U.S. in World War II

1. U.S. in World War II

3. U.S. Alliance w/ G.B & USSR • The alliance b/t the Big Threewas uneasy because of ideological differences, but it was created out of necessity. • The Allies decided on a strategy of defeating Hitler first and then defeating Japan. • Stalinwanted the Alliesto put pressure on Hitler by launching a direct attack on the main force of German troops in western Europe(this would take the pressure off the Soviet Union which had been Hitler’s main focus for a couple years). • On the Eastern Front, the war took a terrible toll on the USSR population (millions died because we waited). • The U.S. and Britain decided to attack through North Africa and then up Italy. • This affected East-West relations later.

5. Key Battles in Europe

7. Battle of the Atlantic From start to finish of war, Allies fought Axis @ sea. Germany vs. UK, Dutch & France Germany & Italy vs. UK & US German u-boats sank Brit shipscarrying supplies Most successful using wolfpacks of subs US began escorting convoys w/ destroyers by 9/41 Fighting went back & forth, but tech finally won battle Convoys, radar, & sonar proved the endof German subs

9. The Battle of Britain • From July ‘40 thru the end of the year, German Luftwaffe (air force) began a bombing campaign against their sole enemy in the West: England • @ 1st, the Luftwaffe targeted ships and ports near the English Channel, then they shifted to airfields along the coast. • Finally, they targeted British towns & cities, especially London

11. Battle of Britain- The Blitz • Throughout fall of ‘40, Luftwaffe carried out sustained bombing campaign against Brit cities • Designed to • Destroy their industrial centers • Demoralize British • 1st worked, but second failed • The Battle of Britain is a key battle b/c: • 1st aerial war of WWII • Failure of Germany to break Brits, forced Hitler to postpone a land invasion of Britain & focus on USSR

14. Battle of Stalingrad • From July 17, ‘42- Feb 2, ’43, bloodiest battle in WWII (& possibly in history of war) took place on Russian soil. • Germany wanted Stalingrad for 2 reasons b/c: • It was on Volga R. & was key to getting supplies to n. Russia. • Was key to getting into the oil-rich lands of Caucasus Mtns. • & Hitler needed oil to keep his war machine going • Germany invaded USSR in Operation Barbarossa w/ 4.5 mill troops in June, ’41 • W/in 3 months, Germany controlled 90% of city

16. Battle of Stalingrad • Then the remarkable happened • Soviet forces (fighting literally door-to-door) slowly took back the city & Army encircled it • German forces were finally strangled from their support and were forced to surrender • Battle of Stalingrad is considered a “turning point” battle in WWII • 1st defeat by the German army • By time fighting ended over 2 million had been killed

18. Battle of El Alamein @ same time Stalingrad was raging, another battle started & finished in North Africa Germany wanted control of the Middle East (oil) They invaded N. Africa in early ’41 after Italians were defeated by Brits. Under command of Ernst Rommel, the Afrika Korps took back all that the Brits had won as he pushed across Libya and made it almost to Alexandria in Egypt Then came the Allied counterattack…

20. UnderGen. Bernard Montgomery, the British forces(including Aussies, Kiwis, Gurkhas, & Scots)began a massive counterattack. • The Germans were outnumbered in troops, tanks, & artillery. • Montgomery retook all lands previously gained by Germans & eventually forced Axis powers to retreat & surrender(Rommel fled to Germany) • El Alamein is a turning point battle in that it allowed the Allies to leapfrog from Africa into Axis-controlled Italy

22. Invasion of Italy • After our victory in N. Africa, the Allies were ready to fight the axis on their turf . • It was decided to invade Europe via Italy(“the underbelly of Europe” according to Churchill) • The Invasion of Italy began in 9/43 with Brit & US troops landing in Sicily and moving north. • Germany was our main opponent @ this point • B/c Itals had lost confidence in BM & arrested him • Even when Germany rescued from prison in the Italian Alps & reinstated him, he only lasted a couple of months

24. Italy (cont’d) Germany fought back (under Rommel) against Allied forces Then Italy declared war on Germany & they were forced to fight a retreating war back into German controlled lands. This operation did take SOME of the pressure off the soviet forces, but not as much as they hoped

27. Allied Invasion of NW Europe • Allies planned amphibious attack on Normandy coast in France. • Code named Operation Overlord- came to be known as D-Day, which stands for… • 2 mill soldiers stationed in GB for attack, as well as thousands of airplanes, ships, and tanks. • D-Day began on June 6, 1944, with troops pouring onto the beaches, aircraft dropping both bombs & paratroopers from air; ships unloaded men & fired ammunition from sea, It was the largest sea-borne invasion in history. • Alliedtroopsfacedheavy resistance from German troops occupying the high ground above the beaches, and the first waves of invaders faced high casualty rates. • By Fall of 44, Allies had pushed inland, liberated Paris and Belgium.

