World War II

The US position Still viewed all of this as a European problem Isolationism The Neutrality Acts Eventually these were relaxed and we began to aid the allies Lend lease Act, Destroyers for naval bases July 1941 Japanese occupy Indo-China US leads a world wide oil embargo and sent aid to the Chinese (flying tigers) Pearl Harbor December 7 th 1941

Hitler’s Conquests in Europe Blitzkrieg (Panzer divisions of 300 Tiger tanks) Infantry and air support April 1940 he attacked Denmark and Norway Then the Netherlands (2 days) and Belgium (2 weeks) Hitler avoided the Maginot Line by invading France through Luxembourg (Ardennes Forrest) and through Belgium The Miracle of Dunkirk: 340,000 saved, all equipment was lost (DeGaulle and the Free French army) Operation Dynamo (200 ships lost in operation) Germans reach Paris on June 14 th 1940 and set up the Vichy government under Henri Petain

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Basic Blitzkrieg Battle Sequence

The Battle of Britain From August of 1940 until March of 1941 Hitler bombed England to soften them up for invasion (15,000 killed in London in 2 months) British respond by bombing Berlin and caused the Luftwaffe to shift focus to London Hitler shifts focus to London (allows British industry to produce) RAF used radar and US help to fight off the attacks Churchill took power in May of 1940 (good relationship with FDR and the US)

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC WHEN? WHERE? N. ATLANTIC SEA LANES WHO? GERMAN U-BOAT FORCE (WOLFPACKS) U.S. / BRITISH NAVIES & MERCHANT SHIPS Atlantic Charter December of 1941 (protect ships from US to Iceland) WHAT? GERMANS ATTEMPT TO CUT OFF FLOW OF SUPPLIES FROM U.S. TO BRITIAN ATTACKS START CLOSE TO U.S. SHORE COMBAT EVENTAULLY MOVES FURTHER INTO THE ATLANTIC U.S. USES SONAR & RADAR TO HINDER GERMANS RESULTS? BY MID-1943, ALLIES HAVE WON CONTROL OF THE ATLANTIC

WW II GERMAN U-BOAT

OPERATION BARBAROSSA

THE EASTERN FRONT June 22, 1941: Operation Barbarossa / Germany invades Russia Why? Lebensraum: Definition – Living Space for Germans Nazi Racial Theories Slavic (Russians, Poles, etc.) considered inferior to Germans Russia’s Jews needed to be eliminated Wanted to force GB to sign a treaty by eliminating an important potential ally Resources: Land Food Oil Communist “threat” / desire to destroy “Bolshevism” Hitler’s mistrust of Stalin

STALINGRAD When? October 1942 February of 1943 Where? Stalingrad (Southern Russia) Why? German attempt to capture / occupy oil fields in S. Russia Then Germans can control important Volga River supply route What happens? Aug.-Oct.: German 6 th Army seizes Stalingrad Oct.-Nov.: Russians surround / cut off Germans Nov.-Feb.: German Army starved / casualties high Feb: German 6 th Army surrenders 91,000 prisoners ***Russian casualties (military & civilian): 1,250,000 (more than US in the entire war) STALINGRAD: Turning point in the East

THE NORTH AFRICAN & ITALIAN CAMPAIGN WHEN? Nov.’ (Operation Torch) U.S. FORCES: GEORGE PATTON) BRITISH: BERNARD MONTGOMERY GERMAN AFRIKA KORPS: ERWIN ROMMEL ***ROMMEL: “THE DESERT FOX” WHY IMPORTANT? CONTROL OF MEDITERRANEAN SEA ALLIES THOUGHT IT WAS “SOFT UNDERBELLY” OF EUROPE BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN: TURNING POINT IN NORTH AFRICA BRITISH VICTORY RESULTS? ALLIES FORCE AXIS TO USE UP VALUABLE RESOURCES MUSSOLINI LOSES POWER IN ITALY ; LATER KILLED ALLIES CONTROL MEDITERRANEAN

George Patton Sir Bernard Law Montgomery

Erwin Rommel Panzer III

Italy Surrenders July 1943 allies invaded Sicily to open a second front in Europe Mussolini had been deposed and arrested in the Spring of 1943 Italians surrender to British and US not USSR Germans divert troops to bail out Italy, rescue Mussolini and restore him as the leader in German controlled N. Italy April 1945 Mussolini executed attempting to flee Italy

The End of the War in Europe D-Day invasion June 6 th 1944 (2 million men in 100 days) Led by Dwight Eisenhower overall commander allied forces Europe Last German offensive was the Battle of the Bulge December 1944 March 1945 allies cross the Rhine River April 30 th Hitler commits suicide May 8 th V-E Day

OPERATION OVERLORD

V-2 ROCKET LAUNCH SITES

War in the Pacific December 7 th 1941 Pearl Harbor US declares war on Japan Japan scores early victories until the Battle of Coral Sea (1 st Naval battle where ships did not see each other) Turning point was Battle of Midway June 6 th 1942 US destroyed 4 Japanese Carriers (Chester Nimitz) Island Hopping Douglas MacArthur and the Philippines Harry Truman (The Manhattan Project) Iwo Jima Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Aug 1945) V-J Day Aug 15 th 1945