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Essential Question :

Explore the essential question of whether the United States should have gone to war in Europe against Germany and Italy during World War II. Learn about the Axis Powers, the Allied push, D-Day, concentration camps, and the heroes of the European Theater. Discover the significance of the Yalta Conference and the creation of the United Nations.

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Essential Question :

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  1. Essential Question: • Should the United States have gone to war in Europe against Germany & Italy during World War II?

  2. From 1939 to 1942, the Axis Powers dominated Europe, North Africa, & Asia

  3. Germany used blitzkrieg tactics to dominate Eastern & Western Europe England was wounded from German attacks in the Battle of Britain Hitler broke the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact & marched into Russia

  4. The German & Italian armies dominated Northern Africa, threatened the Suez Canal & the oil fields in the Middle East

  5. The Japanese dominated Asia, crippled the U.S. navy after the Pearl Harbor attack, & seized most Western colonies in the Pacific

  6. However, U.S. entrance into the war in 1941 helped the Allies turn the tide and defeat the Axis by 1945 FDR & Churchill agreed that defeating Hitler was the top priority, but American troops would be deployed to fight Japan at the same time

  7. To win in Europe, the U.S. had to secure the trans-Atlantic supply lines against German submarines The Allies won the Battle of the Atlantic by breaking Germany’s coded communications, using sonar & convoy system

  8. American & British troops invaded Italy, took Sicily in 1943, seized Rome in 1944 The Allies defeated Germany at the Battle of El Alamein in 1942 & then pushed the Axis Powers out of Africa When the USA entered WWII, Stalin wanted the Allies to open a Western Front & divide German army Instead, Britain & USA agreed to fight the Axis Powers in North Africa Operation Torch (Stalin was angry ) In 1945, Mussolini was captured & executed by the Italian resistance

  9. Meanwhile, the Soviet army stopped the German attack at Moscow & Leningrad in 1942 The Soviets defeated the German army at the Battle of Stalingrad The Soviet victory at Stalingrad was a turning point in World War II because the Russians began pushing towards Germany from the East by 1943

  10. By 1944, the Allies decided to open a Western Front by invading Nazi-occupied France Operation Overlord (called D-Day) June 6, 1944 was the largest land & sea attack in history

  11. The Normandy invasion was deadly, but the Allied victory created a Western Front…

  12. D-DAY June 6th 1944https://youtu.be/mT3q8tba_lw • D-DAY-(OPERATION OVERLORD) • 5 BEACHES • ALLIED BEACHES: BRITISH, CANADIAN & FRENCH = GOLD, SWORD & JUNO • U.S. BEACHES = OMAHA & UTAH • “BLOODY OMAHA”: • 2,000 AMERICANS KILLED • 5,000 CASUALTIES • 8,000-9,000 ALLIED DEATHS IN ONE DAY

  13. American Cemetery Normandy, France

  14. After D-Day the Allies could now push towards Germany from the West At the same time, the Soviet army pushed from the East Forced to fight a two-front war, Hitler ordered his last massive counter-attack at the Battle of the Bulge...but lost By March 1945, the Allies were fighting in Germany & pushing towards Berlin

  15. In February 1945, the “Big Three” met at the Yalta Conference to create a plan for Europe after the war was over Stalin agreed to send troops to help the U.S. invade Japan Big Three agreed to allow self-determination (free elections) in nations freed from Nazi rule Big Three agreed to occupy Germany after the war Big Three agreed to create & join a United Nations. U.S. joins to help achieve world peace, unlike League of Nations

  16. As the Allies pushed into Germany & Poland, troops discovered & liberated concentration & death camps, after WWII Nazi leaders would be tried during Nuremberg trials

  17. Heroes of WWII

  18. PATTON (U.S. “OLD BLOOD & GUTS”) vs ROMMEL (GERMANY “THE DESERT FOX”)

  19. THE EUROPEAN THEATER • AUDIE MURPHY: • SECOND MOST DECORATED SOLDIER OF WWII (26 MEDALS) • KILLED 50 GERMANS IN ONE BATTLE • EARNED CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR • STARRED IN TO HELL AND BACK (HIS OWN LIFE STORY)

  20. MINORITY HEROES • TUSKEGEE AIRMEN “RED TAILS”, AFRICAN-AMERICAN 99TH & 332nd PURSUIT SQUADRONS • BUFFALO SOLDIERS: AFRICAN-AMERICAN INFANTRY • BLACK PANTHERS: AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARMORED DIVISION (761st BATTALION) • PURPLE HEART BATTALION: 442ND, JAPANESE-AMERICAN INFANTRY, MOST DECORATED UNIT IN HISTORY • NAVAJO CODE TALKERS: NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE PACIFIC

  21. TUSKEGEE AIRMEN

  22. THE “RED TAILS”

  23. BLACK PANTHERS (761st)

  24. JAPANESE-AMERICANS442nd & 100TH BATTALION “THE PURPLE HEART BATTALION” • 14,000 MEN SERVED • 18,143 AWARDS • 9,486 PURPLE HEARTS • 4,000 BRONZE STARS • 560 SILVER STARS • 21 MEDALS OF HONOR • 8 PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATIONS

  25. NAVAJO CODE TALKERS

  26. April 12, 1945, FDR dies In April 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) May 8, 1945

  27. EUROPEAN DEATH TOTALS

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