The US at War

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The US at War

• SSUSH19 The student will identify the origins,
  major developments, and the domestic impact of
  World War II, especially the growth of the
  federal government.
• Elements C and F
• European, Pacific, North African Theaters

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The Allies struggle in Europe

• By May 1940, Germany had conquered Denmark,
  Norway, Poland
• British had tried to stop Germanys invasion of
  France, but failed
• June 1940 Prime Minister Winston Churchill
  addressed the people
• We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to
  the end. We shall fight in France and on the
  seas and oceans we shall fight with growing
  confidence and growing strength in the air. We
  shall defend our island whatever the cost may be
  we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in
  streets and on hills. We shall never surrender

3
Britain holds its ground

• Hitler started the campaign against Great Britain
  using tactics like blitzkrieg, or lightning war.
• The Battle of Britain lasted for months with
  Hitler and the Germans giving up, which resulted
  in their first failure of the war.
• Germany also lost at Stalingrad (against USSR)
  some of the worst conditions of winter
  experienced there
• During Germanys last major offensive attack on
  the Allies at the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium
  they lost again moving Europe closer to wars end.

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f. Compare the geographic locations of the
European Theater and the Pacific Theater and the
difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering
weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops.

• European Theater
• Fighting was primarily land-based
• Large scale bombing raids
• More countries involved
• German soldier tended to surrender when defeat
  was apparent

• Pacific Theater
• Fighting was primarily at sea or launched from
  sea
• Island hopping island invasions
• More up-close fighting
• Japanese land soldiers Kamikaze pilots would
  fight to the death

5
North African Theater

• Many of the African campaigns took place near the
  Mediterranean, with Italy and Germany fighting
  for the Axis Powers, and the United Kingdom
  (later with the U.S.) for the Allies.
• North African operations consisted of battles in
  Egypt and Libya, Morocco and Algeria, and
  Tunisia. These operations were mostly spread
  across three years, from 1940-1942.

Not long after fighting there started, American
troops were landing in Algeria, trying to advance
to the east, while British soldiers in Egypt
fought westward.
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c. Explain major events include the lend-lease
program, the Battle of Midway, D-Day, and the
fall of Berlin.
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Pacific Theater Battle of Midway

• June 1942 (6 months after Pearl Harbor), the US
  entered the war in the Pacific (Midwaynorthwest
  of Hawaii)
• Turning point in the war boosted US morale
• Immediately the US defeated the Japanese in the
  first battle costing them 4 aircraft carriers
  hundreds of airplanes
• Caused irreparable damage to the Japanese Fleet
• In desperation, the Japanese turned to the use of
  kamikaze pilots to try and avoid defeat.
• They would commit suicide by intentionally
  crashing planes into US ships to sink them.

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Pacific Theater Battle of Midway

• US adopted the strategy of island hopping,
  engaging the Japanese in battle, one island at a
  time.
• 1944, US captured the island of Guam, where they
  could launch bombing attacks on Japan.
• Capture specific islands to take power away from
  the elite Japanese pacific fleet.
• Gen. MacArthur
• Commander of Allied forces in the SW Pacific

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Battle of Midway

• How did the Battle of Midway change the war in
  the Pacific?

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US enters the European theater

• June 6, 1944, D-Day, the Allied forces launched a
  massive seaborne invasion of France.
• General Dwight D. Eisenhower led the US troops
• We will accept nothing less than victory!
• Conducted in two phases
• Air Assault- landing of 24,000 British, American,
  Canadian, and Free French airborne troops.
• Amphibious landing- of Allied infantry on the
  coast of France
• US forces met with fierce German resistance
  firepower many causalities for both sides on
  the beaches of Normandy
• Within a few weeks one million Allied forces had
  succeeded in pushing the Germans east, liberating
  France

Allied Victory!
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Facts of D-Day

• Was the largest amphibious invasion of all time,
  with 160,000 troops
• Over 5,000 ships were in use
• Total width of the D-Day invasion 61.7 miles
• Until the very last minute, Normandy was the most
  heavily guarded secret
• 17 Million maps supported the mission, Training
  maps used fake names

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Fall of Berlin

• By the Spring of 1945, the German army was
  militarily defeated
• Final Chapter of the destruction of Hitlers 3rd
  Reich.
• April 16th, 1945
• Stalins 20 armies (Russia)
• 6300 tanks and 8500 aircraft
• Allies held off to give Soviets a Free-Hand
• Huge Artillery Barrage and Air-Raid on April
  20th.. Hitlers Birthday.

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Fall of Berlin

• Hitler moved into a bunker in Berlin in the
  Spring of 1945
• He even went as far as to recruit children the
  elderly for the German army to defend the city
• Once the Russians crushed the city, Hitler
  committed suicide on April 30, 1945 ? May 7th
  1945 Germany surrendered.
• War in Europe was officially over.

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Pacific Theater dramatic ending

• On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an
  atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
• After waiting 3 days for a surrender from Japan,
  the US dropped another on Nagasaki.
• The bombs annihilated the cities, killing
  thousands of people.
• August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, making it
  official on Sept. 2

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Practice Questions

• In 1944, journalist Ernie Pyle wrote, It seems
  to me a miracle that we ever took the beach at
  all. What can you infer about D-Day from this
  statement?
• A) there were not enough soldiers and machines to
  go to war
• B) it was long, bloody, and very difficult battle
• C) the United States was unprepared
• D) the beach terrain was difficult

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Practice Questions

• President Truman authorized the dropping of two
  atomic bombs on Japan as a way to
• A) Bring World War II to a quick end
• B) Earn the backing of Allies in the war effort
• C) Gain the surrender of Germany
• D) Spur international atomic research