world war ii. leaders of the axis powers italy- mussolini japan-hirohito germany-hitler

World War IIWorld War II

LEADERS OF THE AXIS POWERS

• ITALY- MUSSOLINI

•JAPAN-HIROHITO

•GERMANY-HITLER

Events leading to WWII

ItalyBenito

Mussolini seized power,

became dictator and made Italy a fascist state

Events leading to WWIIJapan

Invaded and took the Chinese province

of Manchuria.

Protested by League of Nations

Events leading to WWII

Germany

Adolph Hitler became Fuehrer

(leader) of Germany

Events leading to WWII

Hitler Destroyed the

Republic Persecuted Jews Drove out political

enemies Made Germany a

totalitarian state (one party) state

Events leading to WWII

Mussolini’s army invaded

and conquered Ethiopia in

Africa

Events leading to WWII

German Troops marched into the Rhineland (area

between Germany and France) in

violation of Treaty of Versailles.

Events leading to WWII

Germany and Italy sent

planes and troops to Francisco Franco, a

revolutionary leader in Spain.

Events leading to WWII

Germany and Italy formed the

Rome-Berlin Axis (Later

Japan joined , making it the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis)

Events leading to WWII

Japan began an undeclared war with china.

Though the democracies condemned Japan’s action, the U.S. and England continued to ship vital war materials to her

Events leading to WWII

Hitler’s Legions

marched into Austria and

annexed it to Germany.

Events leading to WWII

Hitler threatened war if the Sudetenland (part of

Czechoslovakia) were not turned over to Germany

Events leading to WWII

• France and England, anxious to avoid war, appeased Hitler and gave the area to him.

• He then demanded and got the remainder of Czechoslovakia after signing a non-aggression pact with Russia

Events leading to WWII• September 1, 1939 Germany attacks

Poland

• This marked the beginning of World War II

• France and Great Britain declare war on Germany

• Russia invades Poland from the east and seized the Baltic states.

The Axis Powers The Allied Powers

Germany France

Italy Great Britain

Japan Russia

The United States attempts to remain Neutral (isolationism)

As Germany and Japan gained ground, the U.S. changes her

policy from one of strict neutrality to one of aiding the

Allies “Short of War”

Events leading to WWII

Lend Lease Act, 1941, authorized the President to send aid to the

Allies. The U.S. became the “arsenal of democracy”

Events leading to WWII

The U.S. Made preparations for defense in case of war

Billions of dollars were appropriated for strengthening the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

In 1940, the Selective Service Act was passed to raise an army of fighting men.

Western FrontApril 1940, Germany invades and occupies Denmark (four hours) and Norway (four days)

May 1940, Hitler invades Holland (three days) and Belgium (fourteen days). His army skirts the Marginal Line of France and races to the English Channel

DenmarkNorwayHollandBelgium

Western Front• June 1940, France is forced to surrender in the

same railway car in the forest at Campiegne, where Germany signed the Armistice in 1918. Then Hitler orders the railway car blown up.

• The British Expeditionary forces are pushed back to Dunkirk Belgium with the backs to the Sea

• Through a supreme effort the entire army is evacuated by the British Navy but all their equipment is lost.

Western FrontJuly 1940- Hitler

begins preparations for the invasion of England. Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of England (Great

Britain) and vows to fight on.

Western Front• August 1940-

Germany begins the Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) against England by trying to bomb her into submission

Western Front• September 1940-

The Royal Air Force (RAF) Turns back the German Air Force and forces them to give up round-the- clock bombing. Now the Germans can only carry out nightly terror raids.

Western FrontOctober 1940- Hitler gives

up plans to invade Great Britain and decides to turn against Russia. He plans to defeat England with submarines by cutting off supplies. His U-boast sink more than a British ship a day

Western Front• June 1941- Hitler

invades Russia. His army drives a thousand miles into Russia. At a spot fifteen miles form Moscow, he is stopped by the Russian WinterRussian Winter.

Start of WWII

Blitzkrieg

Western Front• 1941- Mussolini invades Egypt and is

thrown out by the British.

• 1941- Italy and Hitler invade and conquers Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece, and Crete.– This is done with the leadership of Field

Marshall Rommell for Germany, known as “the desert fox”.

Field Marshall Rommell, “The Desert Fox”

Germany

Events leading American involvement in WWII

December 1941- The U.S. placed an embargo on all war materials sold to Japan. (Oil, steel, iron, etc) because of their refusal to stop her aggression against China. Japan knows she cannot exist without these material so she

decide on radical action. Two of Japan’s top diplomats are dispatched to Washington D.C., in early December 1941, to try to negotiate a compromise .In the meantime the Japanese

Fleet sets sail.

