Download Essential Question

■Essential Question:
–What role did the United
States play in fighting in
Europe during World War II?
From 1939 to 1942, the Axis Powers
dominated Europe, North Africa, & Asia
Germany used blitzkrieg tactics to
dominate Eastern & Western Europe
England was wounded
Hitler broke the
from German attacks in Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression
the Battle of Britain
Pact & marched into Russia
The German & Italian armies dominated
Northern Africa, threatened the Suez
Canal & the oil fields in the Middle East
The Japanese dominated Asia, crippled
the U.S. navy after the Pearl Harbor attack,
& seized most Western colonies in the Pacific
However, U.S. entrance into the war in 1941 helped
the Allies turn the tide and defeat the Axis by 1945
FDR & Churchill agreed that defeating Hitler was
the top priority, but American troops would be
deployed to fight Japan at the same time
To win in Europe, the
The Allies won the
U.S. had to secure the
Battle of the Atlantic by
trans-Atlantic supply lines
breaking Germany’s
against German submarines coded communications
American & British
troops invaded Italy,
took Sicily in 1943,
seized Rome in 1944
The
Alliesthe
defeated
Germany Instead, Britain & USA
When
USA entered
Mussolini
wasAxis
at
the Battle
of El Alamein
WWII,
Stalin wanted
the In 1945,
agreed
to fight the
captured
& executed
by
inAllies
1942to&open
thenapushed
Westernthe
Powers
in North Africa
Axis&Powers
out of Africa
Front
divide German
army the Italian
(Stalinresistance
was angry )
Meanwhile,
the Soviet
army
The
defeated
The Soviet victory
at Stalingrad
wasSoviets
a turning
point
stopped
German
attack
the German
army at
in Worldthe
War
II because
theatRussians
began pushing
Moscow
& Leningrad
in 1942
theEast
Battle
Stalingrad
towards
Germany
from the
by of
1943
By 1944, the Allies
decided to open a
Western Front by invading
Nazi-occupied France
Operation Overlord
(called D-Day) in June
1944 was the largest land
& sea attack in history
The Normandy invasion
was deadly, but the
Allied victory created
a Western Front…
America: Story of Us: D-Day
…and allowed the
At the same time, the Soviet
Allies to push towards
army pushed from the East
Germany from the West
Forced to fight a two-front war, By March 1945, the
Hitler ordered a massive
Allies were fighting in
counter-attack at the
Germany & pushing
Battle of the Bulge...but lost
towards Berlin
In February 1945, the
Stalin agreed to send troops
“Big Three” met at the to help the U.S. invade Japan
Yalta Conference to
They agreed to allow selfcreate a plan for Europe determination (free elections)
after the war was over in nations freed from Nazi rule
They agreed to
occupy Germany
after the war
They agreed to
create & join a
United Nations
As the Allies pushed into Germany & Poland, troops
discovered & liberated concentration & death camps
Liberation of Nazi
Concentration Camps (2.16)
In April 1945, the Soviet
army captured Berlin
On April 30, 1945,
Hitler committed suicide
On May 9, 1945, the
German government
signed an unconditional
surrender to the Allies
The world celebrated
V-E Day (Victory in Europe)
The United States & the Holocaust
■ Examine the timeline “Stages of the Holocaust” &
read “Response to the Holocaust from the U.S.”
■ With a partner, answer the 3 discussion questions
& prepare for a class discussion