World War II:

Part II: Allied Advance

Gradual gains for the allies

American Victories in the Pacific• The Allies Strike Back (April, 1942)

• U.S. bombers attack Tokyo• Shows that Japan is vulnerable (psychological move!)

American Victories in the Pacific• Battle of the Coral Sea: (May 1942)

• Air battle • Allied forces successfully halted the Japanese advance on Australia

American Victories in the Pacific• Significance:• For the first time since Pearl Harbor a Japanese invasion had been stopped!

American Victories in the Pacific• Battle of Midway: (June 1942)

• Americans broke Japanese code; knew where they were headed…

• Japanese lost 4 aircraft carriers & 332 planes

• The “avengement of Pearl Harbor”

• Turning point in the Pacific• Led to a new strategy for the Allies

American Victories in the Pacific

• Douglas MacArthur: American commander in the Pacific

• Plans to “Island hop” past strongholds & attack weaker Japanese islands to get closer to Japan

American Victories in the Pacific

Stalin’s Request• Starting in December 1941, Stalin kept asking the Allies to launch an invasion to open up a 2nd front in the West…Why?

• But Allies take their time…

War in the Desert: North Africa

North Africa• The German advance in North Africa was led by Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox”

• British surprise attack at El Alamein forces Rommel to retreat

North Africa• Americans land in 1942 under General Dwight D. Eisenhower

North Africa• Rommel’s Afrika Korps halted by British & American tanks

• By May 1943, the Allies defeat the Germans & control N. Africa

Battle of Stalingrad

• Prolonged German offensive to take industrial city

• Initially, Germany gained control of 90% of the city

• However…the Germans had severely underestimated the Russian winter!

Battle of Stalingrad • Neither Stalin nor Hitler would allow troops to retreat

• Russian forces were able to launch a counteroffensive & encircled the German army

• Cut off supply lines & forced their surrender! (Soviets start pushing west!)

Stalin’s Request• Stalin is still waiting for an invasion of France…but FDR & Churchill decide to attack Italy first!

Allied invasion of Italy• July 1943: The Allies launched an invasion of Sicily from North Africa (capture it from Italians /Germans)

Allied invasion of Italy• Mussolini was arrested by the Italian government

• Sept 3 Italy surrenders but Hitler sends in troops, controls Northern Italy and puts Mussolini back in charge

Allied invasion of Italy• By June 1944: Allies enter Rome

• Germans keep fighting in N. Italy until war is over

• Italian fighters find Mussolini – shoot him & hang his body

The End of the War

D-Day• June 6, 1944:• Allied forces

launched a surprise invasion of German -occupied France at Normandy (Operation Overlord)

D-Day• Largest land-

sea-air attack in history

• Heavy casualties, but invasion is successful

D-Day

• Within a month, over 3 million Allied troops were stationed in Europe

D-Day• Allies quickly liberate France:

August 25, 1944 & begin to make their way across Europe

D-Day• While the U.S. & Great Britain

were pushing west, Russian troops advanced into eastern Europe and Germany

• Liberated death camps

Battle of the Bulge• The Battle of the Bulge: (winter 1944-45)

• A desperate Hitler ordered one last offensive as Allies close in on both sides

• German failure! Germans retreat!

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…• Yalta Conference (February 4, 1945)

• The BIG THREE:• Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin

• Meet to discuss terms of German surrender

• Stalin also agreed to join in the war against Japan within 90 days of Germany’s defeat

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…• U.S.

President FDR dies on April 12, 1945

• Replaced by Harry Truman

Victory in Europe• By spring of 1945, Allied armies approach Germany from both sides: Soviets from the East, Americans, etc…from the West

Victory in Europe

• Soviets finally surround Berlin in April 1945

• Hitler commits suicide with Eva Braun (April 30, 1945)

Victory in Europe• One week later on May 8, 1945 (V-E Day) the Germans surrendered

• War in Europe is over!!

Victory in Japan• Allies move to retake Philippines in 1944

• Face kamikazes: Japanese pilots who fly suicide missions

Victory in Japan

• 1945: Americans capture Iwo Jima & Okinawa

• Japan suffers huge casualties

Victory in Japan• Advisors warn Truman invasion of Japan will cost many lives

• Manhattan Project: secret program to develop the atomic bomb

• Will he use it??

Hiroshima/Nagasaki

• August 6, 1945:• Little Boy, Hiroshima, 180,000 deaths

• August 9, 1945:• Fat Man, Nagasaki, 80,000 deaths

• August 14, 1945:• Surrender of Japan (V-J Day)

Hiroshima/Nagasaki

The Aftermath

Europe• Allies divide

Germany & Berlin into four zones of military occupation

• Would be occupied by the US, Soviet Union, Great Britain & France

• Helps start the Cold War

Europe• Nuremburg Trials are

held in Germany to try the people responsible for the war

• Many are executed and jailed for war crimes & crimes against humanity

Japan• General MacArthur

takes charge of U.S. occupation of Japan

• Demilitarizes Japan & brings military leaders to trial for war crimes

Japan• Democratizes

(creates a gov’t elected by people)

• Japanese people adopt new constitution–Emperor stays, but loses power–Japan becomes a constitutional monarchy

–Article 9 – Japan cannot make war

Japan• MacArthur puts economic

reforms in place• U.S. occupation ends in 1951• U.S. & Japan become allies!