1. WWII Take Home Notes

2. Axis Alliance formed in 1936: Germany, Italy and Japan
German & Italian Aggression
Mussolini expanded into Ethiopia against League of Nations
Hitler began demanding lands that contained German speaking people (Austria, Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia)
Britain and France hoped that appeasement would prevent another war (they let Hitler have the things he wanted)

3. Munich Pact-1938
They give Hitler some lands in exchange for the promise that he would stop there and wouldn’t ask for anything else
This was a FAILURE! Hitler and Mussolini continued to attack more lands
1939 Hitler invaded Poland and war began

4. 7-4.5 Theaters of War
During WWII there were 2 different theaters (areas) where the fighting action occurred
The European Theater and the Pacific Theater
US will fight in both once we join the war

5. In Europe:
Germany did a blitzkrieg (lightening war) against Poland on the west.
German Soviet Non Aggression Pact of 1939, meant Stalin agreed with Hitler and attacked Poland on the east
Hitler took over Denmark, Norway and France by 1940
Battle of Britain : German air force wasn’t able to complete invade because of radar and message decoding
Churchill refused to surrender and Hitler focused on other areas

6. Axis powers took Yugoslavia and Greece in 1941
Also a little bit of fighting in Africa: Hitler wanted to control the Suez Canal
Then he betrays Stalin and attacks Soviet Union in 1941
He fails at Battle of Stalingrad, 500,000 German soldiers die

7. 7-4.5 US Enters WWII
Neutrality Acts ( ): We did isolationism and vowed to stay out of war
By 1939 it looked like the Nazi’s were taking over Europe, FDR began to help the Allies
Sold weapons and war materials to them

8. Japan invaded French Indochina in 1941, the US did not condone this
FDR put an oil embargo on Japan. We wouldn’t let them buy any of our oil.
Japan got mad!!

9. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and Congress declared war!!
Why did they attack us?
Mad that we weren’t really neutral
Make us join the war once and for all
Wanted to weaken our Navy before we joined the war

10. Fighting in the Pacific Theater
Japan moved quickly to take over islands in the Pacific (Guam, Hong Kong, Philippines)
In 1942 the US began to defeat Japan through an ‘island-hopping’ strategy
Went after the easy islands to take in order to get close to the mainland

11. 7-4.5 Allied Victory By 1942 the Allied forces came ahead
General Dwight Eisenhower (US): defeated Axis groups in North Africa
Soviets beat Germany at Stalingrad (1943) and continued to attack from the east
British and American troops conquered Italy in 1944

12. Battle of the Bulge: Hitler's final attempt to win, but had to retreat
D-Day, June 1944: Allied forces invade France to liberate them from Germany
Victory in September
Battle of the Bulge: Hitler's final attempt to win, but had to retreat

13. Mussolini was killed by the Italians in early 1945
Drug his body through the street and hung him on display

14. With no hope of winning, Hitler kills himself April of 1945

15. VE Day- Victory in Europe May 7th, 1945
Germany surrenders

16. The US then focused on defeating Japan in the Pacific Theater
Major victories of Iwo Jima and Okinawa
FDR dies and is replaced by Harry Truman

17. After reaching the mainland of Japan, the US began an aerial bombing attack
Japan just would not give up!!!
The US wanted to end this war quick
Truman ordered the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945)

18. US dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki 3 days later
Japan announced they would surrender
VJ Day-Victory in Japan September 2nd, 1945