Topic 14 – World War II (1935 – 1945)Lesson 14.4 – Winning a Deadly War (Vocabulary& Notes)Key Terms (Vocabulary)1. Battle of Midway - a 1942 battle in the Pacific during which

American planes sank four Japanese aircraft carriers

2. Operation Overlord - the code name for the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944

3. Nuremberg Trials - the Nazi war crimes trials held in 1945-19464. Battle of the Bulge - a German counterattack in December 1944

that temporarily slowed the Allied invasion of Germany

5. Island-hopping - during World War II, an Allied strategy of capturing Japanese -held island to gain control of the Pacific

6. Potsdam Declaration - a message sent by the Allied in July 1945 calling for Japanese surrender

7. Bataan Death March - the long trek across the Philippines that American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to make by the Japanese in 1942

8. kamikaze - a World War Ii Japanese pilot trained to make a suicidal crash attack usually upon a ship

9. Navajo code-talkers - during World War II, the Navajo soldiers who used their own language to radio vital messages during the island-hopping campaign

10.Holocaust - the slaughter of Europe’s Jews by the Nazis before and during World War II

11.concentration camps - the camps used by the Nazis to imprison “undesirable” members of society

12.death camps - the camps when people were systematically murdered

13.D-Day - (June 6, 1944) the day of the invasion of Western Europe by Allied troops

Lesson 14.4 – Winning a Deadly WarObj: to identify the early defeats and hardships the Allies suffered; to explain new changes to Allied tactics later in the war turned the tide of the war in Europe; to summarize how the war in Europe ended; to explain why Japan finally surrendered; to describe what make World War the deadliest war in history

When Adolf Hitler learned of the Japanese attack on Peal Harbor he was delighted.“Now it is impossible for us to lose the war,” he predicted, “We how have an ally who has never been vanquished in 3,000 years.”Although Germany’s alliance with Japan did not require it, Hitler promptly declared war on the United States.

THE ALLIES SUFFER EARLY DEFEATSAt first, Hitler’s prediction looked as if it might come true.Early 1942 –

Situation looked bleak for the Allieso German armies occupied most of Europeo German armies occupied much of North Africao The German war machine looked unbeatableo German submarines were sinking ships faster than the Allies could

replace them Most of Europe was in the Axis hands

o Japan was sweeping across Asia and the Pacifico American forces were divided between two fronts

1943 – The tide of battle turned

o It took time for the Allies to develop: New strategies New weapons New forces

o They had to fight back Hitler and win the war in Japan

Germany Invaded the Soviet UnionSummer, 1942:In the Soviet Union:

German armies were closing in on:o Moscowo Leningrado Stalingrad

Soviets resisted:o Burned cropso Destroyed farm equipment

Harsh Russian winter also hindered the German advance The German attack caused terrible hardships in the Soviet Union:

o Fall 1941 – the 900-day siege of Leningrad

More than 1 million Russian men, women and children died

o Mostly from starvation

Japan Advances Across the PacificMeanwhile…

Japanese forces were on the move in the Pacific After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, they seized:

o Guamo Wake Islando Hong Kongo Singapore

US forces in the Southwest Pacific were commanded by General Douglas MacArthur:

With only a few troops, he had to defend a huge area He directed American and Filipino troops in the:

o Defense of the Philippineso Island of Bataan

They fought against enormous odds In the End:

o MacArthur was forced to withdrawo The about 75,000 American and Filipino troops left to defend Bataan

were captured

From Australia, MacArthur announces, “I shall return”The Japanese pressed on.

They captured:o Malayao Burmao The Dutch East Indies

They threatened:o India to the westo Australia and New Zealand in the south

THE ALLIES AGREE ON A STRATEGYTo succeed against the Axis powers, the Allies had to agree on a a strategy.Even before Pearl Harbor, American and British leaders had decided that the Allies must defeat Germany and Italy first.Then, they would send their combined forces to fight Japan.

