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WORLD WAR II

WORLD WAR II. HIGHLIGHTS & SIGNIFICANT EVENTS. Battle of the Atlantic. Britain & US struggle for trade route control U-boats hunt in “wolf packs” (20 subs/night) Merchant ships destroyed (175 in June 1942 alone) Allies develop long range aircraft to hunt. North Africa campaign.

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WORLD WAR II

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  1. WORLD WAR II HIGHLIGHTS & SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

  2. Battle of the Atlantic • Britain & US struggle for trade route control • U-boats hunt in “wolf packs” (20 subs/night) • Merchant ships destroyed (175 in June 1942 alone) • Allies develop long range aircraft to hunt

  3. North Africa campaign • 1940-1943 (compromise) • Neither has total advantage • “Desert Fox” Rommel • Axis wants Suez Canal • 240,000 Germans surrender at El Alamein • Italy forced out of Africa for good

  4. Invasion of Italy • “soft underbelly” • 1943 US moves under command of Patton • Italians begin to lose faith in Mussolini • Italy turns and declares war on Germany in Oct. 1943 • Allies face fierce resistance from Germans • Don’t surrender until 4-1945

  5. Invasion of Western Europe • Operation Overlord • Needed to do it because of slow advances in Italy • Knew we’d suffer heavy casualties • D-DAY (June 6, 1944)

  6. D-Day • Heavy casualties suffered in invasion (2,000 on Omaha beach alone) • 4,600 invasion craft; 1000 bombers, 23k airbornes • 150,000 allied troops land across 60 miles of beach • Within 1 month, 2 million troops make it across channel and into France

  7. D-Day photos

  8. US advances--Battle of the Bulge • December 1944 • Last major German counterattack • Push back 1st US army (formed bulge) • Largest battle in Europe w/ casualties • 600,000 soldiers fight • 80,000 killed, wounded or captured • Germans lose 100,000 • Nazis begin to realize defeat

  9. War on Eastern Front • Hitler desired to make Germany self-sufficient • He needed oil--finds fields at Caspian Sea in S.U. • Breaks non-aggression treaty & invades • Takes Ukraine’s land for food

  10. Germans advance in East • 1941-1942 • 3 million Axis troops • Stalin receives ‘lend-lease’ aid from USA • Germans threaten Moscow & Leningrad • Leads to move on Stalingrad

  11. Stalingrad--the turning point • 1942-1943 • Most significant battle in Eastern front • Red Army makes its stand • Major rail center on Volga River • Germans firebomb for 2 months • Army moves into city in winter (mistake) • January 31, 1943--90k Germans surrendered

  12. Allied Air War • RAF fends off Luftwaffe • RAF starts long-range attacks on Germany • ‘carpet bombing’ • Hamburg suffers as 40k killed in 1943 • 1944--coordinated attacks on Germany • Night-time raids--3,000 planes involved

  13. Bataan Death March • April-May 1942 • Philippines • 76,000 allies captured by Japanese • 10k prisoners die in 6-12 day walks • Executions (samurai) • 15k die in camps • Breaks Geneva Conv.

  14. Coral Sea • Naval battle in May 1942 • Prevent Japanese from reaching Australia • Both sides lose over 1/2 of airplanes • Battle was draw • Prevents invasion

  15. Battle of Midway • June 4, 1942 • Fight over strategic islands • Americans stop advance & sink 3 of 4 Japanese aircraft carriers • Only 1 American carrier is lost • Japan loses 250 planes • US breaks Japanese codes • No more offensive operations in Pacific

  16. Guadalcanal • August 1942-Feb. ‘43 • Smaller conflict • 1st jungle warfare • Fierce battles including sniper fire • US conquers 1st piece of Japanese-held territory

  17. Leyte Gulf--Philippines • October 1944-December 1944 • “I shall return”--MacArthur in Philippines • US virtually destroys remaining Japanese fleet • Kamikazes 1st used--80,000 Japanese killed; fewer than 1,000 surrendered & Philippines in ruins (100k dead)

  18. Iwo Jima • Nov. ‘44-Feb ‘45 • Tiny island w/ caves • Closer to Japan • 74 days of bombing • 110,000 Americans & 25,000 Japanese • Took month to conquer • Only 216 Japanese left • US realizes Japanese determination

  19. Okinawa • April ‘45-June ‘45 • Last obstacle to Japan • 100k Japanese fight to death • Allies gather everything • US suffers 50k casualties (bonzai charges) • US wins & has clear path and airfields to hit Japan • 350 miles away

  20. Towards the end of war The impact…

  21. Manhattan Project • Einstein letter to FDR • Top secret program created to learn about atomic energy • 1942--1st explosion in lab (U of Chicago) • Field tested in N.M. on July 16, ‘45 • Blew out windows 125 miles away

  22. Dropping the bomb • After meeting with Stalin at Potsdam, Truman talks w/ military about invasion • 1 million casualties or more expected • Naval blockade to take months • Demonstrate superiority to Soviets? • Want a surrender w/out conditions

  23. Hiroshima • August 6, 1945--Enola Gay drops “Little Boy” • 80,000 killed immediately by fire, explosion, radiation, and so on • 50,000 die within next few years

  24. Hiroshima photos

  25. Nagasaki • August 9, 1945 • 3 days later & no surrender, yet • “Fat Man” dropped • 70-100,000 dead • August 14th, Japan offers unconditional surrender after threat of more bombing

  26. Results of WWII--Axis Powers • Germany suffers 5.6 million deaths (3.25 million civilians; 2.35 million soldiers) • Italy loses 1/4 million soldiers & 60,000 civilians • Japan suffers 1.74 million military deaths & 393,000 civilian deaths

  27. Allied losses in WWII • France: 122,000 civilian dead & 470,000 military deaths • Britain: 305,000 military deaths & 61,000 civilian deaths • USA: 405,000 military dead • China: 1.4 million military deaths & 8 million civilian deaths (NANKING) • Soviet Union: 11 million military deaths & 6.7 million civilians dead (total of 18 million!!!)

  28. Holocaust & Soviet Purges • 12-20 million Jews, Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Poles, Communists, Handicapped, Homosexuals, etc. killed by Nazis • Stalin kills 20-30 million “non-Communists” or “threats” in Soviet Union--total NOT figured into the previous slide

  29. FINAL LOSSES • 80-90 million total losses (WORLDWIDE) between 1937-1945 • Will have a major impact on European and Asian reconstruction and politics, foreign policy, and human rights forever!!

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