World War Two Axis Powers Germany Italy Japan

World War Two

Axis Powers • Germany • Italy • Japan

Allies Power • Great Britain – Australia – Canada • Soviet Union • France • United States*

Attack on Poland • Hitler marches into Poland (Sept. 1939) – 2 days later, Britain and France declare war on Germany. – With Hitler taking his half of Poland, that leaves Stalin to claim his half (according to their agreement). – Blitzkrieg – lightening war – fast-moving airplanes and tanks to take the enemy by surprise

Attack on France • Phony War – British & French declare war on Germany but nothing happens. • By May 1940, Hitler has absorbed/conquered Holland, Belgium & Luxembourg. Next is France. • Germany fights France in Northern France and pushes them to the north coast. • Great Britain helps the French escape with a 850 ship fleet (not all ships but personal boats too). • In June, Italy joins Germany in attack the rest of France.

Attack on France • France surrenders in June 1940. • Germans take Northern France and leaves Southern under the control of Italy. • Middle – Vichy France – Nazi ruled France. – Jews were deported – French could join, ignore, resist – Used the military for Axis powers

Free French • Charles de Gaulle – French general, flees to London but sets of a government-in-exile. • De Gaulle organizes the French military forces.

Battle of Britain • France gone, Great Britain was left alone. • Winston Churchill, new Prime Minister, tells Britain we will never surrender. • Luftwaffe – German’s Air Force • Operation Sea Lion • Summer 1940 – Luftwaffe began bombing Britain.

Battle of Brittan • Germany had almost twice as many aircraft as Britain. – Radar – british invention – German Enigma - code machine • Lasted through May 1941. • Hitler called off attacked, impressed by the British defenses.

Other Invasions • Germany & Italy attack North Africa – Wanted Egypt’s Suez Canal to reach oil – British defended this region – Mainly Italy’s offense to prove to Big Brother Germany they were worthwhile too – British and Germany pushed each other back and forth – Rummel led the charge for Germany • Balkans – Germany invades • Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia & Greece – Next was U. S. S. R.

Attacks USSR • Operation Barbarossa, June 1941 – Attacking Soviet Union • Soviets had numbers, not prepared. • Germans pushed in & Soviets went back to scorched-earth policy.

Attacks USSR • Attacked and starved Leningrad, Stalingrad but wouldn’t fall. • Focused on Moscow, fighting continued to the winter. – Germans not prepared, Hitler would not retreat. – Dug in, 125 miles outside until March 1943

Japan Attacks • Japan’s aggression made FDR nervous. • US refusing to sell Japan oil and other products. • Japan and US held talks Nov. 1941. • Japan had a secret plan to attack the US.

Japan Attacks • Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941 – Japanese planes were sent to attack Pearl Harbor, HI – Less than 2 hours the attack was over, 19 ships destroyed (or sank), 200 planes and 2400 dead

Japan Attacks • The next day, FDR asked Congress to declare war on Japan. Congress agreed. – Next day, Germany & Italy declare war. • The attack united Americans. – Even isolationists.

Allies Attack Europe • Axis land: √ Continental Europe √ Most of North Africa √ SE Asia √ Parts of China • In USSR & close to Moscow. • American and British militaries decided that Hitler should be dealt with first.

Allies Attack Europe • Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower – North Africa – Captured Morocco & Algeria. – May 1943 – beat Rommel (Germany) in Tunisia – Allies now had North Africa in control

Allies Attack Europe Invasion of Italy • Used paratroopers & naval operations to capture Sicily. • Sept. 1943 – onto mainland Italy • Southern easier • Northern Nazi protected • June 1944, Rome was in Allies hands Italian Government • July 1943 – Mussolini removed, arrested • New Italian government treaty with Allies • 9/1943 – Mussolini rescued by Nazi soldiers • Set up a puppet government in the North. • 4/27/1945 – Mussolini stopped by partisans, shot the next day

Allies Attack Europe • Despite German victories, Soviets held their own. • 1943 – Soviet army pushed Germans back • Eventually Soviets pushed Germans out of USSR into Eastern Europe.

Allies Attack Europe • Operation Overlord – D-Day – Took years of planning – Stalin urged US & Britain to invade through the English Channel – Eisenhower was appointed Commander of Allied forces. – 3 million troops took apart in this Ally attack. – Germans knew what but didn’t know when and where.

