded to stop another Jap. attempt to capture Port Moresby

Brutal Jungle Warfare Beginning of Island Hopping

– to capture key islands to allow us to eventually bomb Japan

The Jap. withdrew on the night of Feb 9, 43.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf and Re-conquest of the Philippines

Oct 20, 1944 –US forces wade ashore at Leyte Island to reclaim the Philippines.

General Douglas MacArthur – “I shall return!”

Jap. Imperial Navy crippled in the Battle of Leyte Gulf (Oct 23-25, 1944). 280 ships engaged + kamikazes used for 1st time.

Greatest naval battle of war and probably in all of history!

Mar 9, 1945 Philippines freed - 80,000 Jap killed (less than 1000 surrendered). 100,000 Filipinos also died.

Bloody Iwo Jima and Okinawa (Feb - June 1945)

14 –square-mile island less than 700 miles from Jap. was one of the bloodiest of WW 2

110,000 US Marines were opposed by fewer than 25,000 Jap.

1 month for the USMC to take the Island US suffered 25,000 casualties in 35 days 216 Jap. POW’s taken by US!: Get the idea? Apr-Jun 45 – The Battle of Okinawa (350 miles

from Japan) - 180,000 US and Br forces vs.100,000 Jap. who vowed to fight to the death

Jap. pilots flew 2000 kamikaze missions. Only 7200 Jap. surrendered !

US suffered 50,000 casualties and 100,000 Okinawan civilians perished (many commit ted suicide b/c Jap. forces) urged them to.

Extremely costly victories for U.S.

Manhattan Project Ends War 1941-46 Gen. Leslie Groves and

Sci. J. Robert Oppenheimer lead project

Jul 16, 45 – Los Alamos, NM = successful test

Pres. Truman – Aug 6, 45 Hiroshima – 60 K dead; Aug 9, 45 Nagasaki – 35 K

Some estimates as high as 135,000 dead; 64,000 injured

VJ-Day- Aug 15 & Jap. Formally surrenders Sep 2, 1945