The End of World war ii

1. The End of World war ii

2. A Common enemy • Grand Alliance • U.S., Great Britain, Soviet Union • Goal = fight common enemy of Nazi Germany • Axis Powers • Germany, Italy, Japan

3. D-Day • Operation Overlord • Invade Nazi-occupied France from GB • General Dwight D. Eisenhower • Amphibious (land and sea) attack on Normandy coast in France • 3 Way Attack • Thousands of soldiers stormed the beaches • Aircraft dropped bombs • Ships fired rounds at German coastal defenses • 24,000 Allied troops also parachuted in to squeeze the Germans D-Day

4. Results of D-Day • Allied forces eventually freed Paris from Nazis • Belgium liberated next • Began their march towards Germany from the west • Soviets marched in from east • Constant bombing on German cities

5. Battle of the Bulge • Winter 1944 • Hitler’s last attempt at reclaiming the western front • German soldiers surprise attacked with guns • Eventually, reinforcements for Allies arrived and Germans ran out of supplies • Allied victory Battle of the Bulge

6. The Yalta Conference - 1945 • The Three Powers • Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin • Germany was pretty much defeated • Who would control Europe? • Stalin did not want western powers to interfere, wanted to set up pro-Soviet governments • Roosevelt wanted countries to choose their own governments

7. The Yalta Conference (continued) • Creation of the United Nations • Germany split into 4 zones • Ruled by Great Britain, France, U.S. and Soviet Union • Poland allowed to have free election to determine new government • Soviet Union agreed but later changed their mind…

8. Hiroshima and nagasaki • FDR dies, Harry Truman becomes U.S. president • Decides to drop nuclear bombs on Japan • If U.S. invaded Japan on land, would be defeated • Hiroshima • August 6, 1945 • Nagasaki • August 9, 1945

10. Atomic Bombs Was the decision to drop atomic bombs justified?