The War Ends Chapter 25 Section 5

Battle of the Bulge Hitler’s last desperate offensive Goal – to cut off Allied supplies coming through Antwerp, Belgium December 16, 1944 – the attack b/g Germans caught the US by surprise As German troops raced west, their lines bulged outward Battle of the Bulge

The Bulge 2 Germany wanted to capture the town of Bastogne where several important roads converged US troops raced to Bastogne, arriving just b/f German troops Germans surrounded the town and demanded surrender The Germans were denied Eisenhower ordered Patton to rescue the surrounded US troops

The Bulge 3 Patton’s troops slammed into German lines at Bastogne Allied aircraft b/g hitting German fuel depots By Christmas Eve the Germans were forced to halt Two days later Patton’s troops broke through to Bastogne January 8, 1945 German troops b/g to w/draw

Hitler Dies Allies into Germany Hitler hides in his bunker in Berlin Soviets forces attack Germany’s eastern border US forces attacked Germany’s western border Hitler hides in his bunker in Berlin April 30, 1945 he put a pistol in his mouth and pulled the trigger Hitler’s secretary carried his body outside and doused it w/ gasoline and set it on fire Hitler chose Karl Doenitz as his successor

V-E Day Doenitz tries to surrender to the US and British while continuing to fight the Soviets Eisenhower insisted on unconditional surrender May 7, 1945 – Germany surrendered unconditionally May 8, 1945 was declared V-E Day Victory in Europe

Battle of Iwo Jima February 1945 – 110,000 US Marines landed on Iwo Jima US takes control of the island and its airfields 6 US Marines raise US flag on top of Mount Suribachi US soldiers 6,821 US soldiers died; 19,189 were wounded Japanese soldiers Of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers, only 1,083 survived to be taken prisoner

The Flag Raisers There are six Flag Raisers on the photo. Four in the front line and two in back. The front four are (left to right) Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, John Bradley and Harlon Block. The back two are Michael Strank (behind Sousley) and Rene Gagnon (behind Bradley). Strank, Block and Sousley would die shortly afterwards. Bradley, Hayes and Gagnon became national heroes within weeks. ================================================================================ Top Left = Mike Strank b. 1919 Jarabenia, Czechoslovakia. d. 1945 Iwo Jima, Japan. Their leader and Sergeant, it was Mike who got the order to climb Mt. Suribachi. Mike picked his "boys" and led them safely to the top. Mike explained to the boys that the larger flag had to be raised so that "every Marine on this cruddy island can see it." It was Mike who gave the orders to find a pole, attach the flag and "put'er up!" Mike's right hand is the only hand of a flagraiser not on the pole. His right hand is around the wrist of Franklin Sousley, helping the younger man push the heavy pole. Two months before the battle Mike's Captain tried to promote him but Mike turned it down flat: "I trained those boys and I'm going to be with them in battle," he said. Mike died on March 1, 1945. He was hit by a mortar as he was diagramming a plan in the sand for his boys. Mike is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. ================================================================================  Harlon Block  b. 1924 Yorktown, Texas.  d. 1945 Iwo Jima, Japan. Harlon was Sgt. Mike's second-in-command. He took over the leadership of his unit when Sgt. Mike was killed. Harlon was killed by a mortar blast hours later on March 1 at the age of 21. When his mother Belle saw the Flag Raising Photo in the Weslaco Newspaper on Feb. 25, she exclaimed, "That's Harlon" pointing to the figure on the far right. But the US Government mis-identified the figure as Harry Hansen of Boston. Belle never wavered in her belief that it was Harlon insisting, "I know my boy." No one--not her family, neighbors, the Government or the public--had any reason to believe her. But eighteen months later in a sensational front-page story, a Congressional investigation revealed that it was Harlon in the photo, proving that indeed, Belle did "know her boy." Harlon is buried beside the Iwo Jima Monument in Harlingen, Texas.  Franklin Sousley b. Sept. 19, 1925 Hilltop, KY.  d. March 21, 1945 Iwo Jima, Japan. Franklin enlisted at 17 and sailed for the Pacific on his 18th Birthday. All that's left of Franklin is a few pictures and two letters Franklin wrote home to his mother: July 1944, Letter from Training Camp: "Mother, you said you were sick. I want you to stay in out of that field and look real pretty when I come home. You can grow a crop of tobacco every summer, but I sure as hell can't grow another mother like you." ------------Feb. 27, 1945 Letter from Iwo Jima: "My regiment took the hill with our company on the front line. The hill was hard, and I sure never expected war to be like it was those first 4 days. Mother, you can never imagine how a battlefield looks. It sure looks horrible. Look for my picture because I helped put up the flag. Please don't worry and write." Franklin was the last flag-raiser to die on Iwo Jima, on March 21 at the age of 19. When word reached his mother that Franklin was dead, "You could hear her screaming clear across the fields at the neighbor's farm." Franklin is buried at Elizaville Cemetery, Kentucky.     ================================================================ Ira Hayes  b. January 12, 1923 Sacaton, Arizona d. January 24, 1955 Bapchule, Arizona Ira Hayes was a Pima Indian. When he enlisted in the Marine Corps, he had hardly ever been off the Reservation. His Chief told him to be an "Honorable Warrior" and bring honor upon his family. Ira was a dedicated Marine. Quiet and steady, he was admired by his fellow Marines who fought alongside him in three Pacific battles. When Ira learned that President Roosevelt wanted him and the other survivors to come back to the US to raise money on the 7th Bond Tour, he was horrified. To Ira, the heroes of Iwo Jima, those deserving honor, were his "good buddies" who died there. At the White House, President Truman told Ira, "You are an American hero." But Ira didn't feel pride. As he later lamented, "How could I feel like a hero when only five men in my platoon of 45 survived, when only 27 men in my company of 250 managed to escape death or injury?" The Bond Tour was an ordeal for Ira. He couldn't understand or accept the adulation . . . "It was supposed to be soft duty, but I couldn't take it. Everywhere we went people shoved drinks in our hands and said 'You're a Hero!' We knew we hadn't done that much but you couldn't tell them that." =================================================================    Rene Gagnon  b. Manchester, N.H. March 7, 1925  d. Manchester, N.H. October 12, 1979  Rene Gagnon was the youngest survivor and the man who carried the flag up Mt. Suribachi. He was the first survivor to arrive back in the US.    John Bradley  b. July 10, 1923 Antigo, WI. d. January 11, 1994 Antigo, WI. "Doc" Bradley was a Navy Corpsman who "just jumped in to lend a hand." He won the Navy Cross for heroism and was wounded in both legs. Bradley, a quiet, private man, gave just one interview in his life. In it he said . . . "People refer to us as heroes--I personally don't look at it that way. I just think that I happened to be at a certain place at a certain time and anybody on that island could have been in there--and we certainly weren't heroes--and I speak for the rest of them as well. That's the way they thought of themselves also." Ira went back to the reservation attempting to lead an anonymous life. But it didn't turn out that way . . . "I kept getting hundreds of letters. And people would drive through the reservation, walk up to me and ask, 'Are you the Indian who raised the flag on Iwo Jima" Ira tried to drown his "Conflict of Honor" with alcohol. Arrested as drunk and disorderly, his pain was clear . . . "I was sick. I guess I was about to crack up thinking about all my good buddies. They were better men than me and they're not coming back. Much less back to the White House, like me." In 1954, Ira reluctantly attended the dedication of the Iwo Jima monument in Washington. After a ceremony where he was lauded by President Eisenhower as a hero once again, a reporter rushed up to Ira and asked him, "How do you like the pomp & circumstances?" Ira just hung his head and said, I don't." Ira died three months later after a night of drinking. As Ira drank his last bottle of whiskey he was crying and mumbling about his "good buddies." Ira was 32. 8

