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World War II
WebQuest
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BY MR. ROSSER
7-8 A Means to an End
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7-8 explores the collapse of Germany and the
extreme means used to defeat Japan
Hitler’s death, Collapse of the Third Reich
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By the end of the day on April 27, 1945 Berlin was
completely cut off from the rest of Germany. Two
days later on April 29th Hitler dictated the last will
and testament of Adolf Hitler to his secretary.
That day Hitler was also informed of the brutal
execution of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini the
day before. On April 30th as Soviet troops drew
nearer, Hitler committed suicide, shooting himself
in the mouth while simultaneously biting into a
cyanide capsule. Hitler's body was put in a bomb
crater, doused in gasoline and set alight as the Red
Army advanced and shelling continued. Three
days later Berlin surrendered.
Victory in Europe
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By late 1944, the Red Army had driven
the Germans back into Central Europe
and the Western Allies were advancing
into Germany. Hitler realized that
Germany had lost the war, but allowed
no retreats. He hoped to negotiate a
separate peace with America and
Britain, a hope driven by the death of
Franklin D. Roosevelt in April of 1945.
Hitler's stubbornness and defiance of
military realities also allowed the
Holocaust to continue. He also ordered
the complete destruction of all German
industrial infrastructure before it could
fall into Allied hands, saying that
Germany's failure to win the war
forfeited its right to survive. Rather,
Hitler decided that the entire nation
should go down with him. Execution of
this scorched earth plan was entrusted
to arms minister Albert Speer, who
disobeyed the order.
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The Creation of the Atom Bomb
 Since 1940, Scientists working on
the atomic bomb, called the
Manhattan Project, had been
working on a new weapon. It would
prove to be more powerful than any
the world had known. On July 16,
1945, the weapon was tested in the
New Mexico desert. It worked. Its
power to destroy was so great that
some who saw the test thought it
should never be used.
 The final decision rested with the
president. Franklin D. Roosevelt had
died in April during his fourth term
in office. The new president, Harry
S. Truman, would decide. Was the
new weapon too horrible to use?
Would an invasion really cost a
million American lives? Truman
decided America would drop the
atom bomb.
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Death of FDR, Enter Harry Truman
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 Franklin’s Roosevelt’s
health had been
declining since at least
1940. On April 12, 1945
FDR died.
 Harry Truman took over
as President of the
United States. As you
soon will see this became
a crucial turning point in
WWII!
Franklin D.
Roosevelt
32 President
Harry Truman
33rd President
Decision to Drop the Bomb
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 The tide was turning in the Pacific
Click on the photo to see video of an
atomic bomb test
theatre. American airplanes
bombed Japan. They destroyed
Yokohama, Osaka, and other cities.
In Tokyo, two days of firebombing
killed 84,000 people.
 America was winning the war in
the Pacific. In Europe, Germany
and Italy had already been
defeated. But many Americans felt
the Japanese might be ready to
fight to the death. Some were
saying that only further invasion of
Japan would end the war. Truman
felt that because of Japan’s Banzai
tactics and willingness to fight to
the end that it might mean the
death of over a million American
soldiers. Under the approval of the
new President Harry Truman, the
U.S. decided to do what it felt
necessary to defeat Japan once and
for all.
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The End of World War II
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America warned Japan it must surrender or face terrible destruction. Japan would not give up.
At 2:45 A.M., on August 6, 1945, an American bomber, the Enola Gay, left the ground. It took off
from the western Pacific island of Tinian on its way to Hiroshima, Japan. It carried a single, fat,
odd-looking bomb called “The Thin Man.” The bomb weighed 9,000 pounds.
At 8:05 A.M., the Enola Gay was ten minutes from Hiroshima. No Japanese fighter planes came
up to meet it. Hiroshima had never been bombed. It was normal for planes headed elsewhere to
fly over.
At 8:15 A.M., “The Thin Man” was dropped. Hiroshima was going about its morning business.
