* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Battle of the Bulge
Italian Social Republic wikipedia , lookup
Military history of the United Kingdom during World War II wikipedia , lookup
Military history of Greece during World War II wikipedia , lookup
Swedish iron-ore mining during World War II wikipedia , lookup
Consequences of the attack on Pearl Harbor wikipedia , lookup
Allied plans for German industry after World War II wikipedia , lookup
Aftermath of World War II wikipedia , lookup
Consequences of Nazism wikipedia , lookup
Italian resistance movement wikipedia , lookup
Operation Bodyguard wikipedia , lookup
Naval history of World War II wikipedia , lookup
Allied Control Council wikipedia , lookup
Causes of World War II wikipedia , lookup
Home front during World War II wikipedia , lookup
World War II by country wikipedia , lookup
Battle of the Mediterranean wikipedia , lookup
Foreign relations of the Axis powers wikipedia , lookup
Technology during World War II wikipedia , lookup
Allied war crimes during World War II wikipedia , lookup
Diplomatic history of World War II wikipedia , lookup
Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II wikipedia , lookup
Allies of World War II wikipedia , lookup
World War II Battle of the Atlantic US countered German U-boat attacks against shipping by enforcing blackouts along the East Coast (so U-boat commanders couldn’t see activity on the US coast) and by using the convoy system (ships traveling in large groups with naval escort) Also used new technologies like sonar and depth charges to combat the U-boat threat As the war progressed, the Germans began to lose more U-boats than they could replace and Allied shipping was able to deliver more supplies Operation Torch November 1942 US troops landed in Algeria and Morocco in North Africa Landings were designed to bring relief to British forces in Egypt who had been holding off Germany’s Afrika Korps under the command of the “Desert Fox,” Gen. Erwin Rommel Despite the inexperience of the US forces, Axis troops were forced out of North Africa by May of 1943 Erwin Rommel 1891 – 1944 Highly decorated hero from WWI, became Germany’s top officer during WWII Commanded German forces in the invasion of France, in North Africa, and against the Allied invaders at Normandy Implicated in an assassination plot against Hitler, Rommel quietly committed suicide to spare Germany and his family from his public disgrace Dwight D. Eisenhower 1890 – 1969 Master strategist who helped devise the US plans for winning the war against both Germany and Japan Placed in charge of US forces in North Africa and, later, over all Allied forces in Europe Would go on to be elected President of the United States in 1952 George Patton 1885 – 1945 Outlandish and outspoken (but highly effective) US general Played a pivotal role in the US invasions of North Africa and Italy, but was removed from command after slapping a soldier for cowardice Returned after the D-Day invasion, helping with the final push of Allied forces into Germany Killed in a car crash shortly after the end of the war Casablanca Conference Jan. 1943 FDR and Churchill met in Morocco to determine the next steps to take in the war Decided on an increased bombing campaign in Germany Also decided to attack mainland Europe through Italy, rather than France Invasion of Italy July – Aug. 1943: Allied forces invaded and captured Sicily The Allies easy conquest of Sicily was disheartening to the Italian army and alarming to the King of Italy Mussolini overthrown July 25, 1943: Mussolini was fired and ordered arrested by Italian King Victor Emmanuel III Italian people had lost all confidence in Mussolini and rejoiced at his ouster Italy broke its alliance with Germany in September and joined the Allies in October 1943 Germans Defend Italy The German army seized control of northern Italy, freed Mussolini from prison, and forced the Allies to fight a long and costly campaign in Italy Particularly bloody battles took place at Monte Cassino (Jan. – May 1944) and Anzio (Jan. – June 1944) Took Allies until May 1945 to gain complete control of Italy and cost them over 300,000 casualties The Tehran Conference Nov. 1943 Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin met in Tehran, Iran US and Britain agreed to invade France, providing relief to the Soviets by dividing Germany’s troops along several fronts Agreed to break up Germany after the war to permanently remove them as a threat to peace Stalin agreed to help fight Japan once Germany was beaten Stalin agreed to the creation of an international organization to help keep world peace after the war The Normandy Invasion Operation Overlord Allies created fake camps along one section of the British coast to trick Germany into believing that the Allied attack would be farther north on the French coast than was actually planned Allies then had to wait for a perfect combination of weather, tides, and moonlight to launch the real invasion, aimed at Normandy D-Day June 6, 1944 7000 ships moved over 100,000 troops across the English Channel 23,000 paratroopers were dropped behind the German lines Allied bombers hit critical German defense and communication sites Naval warships began a bombardment of German fortifications along the French coast By the end of the day, the Allies had established a foothold in France Allies Liberate France By July 25, Allied forces had shattered the German defensive positions in Northern France August 25: Allies retook Paris, to much celebration by the French population By mid-September, Allies were at the German border and ready to begin an invasion of Germany itself Battle of the Bulge Dec. 1944 – Jan. 1945 Germans made one last effort to break the Allied lines and cut their supplies by taking the port of Antwerp, Belgium The initial surge caused a “bulge” in the Allied lines, but the Germans could not maintain the surge, especially after Patton arrived with reinforcements The battle cost Germany over 100,000 casualties and used up their remaining war materials