WWII in Europe and The Pacific Lecture 4

Standard 11.8.2 Explain United States and Allied wartime strategy, including the major battles of Midway, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Battle of the Bulge. Essential Question: With the war over in Europe, was it necessary for the US to use the Atomic Bomb to end the war with Japan?

Operation Barbarossa Germany invaded the USSR in May, 1941 Winter Stalingrad 3 million Germans and Russians killed

Strategic Bombing Strategic Bombing Began bombing raids on Italy and Germany destroy their industry night

D-Day Operation Overlord (D-Day), June 6, 1944 D-day was the largest amphibious assault in history planned by Gen. Eisenhower 150,000 troops landed on five beaches just under 7000 ships were involved France and Belgium were liberated by September

D-Day, June 6, 1944

Battle of the Bulge Battle of the Bulge, 1944 Germans try to push allies back to the English Channel 250,000 German troops were sent to take Antwerp it created a “bulge” in the allied line

War in the Pacific

Battle of the Coral Sea Battle of the Coral Sea, 1942 the first naval battle where ships never saw each other

Battle of Midway Battle of Midway, 1942 Sunk four Japanese aircraft carriers and destroyed hundreds of planes U.S. break Japanese codes Japan never recovered and the tide of war turned

Island Hopping the US decided to only take important islands to control the air and the sea

Iwo Jima and Okinawa Iwo Jima Okinawa US casualties exceeded D-Day Japanese soldiers were either killed or committed suicide Okinawa US casualties close to 50,000 more than 100,000 Japanese died daily bombing of Japan 250,000 buildings destroyed (25% of Tokyo) 83,000 people killed, more than either nuclear bomb http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51lo2dpaZ_g&safe=active

The Atomic Bomb The Manhattan Project, 1941 Einstein theorized the potential of the bomb Oppenheimer was director of the $2 billion project over 100,000 worked on the bomb Lawrence Nuclear Lab in in Oakridge, TN

Little Boy Hiroshima, 1945 Enola Gay (B-29) delivered the 15 kiloton “Little Boy” on August 6, 1945 exploded 1,900 feet above the city (100,000,000°) shadows of people were left on the walls 100,000 were killed by the bomb or sickness from radiation

Fat Man Nagasaki, 1945 a second 21 kiloton bomb “Fat Man” was dropped August 9, 1945 70,000 killed was this too soon? USSR declared war on Japan some argue the bomb was dropped to scare the Russians as much as the Japanese http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF4LQaWJRDg&safe=active

Victory in Japan V-J Day (September 2, 1945) MacArthur accepted Japanese surrender on the USS Missouri Japan kept its emperor but had to write a new constitution could not have a military the US occupied Japan