December 7, 1941December 7, 1941

December 7, 1941December 7, 1941• “A Day that will live in Infamy”

• U.S. Naval and Military installations in Hawaiian Islands are surprise attacked by the Japanese without a declaration of war.

• All eight U.S. battleships were sunk or badly damaged.

• The U.S. world War II battle cry becomes “remember pearl harbor”

December 8, 1941

• The U.S. congress Declares war on Japan

December 11, 1941

• Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S.

World War IIAmerica enters the

war

Two Front WarEuropean

Theater

Attempt to defeat

Germany and Italy in Europe

Pacific Theater

Attempt to stop Japanese

aggression in the Pacific

Region

Philippines Within hours of attacking Pearl Harbor, Japan

attacks the Philippines. U.S.

forces are forced to surrender to

Japanese. American General Douglas

McArthur vows, “I shall return!”

Bataan Death March of surrendered U.S. Troops

Battle of Midway• Japan attacks Midway

Island (American Naval station) in an attempt to wipe out the entire U.S. fleet.

• The critical Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942 turned the tide in the Americans' favor and they now controlled the Pacific.

U.S.S. Yorktown, during the Battle of Midway

Pacific Theater• The allied powers

leapfrogged from island to island until they controlled the island of Saipan, the last island that protected the Japanese mainland.

Raid on TokyoJimmy Doolittle led the

audacious April 1942 bombing raid on

Japan from the decks of an aircraft carrier.

Although little damage resulted, his

action raised American morale

European Theater• Allies prepared to

invade Italy and Benito Mussolini. On July 9, 1943, American and British parachute and amphibious landings in Sicily marked the beginning of the invasion.

European Theater - Italy

U.S. -General George Patton

Britain-General Montgomery

European Theater• Allies led by General

Dwight D. Eisenhower make a secretive massive assault on France near Normandy.

• The secret operation is code nicknamed “Operation Overlord”, which became known through history as D-Day

D-Day

D-Day• June 6, 1944June 6, 1944• More than 150,000 Allied soldiers stormed the More than 150,000 Allied soldiers stormed the

beaches of beaches of Normandy Normandy in an early phase of the in an early phase of the largest amphibious military operation in history largest amphibious military operation in history

• Although the Allied troops suffered heavy Although the Allied troops suffered heavy losses, including a casualty rate of 90% in losses, including a casualty rate of 90% in several companies attacking Omaha Beach, several companies attacking Omaha Beach, they broke through German defenses after they broke through German defenses after heavy fighting.heavy fighting.

NORMANDY, FRANCE

European TheaterThe Battle of the

BulgeGermans mounted one

final, desperate offensive through the Ardennes Forest, in

Belgium, against the relatively weak center of the American lines

European TheaterThe Battle of the

BulgeU.S. Division

Commander of the surrounded 101st

Airborne were asked to surrender to the Germans. He sent

back his reply, “Nuts”

European TheaterThe Battle of the

BulgeAfter 10 days of fighting, the

Allies had crushed the German offensive. The

Battle of the Bulge was a major defeat for the

German Army; it opened the door for Allied

invasion of Germany

Death of a President• President

Roosevelt dies April 1945, his Vice President Harry Truman succeeds him as President.

European Theater• By early 1945, the combined effect of Allied

bombing, invading Americans and British troops from the West, and vengeful Soviets in the East had reduced much of Germany to rubble.

• The Soviets carried out the attack on Berlin, capturing it by the end of April. Hitler committed suicide in his bunker beneath Berlin on April 30 as the Soviets closed in. On May 8, remaining German forces finally surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.

European TheaterVE Day-

“Victory in Europe”

May 8 1945 the war was

officially over in Europe.

Pacific TheaterJapan still remained

undefeated. The prospect of

invading the island nation was

daunting, especially in the face of

projected bitter resistance from the Japanese people.

Pacific TheaterRoosevelt had

gathered hundreds of scientists to

develop a weapon of destruction,

the A-Bomb. This secret group was code named the

“Manhattan Project”

Pacific Theater• August 6, 1945 the

U.S. dropped the first Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

• August 8, 1945 the U.S. dropped the second Atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.

Pacific Theater• On

September 2, 1945, Japan surrendered aboard the U.S.S. Missouri.

The War is Over!VJ Day

September 2, 1945

Marked the end of the war

Although more than Although more than 400,000400,000 American soldiers were killed American soldiers were killed

(nearly (nearly 300,000300,000 in combat), these in combat), these losses paled in comparison with losses paled in comparison with

those of other nations, those of other nations, particularly the Soviet Union, particularly the Soviet Union,

Japan, and Germany. American Japan, and Germany. American civilians also suffered civilians also suffered comparatively littlecomparatively little