World War II Allied Powers vs Axis Powers

World War II: Allied Powers vs. Axis Powers Mr. Ermer U. S. History Honors Miami Beach Senior High

War In The Pacific � 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 later � Gen. Douglas Mac. Arthur’s troops hid in Bataan for 3 mos. � Gen. Mac. Arthur evacuated to Australia � Mc. Arthur’s troops captured by Japanese, marched 65 miles � Philippines falls to Japan � Doolittle Raid � To raise morale, FDR orders bombing of Tokyo � April: 16 B-25 s bomb Tokyo, land in China � Japan changes course � Japan no longer worried about cutting off supply lines � New plan is to lure U. S. fleet into battle by attacking Midway

Talking In Code � Japanese plan to cut U. S. supply lines to Australia by attacking New Guinea, but U. S. broke the secret code, Battle of Coral Sea � Aircraft Carriers Lexington & Yorktown attack Japanese fleet � Carriers eventually sunk, but Japanese stopped �Navajo “code talkers” used by U. S. Marine Corp � Japanese could not “crack” the Navajo code, orders stayed secret and were quickly transmitted �U. S. Code Breakers learn about attack on Midway � Japanese carriers sail into an ambush � 1 st wave of Japanese planes shot down by Americans � Four Japanese carriers sunk by American bombers �Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war

Island Hopping �Two part plan to defeat the Japanese: � Admiral Nimitz’s Navy island hopping closer to Japan � Gen. Mc. Arthur to lead army to recapture Philippines �Amphtracs 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 �Mac. Arthur’s troops begin drive at Guadalcanal � Catch up to Navy and take New Guinea � Next stop: Philippines (land on 10/20/1944) � Japanese launch surprise attack, use kamikaze pilots �Early Japanese retreat saves U. S. at Battle of Leyte Gulf �Battle for control of the Philippines lasts until end of war

The War In Russia & Africa �FDR wants badly to invade Europe, his advisors and British PM Winston Churchill advise against � Want to invade Africa for two reasons: �Taking control of Africa would not be as difficult �The Army could get practice without needing too many troops �After early losses, Gen. Eisenhower replaces leaders � Gen. George Patton assigned to Africa � Convoy system, radar, sonar help Allies control Atlantic �With W. Europe under Nazi control, Hitler pushes east to destroy the Soviet economy—Stalingrad is main target � Battle lasts from September 1942 -February 1943 � Nazis not prepared for Russian winter � Heavy Nazi losses

Battle of Stalingrad

The Allies Advance �US, UK, USSR form Grand Alliance, stress military operations, not political differences � Agree to fight until all Axis Powers surrender � 1942: War turns against Germany, Japan � Nov ’ 42: Allies invade N. Africa, defeat Germans May ’ 43 � Feb ’ 43: German Sixth Army surrenders at Stalingrad � June ’ 42: USA sinks 4 Japanese carriers at Midway � Gen Mac. Arthur begins offensive in Philippines � Combined Army, Marine and Navy “island hopping” �May 1943: Axis Tunisia surrenders

War in Europe � Casablanca Conference: FDR and Churchill agree to destroy German economic & military potential � Weaken German morale � First, attack Italy “the soft underbelly” of the Axis Powers � September 1943: Allies invade Italian island of Sicily � American & British bombing of Germany picks up � Did 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