29. The Battle of the Bulge • In Dec of ‘44, Germ was squeezed b/t Soviet Army in East & US troops in West. • Allied bombers rained bombs on German cities (10s of 1000s of civilians were killed in Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg) • Hitlerlaunched a last surprise attack, marching into a weak point in Allied lines- Ardennes region in Belgium. • German offensive created a huge “bulge” in Allied lines before reinforcements arrived & Germans were pushed back. • Outnumbered US troops held off German troops for 8 days in bitterly cold conditionsuntil reinforcements arrived. • By March,1945, the Americanshad crossed the bridge over the Rhine River at Remagen and were into Germany.

31. The Allied Victory in Europe • After the Bulge, Allies closed in on Berlin from E & W. • Hitler delayed sending reinforcements East until it was too late to stop the Soviet Red Army. • Alliesmet at Yaltato discuss post-war terms • Ike stopped 50 miles west of Berlin; ensuring city would end up in Soviet control. • 4/25/45, US & Brit troops met Soviet troops at Elbe River & rejoiced on their hard-fought victory. • Defeated, Hitler committed suicide, & his replacement Karl Donitz surrendered on May 7, 1945. • One day after surrender, Allies celebrated V-E Day • V-E joy was dampened bynews & film footage ofconcentration & death camps

33. The Holocaust • After Kristallnacht, Hitler escalated his policies. • Forced Jews into concentration camps in Germany • And made them move into ghettoes in the east • In 1940, Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units) were sent into Poland & USSR to find and murder Jews. • At 1st using machine guns & death squads, their success using gas vans, led to the creation of gas chambers in death camps set up in Poland under the control of the SS(formerly Hitler’s personal bodyguard)

34. Mentally ill /Insane • Jews not only group singled out for extermination. Others included: • Gypsies (Roma) • Mentally/Physically handicapped • Other groups placed in camps, but not specifically targeted for death • Slavs & Poles • Freemasons • Auschwitz: largest death camp, but not only one • Majdanek • Sobibor • By war’s end, +11 million people dead as a result of Nazi policies(most from disease & starvation) 6 million Jews • JWs • Homosexuals • Treblinka • Belzec • Chelmno

35. After the Shoah • Nazis accelerated the “Final Solution” (their term for the genocide) even as certainty of defeat grew (instead of quitting and sending SS troops to fight) • After Hitler’s suicide & German surrender, Allies set up trials for the Nazi leaders for their crimes at Nuremberg(where the original anti-Semitic laws started) • One problem: what they charged them with was a new crime (created AFTER the events) • Nuremberg Trials set a precedent for bringing those responsible for war crimes to international justice & is still used today

37. After Pearl Harbor • Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941 launched the Pacific war. • In April ‘42, U.S. Air Force bombed key Japanesecities in the Doolittle Raid-targeting anything: industrial complexeshospitals, schools,, even fishing boats. 52 killed & 100s of civilians were injured as a result.

40. U.S. Strategy in the Pacific War • 1000s of Ams died in the Bataan Death March after our hold of the P.I fell. • U.S. mil & pol leaders adopted an “island hopping” strategy to defeat the Japanese. • Taking possession of one island before moving on to the next strategic one as they moved ever closer to Japan.

42. Battles of Coral Sea & Midway • Key to winning Pacific war was establishing control over skies & waters of Pacific Ocean. • 1st major battle fought b/t U.S. & Japanese fleets was Battle of Coral Sea- fought by aircraft carriers, fighters, & bombers in May, 1942. (Technically a Japanese victory by # of ships lost, it’s considered a victory for us b/c it forced Japanese to abandon their invasion & their losses here had huge impact on next) • U.S. intelligence decoded a plan to attack island of Midway, & subsequently forced the Japanese to retreat. Japan’s losses of aircraft carriers at Coral Sea meant they were at a disadvantage (in addition to being surprised and ambushed!) • Battle of Midway became turning point in war for US, giving us the upper hand in naval war. It was a naval battle that was fought exclusively w/ aircraft. • Now Japan was on the defensive.

43. Island Campaigns of the Pacific

45. Battle of Guadalcanal • After Midway, combined land/sea forces fought Japanese for controlof central Pacific islands. • Island-hopping campaign to reclaim strategic islands • Guadalcanal: Brit protectorate & close to NG & Australia • Fighting was brutal-environment & enemy were unforgiving • Especially for Marines • In ‘43 & ‘44, US captured Guadalcanal, Tarawa, & the Marshall and Marianas Islands in Central & South Pacific using island-hopping • U.S. soldiers attacking Japanese-held islands faced many dangers, including monsoons, malaria, heat, earthquakes, & jungle conditions. • Final victory meant US closer to Philippines

47. Battle of Leyte Gulf • After US defeat in Philippines (PI), imperative to retake islands(proximity to Japan made them ideal as base to attack Japanese islands) • US invaded PI w/ massive force under MacArthur • 701 ships (127 of which were warships) • Infantry, cavalry, army rangers, others made up ground force: 202, 500 troops • Aussie & Filipino forces (13 ships & 3000 guerillas) • Fighting was brutal both on land and at sea

48. Massive # of troops meant certain victory for Allies, but Japanese did not give up. • Japanese losses: 49,000 • Allied losses: 15,700 • At sea, desperate Japanese resorted to suicide attacks (called “kamikaze” or divine winds)against ships • In the end, we retook the islands. Stage was set to attack Japanese forces in their home islands