Download Here we see US soldiers trying to identify the body of

Children who have been made homeless by the bombs of the
Nazis, waiting outside the wreckage of what was their home
Winning World War II
The surprise Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor on December 7,
1941 galvanized the American
people. Though reluctant to
directly enter WWII prior to the
attack, many Americans quickly
changed their minds when faced
with the 2,300 deaths and
massive destruction caused by it.
Americans faced the task of
defeating the Axis powers without
the lofty idealism that
characterized the outset of WWI.
Instead, there was widespread
recognition that defeating wellarmed enemies across two
oceans would require enormous
sacrifice and courage.
Ultimately, more than 15 million men
and women served in the US armed
forces. On the home front, millions
of Americans of all ages spent four
years working in munitions plants,
buying war bonds, collecting scrap
metal, and living on rationed goods
to support the war effort and
freedom at home and abroad.
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The Big Three Meet at Yalta
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tension during
World War II?
The United States, Great Britain,
and the Soviet Union
• Tensions between the countries – Soviets
were communist; GB and US were
democracies
• Decided to defeat Hitler, then take on
Japan
• The war took a terrible toll on the Soviet
population (approximately 26,600,000
civilian and military dead)
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The Allied Invasion of Northwestern Europe
• Allies attack Normandy – France
• Operation Fortitude – decoy mission
D-Day Deception
• Operation Overlord (D-Day)
Invasion at Normandy
• Two million soldiers involved
• June 6, 1944
• Allies experienced high casualties
• Fall 1944 –Paris and Belgium freed
D-Day
Here we see US
soldiers trying to
identify the body of
soldiers who were
machine-gunned
after being taken
as a prisoner by
the German Nazis
in January 1945.
The Battle of the Bulge
• December 1944 – Hitler
squeezed between Soviets in
East and Americans in West
• Hitler marched into a weak point
in the Allied lines, creating a
“bulge”
• March 1945 – Hitler pushed back;
Allies entered Germany
Here we see Trafalgar Square in London
filled with people celebrating the German
surrender and the end of WWII in Europe.
The Allied Victory in Europe
• Allies closed in on Berlin from E and W
• April 25, 1945 – Allies from E and W met
and celebrated
• May 7, 1945 – Hitler committed suicide;
Germany surrendered
• May 8, 1945 – V-E Day
US Strategy in the
Pacific War
• The US military adopted an
“island hopping” strategy to
defeat the Japanese
• April 1942 – US Air Force
bombed Japanese cities in the
Doolittle Raid
Here we see Americans abandoning the
carrier Lexington during the Battle of the
Coral Sea.
The Turning Point of the
Pacific War
• The key to winning the Pacific War
was controlling the sky and water of
the Pacific Ocean
• Battle of the Coral Sea – no clear
winner, but set stage for Midway
• Battle of Midway – June 1942 –
turning point in the war – gave the
Allies the upper hand
Here we see U.S. Marines raising the American
flag atop Mount Surabachi on the island of
Iwo Jima.
The Battle of Iwo Jima
• Soldiers battled monsoons, malaria,
heat, and earthquakes
• February to March 1945 – fought for
Iwo Jima
• Heavy casualties on both sides
• Allies won there and at Okinawa –
gave them strong position to launch
attacks on Japan
The End of WWII
• US blockade cut off Japan’s
supply lines
• Kamikaze missions used
• Atomic bombs dropped on Japan
• August 14, 1945 – Japan
surrendered
• Approx. 50 million lives lost in
WWII
The End of WWII
Scene from the
surrender
ceremony, held on
September 2,
1945 aboard the
U.S. battleship
Missouri.
Officials from the
Japanese
government
signed the
Japanese
Instrument of
Surrender, ending
World War II.
Important
Military
Leaders of
WWII
General Omar Bradley
• Known by his troops
in World War II as
"The Soldier's
General" because of
his care of and
compassion for those
soldiers under his
command.
• Served in North Africa
and Italy
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Supreme Commander
of Allied forces in
Europe for the D-Day
invasion
• Later served as
president of the
United States
General Douglas MacArthur
• Commander of the
US Army in the
Pacific
• Most famous phrase:
“I shall return.”
General George Marshall
• Coordinated the war
effort from
Washington, DC
• U.S. Army Chief of
Staff during WWII, the
highest ranking U.S.
Army officer
General George Patton
• Tank commander
who spearheaded the
final attack into
Germany
• Known for carrying
ivory-handled pistols
and his fiery temper