WORLD WAR II INVASION OF FRANCE EASTERN FRONT ATOMIC BOMB.

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