Two Theaters: Europe and Pacific WWII: Battlefronts 1939-1945 Two Theaters: Europe and Pacific

Strategies Allies: unified in their goals…get Hitler in Europe and then turn to the Pacific Had General George Patton controlling efforts in Africa Allies attacked Italy, overthrew Mussolini and removed Hitler’s help…new gov’t declared war on Germany Russia wanted Allies to set up western front in France so Germany was fighting a two-front war Axis: Germany, Italy and Japan had their own goals only shared common enemies Main goal: prevent American war materials from getting into Europe…u-boats patrol seas (“wolf packs”) but radar use will level the playing field

War in Europe: Stalingrad Germany had attacked Russia and he wanted Stalingrad for the oil fields Hitler would not admit defeat even though his troops were surrounded Turning Point of War In Europe because it ended any plans Hitler had for domination

Operation Overlord (D-Day) Plan to invade German occupied France to create two-front war for Germany led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower D-Day: when Allies hit Germany on the beaches of Normandy Now Germany fought a hopeless two front war with Allies closing in on Germany

Battle of the Bulge Germany’s counterattack to D-Day An attempt to separate British and American troops that only pushed Hitler further back into Germany…defeat would come soon Ends war in Europe V-E (Victory in Europe) Day Hitler commits suicide on April 30, 1945 7 days later Germany surrender on May 7th

War in Pacific: Midway Japan was trying to conquer all of Asia…turned its sights to the American naval base at Midway American Admiral Chester Nimitz knew of these plans and dealt them the most decisive defeat of the war…turning point of war in the Pacific because it ended the Japanese advance

Island Hopping Americans captured some Japanese-held islands and ignored others in a steady path to Japan Deadly process when Japanese kamikazes deliberately crash their planes into American ships

Iwo Jima 36 day campaign in the process of island hopping to obtain the 5 mile island of Iwo Jima US Marines plant the American flag on Japanese territory… symbolic of American successes and later victory over Japan

The Atomic Bomb Ends the War Albert Einstein split atoms and it created large amounts of energy…FDR creates the Manhattan Project (but bombs are tested in Arizona) to develop the atomic bomb for military use led by J. Robert Oppenheimer not realizing its potential and future impact on war would be so devastating

V-J Day President Harry Truman ordered for two atomic bombs to be dropped on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima Emperor Hirohito surrendered and Americans celebrated V-J (Victory in Japan) Day WWII was over http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki#Announcement_of_the_bombing_in_audio

Holocaust The Nazis attempt to kill all Jews (genocide) Hitler’s Final Solution to the Jewish problem was to exterminate all Jews 6 million total Concentration/death camps warehoused Jews until extermination After war, America helps liberate (free) remaining Jews