The End of WWII in Europe and the Aftermath 10.8 Discuss the human costs of the war, with particular attention to the civilian and military losses in Russia, Germany, Britain, the United States, China and Japan.

Review After D-Day, the Allied forces continued to push toward Germany. The Germans launched a massive counter-attack at the Ardennes Forest which proved a disastrous failure for the Germans and a turning point for the Allied forces. In April of 1945, the Red Army reached Berlin. The end of the war in Europe was only one month away. Above, the Germans sign the surrender document in Berlin. Below, the Germans sign the Unconditional Surrender document in France officially ending the war.

Hitler’s Suicide and Germany’s Surrender In April of 1945, the Red Army reached Berlin, Germany’s capital. On April 30 th, ten days after his birthday, Hitler and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide. Many Nazi officials escaped out of Germany before the Red Army came. Those that stayed were captured by the Russians. The city surrendered on May 2 nd, 1945 to the Russians. On May 7 th, 1945 the war in Europe was officially over. Hitler’s official death picture, his wife Eva Braun and his dog Blondi.

The Death Toll

Making Sense of the Numbers The Soviet Union had the highest military and civilian casualties, followed by China and then Germany. The Nazis killed over 14 million people in their labor and death camps. They murdered six million Jews. London, Berlin, Dresden, and Tokyo were heavily bombed with high civilian casualties. Millions of Chinese civilians were murdered by the Japanese. The Atomic bomb killed over 250,000 civilians in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Total estimated deaths during WWII range between 40 and 50 million.

Europe after WWII Dresden, Germany

The Bombing of London

The Bombing of Hamburg

War Crimes Bringing Justice and Order Back to the World. After WWII, the Allied leaders agreed to hold trials in Germany, Japan, and Italy for those that committed crimes against humanity. –The Nuremberg Trials sought justice for the Jews and eight million Poles, Slavs, and Gypsies that were murdered in the Nazi Death Camps. Nuremberg, Germany

Hermann Goering, on the left was sentenced to execution. He committed suicide in prison. Rudolf Hess, above, was sentenced to 40 years life imprisonment. He committed suicide at age 93!

Justice Served? Of the 22 accused of crimes against humanity: –11 were sentenced to execution. –3 were acquitted. –3 were given life imprisonment. –4 were given prison terms of 10 to 20 years. –Execution sentences were carried out on October 6 th, Spandau Prison, Germany