World War II Standard: SS6H7 The student will explain conflict and change in Europe to the 21st century. - WWII

Acts of Aggression During the 1930’s Japan, Italy, & Germany committed acts of aggression against other countries. Aggression- Is a warlike action, such as an invasion or an attack.

Hitler’s Aggressions In 1930’s many Germans lived in Austria, Czechoslovakia, & Poland. Hitler wanted to unite these countries to bring all Germans together. Hitler invaded Austria in 1938; Hitler invaded the Sudetenland (region of Czechoslovakia) in 1938. Soon Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia.

Hitler’s Aggression Britain & France realized they could no longer ignore Hitler. They asked the Soviet Union to be their ally, but Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin had made a secret alliance with Hitler.

WWII Begins September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. Two days later Britain & France declared war on Germany. Below is an interactive map of Nazi controlled Europe. World War II in Europe | maps

Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) The Germans adopted a war tactic called blitzkrieg, which means “lightning war.” A characteristic of blitzkrieg, was a highly mobile infantry and armor working together

Battle of Britain Next, in the summer & autumn of 1940 Hitler sent his planes to bomb Great Britain. The British fought back with their own air force. This became known as the Battle of Britain. The Battle of Britain was the 1st major battle to be fought entirely by air forces.

Battle of Britain German Luftwaffe (Air Force) vs. Great Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF).

Battle of Britain Citizens of Great Britain daily had to take cover during German bombing raids.

Battle of Britain London’s subways became home to thousands during the bombings.

Winston Churchill Churchill became Prime Minister of Britain in 1940. During the Battle of Britain Churchill encouraged the British people to resist the Nazi’s. The British Bulldog

Betrayal In June 1941, Hitler turned on his ally & invaded the Soviet Union. The Battle of Stalingrad begins! It lasted from July 17, 1942 – February 2, 1943! The battle was the bloodiest in the history of warfare! Combined casualties of 2 million people.

Battle of Stalingrad As winter set in, the Germans found themselves vulnerable to Soviet attacks. For the 1st time in the war, Hitler’s army was forced to retreat.

Other Side of the World In late 1941, Japan was taking control of Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Seeing the U.S. as a possible enemy, Japanese leaders attempted to destroy the U.S. naval fleet in the Pacific. On December 7, 1941, Japan launched an air attack on the naval base of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Japan Prepares for the Attack

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Interactive Attack Map Remembering Pearl Harbor @ nationalgeographic.com

Pearl Harbor Attack Facts Japanese force consisted of six carriers with 423 planes Eighteen U.S. ships were hit Casualties included 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians More than 180 U.S. aircraft were destroyed During the attack the USS Arizona sank with a loss of more than 1,100 men

USS Arizona Memorial

World Consequences December 8, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan Great Britain also declared war on Japan 3 days later, Germany & Italy (both allies with Japan) declared war on the U.S. In response, Congress declared war on both countries!

Holocaust In 1942, Adolf Hitler ordered the destruction of Europe’s entire Jewish population. The Nazi genocide, the planned killing of a race of people, is called the Holocaust.

Conflict At the time of Stalingrad, American & British forces defeated the Germans in North Africa In the Pacific, Japan lost several important battles Led by the U.S., allied forces, including Australia & New Zealand, began to regain some of the Pacific islands Japan had taken.

The Allies Go Island Hopping Island by island, the Allies slowly pushed the Japanese forces back across the Pacific Ocean.

Italy Crumbles Summer of 1943 – Allies capture the Italian island of Sicily Italians forced Mussolini to resign Italy’s new leader dissolved the Fascist Party September 1943, Italy agreed to stop fighting the Allies Mussolini alive and dead. He is the person farthest on the right

Allies Invade Europe On June 6, 1944, Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in NW France This is known as D-Day It was a success, but at a heavy cost of life

D-Day

D-Day

Allies Advance Towards Germany August 1944 – Allies liberate (free) Paris Fall of 1944 – Allies on German Border Winter of 1944-1945 Battle of the Bulge in Belgium

Battle of the Bulge December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945 Last German offensive move of the war Americans held strong & defeated the Germans

End of the War in Europe With the Americans attacking from the west and the Soviet Red Army attacking from the east, the Nazi defenses fell apart. On April 30, 1945, with Berlin surrounded Adolf Hitler committed suicide. A week later, Germany surrendered

FDR Dies/End of War Nears On April 12, 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies April 12, 1945, President Harry Truman takes command

A New Weapon Ends the War President Truman decided to end the war with a deadly, new weapon; the Atomic Bomb August 6, 1945, U.S. drops an Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan August 9, 1945, U.S. drops another Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki, Japan 5 days later Japan surrendered Surrender Ceremony happened on September 2, 1945 aboard USS Missouri; officially ending WWII

Atomic Bomb Mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan Cloud rose 11 miles above the ground Atomic Bomb “Fat Man”

Japan Surrender on USS Missouri