June 6, 1944

 Up to the point where had the Axis & Allied powers been fighting?

 Churchill thought that the next move should be to invade Italy Allies move from Africa up to Italy  Attack Sicily  Mussolini surprised by the Italian army’s collapse  Italian government forced Mussolini to resign  King stripped Mussolini of his power and arrested him  Hitler moved in to fight in Italy Why?

 While Allied forces were battling in Italy, the plan for D-Day was in the works  The plan was to invade France and free Western Europe from Nazi rule.  Commanding fell on U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

 3 million British, American & Canadian troops  Plan to attack Normandy in Northern France Allies sent messages which were intercepted by German forces saying that the attack would be at Calais.

 Originally set for June 5 Bad weather delayed the operation  After midnight- 3 divisions parachuted down behind German lines Used toy cricket to click to let Allies know where at  Why?  Early morning- thousands of soldiers came in by sea.  Largest land-sea-air operation in history. Sergeant Willie Jackson

 German retaliation brutal  Heavy casualties  Within 1 week- Allies held 80 mile strip of France  Within 1 month- Allies produce massive air and land attacks to break up German forces  U.S. General Patton and army able to advance Aug. 25 Paris is liberated from 4 years of German occupation

 Sept Allies free France completely Also Belgium & Luxemburg  FDR elected to 4 th term  Onward to Germany  Oct U.S. captures 1 st German town- Aachen

 What happened to Mussolini?

 Mussolini surprised by the Italian army’s collapse  Italian government forced Mussolini to resign  King stripped Mussolini of his power and arrested him in  German forces rescued him in April  While trying to escape to Switzerland he was captured by Italians, executed, and …

 Sept Allies free France completely Also Belgium & Luxemburg  FDR elected to 4 th term  Onward to Germany  Oct U.S. captures 1 st German town- Aachen

 Hitler’s Last Ditch Effort *Being attacked on two fronts*  8 German tanks break through weak Allied front  Moved 60 miles into Allied territory  120 Americans captured and killed Lined up in a field & fired upon by a machine gun  Fighting continued for 1 month  Germany lost 120,000 troops, 600 tanks No other choice but retreat

 April 12, 1945 FDR Dies  April 25, Soviet troops storm Berlin  April 30, Hitler commits suicide  “I die with a happy heart of immeasurable deeds of our soldiers at the front. I myself and my wife choose to die in order to escape The disgrace of capitulation.”  May 8, Victory in Europe

 Following Pearl Harbor, who was winning in the Pacific? The Axis or Allies?

 Guam and Wake Island fall to Japan The Japanese turn attention to the Philippines U.S. and Filipino take up defensive position on Bataan Peninsula Japanese will take Peninsula Brutal treatment was used against prisoners  Bataan Death March  The Allies Strike Back U.S. wanted revenge for Pearl Harbor Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, Tokyo is bombed.  The Japanese were vulnerable after all. Battle of the Coral Sea- will be victorious in preventing Japan’s Southward advance What was unique about this sea battle?

 U.S. moral high after Battle of Midway What happened here? General Douglas MacArthur- commander of Allied land forces  Had been forced out of the Philippines when Japan seized the islands. Next strategy=“island hopping” to seize islands and get closer to Japan  Battle of Guadalcanal Japanese were building a huge air base. Allies wanted to attack before it was finished. 6 month battle- Allies win.

Victory in the Pacific The Japanese in Retreat Allies move to retake the Philippines in late 1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf leaves Japanese navy badly damaged Kamikazes—Japanese pilots who fly suicide missions In March 1945, American forces capture Iwo Jima U.S. takes Okinawa in June 1945; Japan suffers huge casualties

The Japanese Surrender Advisors warn Truman that invasion of Japan will cost many lives He has alternative; powerful new weapon called atomic bomb Manhattan Project—secret program to develop the bomb Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, August 6, 1945; about 75,000 die Nagasaki bombed on August 9 th - 70,000 die immediately Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945

 From 1945 to 1952, Japan was occupied by the United States army.  The military leaders were removed from power, and the emperor was stripped of political powers.  Japan was forbidden to rebuild its military.  A democratic constitution was introduced, giving women legal equality with men.  Large farms and businesses were broken up and sold to poor citizens.  Japan’s Self Defense Forces