Mr. Tran

 2. Explain U.S. and Allied wartime strategy, including the major battles of Midway, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Battle of the Bulge.

 Students will be able to identify the major battles of WWII by acting out key components of each battle

 Saving Private Ryan Clip

 Each group will be given a battle. Each group will need to figure out a way to present the battle (reenact) it in front of the class.

 The Allies planned an attack on the Normandy coast in France.  Codename: Operation Overload  Commonly referred to as D-Day  Two million soldiers were stationed in Great Britain for the attack, as well as thousands of airplanes, ships, and tanks.  D-Day began on the June 6,1944, with troops pouring onto the beaches, aircraft dropping bombs from above, and the ships firing ammunition from the sea.  By fall 1944, the Allies had defeated the Germans at the coast, pushed inland, and liberated Paris and Belgium.

 By December 1944 Hitler’s forces were squeezed between the Soviet Red Army in the east and British and American troops in the west.  Hitler launched a surprise offensive to avoid defeat, marching into a weak point in the Allied lines in the Ardennes region in Belgium.  Outnumbered American troops held off the Germans for eight days in the bitter cold before reinforcements arrived.  The German offensive created a huge bulge in the Allied lines before reinforcements arrived and German troops were pushed back.  By March 1945 the Allies able to push into Germany

 After the Battle of the Bulge, Allied forced in on Berlin from the east and the west.  The Allies met at Yalta to discuss the term of a German surrender.  On April 25,1945, the American and British troops at the Elbe River and congratulated one another on a hard-fought victory.  Recognizing certain defeat, Hitler committed suicide, and his replacement Karl Donitz surrendered to the Allied forces on May 7,1945.  One day after the surrender, the Allied celebrated V-E Day– Victory in Europe Day.

 Japans attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941 launched the Pacific War.  The U.S military and political leadership adopted an “ island hopping ” strategy to defeat the Japanese.  In April 1942, the U.S Air Force bombed key Japanese cities in the Doolittle Raid.

 The key to winning the Pacific War was establishing control over the skies and waters of the expansive Pacific.  U.S intelligence decoded a plan to attack the island of Midway, and subsequently forced the Japanese to retreat.  The battle of Midway, in June 1942, marked the turning point in the war, giving the United States the upper hand.

 Feb – March 1945: American troops fought to take over the island of Iwo Jima.  Fighting at Iwo Jima was brutal and continuous, & both sides experienced heavy casualties  The American victory at Iwo Jima & Okinawa placed the Americans in a strong position to launch air attacks on Japan.

 After the Americans captured Iwo Jima & Okinawa, the U.S. Air Force bombed Japan relentlessly  U.S. Navy established a successful blockade of Japan, cutting off Japanese supply lines.  August 6 & Aug 9: 2 separate bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima & Nagasaki  Over 170,000 people were killed in the bombing, & the Japanese surrendered on August 14, 1945

 Draw three physical representations of your favorite battles on worksheet (Back instagram pictures).