Objective Identify Military, Political, and Diplomatic Turning Points of WWII and determine their significance to the outcome and aftermath of the conflict.
Blitzkrieg Lightning Warfare, Mechanized Warfare, Tanks, Planes, Armored Cars, Trucks, German war strategy in taking over Poland and France
Battle of Britain Air war over Britain between the German Luftwaffe and Royal Air Force, Great Britain has an advantage with the development of Radar
Pearl Harbor December 7th, 1941; Japanese bomb US Battleships in Hawaii leading to US entry into WWII.
Chester Nimitz Commander of US forces in the Pacific theater of WWII
Stalingrad Turning point in the war in Europe, Joseph Stalin ordered his troops to fight to the death, Hitler refused to allow his troops to retreat, USSR defeated the Germans and took approximately 100,000 prisoners
D-Day (Operation Overlord) June 6th, 1944, Liberation of France begins, landing on the beaches of Normandy
George Patton General in charge of the 3rd Army tank division, known for personal battles with British General Bernard Montgomery, Assassinated in London at the end of WWII
Battle of the Bulge Last German Offensive of WWII, occurred in December of 1944, Attempt to push the Allies out of France
Airdrops Supplies dropped to troops in remote areas
Newsreels Films released to the American Public to document WWII
Posters Propaganda; encouraged Americans to support the war by buying bonds, rationing, and working hard.
Battle of Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean, Battle became the turning point in the war as the US established Naval superiority in the Pacific
Douglas MacArthur Japanese Surrender “I Shall Return” Philippines Supreme Allied Commander in the Pacific
Island Hopping Strategy of the US in the pacific of moving from one island to another on the way to Japan
Iwo Jima Sulfur Island in the Pacific, defended to the death by 20,000 Japanese, Marine Memorial
Okinawa 150,000 Japanese casualties, 72,000 American casualties, Kamikazes, showed that Japan would be very difficult to defeat because they would not surrender even when defeated
Allied Conferences Wartime conferences between the Allies to determine strategy Casablanca Tehran YaltaPotsdam
VE Day, VJ Day Victory in Japan Victory in Europe
Manhattan Project Established to develop Atomic Technology, headed by J. Robert Oppenheimer
J. Robert Openheimer Leader of the Manhattan Project
Holocaust Racial purification of Germany and countries that Germany controlled during WWII, Concentration Camps
Nuremberg Trials Trial of Nazi commanders of War crimes in connection with the Holocaust