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World War II
From Appeasement to Victory
Which areas were under Axis control between 1939
and 1941?
- Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway,
Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France,
Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, parts of
the USSR and North Africa.
- Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Ireland and
Sweden were neutral countries
-Britain was alone in Western Europe
Q.O.D. #12 2/3/10
U.S. Involvement
 1939 – U.S. declared neutrality
 Isolationist, pacifist
 Many sympathized with those fighting the Axis in
Europe
 FDR looked for a way around the Neutrality Acts
 Lend-Lease Act
 President could sell or lend war materials to “any country
whose defense the president deems vital to the United
States”
 Vowed U.S would not get involved in the war, but would
become the “arsenal for democracy
Japan
 Japan had overtaken Manchuria in 1931 and withdrew
from the League of Nations.
 In 1937 they took much of eastern China and began
the second Sino-Japanese War
 Japan saw a chance to take European possessions in
Asia when war broke out in Europe in 1939.
U.S.-Japanese tension
 In 1940 the United States banned the sale of war
materials to Japan.
 Japan saw this as interference into its sphere of
influence
 Tensions were growing, and the two countries had talks
to try to ease them
 Some Japanese wanted to expand their empire and
viewed the U.S. to be interfering with their plans.
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
 Japan attacked the United
States on December 7,
1941.
 President Roosevelt
addressed Congress the
next day.
 “A date which will live in
infamy.”
 Congress declared war on
Japan on December 8.
 The Japanese attacked the
Philippines immediately after
their attack on Pearl Harbor.
 The Philippines were a former
American colony and had strong
ties with the U.S. American
Troops there were under the
command of Gen. Douglass
MacArthur.
 Despite an honorable defense,
U.S. and Filipino forces were
defeated, and the islands fell.
 Many American prisoners were
marched out of the Bataan
Peninsula, where thousands died
of disease, hunger, or at the
hands of the Japanese.
 The Japanese also captured
Guam, Wake Island, and several
of the Aleutian Islands
Dark Times
The Japanese Zero
Big Three
 After the U.S. entered the
war, the Big Three –
Churchill, Roosevelt and
Stalin – met periodically to
discuss strategy
 They agreed to end the war
in Europe before ending it
in Asia
 Did not trust each other,
but did not want to hurt
their alliance
Allied Victories
North Africa
 The British defeated the Germans at the key battle of El Alamein.
 After The U.S. Army and British Army scored key victories in Morocco,
Tunisia, and Libya, Rommel surrendered in May 1943
Italy
 The Americans invaded Sicily and later Italy in 1943. The Italians
surrendered, but the fighting with the Germans was particularly brutal
at places like Anzio, Monte Cassino, and many other places.
Russia

The Soviets held out against the Germans in Moscow and
Leningrad, despite the worst of conditions.
 Stalingrad- In the worst battle in the history of warfare, the Soviets
eventually defeated the Germans. This is considered by many to be
the key victory in the European Theater.
 In 1944 the Allies were ready to open a Western front in France.
North Africa
Italy
Stalingrad
Vasily Zaytsev
Tiger Tank
ME 109
D-Day
 June 6, 1944
 The Allied forces invaded German-occupied France
 Paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines
 156,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel to




Normandy
American: Omaha, Utah
Canadian: Juno
British: Gold, Sword
Over 10,000 killed, wounded, missing or captured
Atlantic Wall
D-Day
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Allies Advance
 The Allies fought in Normandy for two months, barely gaining any
ground due to the defensive advantage enjoyed by the Germans in
the hedgerow country.
 The Allies, including Free French forces, continued to advance and
liberated Paris on August 25, 1944.
 The rest of France was freed within a month.
 The Germans retreated to the safety of Germany and dug into the
Siegfried line.
 The Allies continued to advance toward Germany from the west,
enduring extremely tough battles, while the Soviets pushed toward
Germany from the east, where the combat was extremely bitter.
Charles De Gualle
French Forces Enter Paris
Hedgerow Country
Siegfried Line
Yalta Conference
 Stalin wanted control of Eastern Europe, Churchill and
Roosevelt wanted self-determination
 Needed Stalin to help win the war
 Big Three agreed:
 USSR would enter the war against Japan after Germany
surrendered
 USSR would be given some territory in Asia
 Germany would be divided into four zones to be governed
by the USSR, Britain, U.S. and France
 Stalin agreed to hold free elections in Europe