1. A Look at how World War II Ended
End of the War
A Look at how World War II Ended

2. Vocabulary
D-Day – Battle on Normandy Beach in France, June 1944, that turned the tides of the War in favor of the Allied Powers
V-E Day - The day the Allied Powers won the war in the European theater on May 7, 1945.
V-J Day - The day the Allied Powers won the war in the Pacific theater against the Japanese on September 2, 1945.
Atomic Bomb - A massive bomb that kills thousands of people.

3. D-Day
June 1944
Battle on the beach of Normandy in France, who was occupied by the Nazi’s at the time
One of the largest assaults in military history
Approximately 156,000 Allied troops had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches. More than 4,000 Allied soldiers lost their lives
Continued to fight across France- turning point of the War and turned the tides against the Nazi’s

5. European Theater
After D-Day, the Allied Powers were attacking the German Army (Nazis) from the East and the West.

7. European Theater
The Allied Powers closed in on Germany and they were close to winning the war.
The Soviet Union was rushing in on Berlin, Germany from the east, and the Allied Powers led by the U.S. was rushing in from the West.

8. The Death of Hitler
Hitler was forced to go into hiding in April of (towards the end of the war).
In the bunker he got reports from his generals saying that the German army was losing.
Instead of being caught by the Allied Powers, Hitler committed suicide.
Hitler had his body burned by one of his close friends.
Why do you think Hitler killed himself?

11. V-E Day
A couple days after Hitler killed himself, the Soviet Union and its tanks rolled into Berlin and took over the capital of Germany!
The Germans were forced to surrender on May 7, 1945
The Allied Powers won in the European Theater

12. Berlin, Germany 1945

13. Victory in Europe Day!

14. Pacific Theater World War II was not done!
The war was still waging in the Pacific Theater
The Allied Powers were fighting against the Japanese
Although the island hopping technique was working, the fighting was really bloody.

15. Iwo Jima
The Allied Powers defeated the Japanese on the island of Iwo Jima

17. President Truman
President Roosevelt died while still on office on April 12, days before V-E Day.
Vice President Henry Truman became the new President of the United States

18. Truman’s Decision Truman had a huge decision to make…
He had to decide to defeat Japan. His choices were to
Invade Japan
Drop an atomic bomb on Japan

19. Invading Japan
If Truman decided to invade Japan, the Japanese would not surrender until almost all their troops had died.

20. Dropping the Bomb
If Truman decided to drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan, he knew that the Japanese would be forced to surrender, but he would kill thousands if not millions of Japanese people.

21. Truman’s Decision
What are some pros and cons of each option?

22. Drop the Bomb
Truman decided to drop the Atomic bomb on two cities in Japan: Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Made this decision to save the lives of American troops
Hiroshima: Aug. 6, 1945
Nagasaki: Aug. 9, 1945

26. Aftermath 140,000 Japanese died in Hiroshima
80,000 Japanese died in Nagasaki
Thousands others died years later from cancer caused by the radiation from the Atomic bomb

27. V-J Day September 2, 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the Americans.
This day is known as Victory in Japan Day.

28. WWII
WORLD WAR II HAS ENDED