1. Victory in Europe and the Pacific
Chapter 14.4

2. Nazis Defeated The war in Europe neared its end by the spring of 1945.
May 8, 1945 V-E Day (Victory in Europe)
The Axis powers were defeated for several reasons:
they could not wage war successfully on several fronts
Hitler underestimated the Soviet army
the U.S. was able to produce more than the combined Axis powers
oil became too scarce to feed Luftwaffe planes.

3. Struggle in the Pacific
In the summer of 1942, the U.S. went on the offensive in the Pacific.
May Japanese gained control of the Philippines killing several hundred American Soldiers and 10,000 Filipino soldiers during the Bataan Death March
Bataan Death March was 65 mile march that starved, killed, and tortured soldiers

4. Struggles in the Pacific
Victory on Guadalcanal started a campaign of “island-hopping” that would move U.S. bases closer to Japan.
General Douglas MacAuthor was in charge of the Pacific American Forces
MacAuthor began the fight to retake the Philippines in October 1944.
British pushed Japanese into Burma and Malaya

5. Defeat for Japan
When the Japanese showed that they would fight to the death rather than surrender
We began to test the Atomic bomb in New Mexico, this testing was called the Manhattan Project
President Truman decided to use an atomic bomb to save American lives.
Two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Japanese surrendered.
V-J Day is August 15, 1945