Victories in JapanAlthough the plan was to beat Hitler first, it did not mean that the war in the Pacific was abandoned.

May 1942 –Chester Nimitz

Commander of the Allied forces in the Pacific Sent a naval task force into the Coral Sea near Java

A three -day battle ensued The task force was strengthened by aircraft carriers that survived the

Pearl Harbor attacko They met the Japanese fleeto After the battle, the Japanese fleet turned back

It was the first naval battle in history in which the ships never engaged one another directlyAll the damage was done by airplanes from airplanes from the carriers

One month later:The Battle of Midway – A stunning victory for the US Navy American planes sank four Japanese aircraft carriers The battle severely hampered the Japanese offensive It also kept Japan from attacking Hawaii again

Pushing Across North AfricaAllied forces began pushing back the Germans in North AfricaOctober 1942 –

El Alamein in Egypto British won an important victory

German forces under German General Erwin Rommel were driven west into Tunisia

Morocco and Algeria in Africao American troops lando Under the command of US Generals:o Dwight D. Eisenhowero Omar Bradleyo George S. Pattono The Allied armies trapped Rommel’s forces in Tunisia

May 1943 –o Rommel’s army had to surrender

The Allies Invade ItalyFrom based in North Africa, the Allies organized the invasion of Italy.Early September 1943 –

o Using paratroopers and soldiers brought by sea to capture the island of Sicily

o Allies crossed from Sicily to the mainland of Italyo By them, Mussolini had been overthrown as leader of Italyo Germany still occupied much of Italyo In a series of bloody battles, the Allies slowly fought their way up the

PeninsulaJune 4, 1944 –Allied troops marched into Rome

o Was the first European capital to be freed from Nazi control

The Eastern Front1943 –

o Leningrad - The Soviet Army repelled the Germanso Stalingrad – Soviet soldiers force the invading Germany army to

surrender after months of fierce house-to-house fighting o Slowly, the Soviet army pushed the remaining German forces

westward through Eastern EuropeFighting in Russia and Eastern Europe was fierceThe Soviet Union would eventually lose some 9 million soldiers

o More than any other country

Stalin urged Britain and the US to send armies across the English Channel into France.

o This would create a second front to Western Europe and ease pressure in the East.

It would not be until 1944 that Churchill and Roosevelt would be prepared to attempt an invasion of Western Europe.

Operation OverlordThe invasion of Europe took years of planning

o General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed commander of the Allied forces in Europe

o He faced an enormous taskOrganize a huge armyFerry it across the English ChannelProvide it with ammunition, food, and other supplies

o June 1944:o Almost 3 million troops were ready for the invasion

The Germans knew an attack was coming, but did not when or where.To guard against the Allied invasion, they:

o Mined beacheso Strung barbed wire along the entire French coastlineo Machine guns and concrete antitank walls stood in place

D-Day in FranceJune 6, 1944 – early morning…this is known as D-Day

A fleet of 4,000 Allied ships carried the invasion force to France. Allied airplanes dropped thousands of paratroopers into occupied

France. Gliders landed in the French fields to deliver more troops and

Supplies Allied warships shelled German forces in preparation for the attack Most of the invasion came from troop landings on five different

beaches along Normandy Allied troops scrambles ashore

o Particularly touch resistance was met on Omaha Beach (location codename)

o Known as “Bloody Omaha” there were 2,400 American casualties Eventually, Allied forces captures all five beaches.

o Despite intense German gunfire and heavy losses, Allied forces surges on to capture more territory along the coast of France.

o Reinforcements landed every day to commence the advance French farm fields provided thick cover so the fighting after D-Day

was slow and dangerous. Eventually, Allied troops fought and pushed German forces back.

The Allied liberation of France continued: By the end of June:

o The French port of Cherbourg was captures August 25, 1944

o The Allies swept east and entered Pariso After four years of Nazi rule, the Parisians greeted their liberators

with joy.o Within a month, France was free

GERMANY’S DEFEATBy September, the Allies were moving east toward GermanyHowever, a shortage of truck fuel slowed the advance.

