US intervention and end of WWII. Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941.

US intervention and end of WWII

Japanese attack on Pearl HarborJapanese attack on Pearl Harbor7 December 19417 December 1941

US enters the war

• December 7, 1941: Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.• 2.5 hours later, Japanese officially declared war on

the United States and Britain.• Dec. 8: Britain declared war.• Dec. 8: US Congress declared that a state of war had

existed since December 7.• Dec. 9: China declared war on Japan, Germany, and

Italy.• Dec. 11: Germany and Italy declared war on the

United States, and the US Congress voted declarations in return.

The Grand Alliance• BIG THREE:–Great Britain: Winston Churchill–USA: F.D. Roosevelt–USSR: Josef Stalin

• Keys to victory: Agreed to:– Europe first (Hitler - greatest evil)–Postpone politics (capitalism vs.

communism)–Unconditional surrender (no 1918!)

yalta conf erence_BE001058.jpg

But war in the east was decisive

• Battle of Stalingrad: summer 1942-February 2, 1943

• Hitler wanted to take the city. Why? Named after Stalin Important port on Volga river But distraction from oil reserves

Battle of Stalingrad: summer 1942-February 2, 1943

• Axis powers advanced (General F. Paulus)• Soviets held on• Axis supplies started running out• Winter came• Panzer tanks useless in street fighting• Soviets counterattacked (pincer movement)• Surrounded Axis forces

Battle of Stalingrad

Street-to-street fighting

Stalingrad

• Feb. 2, 1943: Paulus surrendered (ignored Hitler).

• Total Axis losses (Germans, Romanians, Italians, and Hungarians): 800,000 dead.

• Soviet soldiers: 1,100,000 dead.• But turned the tide of the war.

June 6, 1944: D-Day: Battle of Normandy

• Long period of preparation and planning• Largest amphibious landing in history• Five beaches:

Utah Gold Juno Sword “Bloody” Omaha

Significance: opened up a large second front

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Yalta Conference, February 1945• Big Three• Key issue: Poland– London Poles (pre-WWII govt.)– Lublin Poles (communists)

• Sovietization• Big Three agreed on “interim governmental authorities

broadly representative of all democratic elements in the population . . . and the earliest possible establishment through free elections of governments responsive to the will of the people.”

yalta conf erence_BE001058.jpg

ENDGAME

• April 25, 1945: Soviet Army first to reach Berlin

• April 30: Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide

• May 8, 1945: Victory in Europe!!• War in Europe ended

soviet flag over reichstag_YK004440.jpg

Trinity Explosion: July 16, 1945

Potsdam Conference, summer 1945

• USA: Harry S Truman• USSR: J. Stalin• Great Britain: W. Churchill, then Clement

Atlee• Solved nothing• Showed sides in emerging Cold War• Truman told Stalin about the bomb

End of War with Japan

• August 6, 1945: Hiroshima• Killed 70,000-90,000 people, injuring another

70,000

• August 9: Nagasaki• Killed 60,000-75,000 and injured about the same

number

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August 14, 1945: Japan surrendered• Total deaths: ca. 70 million• Civilians: 46.5 million; Soldiers: 23.5 million

Poland: 16% of 1939 populationLithuania: 14%USSR: 14%Germany: 10%Hungary: 6%Japan: 4.1%China: 3.4%France: 1.35%United Kingdom: 0.9%USA: 0.32%