A Look at how World War II Ended End of the War A Look at how World War II Ended

Vocabulary D-Day – Battle on Normandy Beach in France, June 1944, that turned the tides of the War in favor of the Allied Powers V-E Day - The day the Allied Powers won the war in the European theater on May 7, 1945. V-J Day - The day the Allied Powers won the war in the Pacific theater against the Japanese on September 2, 1945. Atomic Bomb - A massive bomb that kills thousands of people.

D-Day June 1944 Battle on the beach of Normandy in France, who was occupied by the Nazi’s at the time One of the largest assaults in military history Approximately 156,000 Allied troops had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches. More than 4,000 Allied soldiers lost their lives Continued to fight across France- turning point of the War and turned the tides against the Nazi’s

European Theater After D-Day, the Allied Powers were attacking the German Army (Nazis) from the East and the West.

European Theater The Allied Powers closed in on Germany and they were close to winning the war. The Soviet Union was rushing in on Berlin, Germany from the east, and the Allied Powers led by the U.S. was rushing in from the West.

The Death of Hitler Hitler was forced to go into hiding in April of 1945 (towards the end of the war). In the bunker he got reports from his generals saying that the German army was losing. Instead of being caught by the Allied Powers, Hitler committed suicide. Hitler had his body burned by one of his close friends. Why do you think Hitler killed himself?

V-E Day A couple days after Hitler killed himself, the Soviet Union and its tanks rolled into Berlin and took over the capital of Germany! The Germans were forced to surrender on May 7, 1945 The Allied Powers won in the European Theater

Berlin, Germany 1945

Victory in Europe Day!

Pacific Theater World War II was not done! The war was still waging in the Pacific Theater The Allied Powers were fighting against the Japanese Although the island hopping technique was working, the fighting was really bloody.

Iwo Jima The Allied Powers defeated the Japanese on the island of Iwo Jima

President Truman President Roosevelt died while still on office on April 12, 1945 - 10 days before V-E Day. Vice President Henry Truman became the new President of the United States

Truman’s Decision Truman had a huge decision to make… He had to decide to defeat Japan. His choices were to Invade Japan Drop an atomic bomb on Japan

Invading Japan If Truman decided to invade Japan, the Japanese would not surrender until almost all their troops had died.

Dropping the Bomb If Truman decided to drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan, he knew that the Japanese would be forced to surrender, but he would kill thousands if not millions of Japanese people.

Truman’s Decision What are some pros and cons of each option?

Drop the Bomb Truman decided to drop the Atomic bomb on two cities in Japan: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Made this decision to save the lives of American troops Hiroshima: Aug. 6, 1945 Nagasaki: Aug. 9, 1945

Aftermath 140,000 Japanese died in Hiroshima 80,000 Japanese died in Nagasaki Thousands others died years later from cancer caused by the radiation from the Atomic bomb

V-J Day September 2, 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the Americans. This day is known as Victory in Japan Day.

WWII WORLD WAR II HAS ENDED