WWII Take Home Notes

• Axis Alliance formed in 1936: Germany, Italy and Japan

• German & Italian Aggression– Mussolini expanded into Ethiopia against League of

Nations– Hitler began demanding lands that contained German

speaking people (Austria, Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia)– Britain and France hoped that appeasement would

prevent another war (they let Hitler have the things he wanted)

• Munich Pact-1938– They give Hitler some lands in exchange for the

promise that he would stop there and wouldn’t ask for anything else

– This was a FAILURE! Hitler and Mussolini continued to attack more lands

– 1939 Hitler invaded Poland and war began

7-4.5 Theaters of War • During WWII there were 2 different theaters

(areas) where the fighting action occurred• The European Theater and the Pacific Theater– US will fight in both once we join the war

• In Europe:– Germany did a blitzkrieg (lightening war) against Poland

on the west. • German Soviet Non Aggression Pact of 1939, meant Stalin

agreed with Hitler and attacked Poland on the east

– Hitler took over Denmark, Norway and France by 1940– Battle of Britain 1940-1941: German air force wasn’t

able to complete invade because of radar and message decoding• Churchill refused to surrender and Hitler focused on other

areas

• Axis powers took Yugoslavia and Greece in 1941

• Also a little bit of fighting in Africa: Hitler wanted to control the Suez Canal

• Then he betrays Stalin and attacks Soviet Union in 1941– He fails at Battle of Stalingrad, 500,000 German

soldiers die

7-4.5 US Enters WWII• Neutrality Acts (1935-1937): We did isolationism

and vowed to stay out of war• By 1939 it looked like the Nazi’s were taking over

Europe, FDR began to help the Allies– Sold weapons and war materials to them

• Japan invaded French Indochina in 1941, the US did not condone this– FDR put an oil embargo on Japan. We wouldn’t let

them buy any of our oil.– Japan got mad!!

• Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and Congress declared war!!– Why did they attack us?• Mad that we weren’t really neutral• Make us join the war once and for all• Wanted to weaken our Navy before we joined the war

Fighting in the Pacific Theater• Japan moved quickly to take over islands in the

Pacific (Guam, Hong Kong, Philippines)• In 1942 the US began to defeat Japan through an

‘island-hopping’ strategy– Went after the easy islands to take in order to get

close to the mainland

7-4.5 Allied Victory• By 1942 the Allied forces came ahead• General Dwight Eisenhower (US): defeated Axis

groups in North Africa• Soviets beat Germany at Stalingrad (1943) and

continued to attack from the east• British and American troops conquered Italy in

1944

• D-Day, June 1944: Allied forces invade France to liberate them from Germany – Victory in September

• Battle of the Bulge: Hitler's final attempt to win, but had to retreat

• Mussolini was killed by the Italians in early 1945– Drug his body through the street and hung him on

display

• With no hope of winning, Hitler kills himself April of 1945

• VE Day- Victory in Europe May 7th, 1945– Germany surrenders

• The US then focused on defeating Japan in the Pacific Theater– Major victories of Iwo Jima and Okinawa– FDR dies and is replaced by Harry Truman

• After reaching the mainland of Japan, the US began an aerial bombing attack

• Japan just would not give up!!!• The US wanted to end this war quick• Truman ordered the dropping of the atom

bomb on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945)

• US dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki 3 days later

• Japan announced they would surrender• VJ Day-Victory in Japan September 2nd, 1945