Yalta Conference Feb. 1945 Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in the Soviet Union to discuss postwar plans Agreed to reestablish Poland Issued the Declaration of Liberated Europe: agreement to let all the peoples of Europe to choose their own forms of government through free elections Agreed to strip Germany of its industrial machinery as war reparations Agreed to divide Germany (and its capital city of Berlin) into four zones, one each for the US, France, Britain, and USSR Roosevelt Dies After months of noticeably declining health, Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1945 He was replaced by his Vice-President Harry S. Truman Benito Mussolini Dies Mussolini was captured by Italian communists on April 28, 1945 He and his entourage were shot Bodies were then hung from meat hooks, stoned by an angry crowd, and left to rot (Mussolini’s corpse was later stolen by loyalists and not recovered until August!) Adolf Hitler Committed suicide on April 30, 1945 Took cyanide and shot himself (along with his newlywed wife Eva Braun) Body was then burned by his secretary No verifiable remains have ever been recovered; “Hitler lives” theories circulated for many years after the war Germany Falls Berlin captured by the Soviets on May 5, 1945 May 7, 1945: Germany formally surrendered to the Allies; their surrender was unconditional, meaning that they had to accept whatever terms the Allies offered to end the war May 8: celebrated as “V-E Day” (Victory in Europe) “Island-hopping” US forces elected to focus on capturing only certain strategic islands in the Pacific – ones that would allow US bombers to get within striking range of Japan and create a safe route for troop and supply movement Pacific Battles Tarawa (Nov. 1943) Kwajalein (Feb. 1944) Saipan, Tinian, & Guam (Jun. – Aug. 1944) US Marines took heavy losses unseating Japanese defenders, but US B-29 bombers could reach Japan once these islands were secured Battle of Guadalcanal Aug. 1942 – Feb. 1943 U.S. amphibious attack on Japanese fortifications Land, sea, & air battle Eventually 31,000 of the 36,000 Japanese on the island were killed Douglas MacArthur 1880 – 1964 Seasoned veteran of WWI, highly decorated soldier who had won the Medal of Honor Had vowed to return to the Philippines when forced to evacuate in 1942 Led US effort to retake the Philippines and proclaimed “I have returned” when he finally landed in Oct. 1944 Later was US commander of occupied Japan after WWII and led UN forces in the Korean War The Philippines US forces landed at Leyte in Oct. 1944 to begin the retaking of the Philippines, but relied entirely on the US Navy for air cover for protection Japanese navy counterattacked, drawing the US Navy into a major naval battle that left MacArthur’s forces unprotected and nearly led to disaster US forces would not gain full control of the Philippines until July 1945, just weeks before the war ended Kamikaze Attacks The Battle of Leyte Gulf marked the first coordinated use of suicide attacks by Japanese pilots known as kamikaze (“divine wind”) Japanese high command was now resorting to desperate tactics as Japan ran out of experienced pilots and the industrial capacity to continue making new weaponry Iwo Jima Feb./Mar. 1945 First Japanese “homeisland” captured by the US 20,700 of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers on the island were killed; about 6800 of the 60,000 US Marines who landed on Iwo Jima were killed Badly damaged Japanese morale; placed Japan within easy bombing range for US bombers Firebombing of Japan Gen. Curtis LeMay ordered the use of napalm (jellied gasoline) bombs on Japanese cities because his bombers were having trouble hitting their targets The napalm was designed to start massive fires, which would ensure the destruction of the desired military targets, but would also lead to heavy losses of civilian life Mar. 9, 1945: firebombing of Tokyo killed over 80,000; by the war’s end, 67 Japanese cities had been destroyed using napalm Battle of Okinawa Apr.-June 1945 Most brutal battle of the Pacific war: about 125,000 Japanese killed and 12,500 Americans Nearly 700,000 men fought in this battle (550,000 Americans) Okinawa was needed to set up a base of operations for an invasion of Japan itself The Manhattan Project US effort to build a new type of weapon that would unleash tremendous destructive energy by splitting uranium atoms – an “atomic bomb” Led by Gen. Leslie Groves and researcher J. Robert Oppenheimer, the team produced 3 bombs 1 bomb was tested in the New Mexico desert, leaving just 2 bombs for military use Bombs were code-named “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” Harry S. Truman 1884 – 1972 (life) 1945 - 1953 (Pres.) Became president upon FDR’s death Truman now had to decide how to end the war – should the US mount an invasion of Japan, which would cost an estimated 1 million American lives or should it use the new atomic bomb, which would kill an unknown number of Japanese civilians and whose after-effects were still unknown? Hiroshima Japan was warned that unless they surrendered immediately and without conditions, they faced “prompt and utter destruction” When the Japanese did not reply, orders were given to destroy the industrial city of Hiroshima August 6, 1945: The B-29 Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on the city, destroying 76,000 buildings and killing over 120,000 people Nagasaki When the Japanese still did not surrender, the B29 Bock’s Car dropped “Fat Man” on the port of Nagasaki, killing over 50,000 on August 9, 1945 On the same day, the Soviets declared war on Japan and began to prepare to enter the war in the Pacific Japan Surrenders Faced with destruction on an unforeseen scale (and unaware that the US had no more atomic bombs to use), Emperor Hirohito ordered his government to surrender unconditionally Fighting stopped August 15, 1945 (“V-J Day”) Formal surrender took place on September 2, 1945 As part of the terms of surrender, Japan was occupied by U.S. forces until Apr. 1952