Topic 3: World War II Battles and Strategies Europe & north africa Pacific islands

Sides and Strategies The Allies: Britain, Soviet Union (USSR), & the US The Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, & Japan - All Totalitarian regimes

Strategies: Europe The Allies’ Strategy in Europe - Defeat Hitler First - Most of the resources were put into Europe Germany’s Strategy in Europe: Defeat the USSR quickly and defeat Britain using bombs and U-boats before the US can enter the war. (Germany easily beat France in 1939)

Strategies: Pacific The US Strategy in the Pacific - Island hopping - Attacking islands close to Japan and jumping over fortified islands and cutting off their supply lines. Japan’s Strategy: After Pearl Harbor, Japan hopes to conquer Southeast Asia and the Pacific quickly Japan's War in the Pacific (39:00-49)

Turning Points: Battles A) El Alamein (Egypt) Germany was poised to take Egypt and the Suez Canal which would have given them access to the oil fields in the Middle East and even attack the USSR from the South, but the British defeat them in a desert battle (Operation Torch).

B) Stalingrad (August 1942 – February 1943) B) Stalingrad (August 1942 – February 1943). Germany wanted to seize Russian oil fields and capture Stalingrad. They are stopped by the brutal winter. German troops surrender to the Soviet Union due to starvation and cold. It was the turning point in the Eastern Front.

Turning point of the war in the Pacific June 1942 Japan targeted Midway Island to get the whole US fleet in one place and destroy them. The smaller US fleet attacked Japanese aircraft carriers and was successful Turning point of the war in the Pacific Battle of Midway

D) Normandy, France (D-Day June 6th 1944) - The Allies land in German-occupied France. There are heavy causalities for the US and its Allies, but the liberation of Western Europe begins vid clip beach landing

1944 – 6/6 – attack on the coast of Normandy 15

17

Allied soldiers push into Paris and free France Soviet army closes in on Germany from the east US & British forces advance from the west

American soldiers toast to victory in Paris.

The Battle of berlin begins in April 1945 Hitler commits suicide that month Germany surrenders in May

Battles of Iwo Jima & Okinawa

E) Iwo Jima & Okinawa (1945) - Though the Island Hopping victories are costly, American troops get closer to Japan – The Japanese soldiers fight heroically and many commit suicide rather than surrender http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YedHaLF5So

Dropping the atomic bomb would be the quickest end to war F) The atomic bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki (1945) -President Truman is told that an invasion of Japan might cost a million lives. Dropping the atomic bomb would be the quickest end to war Dropped on 2 Japanese cities: Hiroshima & Nagasaki About 140,000 Japanese civilians are killed in the blasts. More die from radiation later Japanese leaders surrender to the US. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t19kvUiHvAE

Nagasaki: Before and After the Bomb Panoramic