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 1941—Germany controls the majority of Europe and North Africa, but is unable to defeat Great Britain  Invade the Soviet Union in summer 1941, but their advance stalls at the Battle of Moscow in winter 1942

 12/7/41—Japan, having already invaded China, French Indochina, and the Dutch East Indies, bombs Pearl Harbor, then attacks and conquers the Philippines.  1942—Japan controls much of SE Asia, but has been halted at the Coral Sea and suffers huge losses at Midway (June 7)  MacArthur begins strategy of island hopping in the Solomon Islands at Guadalcanal

 Nazi persecution of Jews was a government policy  Kristallnacht  Jews flee Germany, but have trouble finding countries who will take them in such huge numbers  Ghettos  Final Solution: Death Camps  Jews, Gypsies, Poles, Russians, homosexuals, disabled, incurably ill

 12/22/41: Churchill and Roosevelt meet, and agree to Stalin’s proposal to create a Western front  Despite Stalin’s request to attack France, U.S. & G.B. open their war effort against Germany in North Africa  1942—General Montgomery defeats Rommel, and takes back Libyan port of Tobruk.  “Operation Torch”— Eisenhower leads 100k troops into Morocco and Algeria

 Battle of Stalingrad— August 1942  After relentless bombing by the Luftwaffe, Nazis were able to control 90% of the city by November.  Then...winter!

 Roosevelt & Churchill still won’t invade France. From N. Africa they turn their attention to Italy  Allies capture Sicily in August, 1943, and take Rome in June 1944 after a year of gradually pushing the Germans north.  Fighting between Axis forces and Italian resistance continues until 1945  Mussolini captured, shot, and hanged in Milan in April, 1945

 Civilian factories converted to make wartime goods.  Food and supplies are rationed so more can be sent overseas  Speed limit in the U.S. reduced to 35 mph  Students recycle scrap metal and rubber  Civil Rights Violated (Japanese Internment)  Record high taxes

 After gaining control of N. Africa, & Southern Italy, G.B. and U.S. finally decide to launch an offensive in Western Europe  Massive invasion force is assembled in England to attack the Germans in France across the English Channel  D-Day: June 6, Allied launch the offensive along 60 miles of French coast. The Germans are heavily entrenched and 2700 Americans die the first day.  Despite heavy losses, Allies secure the beaches within days, and now have a point in France to launch offensives into the country.

 After securing Normandy, the U.S. 3 rd Army (Patton) gradually make their way toward Paris  August 19, 1944—French resistance fighters stage a massive uprising against the German garrison in Paris  Patton’s army reinforces the resistance.  Germans surrender on the 25 th —Paris is free.

 Allied success in France=2 front war for Germany  Hitler launches massive counter-attack in the West: Ardennes Offensive  Battle of the Bulge: December, 1944  Ardennes offensive was the last gasp of the German army  As U.S. and British approached Berlin from the West, and the Soviets approached from the East Hitler commits suicide.  May 7, 1945: 3 rd Reich Surrenders.  May 9, 1945: V-E Day

 After taking Guadalcanal, MacArthur’s army returns to the Philippines—Island of Leyte (10/44)  Japanese committed almost their entire fleet to stopping the American advance north.  October Battle of Leyte Gulf leaves the Japanese fleet in ruins, and eliminates it as a force in the war.  March 1945: Marines take Iwo Jima (760 miles from Tokyo)  June 1945: U.S. takes Okinawa (350 miles from southern Japan

 After Okinawa, the Allies were within striking distance of Japan  Manhattan Project  After a successful detonation in New Mexico, Truman warns Japan that they must surrender  8/6/45—”Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima. 80K die  8/9/45—”Fat Man” dropped on Nagasaki. 70K die  Japan finally surrenders to MacArthur on the deck of the Missouri 9/2/45