The end of the beginning? The last year of the War The end of the beginning?
After Normandy . . . The Netherlands Hundreds of thousands of men followed the initial Normandy landings. Canadians were instrumental in pushing the Nazis out of the Netherlands. Hitler pinned his hopes on the ferocious fighting of his troops and his “secret” weapons – the V1 and V2 rockets.
The beginning of the end
The end of the dictators Italian partisans captured Mussolini and his mistress and hung them upside down in the town square of Milan. After months of vicious fighting, the Soviets were in Berlin. Hitler committed suicide in his bunker April 30, 1945.
The War ends in Europe V-E Day (Victory in Europe) was May 8, 1945. The Allies celebrated. Prominent Nazis tried to escape or change identities. Mistrust grew between the Soviets and the other Western Allies.
But we’re still fighting in the Pacific The Japanese had taken over many countries in Southeast Asia including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Burma. Their advance was finally stopped in 1942 during the Battle of Midway. From that point on, American forces engaged in a tactic called “island hopping” and retook the the Pacific. Fighting for these islands was bitter and brutal.
What the Allies faced . . . Japan’s military had a tradition of no surrender so their soldiers fought to the death. Kamikaze pilots were used to attack American aircraft carriers in particular. By the summer of 1945 the Americans were poised to invade Japan itself. They knew they would face heavy losses.
The Americans in the Pacific
But the Japanese won’t surrender. The American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in April 1945. Harry Truman succeeded him. He had a decision to make: how will he end the war? Will he invade Japan? Will he use the new weapon that is available to him? It’s up to you to advise him.
What would you do? Read over the arguments for and against dropping the atomic bombs. Decide what you will do. Back up your decision with reasoned arguments.
The decision The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. 100 000 people were killed instantly. The second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. It was only after this bomb destroyed the city that the Japanese agreed to surrender unconditionally.
World War II Ends Statistics Country Population 1939 Military deaths Civilian deaths Total Canada 11,300,000 45,300 0 45,300 China 530,000,000 3,000,000 7,000,000 10,000,000 France 41,700,000 212,000 350,000 562,000 Germany 69,300,000 5,500,000 2,000,000 7,500,000 Italy 43,800,000 306,400 153,100 459,500 Japan 72,000,000 2,000,000 600,000 2,600,000 SovietUnion 168,500,000 10,700,000 12,500,000 23,200,000 United Kingdom47,800,000 382,600 67,800 450,400 United States 132,000,000 407,300 11,200 418,500 Totals 1,971,470,000 24,456,100 32,326,600 62,536,700