World War II Causes Major Battles and Turning

World War II Causes, Major Battles and Turning Points

Overview Fought from 1938 -1945 Involved soldiers from over 56 different countries There were over 60 million causalities (2. 5% of the worlds population) The United States entered the war in 1941 Over 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis during the war The main ALLIED powers-Great Britain, the U. S. , France, and the Soviet Union Main AXIS powers- Germany, Italy, Japan

Causes of World War II A. B. Resentment over the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I Worldwide economic depression v C. D. E. F. Led to the rise of fascism (an authoritarian type of government) to cure economic ills and promoted the greatness of their countries Expansion of militaries across Europe Military expansion of Japan across Asia to secure raw materials European appeasement to avoid another war (policy to give in to German demands prior to 1939) American isolationism (U. S. did not want to get involved in another war and thought that the oceans would protect them)

Major World Leaders during World War II

Timeline of Events 1938 Germany begins annexing “historical territory” Britain and France turn a blind eye 1939 - Germans and Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact to divide and conquer Eastern Europe 1939 Germany invades Poland (official beginning of WWII) 1939 Nazis begin to move Jews to ghettos across Europe 1940 Germany invades and defeats France 1940 Battle of Britain (Germans are defeated) 1941 - Germany invades Soviet Union

Timeline of Events 1941 - Nazi leaders begin “final solution” of Jews across Europe 1941 Japan bombs Pearl Harbor and U. S. enters war Late 1942 U. S. halts Japanese naval and territorial expansion across the Pacific (Battles of Guadalcanal and Midway) Mid-1943 U. S. and British forces defeat Germans and Italians in North Africa and invade Southern Europe at Sicily June 6 th, 1944 Allies land in Normandy , France (D-Day), this turns the war in favor of the Allies

Timeline of Events December 1944 Battle of the Bulge, last major German offensive of the war March 1945 Allies enter Germany April 1945 Concentration Camps discovered by Allies April 1945 Allies reach Berlin and Hitler commits suicide May 1945 Germany surrenders August 1945 Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Japan surrenders

D-Day June 1944 Know as the beginning of the end of the war in Europe Officially called Operation Overlord Included naval bombardment before the battle, and an airborne and amphibious assault on the Normandy region in France 160, 000 Allied troops participated in the attack and there were over 10, 000 casualities Within one year the Germans were defeated and the war was over

Battle of the Bulge December 1944 Last major German attack of the war Hitler wanted to stop the Allied advance and take the supply port at Antwerp, Belgium Attack took the Allies by surprise Weather kept the Allied air force from helping during the battle Largest battle that American troops participated in during the war (600, 000 soldiers) Attack failed because the Germans ran out of gas, literally

Battle of Coral Sea and Guadalcanal Battle of Coral Sea May 1942 First battle between aircraft carriers Battle stopped Japanese expansion across the Pacific Guadalcanal August 1942 Island in the South Pacific Major turning point in the Pacific War Beginning of long Japanese retreat

Battle of Midway June 1942 Midway Island was home to an important American airfield Americans knew Japanese were coming they had broken their code American were outnumbered four ships to one Japanese wanted to destroy the American fleet American navy sank four. Japanese aircraft carriers and crippled the Japanese navy for the rest of the war

Iwo Jima and Okinawa March and April 1945 Islands within 500 miles of Japanese put up fierce resistance Bloodiest land battles of the war Battles convinced Americans of possible losses of invasion of Japan Last solider surrendered on Iwo Jima in 1949, four years after the war was over

Dropping the Atomic Bomb August 1945 Military leaders determined that an invasion of Japan would cost 500, 000 lives President Truman wanted a quick end to the war and ordered the atomic bomb to be dropped on Japan Within day the Japanese surrendered Manhattan Project Began in 1939 Top secret project to build the atomic bomb U. S. government wanted to beat the Nazis in developing one first