Victory in Europe and the Pacific

Chapter 14Section 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 reasonsBecause of their location, the Axis powers had to fight on several fronts at the same timeHitler also made some poor military decisionsExample: 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 factorAt 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 PacificBy May 1942, the Japanese had gained control of the Philippines, killing thousands of prisoners during the Bataan Death MarchHowever, after the battles of Midway and the Coral Sea, the United States took the offensiveGeneral Douglas MacArthur began an island-hopping” 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—JapanThe Americans gradually moved north and were able to blockade JapanBombers pounded Japanese cities and industriesAt 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 surrenderSome 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 warThey had conducted research, code-named the Manhattan Project, that led to the building of an atomic bomb for the United StatesThe new U.S. President, Harry S. Truman, decided that dropping the bomb would save American livesThe 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 peopleMany more died from radiation sicknessWhen the Japanese did not surrender, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945The 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