Unit 6, Section 4 Forward to Victory

America Strikes Back Spring of 1942, things don’t look good for Allies Soviet Union has been invaded, the US Navy has been crippled, the British are bogged down in North Africa, and the Nazi flag flies over Paris. America is eager for a victory over Japan

Doolittle Raid Lt. Colonel James Doolittle leads a bombing mission over Tokyo Important boost for United States morale Shows Japanese they are vulnerable to attack

Midway American Navy surprises Japanese force at island of Midway – June, 1942 Japanese lose more than 300 planes Also lose all FOUR of their carriers Midway IS THE TURNING POINT OF THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC

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Island Hopping US goes on the offensive after Midway..."Island Hopping“ Island Hopping - strategy of bypassing heavily guarded Japanese islands and focusing on strategically placed, less defended islands. US wins important victory at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. Sea, air, and land battle. Fierce, bloody combat between US Marines and Japanese Army Of 36,000 Japanese soldiers, 31,000 are killed

Guadalcanal Important Victory: Psychological Victory Stops Japanese advance Gives US strategic airfield USS North Carolina in Pacific Theatre

El Alamein Meanwhile, on the other side of the world...The Battle of El Alamein British launch a major assault against Rommel in North Africa-Leggo Rommel's force is driven West into American army led by General Eisenhower Rommel is trapped between the British and an American force of 100,000 men Rommel's force is destroyed by May 1943.

Battle of Stalingrad Germans have failed to take Leningrad or Moscow. Hitler sends 6th Army to take Stalingrad - a major industrial city Battle begins August, 1942. Bombing reduces city to rubble Stalin orders city not to surrender at any cost News

Stalingrad as Turning Point in Europe Soviet troops outside city launch a counter attack, surrounding Germans. Winter sets in...Hitler forbids surrender Feb. 2, 1943 - 90,000 German troops surrender (had been 330,000) Soviets lose 1 Million troops in Stalingrad, but now they are on the offensive The Turning Point in Europe

Taking Italy Italy seen as “soft underbelly” of Europe Allies land in July, 1943; finally take Rome in June of 1944 Fierce German resistance Mussolini is captured by Italian partisans in 1945 and shot 2

D-Day: The Liberation of France Since earliest days of war, Stalin has wanted British and Americans to attack in France. Germans knew attack was coming...they just didn't know where. June 6, 1944 - Allies launch invasion at Normandy, France. Allied Invasion of France is known as Operation Overlord Shay

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Click on the images below for lesson plans and primary accounts of D-Day

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D-Day Continued D-Day Invasion was the largest land and sea assault in history - force of 3 million troops eventually landed. 6

Battle of the Bulge By September, Allies freed France and Belgium from the Germans. Set sights on Germany... Last German offensive in the West, Battle of the Bulge*, takes place in December of 1944. Over 89,000 US troops are killed, captured, or wounded. Allies regroup and drive the Germans back… By March, Berlin is surrounded...Hitler kills himself in April. Germany surrenders in May of 1945. *Author Kurt Vonnegut was captured during the Battle of the Bulge, and later wrote about his war experiences in the book Slaughterhoue Five. Click on the link to read a letter to his family explaining what he lived through.

End in the Pacific In the Pacific, Americans retake the Philippines. Japanese begin Kamikaze warfare Americans win bitter victory at Iwo Jima Fearing huge casualties from an invasion, President Harry Truman decides to use new weapon on Japan

The Atomic Bomb Atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima - August 6, 1945. 80,000 people are killed. 2nd bomb dropped on Nagasaki three days later - 70,000 are killed. Japan surrenders on September 2nd, 1945 footage

From http://www.history.army.mil