The German CounterattackDecember 16, 1944 –

German forces began a fierce counterattack.o They pushed back the Allieso This created a bulge in the front lineso This battle is known as The Battle of the Bulgeo The outnumbered American forces held the Germans backo Because of a fuel shortage, Germans was unable to power its tanks

through the American defenseThis hindered the German forces

Allowed the Allies to maintain their ground The Battle of the Bulge slowed the Allied but did not stop them Allied armies advanced on the ground Allied planes bombed Germany At night, British airmen dropped tons of bombs on German cities By day, Americans bombed factories and oil refineries

o This caused severe fuel shortages in Germany and reduced the nation’s ability to produce war goods

(Turning points of WWII pg 787 in TB)

Roosevelt’s Death Stun the NationMid-1944 –Allied advances in Europe shared the US headlines with the upcoming election.Breaking all tradition – FDR ran for a fourth term.

His opponent was New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey Roosevelt and his running mate Harry S. Truman of Missouri

campaigned strongly.Roosevelt and Truman won more than 54% of the vote.Early April 1945 –FDR was on vacation in GeorgiaAs he was sitting having his portrait painted, he complained of a headacheWithin hours, he was dead.All over the world, people mourned Roosevelt, especially Americans.After 12 years of being our PresidentNow, Harry S. Truman was faced with taking over the country in the midst of a war.

Victory in EuropeApril 1945 –Germany was collapsing

American troops were closing in on Berlin from the west Soviets were advancing from the east April 25, Americans and Soviet troops met in Torgau, 60 miles south

of BerlinAs Allied raids pounded Berlin, Hitler hid in his underground bunker

Unwilling to accept defeat, he committed suicideMay 7, 1945 – one week later –Germany surrendered to the AlliesMay 8, 1945 –

The Allied celebrated the long awaited V-E DAY – Victory in Europe

JAPAN SURRENDERSWhile war raged in Europe, the Allies kept up pressure on Japan.The US had two main goals in the Pacific war:

1. Regain the Philippines 2. Invade Japan

Both tasks would prove difficult.

American forces encountered stubborn resistance as they advanced into Japanese territories.Japanese soldiers were trained not to surrender, even if it was clear they were not going to win.

Capturing Japanese IslandsTo gain control of the Pacific Ocean, US forces used strategy:

Capture some Japanese-held islands and go around otherso Island hopping campaigno Each island won, became another stepping stone to Japano The routine:

First – American ships and planes shelled and bombed an island

Next – Troops waded ashore under heavy gunfire Then – Hand-to-hand fighting Americans overcame fierce Japanese resistance

o Navajo soldiers made a key contribution to American strategy in the Pacific. Using their own language, they radioed vital messages from

island to islando Although the messages were intercepted by the Japanese, they were

not able to understand these Navajo code-talkers

October 1944 –o American forces under General MacArthur finally recaptured the

Philippines.o The hard-fought battles of other Pacific Allied forces captured the

islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa from the Japaneseo Iwo Jima importanto There was an air base located thereo Okinawao Just 340 miles from the mainland of Japan, was intended to be

used as a launching point for the invasion of Japan

For the Japanese, defending their homeland became a desperate struggle.o Bushido (Way of the Warrior)o Emphasized loyalty, honor, and sacrificeo To surrender was to “lose face”, or be dishonoredo Kamikaze (suicide missions)o Pilots loaded old planes with bombso Deliberately crashed them into Allied ships

Plans to InvadeBy April 1945 –American forces were close enough to launch attacks against Japanese home islands.American bombers pounded factories and cities.American warships bombarded the coast and sank ships.The Japanese people suffered terribly Yet, their leaders promised a glorious victory

Hirohito was emperor of Japan Hideki Tojo was Prime Minister, a general of the Imperial Japanese Army

US military leaders made plans to invade Japan in the autumn.They warned that the invasion might cost between 150,000 and 250,000 American casualties.

