The Sleeping Giant and the Red Giant 7.6 | The Second World War

December 7, 1941 Japan suddenly and deliberately attacks the United States of America Reasons for Japanese aggression The 3 goals of Pearl Harbor Yamamoto’s summation of Pearl Harbor | Operation Vengeance Defensive posture Germany First

The USA Shows Its Resolve The Doolittle Raid April, 1942 America reminds Japan they missed the carriers

The Blitzkrieg Resumes German offensive into the Caucasus summer, 1942 Oil Warning from Hitler’s generals | Dismissal Overexertion of German forces Soviet redeployment and logistical advantages Industrial output | T-34

Stalingrad | Winter 1942 Apex of German expansion Destruction and occupation of Stalingrad Soviet counter attack Hitler’s orders The Sixth Army surrenders | First major defeat of Germany Soviets now on the offensive, Germany on the defensive

Into the Inferno The Battle of Kursk | July 1943 Largest tank battle in history Soviet Union: 1.3 million soldiers; 3,600 tanks; 2,400 planes | Germany: 1 million soldiers; 2,700 tanks; 2,000 planes German technological superiority but the Soviets had broken their codes

The Afrika Korps Despite success, they are running out of supplies (gasoline) All German efforts are channeled to the eastern front All German efforts are channeled to the eastern front Rommel pulled back to Germany Britain annexes Italian Libya America invades Vichy Africa November, 1942

War in the Pacific Carrier and air power | Logistics of Pacific Theater The Battle of Coral Sea | May 1942 Control of seas critical | Industrial capacity of the United States The Battle of Midway | Breaking of Japanese code | Stroke of luck Island Hopping Campaign | Douglas MacArthur

Tightening the noose German Army Group C is routed (Soviet) spring 1943 Operation Avalanche (Allies) 1943 Operation Overlord (Allies) 1944 (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword) Operation Bagration (Soviet) Soviet fronts – c.2.4 million men, 5,000 tanks, 5,300 aircraft

Results of 1944 invasions France liberated (Allies) |Italy defeated (Allies) German Army Group A, B, and C (80% of army) annihilated (Soviet) | Moscow parade Axis in Europe destroyed (Soviet) | Soviet occupation Assassination attempt on Hitler (c.5 at this point) | Insanity Last ditch attempt to stop Allies to focus on the Soviet Union | Battle of the Bulge Nazi fanaticism and fighting to the death

The Yalta Conference February 1945 | Allied leaders meet in Yalta (Crimea, USSR) Understanding the war is over, discuss plans for post-war Europe Clear ideological divide Roosevelt will die in weeks | Stalin occupies East Europe | Churchill stands firm Tensions heat up | Negotiations freeze | The Cold War begins The race to Berlin is the first competition… | George Patton’s prediction

And the winner is… The Soviets besiege Berlin for several weeks, Nazi Germany spirals into madness Hitler commits suicide along with his closest followers The German High Command surrenders to the Red Army American forces meet the Red Army on the Elbe river Germany is divided into East (Soviet) and West (Allied) Germany; as well as Berlin Patton

The Pacific Theater The Island Hopping Campaign | B-29 Bomber range Saipan | Suicide | Japanese propaganda Okinawa | Iwo Jima | Japanese desperation – the Kamikaze Plans for Invasion of Japan Truman’s dilemma Hiroshima August 6, 1945 (Little Boy) | Nagasaki August 9, 1945 (Fat Man)

September 2, 1945 The Imperial Japan surrenders to the United States on the USS Missouri The Second World War ends Deadliest conflict in human history | c million casualties (most civilian) Europe is in ruins The Cold War is about to heat up

American Terrorism?