1. Chapter 24 Section 5 The United States in World War II Riddlebarger
World War II Ends
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Chapter 24
Section 5
The United States in World War II
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2. Winning the War In Europe
Battle of the Bulge saw 80,OOO Allied casualties
Germans fared worse
Crushing defeat for Germans

3. The Yalta Conference FDR wins 4th term in 1944.
Conference in Yalta of the Big Three:
FDR, Churchill, Stalin
Meet to make plans for end of war & peace

4. Yalta Key goal was what to do with soon-to-be defeated Germany
Agree to divide it into 4 zones
U.S., Britain, Soviets & France each get a zone to occupy.
Eastern Europe/Stalin promise
Berlin (German capital) also divided.
Conference was tense despite Allied alliance as a divide is growing between Soviets and other Allies.

5. Crossing the Rhine Rhine River is key psychological barrier to Germans
Hitler orders troops to make a stand there
Once Allies cross Rhine, they are able to capture 750,000 German soldiers.

6. Green: Front Line May 7
Red: Soviet attacks
Blue: Western Allied attacks

7. Resistance Weakens German resistance weakens after Rhine is crossed.
Eisenhower’s forces move rapidly through Germany
April 12, 1945: FDR dies
Vice President Harry S. Truman succeeds him.

8. Hitler’s Death
German resistance continues to crumble in final weeks of April ‘45
Berlin is under heavy bombing
April 30: Hitler commits suicide.

9. V-E Day As word of Hitler’s death spreads, fighting comes to a halt.
May 8, 1945: Germany surrenders
V-E Day (victory in Europe)
Celebrations erupt
Top: Times Square in NY
Bottom: Churchill

10. Winning the War In the Pacific
Allied capture of Okinawa comes at a terrible cost
Experience of fighting Japanese makes many dread possible invasion of Japan
Enormous costs
Estimated 1 million casualties

11. Japan Continues Fighting
Some hope to force surrender with blockade or heavy bombing.
Fire-bombing of Japanese cities fails to bring peace
1st raid killed 84,000 in Tokyo and destroyed 270,000 buildings.
wiki

12. Tokyo Firebombing

13. The Atomic Bomb Manhattan Project has atomic bomb ready by summer 1945
Pres. Truman now must decide whether to use it.
Where?
Should the Japanese be warned?

14. Debate Over Bomb Truman decides to use it
No warning given but demand for Japanese surrender.
After no response, 1st bomb is dropped on Hiroshima
Aug. 6, 1945: B-29 bomber Enola Gay delivers bomb

15. Hiroshima

16. Nagasaki Hiroshima leaves Japanese take no action to end war.
80,000 dead instantly
35,000 injured
2/3 buildings destroyed
Fires raging everywhere
Japanese take no action to end war.
Aug. 9th: U.S. drops another a-bomb on Nagasaki
Aug.15th: Japan surrenders V-J Day

18. The United Nations
Winning the war took a huge effort but peace will bring its own challenges.
United Nations created after war to encourage cooperation among nations & prevent future wars.
Weakness?
Ability to enforce is a weakness

19. The Potsdam Conference
Growing American concern of spread of communism & growing Soviet influence in post-war world
Apparent at this meeting that Stalin is not going to live up to agreements at Yalta

20. Rebuilding Europe & Japan
MacArthur heads effort in Japan to create democratic government & rebuild nation’s economy
Japanese leaders will be punished for war crimes.
Effort to re-build Europe will result in increasing tensions with Soviet Union.