1. And the dropping of the Atomic Bomb
The War Ends
And the dropping of the Atomic Bomb

2. The Third Reich Collapses
August 25th, 1944, Paris was liberated
The Battle of the Bulge -Germany's last ditch effort
Patton came to the rescue and they won the battle
Russia from one side, U.S. from the other close in on Berlin
April 30th, Hitler committed suicide

3. War Ends in Europe
May 7th, 1945, Germany accepted unconditional surrender
May 8th, V-E Day -”Victory in Europe”

4. The Nuremberg Trials August 1945
The U.S., Britain, France, and the Soviet Union created the International Military tribunal (IMT)
22 German leaders were prosecuted: 3 - acquitted, 7 -prison sentences, 12 - sentenced to death
Lower ranking trials led to 24 more executions, and 107 prison sentences

5. The Battle for Iwo Jima Bombers needed an island closer to Japan
Iwo Jima was perfectly located
Japanese had built a vast network of concrete bunkers connected by miles of tunnels
The geography was also rough -jagged cliffs, deep ash, and caves
6,800 marines were killed but the island was taken

6. Firebombing Japan General Curtis LeMay ordered to drop napalm bombs
The napalm bombs were both incendiary and explosive
Created firestorms
One attack alone on Tokyo killed over 100,000 people
By the end of the war 67 Japanese cities had been firebombed

7. The Invasion of Okinawa
Japanese still not showing signs of stopping
U.S. believed the Japanese would not surrender until they were invaded
to prepare for invasion, the U.S. decided to try to take the island of Okinawa
12,000 Americans, 94,000 Japanese soldiers, and 94,000 civilians died
Civilians committed suicide after being told by the Japanese army that the Americans would rape, torture, and kill them

9. The Manhattan Project
Leo Szilard a Jewish physicist who fled Nazi persecution and learned that German scientists had split the Uranium atom
Convinced The U.S. to start research to develop the Atomic bomb
J. Robert Oppenheimer led the team in NM and tested the first bomb

10. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Harry S. Truman became president after Roosevelt died of a stroke in April
Government officials had different ideas about whether or not to drop the bomb
Allies threatened Japan with “prompt and utter destruction” if they did not surrender, but the Japanese did not reply
Truman ordered the bomb to be dropped
“Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima Aug. 6, 1945, 80, ,000 people died instantly
Three days later the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and later that day the U.S. dropped another bomb “Fat Man” killing 35, ,000
Japan surrendered, V-J Day August 15, 1945

11. Activity Line up around the room based on your birth month
You will then be split into groups of 4
Quickly and Quietly sit with your group
You will each get a page that has three documents, read the documents and annotate
After you have read through your documents, discuss with your group your opinions about dropping the bomb
As a group, find any additional information about the controversy of dropping the bomb on Japan
Write your name and number on your page and write two sentences: one about which side you take and another briefly explaining why.