WORLD WAR II INVASION OF FRANCE EASTERN FRONT ATOMIC BOMB.
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WORLD WAR IIINVASION OF FRANCE
EASTERN FRONTATOMIC BOMB
• D-Day June 6, 1944– Allied forces invade France, known as Operation
Overlord – 150,000 troops land on the beaches of Normandy
and force their way through German defenses– High amount of casualties, but D-Day was a huge
victory • With the beaches secured, more Allied troops sent in– 1 million soldiers in France by the end of June– The Allies quickly reconquered most of France and
Paris is freed in August
Battle of the Bulge• Dec. 1944 – the Germans launch a massive
counterattack in Belgium– The Germans advance, creating a bulge in the Allied
battle lines– By Jan. 1945 the Allies regain the land and crush the
German offensive• Within two months the Allied forces had crossed the
Rhine River into Germany and were racing towards Berlin
Allied InvasionsAllies Code Who does HitlerInvade Name send to defend
AFRICA OPERATION TORCH
ROMMEL
ITALY OPERATION HUSKY
ROMMEL
FRANCE OPERATION OVERLORD
ROMMEL
War on the Eastern Front• Siege of Leningrad– Germans fail to capture the city, so Hitler orders a
siege, or military blockade• Designed to force the city to surrender
– Winter of 1941-1942 people starved to death at a rate of 3,000-4,000 a day• As many as one million will eventually die in the
siege– The Soviets end the siege in early 1944 after 900 days
• Spring of 1942 German forces renewed their attacks on the Soviet Union– Fought well at first and by August looked ready to
capture the city of Stalingrad• One of the largest in the nation and its factories
produced military equipment vital for the Soviet war effort
• Battle of Stalingrad – Aug. 1942– One of the most brutal battles of the war– The Luftwaffe and artillery bomb the city into rubble• German troops then go in to wipe out the
remaining Soviet defenders• Vicious house-to-house fighting ensues• Tens of thousands die on each side
– Soviets manage to hold off the German attack by the fall of 1942 and organize a counterattack• A Soviet force breaks through and surrounds the
Germans, around 250,000 men• The Germans could escape the trap by retreating,
but Hitler won’t allow it
– By Jan. 1943 the Germans are out of ammunition, food, and medicine, but Hitler tells them that surrender is forbidden• 90,000 Germans that are left surrender shortly
after, making Hitler mad• Most of them will die in Soviet camps
– This was the first major defeat of Hitler’s armies– Turning point for the war on the Eastern Front
• June 1944 – the massive Soviet offensive against the Germans
• Pushes the Germans out of Russia and into central Europe• Leads to another 800,000 German casualties
– July the Soviets capture Poland– Captures Romania and Bulgaria in Sept. 1944– Captures Hungary at the end of 1944– Vienna captured in April 1945
• By January 1945 the Germans were within 40 miles of Berlin
Yalta Conference• Meeting of the Allied Powers– Purpose was to discuss the final strategy for defeating
Germany and Japan • Division of Germany and Berlin into occupation
zones– UN Security council featuring Britain, U.S., Soviet
Union, France, and China• Would have more power than other member nations
Victory in Europe• The race to Berlin is on between the Soviets and the
other Allies (Americans, British, and French)– The Soviets win• Take 200,000 casualties to gain the last 39 miles
– Half a million Soviets surround Berlin in late August 1945• Hitler commits suicide on May 2 and Berlin
surrenders the same day• On May 7th Germany surrenders– May 8th is proclaimed V-E Day = Victory in Europe Day
World War II ConferencesT = Tehran ConferenceY = Yalta Conference
___1. Stalin promises to declare war on Japan___2. Creates the United Nations___3. Final strategy for defeating Germany and Japan___4. Security Council that includes France and China___5. Plan the cross-channel invasion___6. Division of Germany into four zones
Dropping of the Atomic Bomb• The Manhattan Project– Scientists create the atomic bomb• Many of the scientists are European Jews who
escaped– The principal motivation for this project was the fear
that the Germans would develop the bomb first– Tested the bomb successfully in New Mexico in July
1945
• President Roosevelt dies, his Vice-President Truman takes over and orders the dropping of the bomb
• Reasons for dropping the bomb– “An Okinawa from one end of Japan to the other”– Save American lives – est. it would cost 1 million
killed soldiers– Save Japanese lives– Save time and money– People tired of the war
• The Allies issue a demand for Japan’s surrender on July 26 – Japan doesn’t respond
• Little Boy falls on Hiroshima– Aug. 6th, the Enola Gay drops the atomic bomb on the
city of Hiroshima• 80,000 die instantly, 35,000 injured• 2/3 of the buildings are destroyed• Over the years it is believed that up to 200,00 died
– At ground zero• 7,000 degrees fahrenheit• Wind 980 m.p.h.
– The Japanese still do not surrender
• Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki – August 9th – Between 40,000 to 75,000 die
• The Japanese agree to unconditional surrender on August 14th – August 15th is known as V-J Day = Victory Over Japan
Day– Huge number of casualties inflicted by just two
planes dropping only two bombs
The Internment • Removal of Japanese from the American west
coast to internment camps– Fear of sabotage and spies– 110,000 interned, 2/3 are American born– They had to leave their homes and businesses, most
lose everything• Most of the camps are located in the desert– Harsh climate, surrounded by fences and guards
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