Allies Attack Europe • Operation Overlord – D-Day – June 6, 1944 – 4000 Allied ships landed on Normandy, France on 5 separate beaches • Gold, Juno, Sword – British & Canadians • Utah (easy) & Omaha (hard) – US – Every day, more and more allies landed to help with supplies and fighting.

Allies Attack Europe • 9/25/1944 – Allies entered Paris – By Nov. , all of France was freed. • Advancing slowed due to supply shortages • 12/16/1944 – Germans began a counterattack, pushed part of the American lines back – Battle of the Bulge – slowed the Allies but did not stop them • Planes bomber Germany – Created shortages for Germany

Allies Attack Europe • April 1945 – Germany was losing major ground – 4/25/1945 – Americans & Soviets met just south of Berlin • 4/30/1945 – Hitler committed suicide • 5/7/1945 – Germany surrendered • 5/8/1945 – V-E Day – Victory in Europe

Allies Attack Japan • Japan seized Guam, Wake Island, Hong Kong and Singapore. • Even though we tackled Europe first, we still fought in the Pacific. • Two main goals: – Regain the Philippines – Invade Japan • Gen. Douglas Mac. Arthur – commander of US forces in the Pacific • Philippines – heavy fighting and causalities, Mac. Aruther sent to Australia

Philippians • Bataan Death March – Japanese captured the Philippines in 1942 – Forced 75, 000 American and Filipino prisoners to march 65 miles with little food/water. – 10, 000 were killed or died during the march.

Allies Attack Japan • Island hopping – capture some Japanese controlled islands and going to others, all were stepping stones to Japan. – On the island there were stages of combat: • Ships shelled the island • Troops came ashore under heavy fighting • Hand to hand fighting up hills and mountains • Battle of Midway – 1942 - kept Japan from attacking Hawaii again.

Allies Attack Japan • Oct. 1944 – Mac. Arthur returned to the Philippines – Feb. 1945 – control of Manila, the capital • Americans then captured Iwo Jima and Okinawa – within 350 miles of Japan. • Kamikaze – suicide pilots • April 1945 – repeat attacks against Japanese home islands – Factories, cities, coasts and ships – The people suffered terribly despite what the leaders said.

Allies Attack Japan • July 1945 – Truman, Churchill & Stalin met at Potsdam, Germany – Truman was told the Manhattan project was successful – Potsdam Declaration - Allied leaders warned Japan to surrender or face “prompt and utter destruction”. – Concerned about casualties on both sides.

Allies Attack Japan • Manhattan Project – creation of the atomic bomb – So powerful 1 could destroy an entire city • 8/6/1945 – Enola Gay – drooped an A-bomb on Hiroshima, Japan – 70, 000 people killed another 70, 000 hurt • Truman warned Japan, again they didn’t listen. • 8/9/1945 – Bockscar – dropped an A-bomb on Nagasaki, Japan – 40, 000 died • More residents from Hiroshima & Nagasaki died from radiation poisoning

Allies Attack Japan • 8/14/1945 - Hirohito announced that Japan would surrender. • 8/15/1945 – V-J Day • 9/2/1945 – formal surrender took place aboard the USS Missouri.

Costs of the War • 30 -60 million killed in action. • Major difference between WWI & WWII was more bombing and less trenches. • New tensions between the Allies.

The Holocaust 1. Jews blamed for problems 2. Laws passed persecuting Jews, Nuremberg Laws 3. Emigration used 1. Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”) 4. Jews forcibly moved to ghettos 1. Forced sterilization 5. Concentration camps – prison camp for civilians who are considered enemies of the state 1. Experiments, torture 6. Extermination camps – death camps

The Holocaust • Final Solution - a program developed of genocide • Concentration camps set up (Germany, Austria, Poland) • Forced labor and starvation • 1942, mass killings begin (up to 6, 000 per day at some camps) • 6 million murdered – Jews – But Catholics, gypsies, enemies of the state, POWs, Poles, Slavs, people unfit due to mental or physical disabilities

The Holocaust • At camps, experiments on people were also done. • 1945 -1946 – Nuremberg Trials – 12 Nazi leaders were sentence to death for war crimes – Thousands others were found guilty and imprisoned.