Changing the Course of the War

1. Changing the Course of the War 29.3

2. Allies in Trouble • At the beginning of 1942 Germany had many successes and the Allies were suffering • Allies committed to total war • Nation devotes all of their resources to the war effort • Governments increased their power to control the war effort • Rations, manufacturing, censored press, war bonds • Women replaced men in the war industry jobs

3. Turning the Tide • Throughout 1942-1943 the war began to turn in the Allies favor • Allies won victories on four fronts • Pacific, North Africa and Italy, Soviet Union and France • Big three (Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin) agreed to finish the war in Europe before turning to Japan • Tensions between the Allies continues to develop

4. Allies Push towards Germany • D-Day • On August 25, 1944 Allies entered Paris and within a month all of France was free • Bombing of Germany continued • Killed as many as 135,000 in Dresden • Battle of the Bulge • Bloody battle that lasted over a month while the Soviet Union pushed towards Berlin • By early 1945 Germany’s defeat seemed inevitable

5. Yalta Agreement • February 1945 Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met • Stalin insisted the Soviet Union needed to maintain control of Eastern Europe • Churchill and Roosevelt favored self-determination for Eastern Europe • Stalin agreed the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan within three months of the defeat of Germany and allow free elections in Eastern Europe, in return Churchill and Roosevelt promised the Soviets possession of Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands and an occupation zone in Korea • Germany would also be divided into 4 occupation zones governed by America, France, Britain, and USSR

6. Victory in Europe • March 1945 the Allies had crossed the Rhine into western Germany • Soviet troops had closed in on Berlin • Axis armies began to surrender • Benito Mussolini is captured and executed by guerillas in Italy • Hitler committed suicide in an underground bunker as Allied forces moved in • May 7, 1945 Germany surrenderred

7. Fighting in the Pacific • Until mid 1942 the Japanese had won many victories • May 1942 gained control of the Philippines • Bataan Death March • Forced transfer of 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American POW’s • As many as 10,600 people died as a result of this 65 mile march • Battle of Midway June 1942 • US defeats Japanese navy • Guadalcanal • US Marines landed in August 1942 and defeated the Japanese and secured the island in February 1943

8. Island Hopping • Goal of the campaign was the recapture some Japanese held islands to serve as stepping stones to the next objective • Led by General Douglas MacArthur • By 1944 the US had a blockade around Japan and American bombers were constantly bombing Japanese cities and industries • October 1944 MacArthur began to retake the Philippines

9. Ending the War in the Pacific • August 6, 1945 Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima • August 8, 1945 USSR declared war on Japan • August 9, 1945 Atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki • August 14, 1945 Japan agreed to surrender • September 2, 1945 Japan officially surrendered and ended World War Two

10. Hiroshima • “Little Boy” was dropped by the Enola Gay on Hiroshima by American Pilot Paul Tibbets • Immediately killed 80,000 people • By the end of the year it was estimated 90,000-140,000 people had died through radiation poisoning or injuries

11. Nagasaki • “Fat Man” was dropped by  Captain Kermit K. Beahan • An estimated 70,000 people were killed instantly by the bomb and another 70,000 were injured