1. WWII in Europe and the Pacific
What factors allowed the Allies to be successful in World War II? What was the strategy, and was it effective?

2. The U.S. Enters U.S. declared war on Japan after Pearl Harbor
Joined Allied powers of U.K., France, U.S.S.R.
Because we offered aid to the U.K. Germany declared war on the U.S. on December 11
Fighting in Europe will take place on two main fronts:
Eastern Front (Germany vs. USSR)
Western Front (French/German border)
U.S. will fight WWII on multiple fronts: challenging US supplies/strategy
The Pacific ( )
North Africa ( )
Western Europe (not till 1944)
The “Big Three”
FDR: U.S.
Winston Churchill: U.K.
Joseph Stalin: U.S.S.R

3. Allied Strategy
Germany vs. USSR on Eastern Front…devastating to the Soviets…Stalin wants relief
U.S. and British forces would focus on driving Germany out of North Africa, clearing the way for an invasion of Italy
From Italy, Allied forces would gradually progress through Western Europe, forcing Hitler to turn its attention away from Russia.
This was accomplished after much fierce fighting by May 1943

4. Landing at Normandy
From June , the USSR claimed losses of up to 13 million soldiers
Invasion of France would provide relief to the eastern front
On June 6, 1944 thousands of ships carrying over 130,000 troops landed in Normandy, France
“D-Day” began the Allied invasion of Western Europe, and began the downfall of Hitler’s empire
By August, Paris was liberated and Allied forces marched toward the German border

5. V-E Day
By 1945 Soviet troops had pushed Germany out of the USSR and advanced through Warsaw, Poland
Allied troops crossed the Rhine River into Germany toward Berlin
Leader of the German forces signed an unconditional surrender on May 7, 1945
V-E day was declared on May 8

6. The War in the Pacific

7. Initial Defeat
During the early months of the war, the US struggled in the Pacific due to lack of battleships after Pearl Harbor was attacked
December 8, 1941: the Japanese bombed US positions on Wake Is, Guam, and the Philippines
Guam fell on December 10, Wake on December 23, Hong Kong, December 26
US troops led by Douglas MacArthur forced to retreat in the Philippines, and are surrounded

8. The Bataan Death March
From December 1941 through March 1942 US troops held on to their positions in Bataan in the Philippines against a Japanese invasion
Surrendered on April 9, 1942
U.S. and Filipino troops forced to march more than 60 miles to POW camps
Of the 90,000 who started the march, only 54,000 made it to the camps

9. Turning the Tide Until May of 1942 the US was losing in the Pacific
By the end of April, the Japanese were preparing to establish an air base in New Guinea
May 7-8, the Battle of Coral Sea forced the Japanese to abandon their plans for the air base
Both Japanese and Allied ships were destroyed in the attack
Despite this setback, the Japanese continued with their plans to attack the US territory of the Midway Islands…offensive strategy

10. Battle of Midway
Allied intelligence learned of the planned Japanese invasion of Midway
U.S. Admiral Chester Nimitz planned an ambush
June 4, as the Japanese attacked Midway, the US Pacific fleet and US forces on Midway sank or destroyed all but 1 Japanese carrier
After Midway, Japan was forced to fight a defensive war, rather than an offensive one

11. Ending the War US advances in the Pacific were bloody and hard won
Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa were long, costly campaigns
Made it clear that the Japanese were not going to give in
Kamikaze pilots and soldiers refusing to surrender forced US officials to realize an invasion of mainland Japan would result in massive military as well as civilian casualties

12. Using Nuclear Force
The decision to use atomic weapons against Japan was not an easy one
Dropping the bomb would result in the saving of American lives but the loss of many Japanese civilians
President Harry Truman ultimately decided to drop nuclear bombs on Japan to prevent the excessive casualties that he knew would result if he launched an invasion of the Japanese mainland.

13. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Allies demanded unconditional surrender from the Japanese, warning that failure to do so would result in the total destruction of their country…no response
Facing the possibility of losing up to 500,000 US lives in a ground invasion of Japan, Pres. Truman ordered the use of the 1st atomic weapons
Hiroshima: August 6, 1945
Nagasaki: August 9, 1945
Japan surrenders on August 15, 1945
WWII is over