Download US Involvement in World War 2

■Essential Question:
–What role did the U.S. play in
winning the wars in Europe &
the Pacific?
■Warm-Up Question:
–What other major American
war is most similar in its
resemblance to the U.S.
entrance into WW2?
Germany,
using
When the
U.S. entered WW2 in
The
late
Japanese
1941,
blitzkrieg tactics,
victory seemed remote
dominated Asia,
controlled almost all
crippled
of Europe
the U.S. navy after
the Pearl Harbor
attack,
Beginning in 1940,
&
seized most
In
1941,Hitler
broke
England was wounded
Western
colonies
in
the
from German attacks in
the
Pacific.
Nazi-Soviet
the Battle of Britain.
Nonaggression Pact
& marched into
The German & Italian
Russia.
FDR
& Churchill
agreed that defeating Hitler
was the top
armies
dominated
Northern
Africa, troops would be deployed to fight
priority,
but American
threatened the Japan
Suez at the same time.
Canal & the oil fields
in the Middle East.
And over the next 2 years, the U.S. & the Allies
began to win the wars in Europe & the Pacific
Europe 1941-1943
The U.S. wanted
to attack across
Nazi-controlled
France by 1943.
Enland wanted to In 1942, U.S.-Anglo troops began
the Italian campaign & Stalin
attack Italy from
To
win
the
European
was
ANGRY
bc
he
wanted
a2
Northern Africa in
different
frontcampaign,
war, dividing2 German
1942.
plansforces.
were proposed
The Allies began to win the Battle of the Atlantic
(breaking German coded communications) in 1941
with Lend-Lease aid, but took control in 1943 with
America’s entry into the war.
U.S. and British troops
forced Germans into
Tunisia.
Despite U.S.
On Nov. 8, 1942,
General
POINT: Forces
loss at Kasserine
Eisenhower landed
on coastPass,TURNING
led by British General
of Morocco
and
Algeria.
the Axis army was forced Montgomery stopped
German forces led by
to surrender in May
Rommel (The Desert
1943.
Fox.)The Allies finally
defeated Germany at the
Battle of El Alamein
on Nov. 4, 1942 & then
pushed the Axis Powers
out of Africa.
Britain & USA agreed to fight the
Axis Powers in North Africa.
When Italians
surrendered, Germans
took over defense. Allies
seized Rome in 1944,
and in April 1945, the
Germans finally
surrendered.
American & British
troops invaded Italy.
General Patton
decided to take
Southern Italy and
Sicily in 1943.
In 1945, Mussolini was
captured & executed by
the Italian resistance.
The Soviets defeated the
German
army atpoint
the
The Soviet victory at Stalingrad was
a turning
Battle of Stalingrad
Meanwhile,
the II
Soviet
armythe Russians
in World War
because
began in
Feb. 1943 .
stopped the German attack at
pushing towards Germany from the East by 1943.
Moscow & Leningrad in 1942.
The USSR was able to “free”
Poland, Hungary, Romania.
Results of Stalingrad
■ Stalin began demanding the Allies invade Western
Europe to relieve pressure on the Eastern front.
■ Russia developed perception that the West did not
care about their suffering. This would help fuel the
Cold War later.
• U.S. lost 400,000 in WWII
• Russia lost 18 million.
• Before the Battle of Stalingrad, nearly
500,000 lived in the city; after battle, only
1,500 still lived in the city.
• More Russian forces died at Stalingrad than
all U.S. forces combined during the entire
war.
Tehran
Conference,
1943
By agreeing to “Operation Overlord” (D-
FDR
proposed
a
future
United
Nations
■ In Day),
1943,the
FDR,
Stalin
met
AlliesChurchill,
would divide
the Axis
dominated by
“4
policemen”
(USA,
Britain,
military
across
twofirst
fronts
in
Tehran,
Iran
for
the
of three
China, & USSR) with power to “deal immediately
conferences:
withwartime
any sudden
emergency which requires
action” USSR
–The USA, Britain,
coordinated their war strategy
–FDR & Churchill finally committed
to Stalin’s demands to open a
western front (D-Day)
–Discussed plans to create a
“general internat’l organization” to
promote “peace & security” (UN)
Europe 1944-1945
Operation Overlord
(called D-Day) under
Eisenhower in June 1944
was the largest land & sea
attack in history. The Allies
lost 10,000 out of 150,000
men.
U.S. & British
troops landed at
5 strategic points,
pushed through
France drove
towards Germany.
The long-awaited 2nd
front came on June 6,
1944 with D-Day.
The Normandy invasion
was deadly, but the
Allied victory created
a Western Front…
America: Story of Us: D-
This allowed the
Allies to push towards
Germany from the West.
By fall 1944,
Gen.
Eisenhower and
forces pushed
Germans out of
France.
At the same time, the Soviet
army pushed from the East.
Reinforcements
led by Patton
solidified
German defeat.
Forced to fight a two-front war,
Hitler ordered a massive
surprise counter-attack in the
Ardennes Forest at the
Battle of the Bulge. (December
1944) 101st Airborne stopped
Germans.
By March 1945, the
Allies were fighting in
Germany & pushing
towards Berlin.
Results of Battle of the Bulge
• This was the largest battle in Western
Europe during WWII and the largest battle
the U.S. fought in the War.
• The U.S. lost 80,000 and the Germans lost
100,000.
• This last attack by Hitler reduced the
remaining strength of the German army,
which significantly weakened the defense of
Germany on both fronts.
Yalta Conference in February 1945
To recognize
the independence
■The
“Big 3” met
at Yalta to &
sovereignty of nations in Eastern Europe
discuss
post-war
Europe
given
They also
agreed
to
the eminent
defeat of Germany:
occupy
–Stalin
up
Germany
afterrefused to give
And they agreed
theEastern
war.
Europe but
did& join a
to he
create
United Nations.
agree to “self-determination”
–Stalin agreed to send Soviet
troops to the Pacific after the
German surrender if the USSR
could keep Manchuria
As the Allies pushed into Germany & Poland, troops
discovered & liberated concentration & death camps.
Liberation of Nazi
Concentration Camps
(2.16)
Soon after the Yalta Conference in Feb 1945,
FDR died…and Harry Truman became president
In late April 1945, the Allies broke through
the Eastern & Western Fronts forcing both
Italy & Germany to surrender
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