WWII – The End and Aftermath The Holocaust was the systematic murder of European Jews. Heinrich Himmler was the architect of the attempted genocide, resulting in the murder of 6 million Jews (two-thirds of the European population), as well as, other minority groups labeled as “undesireables” (Communists, homosexuals, handicapped, gypsies, etc.) Day of Remembrance

WWII – The End and Aftermath Einsatzgruppen were mobile killing units sent throughout eastern Europe to kill Jews and others who the Nazis deemed expendable. Nazi leaders met outside Berlin in 1942 at the Wannese Conference to discuss the “final solution to the Jewish question.” It was decided to construct camps for the sole purpose of mass murdering all Jews.

WWII – The End and Aftermath Genocide is the deliberate attempt to exterminate a race or nationality. Death camps, like Auschwitz, received train loads of Jewish men, women, and children who were herded into gas chambers and poisoned. Prisoners were forced to carry their own dead to large crematoriums to destroy the “evidence”. Some who were “fit” were used as slave laborers. Auschwitz

WWII – The End and Aftermath Harry S. Truman became President after FDR’s sudden death in April ‘45. He was left to oversee the end of the war and the global reorganization to follow. The Allies rapidly moved towards Berlin (Soviets from east and Brits/U.S. from west). Hitler and some of his closest comrades committed suicide and Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 7, 1945. While the Red Army sought personal revenge via brutality, the horrors of the Holocaust were being uncovered. V-E Day (Victory in Europe) was celebrated in Europe and the United States. Fall of the Third Reich

WWII – The End and Aftermath The Battle of Leyte Gulf initiated the retaking of the Philippines. As 160,000 American troops fought their way inland, the Japanese navy was being devastated. I Shall Return The Battle of Iwo Jima was a testament to the Japanese resolve. After more than 2 months of shelling and bombing, Marines stormed the beaches in Nov. of 1945. The 25,000 defenders fought until only 216 remained.

WWII – The End and Aftermath Okinawa was the last obstacle of the island- hopping strategy. It was the largest invasion (180,000 troops and 1300 warships) in the Pacific, costing 50,000 allied casualties and 93,000 Japanese deaths. It took three months (Apr. to Jun. 1945) to take the island setting the stage for an attack on mainland Japan. Okinawa

WWII – The End and Aftermath As an act of desperation the Japanese initiate kamikaze missions, where pilots use their planes as bombs, intentionally steering them into targets. Stalin, Churchill, and Truman met at the Potsdam Conference and issued an ultimatum to Japan to surrender or be destroyed. The Manhattan Project, headed by scientists Einstein and Oppenheimer, succeeded in developing the first atomic bomb in July of 1945. Truman ultimately decided to use the new weapon to avoid more casualties in a land invasion of the mainland.

WWII – The End and Aftermath The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, killing approx. 140,000 people. Three days later a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki with similar results. V-J Day (victory in Japan) was celebrated after Japan’s unconditional surrender on Aug. 14, 1945. Bomb on Hiroshima

WWII – Pacific Theatre

WWII – The End and Aftermath The Yalta Conference was a meeting between Stalin, FDR, and Churchill to plan for post-war Europe. Germany was divided into four sectors (each one was controlled by a major Ally) and implementation of the Atlantic Charter. The Soviets refused to abide by the charter, causing conflict for years to come.

WWII – The End and Aftermath 24 Nazi leaders were tried at Nuremberg for war crimes against humanity. All but two were convicted and most received the death penalty. Nuremberg established a precedent that leaders can be held criminally responsible for their actions. Nuremberg

WWII – The End and Aftermath The signs of the impending Cold War were evident immediately following WWII: 1) Stalin quickly broke his Yalta promise to grant free elections and basic rights to Eastern European countries like Poland and Romania. 2) The division of Germany into four sectors, each controlled by an ally. 3) The Soviet activity in Asia, helping to set up China as another Communist nation.