1. World War II
Major Battles

2. Non-aggression Act August 23, 1939 Secretly agreed to divide Poland
USSR and Germany agree to Non-Aggression Act with Hitler
Secretly agreed to divide Poland
The world is shocked when Germany and the U.S.S.R. signed a Nonaggression Pact, promising not to attack each other

3. Blitzkrieg – Lightening War
Germany’s war strategy of using fast airplanes and tanks to win quick victories
On September 1, 1939 Hitler attacks and takes over Poland
Once Poland is defeated USSR and Germany divide the country and take territory
September 3rd France and Britain declare war on Germany

4. ON SEPTEMBER 17 THE USSR, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NONAGGRESSION PACT, INVADED POLAND FROM THE EAST.
Causes of WWII

5. The Fall of France
On June 5, the Battle of France had begun—by June 14, the Germans took Paris.
The French divide on the issue of continuing to fight Nazi aggression (the French Resistance) or work with the Nazis

6. General Charles DeGaulle
The French Resistance
The Free French
On the eve of the French surrender, General Charles de Gaulle went to London, where he established the Free French movement, a government committed to continuing the war.
General Charles DeGaulle

7. Now Britain Is All Alone!

8. Battle of Britain: The “Blitz”

9. The Battle of Britain
Before his planned invasion of England (Operation Sea Lion), Hitler thought it was necessary for the Luftwaffe to bomb Britain into submission.

10. The Battle of Britain
Hitler wanted to conquer Britain in early summer 1940
Needed to defeat the RAF – Air Force
The resulting conflict between the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and Royal Air Force was the first all air battle—the British, who had the newly invented radar, won the Battle.

11. The Battle of Britain Fails
Even though outnumbered, the Brits had an advanced Radar system and the Enigma Machine
Continual raids and bombings took place until May 1941
Hitler calls off the Battle of Britain because of a change in war strategy

12. Operation Barbarossa—the invasion of the Soviet Union
By early 1941, Hitler had overrun the Balkans and was now planning to invade the Soviet Union.
The Germans invaded on three fronts: towards Leningrad in the north, Moscow in the center, and into the Ukraine in the south.
Both the northern and central fronts were failures.

14. Battle of Stalingrad
In the spring of 1942, Hitler launched a new offensive in the south at Stalingrad.
The Battle of Stalingrad became one of the war’s bloodiest battles—over 1.5 million die on both sides.
Hitler was forced to retreat from Russia in 1943, and the Soviet Union began to push slowly into eastern Europe.

15. Northern African campaigns
In 1940, Italy invaded Egypt and were defeated by the British.
The Germans enter north Africa to save the Italians under the command of the brilliant Erwin Rommel. “The Desert Fox”
In a series of outstanding battles between Rommel and Bernard Montgomery of Britain, Rommel eventually retreated.

16. Attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The United States, who had been neutral at the beginning of the war, declared war on Japan the following day.
Germany and Italy declared war on the US the following day.

17. Pearl Harbor Lost most of the Naval ships (USS Arizona) 2,300 dead
1,100 wounded

18. PEARL HARBOR: ON DECEMBER 7TH 1941 THE JAPANESE LAUNCHED A SNEAK ATTACK ON US MILITARY FACILITIES IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. THE US WAS CAUGHT UNPREPARED AND MUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE. SOUND IS THE ACTUAL CBS ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ATTACK. CLICK TO HEAR THE SOUND.
WWII Click above speaker to play sound

19. Japanese Empire at its Height, 1942
The Japanese moved quickly to conquer Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Burma, and Indonesia.
Advancing into New Guinea, the Japanese looked toward Australia.
In addition, the Japanese seized the American possessions of Guam and Wake islands in the Central Pacific.

20. Pacific Theater of Operations

21. The Battle of the Coral Sea May 7-8
The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first naval battle in history in which the ships did not directly engage one another; all of the fighting was done by carrier-based airplanes—the battle ended in a draw, but it removed the Japanese threat to Australia.

22. Battle of Midway June 1942 –Turning point in the war
Code breakers intercepted Japanese communications
Gen. Nimitz attacked the unsuspecting Japanese, destroying their fleet
Mikuma Capsizing
The Battle of Midway, fought in the Central Pacific resulted in an American victory, which eliminated the threat to Hawaii.
The USS Yorktown

23. American Island Hopping
In the Pacific, the Americans carried the war closer to Japan by a campaign of island-hopping.

24. Other significant Pacific Battles
Guadalcanal
August 1942
Japan was building an air base, MacArthur attacked
6 month grueling battle – US won
Iwo Jima
February-March 1945
US Marines take
Mt.Suribachi

25. Kamikazes Means “divine wind” Suicide bombers who would
crash their bomb filled planes
into the decks of Allied ships
Kamikazes had sunk or damaged more than 300 U.S. ships, with 15,000 casualties

26. Operation Torch: The Invasion of Northern Africa
In Nov. 1942, British and American troops, commanded by Dwight D. Eisenhower, land in Morocco and Algeria.
The Axis forces were caught in a squeeze when the Americans attacked from the West and the British from the East.
By May 1943, the Germans had left northern Africa.
Bernard Montgomery
Dwight Eisenhower
Erwin Rommel
George Patton

28. Invasion of Sicily and Italy
One of the key reasons for the capture of northern Africa was to have a base of operations for an invasion of Italy.
In July-August 1943, the Americans and British forces captured Sicily and by September, had invaded Italy.

29. Downfall of Mussolini
In September 1943, Mussolini was arrested and killed by the Italians.
A few days later, the Italians surrendered to the Allies.

30. The Normandy Invasion
With the invasion of Italy at a standstill, Eisenhower, now the Supreme Allied Commander, switches strategies to Operation Overlord, and invasion of the northern coast of France near Normandy.
False Allied reports led the Germans to expect the main thrust near Calais, about 100 miles up the coast.

31. D-Day Invasion June 5: Overlord begins. Paratroopers drop
over France late in the evening
June 6: D-Day. Over 160,000 Allied troops and 30,000 vehicles are landed along a 50-mile stretch of fortified French coastline and begin fighting on the beaches of Normandy.

32. D-Day: June 6, 1944

33. The Battle of the Bulge: Hitler’s Last Offensive
December : The Battle of the Bulge begins. Largest land battle over 76,000 Americans are
killed, wounded, or captured