Firebombing in Japan B-29’s drop bombs filled with napalm Napalm – jellied gasoline The bombs would not only explode, but they would start fires as well Very controversial b/c the fires would also kill civilians It was the quickest way to destroy Japan’s war production Tokyo firebombing killed over 80,000 people and destroyed more than 250,000 buildings

Okinawa April 1, 1945 - US troops landed on Okinawa Largest amphibious assault in the Pacific campaign of WWII Allied lost 50,000 lives Japan lost over 100,000 lives Estimated 40,000 – 150,000 civilian lives lost

Terms for Surrender The US demanded unconditional surrender Many Japanese leaders were willing to surrender w/ one condition The emperor had to stay in power The Manhattan Project – the codename for the American program to build the atomic bomb

Dropping Little Boy Truman b/l it was his duty to use every weapon available to save American lives August 6, 1945 – a B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima B/w 80,000 and 120,000 people died instantly Thousands more died later from burns and radiation sickness

Dropping Fat Man August 9, 1945 The Soviets declare war on Japan US dropped the second bomb called “Fat Man” on Nagasaki It killed b/w 35,000 and 74,000 people August 15, 1945 – Japanese emperor ordered his govt. to surrender V-J Day – victory in Japan

Building a Post-War World The United Nations Each member would have a representative Each member would have one vote The UN would also have a Security Council of 11 members 5 countries would be permanent members US, Britain, France, China, and the Soviet Union These 5 would each have veto power

The Enemy on Trial International Military Tribunal (IMT) Created by the US, Britain, France, and the SU Nuremberg trials – the IMT tried German leaders suspected of committing war crimes Similar trials were held in Tokyo for the leaders of wartime Japan The emperor was not indicted b/c the Allies feared any attempt to put him on trial would lead to an uprising by the Japanese