Knowledge Connections

Definition

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TermVocabulary Blitzkrieg D-Day

Essential Question

What events were major turning points of World War II?

How did World War II begin?

Germany’s actions started World War II

o Hitler broke deals as quickly as he made them

o Took Czechoslovakia in March of 1939

o Invaded Poland on September 1, 1939

Poland had fallen by September 28, 1939 – It was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union

Britain and France had no choice but to declare war… World War II had begun!

What else did Germany take?

Between 1939 and 1940, Hitler launched BLITZKRIEGS against the following nations:

Denmark

Norway

Netherlands

Belgium

and

FranceThe French government was forced

to move to London, England

In the summer of 1940, Hitler begin his bombing of Britain

lightning war surprise invasion

Did Britain fall to Germany?

Winston ChurchillBritish Prime Minister

Hitler was unsuccessful in the BATTLE OF BRITIAN…

He would finish his conquest of Europe and then come back for Britain!

“We shall never surrender!”

What was there left for Hitler to take?

Hitler continued his BLITZKRIEGS against:

Greece

and

Yugoslavia

In June 1941, he broke the NON-AGGRESSION PACT and invaded the Soviet Union

Where’s the United States?

The U.S. condemned German actions…. but refused to get involved…

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Believed neutrality encouraged aggression

Found ways to get around the neutrality laws

The U.S. was sending food, weapons, ships, and airplanes to Great Britain

What about the other aggressive nations?

Japan invaded:

the Philippines

and

The Dutch East Indies

President Roosevelt ask Congress to block the sale of oil and scrap metal to Japan…

This was a big deal, Japan got 80% of its oil from the United States…

What did Japan do in return?

Japan was angered by these actions… and it struck back!

December 7, 1941Japanese warplanes attack the U.S Naval base at

Pearl Harbor

How did the United States react?

President Roosevelt asked Congress for a declaration of war

Franklin D. RooseveltUnited States President

This was now a global war!

No matter how long it may take us….the American

people… will win through to absolute victory.”

How did the Allies plan on winning?

Leaders of the Allied Powers decided to win the war in Europe first (Germany and Italy)

Then win the war in the Pacific (Japan)

When did it go downhill for Hitler?Feb. 1943 – the Soviet

Union hands Germany its first defeat

The Soviet Union now begins to drive Germany back

Meanwhile, Allied armies pushed into North Africa and Italy – Italy falls in

June of 1944

What does this mean for Hitler?He must fight a war on two fronts…..

But the Allies still have a surprise of their own…

Soviet Union

What is the Allies surprise?

D-DayJune 6, 1944

Allied forces under the command of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower land on the beaches of Normandy, France

This begins one of the greatest naval invasions in world history…Within three months, 2 million Allied troops land on French beaches…

Britain

France Germany

Why is D-Day such a big deal?

From Normandy, the Allied spread out all over Europe…. Eventually invading Germany…

• April 30, 1945 Hitler commits suicide

• May 7, 1945 Germany surrenders

The war in Europe is over

Now, on to the Pacific…

What was the Allied plan in the Pacific?

April 12, 1945 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies

Harry S. Truman becomes President of the United States

One of his most difficult decisions involved the war in the Pacific

What strategy was put in place in the Pacific?

U.S. strategy = ISLAND HOPPINGfighting on an island

by island basis

The closer the U.S. got to Japan, the greater the loss of

American lives

Advisors urged President Truman to use a new type of weapon on Japan

The atomic bomb

Did Truman use the atomic bomb?

The U.S. gave Japan a chance to surrender…

The U.S. warned them of their new weapon…

Japanese leaders refused to surrender

August 6, 1945Bombing of Hiroshima

August 9, 1945Bombing of Nagasaki

September 2, 1945 Japan surrenders(World War II is over)

Essential Question

What events were major turning points of World War II?

The Turning Points of World War II