WWII

WWIITHE EUROPEAN FRONT

RUSSIAJune 22, 1941Germany and allies invaded

Russia with a 2,000 mile front ~3 million men~From northern Baltic states to

the Black Sea~Most successful in the north 1944~Leningrad (St. Petersburg) held

out and city was never taken -resorted to cannibalism

~Center made good advances but never took Moscow-not equipped for winter warfare -Hitler made them stay

~Stalingrad (Volgograd) main city they wanted from the southStalin’s namesakeOn the Volga River

~Crimea and Ukraine taken from RussiaSupplies cut in half when Ukraine taken

~300,000 German men wiped out to hold Stalingrad -Hitler would not let them retreat-1/2 million killed on Russia Front

~Russian’s getting supplies from the U.S. -tanks, guns, food, etc

~Technique to fighting the GermansWait for Germans to attack-let them

envelop and cut them off

Russia Continued….Jan 1944~Leningrad no longer needs to fight

-Russia gets Romania and Finland back-By July were at Polish borders -Then got to Warsaw

~Resistance of Poland -Polish wanted to get supplies-Russia said no-Russia wouldn’t let U.S. give supplies

~200,000 Poles died in Resistance -Russian’s let Germans take care of rebels and then would take Poland~Russia did liberate Yugoslavia

-got out quick By end-1944-ready to invade Germany

Naval War in European District~Germans use submarines (U-Boats)

-to strangle the British navy~1st naval action in war

-Graft Spree (German ship)-cornered in channel by Britain -sailed into deep water and scuttled it

1841-U.S. Declared Greenland was under our protection -later declared that if they saw ships in harbors they would radio the British

~U.S. took over protection of convoys to Iceland -this gets into war-now we can shoot 1st

~We are in shipbuilding projects-build ships before you can sink them all

~U.S. winning the Atlantic War

~~ItalyJuly 10, 1943~ Americans landed on Sicily

-Triumphant Campaign

July 25, 1943 ~ Mussolini overthrown~Non fascist government elected

-They started an armistice with the U.S.-U.S. began cruising into Italy

~Italy had an unconditional surrender-But Allies will restore Italian borders-Italy agreed to fight Germans

~ Allies wanted Naples as a port-Germans destroyed it

~U.S. wanted Rome-Germans fighting for it

~ Little support given to Italian Front -Because of D-Day, etc.

~ Hitler sent a commando team to rescue Mussolini-Ran Northern Italy-Mussolini and girlfriend were caught, shot and strung up on the town square -By the time US troops come the Bodies are torn apart

May 2, 1945- Germany surrenders Italy

Campaign in Northern EuropeJune 6, 1944—D-Day• Eisenhower and company

landed on Normandy~Went better than expected ~Less casualties than expected

*10,000 casualties*2,500 dead

July 20th, 1944• Stauffenberg bomb plot

~didn’t kill Hitler~rattled him*Knew Army was against him

*Now even more paranoid

August 25th, 1944• Paris was liberated

~Germans didn’t fight~ Eisenhower planned on a broad approach~ Montgomery got Antwerp (everything he did was a disaster)~ Operation Market Garden -disaster

Campaign in Northern Europe Continued...

December 16th, 1944Battle of the Bulge

~hit us in weak lines~Bastogne held by American refugees~Christmas Day relieved~Really hurt the Germans~Was Germans Last Offensive* Brought all men to fight* Many killed~ Eisenhower was pressured to end it quickly

*needed help in Pacifichttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bulge/sfeature/sf_footage.html

Picture Links: http://www.tankdriverbook.com/photos.shtml

Yalta Conference• Russia would get Berlin

*Eisenhower wouldn’t waste men fighting for future Russian territory

April 2, 1945- Roosevelt died

• Truman took overApril 30th, 1945- Hitler

killed himself in a bunkerMay 7th, 1945- Germany

surrenders~Signed May 8th 1945 (V-E-Day)~ May 23rd, 1945- Allied government now in control-Eisenhower

WWII

The Pacific Front

War in Pacific actually Began in 1931 with Japanese attack on Manchuria

May 1939 Germany, Japan and Italy created

Pact of Steel

• U.S. only great power in Pacific• All other countries have too much

going on at home• Japan got naval bases in China

~ U.S. tried embargoes~Froze Japanese assets

October 1941• A Japanese civilian was replaced

by general Tojo as prime minister

• December 7th, 1941 -- Attack on Pearl Harbor

~Japanese didn’t want Pearl Harbor-Just Wanted to cripple U.S. navy-So they keep what they had~ U. S. Aircraft carriers were out at sea

• Americans most concerned with Pacific not war in China

• Americans agreed that Europe was most important to deal with first~ 70% of troops to Europe~ 30% of troops to Pacific

When Pearl Harbor was attackedGermany and Italy declared war on U.S

• Japanese start taking lines of territory-Even threatened Australia~MacArthur escaped Philippines-Made commander of Pacific troops

Pacific Front Continued…

• April 18th, 1942 – Tokyo Bombing

• ~ Bombers led by Johnny Doolittle (off a carrier)

• -8 airmen captured• * 3 beheaded• Had no fuel to make it back

Japanese Offensives• Battle of Coral Sea (May 1942)• Battle of Midway (June 1942)

* Caught Japanese by surprise * U.S. Got Midway*Turning points of the war*Was before European Front

• June 1944Landed in Marinas*Guam, Tunian, Saipan

• Marinas Turkey Shoot (June 19-20, 1944)-Air to air-Air to sea-Japan lost 467 planes- U.S. lost 130 planes -

104 lost because of fuel

• Iwo JimaJapanese fleet will no longer be a factor and will go home~1 month of fighting~21,000 Japanese there

* All but 216 dead ~Factor in nuclear bomb

Iwo Jima

End of Pacific FrontOkinawa• 117,000 American Men

– Only 7,000 survived-Massive use of Kamikazes -Sunk 25 U.S. ships

• British now fighting in India -Help in our fight

Invasion of Japan• Estimated 300,000 Americans

would be killed• Would require 900,000 men• Would require 200 million to

take all of Japan • Japanese had new army (fight

for death)• Knew Japanese would kill all

POWs • When MacArthur found out

said increase body bags by 300%

• This was the reason for the Atomic bombing of Japan

• August 6, 1945 - - Bombed Hiroshima

• August 8,1945 - - Soviet Union Declares war on Japan

• August 9, 1945 - - Bombed Nagasaki

• August 14, 1945- - Emperor surrendered

• August 15, 1945 – VJ DAY• September 2, 1945 - -

Surrender Signed