World War II World War II
Apr 01, 2015
World War IIWorld War II
LEADERS OF THE AXIS POWERS
• ITALY- MUSSOLINI
•JAPAN-HIROHITO
•GERMANY-HITLER
Events leading to WWII
ItalyBenito
Mussolini seized power,
became dictator and made Italy a fascist state
Events leading to WWIIJapan
Invaded and took the Chinese province
of Manchuria.
Protested by League of Nations
Events leading to WWII
Germany
Adolph Hitler became Fuehrer
(leader) of Germany
Events leading to WWII
Hitler Destroyed the
Republic Persecuted Jews Drove out political
enemies Made Germany a
totalitarian state (one party) state
Events leading to WWII
Mussolini’s army invaded
and conquered Ethiopia in
Africa
Events leading to WWII
German Troops marched into the Rhineland (area
between Germany and France) in
violation of Treaty of Versailles.
Events leading to WWII
Germany and Italy sent
planes and troops to Francisco Franco, a
revolutionary leader in Spain.
Events leading to WWII
Germany and Italy formed the
Rome-Berlin Axis (Later
Japan joined , making it the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis)
Events leading to WWII
Japan began an undeclared war with china.
Though the democracies condemned Japan’s action, the U.S. and England continued to ship vital war materials to her
Events leading to WWII
Hitler’s Legions
marched into Austria and
annexed it to Germany.
Events leading to WWII
Hitler threatened war if the Sudetenland (part of
Czechoslovakia) were not turned over to Germany
Events leading to WWII
• France and England, anxious to avoid war, appeased Hitler and gave the area to him.
• He then demanded and got the remainder of Czechoslovakia after signing a non-aggression pact with Russia
Events leading to WWII• September 1, 1939 Germany attacks
Poland
• This marked the beginning of World War II
• France and Great Britain declare war on Germany
• Russia invades Poland from the east and seized the Baltic states.
The Axis Powers The Allied Powers
Germany France
Italy Great Britain
Japan Russia
The United States attempts to remain Neutral (isolationism)
As Germany and Japan gained ground, the U.S. changes her
policy from one of strict neutrality to one of aiding the
Allies “Short of War”
Events leading to WWII
Lend Lease Act, 1941, authorized the President to send aid to the
Allies. The U.S. became the “arsenal of democracy”
Events leading to WWII
The U.S. Made preparations for defense in case of war
Billions of dollars were appropriated for strengthening the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
In 1940, the Selective Service Act was passed to raise an army of fighting men.
Western FrontApril 1940, Germany invades and occupies Denmark (four hours) and Norway (four days)
May 1940, Hitler invades Holland (three days) and Belgium (fourteen days). His army skirts the Marginal Line of France and races to the English Channel
DenmarkNorwayHollandBelgium
Western Front• June 1940, France is forced to surrender in the
same railway car in the forest at Campiegne, where Germany signed the Armistice in 1918. Then Hitler orders the railway car blown up.
• The British Expeditionary forces are pushed back to Dunkirk Belgium with the backs to the Sea
• Through a supreme effort the entire army is evacuated by the British Navy but all their equipment is lost.
Western FrontJuly 1940- Hitler
begins preparations for the invasion of England. Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of England (Great
Britain) and vows to fight on.
Western Front• August 1940-
Germany begins the Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) against England by trying to bomb her into submission
Western Front• September 1940-
The Royal Air Force (RAF) Turns back the German Air Force and forces them to give up round-the- clock bombing. Now the Germans can only carry out nightly terror raids.
Western FrontOctober 1940- Hitler gives
up plans to invade Great Britain and decides to turn against Russia. He plans to defeat England with submarines by cutting off supplies. His U-boast sink more than a British ship a day
Western Front• June 1941- Hitler
invades Russia. His army drives a thousand miles into Russia. At a spot fifteen miles form Moscow, he is stopped by the Russian WinterRussian Winter.
Start of WWII
Blitzkrieg
Western Front• 1941- Mussolini invades Egypt and is
thrown out by the British.
• 1941- Italy and Hitler invade and conquers Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece, and Crete.– This is done with the leadership of Field
Marshall Rommell for Germany, known as “the desert fox”.
Field Marshall Rommell, “The Desert Fox”
Germany
Events leading American involvement in WWII
December 1941- The U.S. placed an embargo on all war materials sold to Japan. (Oil, steel, iron, etc) because of their refusal to stop her aggression against China. Japan knows she cannot exist without these material so she
decide on radical action. Two of Japan’s top diplomats are dispatched to Washington D.C., in early December 1941, to try to negotiate a compromise .In the meantime the Japanese
Fleet sets sail.
