1. WWII: The Battlefront

2. WWII: The Battlefronts
WWII was waged on two fronts:
The Pacific
Europe
High tide of German advance ended in 1942, mostly due to U.S. entry in the war and a Soviet victory at Stalingrad
British and American militaries coordinated on two objectives:
Overcoming the German submarines in the Atlantic
Begin bombing raids on German cities

3. Fighting Germany
German submarines sank over 500 Allied ships I alone
Use of sonar, radar, and bombing German naval bases helped the Allies overcome the submarine menace
“Strategic bombing” raids were conducted on military targets in Europe
Lines between military and civilian targets begin to blur

4. North Africa Operation Torch began in November 1942
Led by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower
Allied forces succeeded in driving the Germans out of North Africa by May 1943
The next Allied target was the southern Italian island of Sicily, where we were preparing to invade Italy
Mussolini fell from power that same summer, but was given refuge under German protection in northern Italy
Despite Allied efforts to take Italy, Germans held most of northern Italy up until their final surrender in 1945

5. D-Day Allied drive to liberate France began on June 6, 1944
Largest amphibious invasion in history
British, Canadian, and U.S. forces under Gen. Eisenhower stormed the beaches of Normandy on France’s northern coast
After a successful attack on the beaches, the Allies began pushing back German occupying forces

6. Victory in Europe August 1944- Paris was liberated from the Nazis
September- Allied troops had crossed the German border, began pushing towards Berlin
Germany launched a desperate but rather successful counterattack in Belgium in December 1944
After the Battle of the Bulge, Americans reorganized and resumed their advance

7. Victory in Europe
Bombing raids over Germany reduced that nation’s industrial capacity and ability to keep fighting
April 30, Hitler committed suicide in a secret bunker as the Allies closed in on Berlin
The Nazis surrendered unconditionally a week later on May 7th

8. Fighting Japan
In the Pacific, it was largely the U.S. who was challenging Japan
After Pearl Harbor, Japan seized control of much of East Asia and Southeast Asia
By 1942 occupied most all of the Southeastern Pacific nations
The turning point for the U.S. came in 1942 when the interception and decoding of secret Japanese messages allowed U.S. forces to find and destroy four Japanese carriers that had over 300 planes
The Battle of Midway ended Japanese expansion in the Pacific

9. Island-Hopping
After Midway, the U.S. began preparing for a major strike and eventual invasion of mainland Japan
Using a strategy called “island-hopping,” U.S. forces bypassed strongly held Japanese posts and isolated them with naval and air power
Would literally move from island to island in an attempt to get close enough to the mainland of Japan

10. Major Battles
Early Japanese forces drove Gen. Douglas MacArthur from the Philippines
Famously vowed “I shall return.”
The U.S. reoccupation of the Philippines was the largest naval battle in history
At the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, the Japanese navy was virtually destroyed
First time Japanese used kamikaze pilots
The huge Battle of Okinawa was also a hard-won victory for the U.S.
50,000+ casualties

11. The Atomic Bomb
After Okinawa, a huge invasion force stood by ready to invade Japan
Huge casualties were expected
The top-secret Manhattan Project had begun in 1942, directed by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, to develop a weapon whose power came from the splitting of the atom
The atomic bomb was successfully tested in Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945

12. The Atomic Bomb
Truman and the Allies called on Japan to surrender unconditionally or face “utter destruction”
After an unsatisfactory reply, the first A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945
On August 9, 1945, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki
Over 250,000 Japanese died, either immediately or after prolonged suffering
The first and only time in history a country has used nuclear weapons in war

13. Japan Surrenders
Within a week of the second bomb, Japan agreed to surrender to the Allies
If we would allow the emperor to remain as a titular (powerless) head of state
Gen. MacArthur received Japan’s surrender on September 2, 1945 in Tokyo harbor aboard the battleship Missouri
With Japan’s surrender, WWII had officially ended

14. ? On what two fronts or “theaters of operation” was WWII fought?
What was the significance of the D-Day invasion?
What was the turning point for U.S. forces fighting Japan in the Pacific?
What was the significance of the Battle of Leyte Gulf?
Why did the U.S. decide to drop the Atomic bombs on Japan?