The Road to Victory: Defeating Germany, Japan and Italy-the Axis Powers

The Leaders of Germany and Japan: Hitler and Tojo

Germany First FDR and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed that the allies should focus their efforts on defeating Germany first - which they viewed as a greater threat. Forces in the Pacific would do their best to regain territory captured by the Japanese.

Operation Torch In 1942, American and British forces attacked German occupied territory in North Africa. By 1943, all German forces were driven from the continent.

Soviets want a Second Front Soviet leader Joseph Stalin pressed the FDR and Churchill to invade Western Europe next. He believed it would force Hitler to take soldiers out of the USSR. The Soviets has suffered terribly from the German invasion - eventually losing 22 million people. The Big 3 - Stalin, FDR, Churchill

War in the USSR

The “soft underbelly” of Europe Instead Churchill convinced FDR to Invade Italy next. He believed it would be less risky than a cross channel invasion of France. German resistance proves to be tougher than expected.

Air war over Europe To further soften up the Germans. The Allies launch massive bombing raids on Germany. The Americans by day and the British by night. They hope to destroy factories, railroads, and fuel refineries.

The Mighty 8th Air Force American bombers were part of the 8th airforce. They flew B-17 and B-24 bombers. Many were shot down, until fighters were developed to escort the bombers over Europe

Germany in Ruins

Invasion of France In 1944, the Allies planned a cross channel invasion of France - Operation Overlord. On June 6, 1944 - D-Day - American, Canadian, and British shores hit the beaches of Normandy. American General Dwight D. Eisenhower led the invasion.

Bloody Omaha Beach

The Drive to Germany By the end of 1944, Allied forces had pushed across France to the German border. Around Christmas, Hitler ordered once last offensive to try and stop the allies. This became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans were defeated and the allies pushed in Germany.

Hitler Commits Suicide By the end of April 1945, the Allies have occupied much of Germany. Soviet forces are in Berlin. After marrying his mistress Eva Braun, Hitler kills himself in his underground bunker and orders his body burned.

V-E Day May 8, 1945 Using children as soldiers, and helpless to stop Allied attacks, the new German leader, Admiral Doentiz, surrenders to the Allies.

V-E Celebrations

The Turning Point in the Pacific After Pearl Harbor, Japanese conquered a vast area of the Pacific and threatened to invade Australia and India. After the Battle of Midway - June 1942-things began to badly for them

Island Hopping To defeat the Japanese, American forces use a strategy called “island hopping”. Invading islands that are closer and closer to the Japanese mainland. Islands near Japan could then be used for bomber bases or staging areas for the invasion of Japan.

American Commanders in the Pacific: General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz

Iwo Jima and Okinawa By the Spring of 1945, American forces were nearing Japan and Japanese resistance became even more intense. Nearly 20,000 American soldiers were killed in these battles. Japanese deaths approached 150,000

Kamikaze Attacks During the battle of Okinawa, the Japanese began to use widespread kamikaze attacks for the first. Planes heavily loaded with explosives crashed in to American ships

The Atomic Bomb The ferocity of Japanese resistance and the kamikaze attacks convinced American leaders that casualties would approach 1 million if the US invaded Japan. At Potsdam, Truman warned the Japanese of new super weapon and threatened destruction unless they surrendered.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Two cities struck by A-Bombs

V-J DAY On April 15, 1945 the Japanese Emperor Hirohito surrendered. The surrender took place on the deck of the USS Missouri MacArthur was placed in charge of the occupation

A Lasting Peace? Shortly before the end of the war the United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco The UN was created to prevent wars like WWII from happening again German war criminals were put on trial at Nuremberg. Japanese leaders were tried too.