December 7, 1941December 7, 1941
December 7, 1941December 7, 1941• “A Day that will live in Infamy”
• U.S. Naval and Military installations in Hawaiian Islands are surprise attacked by the Japanese without a declaration of war.
• All eight U.S. battleships were sunk or badly damaged.
• The U.S. world War II battle cry becomes “remember pearl harbor”
December 8, 1941
• The U.S. congress Declares war on Japan
December 11, 1941
• Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S.
World War IIAmerica enters the
war
Two Front WarEuropean
Theater
Attempt to defeat
Germany and Italy in Europe
Pacific Theater
Attempt to stop Japanese
aggression in the Pacific
Region
Philippines Within hours of attacking Pearl Harbor, Japan
attacks the Philippines. U.S.
forces are forced to surrender to
Japanese. American General Douglas
McArthur vows, “I shall return!”
Bataan Death March of surrendered U.S. Troops
Battle of Midway• Japan attacks Midway
Island (American Naval station) in an attempt to wipe out the entire U.S. fleet.
• The critical Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942 turned the tide in the Americans' favor and they now controlled the Pacific.
U.S.S. Yorktown, during the Battle of Midway
Pacific Theater• The allied powers
leapfrogged from island to island until they controlled the island of Saipan, the last island that protected the Japanese mainland.
Raid on TokyoJimmy Doolittle led the
audacious April 1942 bombing raid on
Japan from the decks of an aircraft carrier.
Although little damage resulted, his
action raised American morale
European Theater• Allies prepared to
invade Italy and Benito Mussolini. On July 9, 1943, American and British parachute and amphibious landings in Sicily marked the beginning of the invasion.
European Theater - Italy
U.S. -General George Patton
Britain-General Montgomery
European Theater• Allies led by General
Dwight D. Eisenhower make a secretive massive assault on France near Normandy.
• The secret operation is code nicknamed “Operation Overlord”, which became known through history as D-Day
D-Day
D-Day• June 6, 1944June 6, 1944• More than 150,000 Allied soldiers stormed the More than 150,000 Allied soldiers stormed the
beaches of beaches of Normandy Normandy in an early phase of the in an early phase of the largest amphibious military operation in history largest amphibious military operation in history
• Although the Allied troops suffered heavy Although the Allied troops suffered heavy losses, including a casualty rate of 90% in losses, including a casualty rate of 90% in several companies attacking Omaha Beach, several companies attacking Omaha Beach, they broke through German defenses after they broke through German defenses after heavy fighting.heavy fighting.
NORMANDY, FRANCE
European TheaterThe Battle of the
BulgeGermans mounted one
final, desperate offensive through the Ardennes Forest, in
Belgium, against the relatively weak center of the American lines
European TheaterThe Battle of the
BulgeU.S. Division
Commander of the surrounded 101st
Airborne were asked to surrender to the Germans. He sent
back his reply, “Nuts”
European TheaterThe Battle of the
BulgeAfter 10 days of fighting, the
Allies had crushed the German offensive. The
Battle of the Bulge was a major defeat for the
German Army; it opened the door for Allied
invasion of Germany
Death of a President• President
Roosevelt dies April 1945, his Vice President Harry Truman succeeds him as President.
European Theater• By early 1945, the combined effect of Allied
bombing, invading Americans and British troops from the West, and vengeful Soviets in the East had reduced much of Germany to rubble.
• The Soviets carried out the attack on Berlin, capturing it by the end of April. Hitler committed suicide in his bunker beneath Berlin on April 30 as the Soviets closed in. On May 8, remaining German forces finally surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.
European TheaterVE Day-
“Victory in Europe”
May 8 1945 the war was
officially over in Europe.
Pacific TheaterJapan still remained
undefeated. The prospect of
invading the island nation was
daunting, especially in the face of
projected bitter resistance from the Japanese people.
Pacific TheaterRoosevelt had
gathered hundreds of scientists to
develop a weapon of destruction,
the A-Bomb. This secret group was code named the
“Manhattan Project”
Pacific Theater• August 6, 1945 the
U.S. dropped the first Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
• August 8, 1945 the U.S. dropped the second Atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.
Pacific Theater• On
September 2, 1945, Japan surrendered aboard the U.S.S. Missouri.
The War is Over!VJ Day
September 2, 1945
Marked the end of the war
Although more than Although more than 400,000400,000 American soldiers were killed American soldiers were killed
(nearly (nearly 300,000300,000 in combat), these in combat), these losses paled in comparison with losses paled in comparison with
those of other nations, those of other nations, particularly the Soviet Union, particularly the Soviet Union,
Japan, and Germany. American Japan, and Germany. American civilians also suffered civilians also suffered comparatively littlecomparatively little