2. Defeating
the Axis

3. Victory in Mediterranean
Allies wanted to attack the “underbelly” of the Axis
Operation Torch: Launched US and British troops into North Africa to cut off German Supplies while gaining control of the Mediterranean
Allies invaded Italy prompting an armistice and Mussolini fleeing to German protection in Northern Italy
Rome fell in 1944 which became the first Axis capital to be taken by Allies

5. Road to Victory
Battle of the Atlantic: Continuous series of sea battles in Atlantic between German U-Boats and Allied naval ships
Allies attacked German shipyards, factories, and supply lines
Operation Overlord (D-Day): Gen. Eisenhower commanded the allied invasion of German occupied France
Hitler suspected invasion to occur elsewhere so Allies were able to penetrate through Normandy

7. Victory in Europe Paris was liberated about two months after D-Day
Battle of Bulge: Hitler’s last strike at Allies where undermanned troops withstood attacks until reinforcements turned the tide
Yalta Conference: Meeting between FDR, Churchill, and Stalin to discuss postwar Europe
Soviets pushed towards Berlin from east and Americans halted toward west

8. Demise of Dictators Mussolini fled after armistice
He was discovered pretending to be a private and was executed along with 15 other top officials
Bodies were hung in Milan
Hitler was in a bunker while Soviets had Berlin surrounded
He as well as his new wife Eva Braun, Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels committed suicide

9. VE Day
May 8, 1945
German officials surrendered about a week after Hitler’s suicide
Celebrations rang out across Europe and the United States
Allies focused on finishing the war in the Pacific

11. MACARTHUR RETURNS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv1PF0tAE1s
IWO JIMA:
KAMIKAZE:
MANHATTAN PROJECT:
ATOMIC BOMBINGS:
VJ DAY:

12. Island Hopping
The Ally’s goal in the Pacific was to retake the Philippines and attack mainland Japan
Island Hopping: Strategy proposed by Gen. MacArthur where the Allies would take over less fortified islands en route to Japan in the Pacific
By 1945, MacArthur was able to retake the Philippines after victories in the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf

13. Victory in the Pacific
March 1945: Air raids decimated the city of Tokyo and civilian morale
Battle of Iwo Jima: Bloody ally victory in Japanese island
Battle of Okinawa: Largest landing force in Pacific led to another bloody victory in a Japanese island 350 miles from the mainland
In Okinawa, the Japanese used over 700 kamikaze planes to attack US

14. Decision Time FDR passed away April 12, 1945
Manhattan Project: Top secret scientific operation in creating an atomic bomb
Truman demanded unconditional surrender on July 26 th ; Japan refused
August 6: The Enola Gay dropped a bomb on Hiroshima killing more than 75,000
After no surrender, US dropped another bomb on Nagasaki

15. Aftermath Overall about 250,000 people died from nuclear bombs
One day after the bombing of Nagasaki, the USSR invaded Japanese controlled Manchuria
September 2, 1945 Japan surrendered unconditionally
US began occupation of Japan under Gen. MacArthur