WWII in a Nutshell

​WWII in a Nutshell

• I can describe the major conflicts and outcomes including North Africa, Pacific, and European theatres ​

Learning Target

• August 1939 - Hitler and Stalin signed non-aggression pact

  • promise not to invade each other and split Poland

• September 1939 - Hitler invaded Poland

• Britain and France declared war on Germany but did little until 1940

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The Start of WWII

• In WWI we had fronts, in WWII we had theatres (theaters)

• European Theatre

• Pacific Theatre

• African Theatre

Three Theatres

• German war tactic - Blitzkrieg meaning lightening war

  • quick mobilization of planes and tanks to surprise enemy

• April 1940 - Germany invaded Denmark and Norway

  • Now full scale war begins

• By 1941 - all except Neutral countries (Spain, Switzerland, Sweden) in continental Europe were under Axis control​

European Theatre

• Britain still remained free but Hitler began a bombing campaign on the island nation

• from July 1940 - May 1941 Britain was bombed constantly

• at one point, London was bombed nightly for 57 days in a row!

• many sent their children to other countries like Canada and the USA

• Hitler called off the campaign so he could focus on the Soviet Union

Battle of Britain

• Meanwhile, Japan is attacking islands in the Pacific

• USA is still neutral at this time although through the Lend-Lease Act they did supply war materials to the Allies

• USA placed an oil embargo on Japan to slow them down

• To keep USA from interfering, Japan thought attacking the USA was a brilliant idea ​

Pacific Theatre

• In an attempt to keep USA out of the way, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor

• December 7, 1941 - President Roosevelt called this "a date that will live in infamy"

• USA declared war on Japan

• Germany and Italy declared war on USA (since Japan was an ally)

• Now USA is fully in WWII

Pearl Harbor

• Goal - defeat Mussolini and Hitler before dealing with Japan

• Fall 1942 - Axis powers are being defeated in North Africa

• North Africa completed liberated by May 1943

African Theatre

• Hitler broke the non-aggression pact and invaded USSR in June 1941

• Now USSR is involved in the war on the side of the Allies

• July 1942-February 1943

• Hitler's first major defeat is at the Battle of Stalingrad

  • city named for Stalin - moral boost for USSR

  • Hitler defeat - moral boost for Allies

Battle of Stalingrad

• With Axis powers being pushed back from Africa and USSR, now the allies need to liberate western Europe through France

• Britain, France, Canada, and USA meet in Britain and plan invasion on the beaches of Normandy

• June 6, 1944

• very deadly but ultimately successful

• France is liberated by August 1944

D-Day Invasion

• Victory in Europe came on May 7, 1945

• Battle of the Bulge fought on the outskirts of Germany

• Spring 1945 - USSR enters Germany from the east, France, Britain and USA enters Germany from the West

• Battle of Berlin - last major battle of the war in Europe

• Germany surrenders

• Hitler commits suicide in an underground bunker

V-E Day

• USA and USSR made agreement that if USA helped defeat Hitler, then USSR would help defeat Japan

• Battle of Coral Sea - stopped Japan from continuing south

• Battle of Midway (turning point) - stopped Japan from continuing east

• Island hopping - moving to smaller islands to avoid Japanese defenses

• Fall 1944 - Japan desperate uses kamikaze pilots to fly their bomb filled planes into US ships

Back in the Pacific

• US takes Iwo Jima in March 1945, and takes Okinawa in June 1945

• Truman advised that going to mainland would causes massive losses

• Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki after Hirohito refused to surrender - twice

• US did drop pamphlets to warn civilians

• Japan officially surrenders

• Victory in Japan - September 2, 1945

• World War II officially over!

V-J Day

Assignment

• Create a timeline with 10 events starting from the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 and ending with Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945

• These should include the full dates if in Wayground and any significance listed

• Also the Holocaust Gallery Walk needs to be finished today