Mr. ErmerU.S. History Honors

Miami Beach Senior High

World War II: Allied Powers vs. Axis

Powers

Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet Plans to use surviving aircraft carriers against Japan Cannot mobilize fast enough to stop Japan from taking S.E. Asia

Japan attacks U.S. bases in Philippines, land troops laterGen. Douglas MacArthur’s troops hid in Bataan for 3 mos.

Gen. MacArthur evacuated to AustraliaMcArthur’s troops captured by Japanese, marched 65 miles

Philippines falls to JapanDoolittle Raid

To raise morale, FDR orders bombing of TokyoApril: 16 B-25s bomb Tokyo, land in China

Japan changes course Japan no longer worried about cutting off supply linesNew plan is to lure U.S. fleet into battle by attacking

Midway

War In The Pacific

Japanese plan to cut U.S. supply lines to Australia by attacking New Guinea, but U.S. broke the secret code, Battle of Coral SeaAircraft Carriers Lexington & Yorktown attack Japanese

fleetCarriers eventually sunk, but Japanese stopped

Navajo “code talkers” used by U.S. Marine CorpJapanese could not “crack” the Navajo code, orders

stayed secret and were quickly transmittedU.S. Code Breakers learn about attack on Midway

Japanese carriers sail into an ambush1st wave of Japanese planes shot down by AmericansFour Japanese carriers sunk by American bombers

Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war362 dead Americans, 3,057 dead Japanese

Talking In Code

Two part plan to defeat the Japanese:Admiral Nimitz’s Navy island hopping closer to

JapanGen. McArthur to lead army to recapture

PhilippinesAmphtracs used to land Marines on coral atolls

1943-45: Marines take islands 1 by 1, move closer to Japan

B-29 “Superfortress” bomber, fly farther than other planes

MacArthur’s troops begin drive at GuadalcanalCatch up to Navy and take New GuineaNext stop: Philippines (land on 10/20/1944)Japanese launch surprise attack, use kamikaze

pilotsEarly Japanese retreat saves U.S. at Battle of Leyte

GulfBattle for control of the Philippines lasts until

end of war

Island Hopping

FDR wants badly to invade Europe, his advisors and British PM Winston Churchill advise againstWant to invade Africa for two reasons:

Taking control of Africa would not be as difficultThe Army could get practice without needing too

many troopsAfter early losses, Gen. Eisenhower replaces

leadersGen. George Patton assigned to AfricaConvoy system, radar, sonar help Allies control

AtlanticWith W. Europe under Nazi control, Hitler

pushes east to destroy the Soviet economy—Stalingrad is main targetBattle lasts from September 1942-February 1943Nazis not prepared for Russian winterHeavy Nazi losses

The War In Russia & Africa

Battle of Stalingrad

The Allies AdvanceUS, UK, USSR form Grand Alliance, stress

military operations, not political differencesAgree to fight until all Axis Powers surrender

1942: War turns against Germany, JapanNov ’42: Allies invade N. Africa, defeat Germans

May ’43Feb ’43: German Sixth Army surrenders at

StalingradJune ’42: USA sinks 4 Japanese carriers at MidwayGen MacArthur begins offensive in PhilippinesCombined Army, Marine and Navy “island

hopping” May 1943: Axis Tunisia surrenders

Casablanca Conference: FDR and Churchill agree to destroy German economic & military potentialWeaken German moraleFirst, attack Italy “the soft underbelly” of the Axis PowersSeptember 1943: Allies invade Italian island of Sicily

American & British bombing of Germany picks upDid not weaken German economy or morale, but created

gas shortage, interrupted railroads, wrecked airplane factories—Allies now controlled the air

Allies invade Italy, move north quickly, Mussolini arrested by King Victor Emmanuel III—Germans return him to power

Allies land at Anzio, behind Nazi lines at Cassino, fighting lasts for three months—Allies take Rome in May 1944

War in Europe