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Explore key events of World War II, from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to the devastating bombings of Japan. Learn about the battles, strategies, and outcomes that shaped the course of the war.
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Pearl Harbor • Largest U.S. base in the Pacific, strategic for any future American war in Asia. • Sunday, December 7 1941 • Navy expecting training run, not alarmed when they saw the radar • Japanese achieve complete surprise • Sank 4 battleships, destroyed 188 aircraft, and killed over 2,400 soldiers.
Sailors on the U.S.S. Arizona were trapped inside the ship, and never recovered.
African Offensive • Soviets pushed hard for immediate European invasion. • British wanted to begin with German and Italian forces in northern Africa • In the end FDR sided with Britain • British invasion on October 1942 • Montgomery vs. Rommel • Patton and American forces don’t arrive until November. • Initially driven back and defeated until Patton launches counteroffensive. • By May 1943 Rommel and Nazis are forced to flee back to Italy.
Italy or France • January 1943 – FDR met with Churchill in Casablanca • Debate over invasion of France or Sicily. • Stalin: immediate Allied invasion of France - so did FDR’s top advisors. • Churchill: Sicilian invasion might knock Italy out of the war before French invasion. • FDR sided with Churchill • July 1943: U.S. and British forces landed in Sicily, 38 days later Italian mainland. • Mussolini’s government collapsed and he fled to Germany.
Invasion of Italy was ultimately a success • But postponed the unavoidable plan of invading France • Used up many supplies that would be needed for that invasion. • Made the Soviets bitter towards U.S. and Britain • They felt their allies were deliberately postponing the invasion to allow Russia to take the brunt of casualties fighting Germany on the mainland.
The Atlantic Wall: Hitler’s defense of the French coast that many thought impossible to break. • Operation Overlord: Secret military codename of year long preparation for D-Day invasion, soldiers didn’t even know details. • Dwight Eisenhower: American commander for D-Day, Patton used as a decoy. • There were TWO sites for possible invasion, Normandy or Calais • Used deception to make Germans think attack Calais.
D-Day: June 6, 1944 • Largest amphibious invasion in the history of mankind • Did NOT go as planned • Weather disrupted navy plans • German guns threw paratroopers all over France • Held beaches in one day, battle for Normandy actually lasted over a month.
From the American Perspective From the German Perspective
After D-Day • Race for Germany after breaking the Atlantic Wall • About to cross the Rhine by November • Battle of the Bulge: Hitler’s last ditch effort to divide the Allies, named for the massive retreat through Ardennes forest. • Miserable siege at the town of Bastogne became symbol of American will.
Hitler’s Mistake in Russia • Started his attack too late in the year, couldn’t capture Stalingrad • City was destroyed, but Russians refused to quit • German soldiers froze to death, eventually surrendered
War Ends in Europe • Allies closing in on Hitler on both fronts • Married his mistress, Eva Braun • committed suicide in his private bunker • The bodies were never found • May 8, 1945 the Germans formally surrendered. • Known as V-E Day in America. (Victory in Europe)
War in the Pacific • After Pearl Harbor • Battle of Midway: largest Naval battle of WWII, massive U.S. victory just SIX months after Pearl Harbor. • Gen. Douglas MacArthur: American commander in the Pacific. • Island Hopping: American plan of invading a chain of strategic islands leading to Japanese mainland. U.S.S. Yorktown – only American ship sunk at Midway, sank 4 Japanese ships. Americans KIA – 307 Japanese KIA – 3,057
Guadalcanal • First strategic location in the “island hopping” campaign, lasted nearly six months 60,000 Americans vs. 36,000 Japanese 42,589 Total Casualties 14,889 Americans 28,000 + Japanese
Iwo Jima • Final, most valuable island before a direct invasion of Japanese mainland. • Japanese fanatical and desperate, would not surrender. 100,000 Americans vs. 25,000 Japanese 18,000 Americans wounded 6,800 Americans killed All except 1,000 Japanese presumed dead, missing, or in hiding.
Desperate Japanese • Kamikazes: Japanese fighter pilots were expected to fly their planes directly into U.S. ships • Bonsai Charges: suicidal charges made by Japanese infantry. U.S.S. Bunker Hill – Struck by Kamikaze
Bombing Japan • Manhattan Project: military codename for the top secret project to develop Atomic bomb. • Got the idea from Nazi scientists that fled Germany. • So secretive the Vice President didn’t know about it. • Fire bombings of Tokyo killed 83,000 Japanese… still no surrender • Atomic bomb was last resort Charred remains of Japanese civilians after America used napalm on Tokyo
Dropping the Bomb • On August 6, 1945: The Enola Gaye dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. • Three days later, another was dropped on Nagasaki. • Over 150,000 people were killed in the two bombings. • Hirohito officially surrendered on board the U.S.S. Missouri on September 2, 1945.
