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Lesson Plan
World War II 1939-1945
The Hot War
Goals-Students will understand the causes, course, and consequences of the United
States’ role in WWII.
Resources- PowerPoint, Lecture, WWII documents, Iwo Jima video.
Bell Ringer #55- Pretend like you are a soldier and can only write a 20 word telegram to
your family, what would you say?
Objectives- Students will investigate the major campaigns in the Pacific Theater, and
analyze how the ending of the war in Europe contributed to it. (Standard 7, Objective 2)
Instructional Input Talk about Bell Ringer
 Lecture-War ends in Europe and the War in the Pacific
 Paul Joffrion Letters day 4 (make inferences; look at the dates, what events are
going on at this time?) (POW, delay in mail 2nd letter later is going to go into the
air force, more dangerous, POW in the Philippines at the Japanese camp, prisoner
of war info and booklet.)
 Video- Iwo Jima
Checking for UnderstandingModelingGuided PracticeClosure- Exit Slip
War Ends in Europe
Last time we left off with what Battle?? What happened during this battle? Which beach
landing was the worst?(Omaha), which was the best (Utah)? Why was this an important
battle?
Good it was a turning point for the war in Europe. After this battle we get one more
critical battle that is fought in western Europe… does anyone know what it is?
Battle of the Bulge
Before we get to it let me fill you in on what is happening 4 months before…
After the Allies broke through the German defenses at Normandy and pushed across
France bitter fighting broke out. In late August 1944, American troops liberated Paris,
British and Canadians forces freed Brussels and Antwerp in Belgium a few days later. In
mid-September, a combined Allied force attacked the Germans occupying Holland. At
this time Americans crossed the western border of Germany. The Nazis fought
desperately to defend their homeland. They even recruited thousands of other draftees,
some as young as 15. What they decide to do is launch a counterattack in Belgium and
Luxembourg in December 1944. This is what later becomes known as the Battle of the
Bulge.
Battle of the Bulge
So where is this fighting going to take place???(north east tip of France) (Belgium and
Luxembourg in December 1944). At first the Germans are very successful and many of
the American troops get cut off from the rest of the army. General Eisenhower takes
action and ordered more troops to the scene. The best reinforcement action taken was by
General Patton and in just a few days he moved his entire army of 250,000 soldiers from
western France to help stop the German advance. These reinforcement actions helped
turn the tide in this battle and the Allies were able to come out victorious!!!
Outcomes
The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle in Western Europe during WWII and the
largest ever fought by the US. It involved some 600,000 GIs of whom 80,000 were killed
wounded, or captured. German losses totaled about 100,000 troops. *After this battle
most Nazi leaders recognized that the war was lost.
War Winds Down in Europe
After the Battle of the Bulge ends in March 1945 Allied bombers continued to hammer
German cities (Carpet Bombings= no longer just bombed pinpointed targets. They would
instead drop large amounts of bombs everywhere. Remember the clip we watched last
time and it showed the airplanes dropping thousands of bombs?). So Americans and
other Allied troops are pushing the Germans east (back to their home) while the Soviets
pushed into Germany from the East. (the Hitler’s troops are now getting it from both
sides!!!)
Soviets Advance
The fighting between German and Soviet forces from 1941 to 1945 was the greatest
conflict ever fought on a single front (what does this mean…one side). At any given time
it involved more than 9 million troops and the cost of this struggle was horrific.
The fighting that took place between these two groups accounted for more than 2/3rds of
all the dead for WWII. The Soviets lost 13.6 million and the Germans lost 3 million
(these are just military soldiers that were killed though and doesn’t account for civilians
that were killed). Current research and even said that these death tolls where higher
than this!!! Current research says that Soviet civilian and military deaths are more
like 27 million people!!!) These numbers are atrocious!!!
After all of these hardships and terrible things the Soviets had to endure they finally had
success. In April 1945 the Soviets fought their way into Berlin (the capital of Germany).
This city was already 80% destroyed by the Allied Carpet Bombings.
Germany Surrenders
Berlin has now been invaded and Hitler refused to take his Generals advice and flee the
country. He instead decided to fulfill his vow he made in 1939 “I shall stand or fall in
this struggle. I shall never survive the defeat of my people.” And on May l, 1945 the
German gov’t announced that Hitler had committed suicide. A few days later on May 8,
1945 Germany surrendered. American soldiers and civilians rejoiced and celebrated
V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) because the war in Europe had finally ended after 6
years!!! (Sadly this war isn’t over yet in the Pacific). Before I get to that I have to talk
about the Yalta Conference.
