1.
The Second World War

2. Allies vs Axis
In the Second World War, the Allies fought the Axis Powers + Japan.
The Axis started the war and they were VERY prepared . With careful planning, the Axis did horrible damage until they were defeated.
In hindsight, the Axis Powers were a small alliance and did not have a real chance once the Allies became organized.
However, the opening phase of the war was a series of devastating Allied defeats.

3. THE AXIS POWERS
The Axis nations included: Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.
Finland also assisted the Axis but ONLY to fight the USSR who had invaded Finland.

4. THE ALLIED NATIONS
The Allies were a huge alliance that grew throughout the war.
There were three main allies and many minor allies. Some of the Allies were knocked out of the war because they were conquered.

5. The Big THREE
Britain
USA
USSR

6. The Commonwealth Nations
The British had the significant help of many colonies and former colonies:
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, etc

7. China In Asia, China was a HUGE Allied nation
But not very strong militarily
China was too big for Japan to conquer and Japan’s resources were tied up in the fight against such a large enemy.

8. Other Allied Countries
Poland France French Colonies
Nepal Czechoslovakia Norway
Denmark Belgium Netherlands
Dutch East Indies Greece Yugoslavia
Mongolia Panama Luxembourg
Dominican Republic El Salvador Haiti
Nicaragua Philippines Guatemala
Cuba Mexico Brasil
Ethiopia Iraq Bolivia
Colombia Iran Liberia
Peru Albania Ecuador
Paraguay Uruguay Venezuela
Turkey Egypt Lebanon
Syria Saudi Arabia Argentina
Chile Costa Rica
NATIONS IN RED WERE CONQUERED BY THE AXIS OR JAPAN.

9. The Alliance Grew During the War
The Allies joined at different times. Some joined in when they were attacked:
France, Norway, Czechoslovakia, Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Philippines, Dutch East Indies, Albania, Denmark, Luxembourg
These countries were occupied by Japan and Germany and were not able to provide much help for the rest of the war.

10. ALLIES Continued to join
Many countries joined towards the end, in It was clear by this time that Germany, Italy, and Japan were going to lose.
Paraguay Uruguay Venezuela
Turkey Egypt Lebanon
Syria Saudi Arabia Argentina
Chile Costa Rica Ecuador

11. The war has two main parts.
A “WORLD” AT WAR
The war has two main parts.
A Pacific Theater
A European Theater

12. THREE PHASES OF THE WORLD WAR
1. Initial Axis victories make them look invincible.
2. Allied countries finally stop the Axis offensive.
Allied countries counterattack and overwhelm the Axis nations.

13. Phase One—Europe
Germany conquered and occupied ALL of Europe except for the neutrals: Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, and Portugal.

14. Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931.
Phase One: Asia 1931
Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931.

15. RED TERRITORIES WERE CONTROLLED BY JAPAN.
Phase One—Asia 1941
Japan overwhelmed much of the Pacific and East Asia in a carefully planned rapid attack.
RED TERRITORIES WERE CONTROLLED BY JAPAN.

16. Pacific: Midway Island
Beginning in 1942, the Allies had organized enough to stop Axis attacks.
US aircraft carrier “ Yorktown” under Japanese air attack. The Yorktown later sank.

17. Africa: El Alamein 1942
British and Commonwealth forces pushed German and Italian armies back from Suez.

18. USSR: Stalingrad
German POWs
The Red Army surrounded and destroyed a German army of 250,000 soldiers.

19. The Axis hold on and defend
Beginning in 1943, the Axis tried to hold on to what they had captured.
Japan believed that if they fought stubbornly, the Allies would give up.
The Allies wanted to “liberate” captured lands, but they needed time to prepare.

20. MOST GERMAN AND JAPANESE CITIES WERE 75-90% DESTROYED.
Long Distance Attacks
While they prepared a counterattack, Allied planes bombed Japan and Germany relentlessly.
MOST GERMAN AND JAPANESE CITIES WERE 75-90% DESTROYED.

21. The Final Phase—Counterattack 1943
1943: USSR won the Battle of Kursk
Kursk
1943: Allies Invaded Sicily
Sicily
1943: The USA won several Pacific islands including Tarawa.
“Bloody Tarawa”

22. Counterattack in the Pacific 1944
In 1944, the Allies moved closer to Japan
US forces captured the islands of Tinian, Saipan and Guam
From these islands, aircraft could reach and bomb Japan.

23. Allied Counterattack 1944
In 1944, the USSR recaptured the Ukraine, the Baltic States, and part of Poland.
D-Day—Amphibious invasion of France
On June 6, 1944, Britain, Canada, and the USA invaded Normandy, France.
D-Day 1944

24. Two-Front War
The invasion of France put pressure on both sides of Germany—EAST and WEST.
The Nazis did not last very long once they had to fight on two fronts.
Germany surrendered in less than one year.

25. Celebration in Times Square, New York City
VE-Day May 8, 1945
Celebration in Times Square, New York City

26. Final Phase—The Pacific
Japan held out a few months longer.
Attacking Japan required many invasions
Iwo Jima, 1945
Mount Suribachi is in the background.

27. Amphibious Attack
One of the features of the Pacific war was the use of small boats to invade numerous islands.

28. “Island Hopping”
Amphibious attack was extremely dangerous. The boats were slow and easy targets as they approached the beach.
The Americans chose to capture some islands, and bypassed others.
The HIGGINS Boat

29. Bitter Fighting Japanese soldiers usually would not surrender.
They had very carefully prepared defenses of caves, concrete bunkers and log shelters.
Each shelter had to be destroyed by fire and explosives.

30. Final Pacific Battles 1945
In 1945, US forces captured the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The defense was carefully prepared.
Japanese defenders were stubborn. Most died.
US Soldiers raise a flag on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima.

31. Okinawa 1945
At the battle of Okinawa, more than 100,000 civilians died.
US soldiers together with Okinawan civilians.

32. Operation “Olympic”
After Okinawa, the US planned to invade Japan in the same way.
The Americans expected many hundreds of thousands of soldiers to die.
If the pattern of Okinawa repeated, millions of Japanese civilians would also die.

33. JAPAN QUICKLY SURRENDERED.
Invasion Avoided
Atomic attack destroyed Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
Soviet armies invaded Manchuria on August 8, 1945
A second atomic attack destroyed Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.
JAPAN QUICKLY SURRENDERED.

34. VJ-Day: August 14-15, 1945

35. The End