People were going to work, making breakfast, walking over the Aioi Bridge. Then there was a
flash that was brighter than the sun. A fireball consumed the Aioi Bridge and everything around
it. Over a mile away, steel doors and stonewalls glowed red-hot. A mushroomed-shaped cloud
rose from a base of flames. The superheated air started fires all over the city. Over 80,000 people
were killed. Those near the blast simply disappeared. More than 62,000 buildings were
destroyed.
Hiroshima, a city of 350,000 people, was in ruins.
The first atom bomb had been dropped. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on the city
of Nagasaki. Japan gave up on August 15. Overall, between the two cities, it is estimated that
over 200,000 Japanese were killed from the blast.
World War II had ended. And the atomic age had begun.
“The use of the atomic bomb was a military decision to end the war and save millions of
lives. It was just the same as getting a bigger gun than the other fellow had to win the
war and that's what it was used for. I never lost one minute of sleep over my decision.“
--President Harry Truman
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Dropping of the Atomic Bomb
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Damage and Photos from the Atom Bomb
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Dropping of Bombs
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 “The atomic bomb was
more than a weapon of
terrible destruction; it
was a psychological
weapon.” -Former U.S.
Secretary of War Henry
L. Stimson, 1947
Damage and Photos from the Atom Bomb
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Damage and Photos from the Atom Bomb
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Damage and Photos from the Atom Bomb
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Damage and Photos from the Atom Bomb
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Dropping of an Atomic Bomb on Your Home
City
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Ever wonder what it would be like if an atomic bomb was dropped on your home
town? Click on the map below. Feel free to enter any location to see the damage.
Check the color codes to see the damage radius. Keep in mind, Even if you
weren’t killed immediately, staying in these areas after the blast would cause
death by radiation poisoning.
Sunburn-like discomfort
Blisters and pain
Skin burns off the body
Incineration
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Japan
Surrenders
 Realizing that they
were defeated after
the dropping of the
Atomic bombs on
Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, the
Japanese
surrendered on
August 15th, 1945.
Japan signed the
Instrument of
Surrender is
September, officially
ending its
aggressions in Asia.
A Japanese general signed the official
the Instrument of Surrender on
September 2nd, 1945.
Casualties and Losses
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Nuremburg Trials
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The Nuremberg trials were a series of
trials most notable for the prosecution of
prominent members of Nazi Germany
after its defeat in World War II. The
trials were held in the city of Nuremberg,
Germany, from 1945 to 1946, at the
Palace of Justice. The first and best
known of these trials was the Trial of
the Major War Criminals, which
tried 22 of the most important captured
leaders of Nazi Germany. The second set
of trials was of lesser war criminals . Of
the 22 defendants, 11 were given the
death penalty, 3 were acquitted, 3 were
given life imprisonment and four were
given imprisonment ranging from 10 to
20 years. Those sentenced to death were
hanged at Spandau Prison on October 6,
1946.
Click on either photo for more
information about the
Nuremburg Trials
Post War Prosperity
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 After World War II the U.S. emerges as one of the
clear world leaders. With most of the U.S.’s
competition destroyed by warfare in both Europe
and Asia, the U.S. thrives being the only world leader
without significant damage to their homeland
 With our soldiers back home the U.S. returns to
traditional conservative values for much of the next
15 years. We experience a “baby boom” causing an
unprecedented rise in our population, and a
continued rise in the U.S.’s influence over world
issues.
Post War Powers
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 While democracy ruled
supreme in the Western
Hemisphere with the United
States becoming a world power,
The Soviet Union and
Communism would become our
competitor for decades to come.
In fact this divide eventually led
to the division of Berlin into two
sides by the Berlin Wall.
Following World War II almost
all colonies of Europe on the
African continent were
relinquished.
 The Berlin wall, US and soviets
become world leader give back
countries to Africa.
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Click on the United
Nations Flag to
learn more about it’s
role today!
Creation of the
United Nations
The UN was founded in 1945 after
World War II to replace the League
of Nations, to stop wars between
countries and to provide a platform
for dialogue. It was created to keep
peace and act as a sort of “world
police”. Today the United States
have a huge influence over the
activities of the UN.