A Secret WeaponJuly 1945 - Truman, Churchill, and Stalin met at Potsdam, Germany

While there, Truman received word that American scientists had successfully tested a secret new weapon – the atomic bomb A single bomb was powerful enough to destroy an entire City. Some scientists believed it was too dangerous to use.

From Potsdam –The Allied leaders sent a message warming Japan to surrender or face “prompt and utter destruction”.Not knowing about the destructive power of the atomic bomb, and wanting to “save face”, they ignored the Potsdam Declaration.

Atomic Bombs End the War With JapanAugust 6, 1945 – Hiroshima, Japan

o American bomber Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb (named Little Boy)

o The blast destroyed most of the city, killing at least 70,000 people and injuring an equal number.

o Still Japan did not budge.August 9, 1945 – Nagasaki, Japan

o Another atomic bomb (named Fat Man) was droppedo About 40,000 residents died instantly.

Many more who lived in those two cities would die later on from the effects of atomic radiation.

August 14, 1945 –The emperor of Japan announced that his nation would surrender.September 2, 1945 – the formal surrender of Japan took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

o The warship flew the same American flag that waved over Washington DC on the day that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor

V-J DAY (Victory in Japan) sparked wild celebrations across the US.o People honked hornso Soldiers and sailors danced in victory parades

WORLD WAR II WAS OVER AT LAST!

THE DEVASTATION OF WORLD WAR IIWorld War II was the deadliest war in history.The exact number of casualties will probably never be known.Historian estimate that between 30 and 60 million people were killed.

o World War I had been fought mainly in the trenches in Europeo World War II had been fought on land, sea, and air throughout many

parts of the world. The war had affected civilians more than any other war. Bombers destroyed houses, factories, and farms.

By 1945, millions were homeless and had no way to earn a living

Well over half of the deaths from the war were civilians

After the war, Americans heard the horrifying stories of the brutal mistreatment of prisoners of war.

o When the Japanese captured the Philippines in 1942, they forced about 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners to march 65 miles with little food or water.

The Bataan Death March - about 10,000 prisoners died or were killed

The HolocaustIn the last month of the European war, Allied forces uncovered other horrors.The Allies had heard about Nazi concentration camps.These camps were areas where members of specially designated groups were confined.Some concentration camps were death camps:

o People were systematically murdered.As the Allies advanced into Germany and Eastern Europe, they discovered the full extent of the Holocaust (the slaughter of Europe’s mostly Jews and others the Nazi saw as undesirable)During the war the Nazis imprisoned Jews from Germany and the nations they conquered.More than 6 million Jews were tortured and murdered.

o Gas chambers were used to murder hundreds of thousands of peopleo The sight of the dead and dying brought even the battle-hardened

veterans to tears.o General Omar Bradley wrote: “the smell of death overwhelmed us

even before we passed through. More than 3,200 naked, emaciated bodies had been flung into shallow graves.”

Nearly 6 million Poles, Slave, and Gypsies were also victims of the death camps, as were the homosexual, beggars, drunkards, political enemies and disabled.

o Nazis killed many prisoners of war, as well as people they considered unfit because of physical or mental disabilities.

o They were all considered “undesirable”

War CrimesAs the full truth of the Holocaust was revealed, the Allies decided to put Nazi leaders on trial to be held accountable for their actions.1945 – 1946 –

o The Nuremburg Trialso War crime trials held in Nuremburg, Germanyo Resulting in the sentencing of 12 Nazi leaders to death

The Allies also tried and executed Japanese leaders accused of war crimes.

Postwar ChallengesAmericans looked ahead to life after such a devastating war.US would now have critical influence on world affairsMoving on would present many challenges:

o How would Europe be rebuilt?o What would happen to Germany?o How would the emergence of the Soviet Union as a world power

affect democracy around the world?o In the wake of two terrible wars, how could peace be maintained?

World leaders struggled with these problems as a new modern era came to pass.