Yalta Conference
In February, two months before the fall of Berlin, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at
Yalta (a city in the Soviet Union Near the Black sea Middle North part). This meeting is
called the Yalta Conference and its purpose was to plan for the postwar world. The
leaders agreed to split Germany into four zones, each under the control of one of the
major Allies. Stalin promised to allow election in the nations his army liberated form the
Germans. He also promised to enter the war against Japan soon after Germany
surrendered. The agreements that were made in Yalta were only partially fulfilled. For
example= Stalin reused to honor his promise for free elections. Problems like this are
going to escalate and be at the heart of later problems that will arise between the Soviet
Union and the Western Allies.
The War in the Pacific
The Japanese Advance 1941-1942
After Pearl Harbor the Japanese then invade there we all thought they would go in the
first place… what is it? (the Philippines)
The Philippines fall- The Japanese decide to invade the here just days after Pearl Harbor
and for some four months American and Filipino troops held out on the Bataan
Peninsula. In March they realized the situation was hopeless and FDR told them to
escape to Australia. Two months later American and Filipinos who where still there were
running low on ammunition and food and had to surrender on May 6, 1942. As the
Bataan Peninsula fell some 76,000 Filipinos and Americans became prisoners of war.
Japanese soldiers spilt the prisoners into groups of 500 to 1,000 and march them some 60
miles to a railroad. Those who survived this were shipped to prison camps where they
were held for the rest of the war. Sadly 10,000 died from the 6-12 day march they had.
Many were even executed by the guards when they couldn’t keep up.
Americans didn’t know about this Bataan Death March until three years later. (we
finally found out when 3 Americans escaped from their camps and told us).
War at Sea / Battle of the Coral
(battle right above Austria North east tip)
As Japanese forces spread across the Pacific the battered American navy fought
desperately to stop them. In May 1942 a American naval group halted a Japanese
advance by engaging a superior enemy fleet in the Coral Sea. The Battle of the Coral
Sea was the first naval combat carried out entirely by aircraft. The enemy ships
never came within sight of each other and the planes were fighting more then 70 miles
away.
Outcomes
At the end of this five day battle both sides had lost more than half their aircraft. It was
probably a draw, but it favored the Allies because they were able to stop the Japanese
from establishing the bases they needed to bomb Australia (they were able to prevent
them from invading that nation). The Allies start to have more victories and this starts to
turn the tide of the war in their favor
Allied Victories
Remember last time when we were talking about the Allies in North Africa and the
Soviets resisting German advances??? Novemberish 1942…Ok well at this same time
two critical battles took place in the Pacific. One was in Midway Island (near Hawaii)
and the other in Guadalcanal (the western pacific near the coral sea). These two battles
changed the course of the war in the Pacific.
The Battle of Midway
The Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto believed he had to destroy what remained of
the American Fleet (remaining meaning what was left after Pearl H.) He thought that he
would be able to do this by luring it into battle at Midway Island, northwest of Hawaii.
He also believed that Americans would use all of their resources to protect Midway,
which as vital to the defense of Hawaii. He was right by the way… Anyways this battle
erupted on June 4, 1942. It was fought entirely from the air (like the Coral Sea Battle).
Americans were lucky because they attacked the Japanese while they were still loading
bombs into their planes. The Americans were able to quickly demolish three of the four
Japanese carriers as bombs stacked up. The fourth was destroyed trying to escape.
Outcome
The sinking of these carriers plus the loss of some 250 planes they carried was a huge
blow to the Japanese naval power. After the Battle at Midway, Japan was unable to
launch anymore offensive operations.
The Battle of Guadalcanal
After the victory at Midway the Allies were able to take the offensive in the Pacific and
their first goal was to capture Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. When more then
11,000 marines landed on the island in August 1942 some 2,200 Japanese fled into the
jungle. Months of fighting followed.
Outcome
By November the American navy controlled the waters around Guadalcanal. This battle
provided the marines with there first experience of jungle warfare. They slogged through
swaps, forded rivers, and hacked through tangles of vines. They were easy targets for the
Japanese and the remaining Japanese there were able to slip off the island with out being
detected in February 1943.
Island Hopping
After taking over Guadalcanal, American forces started to Island hopping= a strategy of
selectively attacking or bypassing specific enemy-held islands. Some of the islands they
attacked were the Solomon Islands, Gilbert Islands, Tarawa. Several more all in the
Pacific were attacked too. Attacks like this crippled the Japanese air force and
Americans started to make their way to Japan by hopping from one island to the next.
Started in 1943 and by the end of 1944 they were dropping tons of explosives on
Japanese cities.
Return to the Philippines
Americans decide that they have to free the Philippines so in mid October they return.
(160,000 Americans there to fight) After lots of fighting involving the first use of
Kamikazes planes Americans almost 8 months later are able to take over the Philippines
and drive the Japanese out.
Iwo Jima
This was one of the bloodiest battles of the entire war. (only 700 miles away from Japan)
This battle and the one we will talk about next where the closest ones we have had yet to
Japan.
Video- Iwo Jima How was this island protected? Who had more troops Americans or
the Japanese? How many Japanese surrendered (216) What was the outcome?