Ending WWII

U.S. HistoryMs. Kilgallon

Mrs. Cole

Learning Targets

1. To identify the battles and strategies that led to VE day & VJ day

2. To analyze the impact of D-day, battle of the bulge and the dropping of the bomb

Election of 1944

· FDR won an unprecedented fourth term in office in 1944.

· However, in April of 1945, FDR died, forcing Vice-President Harry Truman to assume the Presidency.

Harry S Truman taking the oath of office after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, April 12, 1945. The following day, Truman spoke to reporters and said, "...I don't know whether you fellows ever had a load of hay fall on you, but when they told me yesterday what had happened, I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me."

IN ONE SENTENCE SUMMARIZE THIS PICTURE

D-Day:day of days

• When? – June 6, 1944

• Where? – Normandy, France

• Results? – A fleet of 4,000 ships carried Allied troops to Normandy in order to invade France in an attempt to defeat the Germans.

• Importance? – On August 25, 1944, Allied forces liberated Paris from Nazi rule…which D-Day started

D-Day Animation

June 6, 1944: D-DAY

• 3 divisions invaded German lines– U.S., British, Canadian

• 156,000 troops, 4,000 landing crafts, 600 warships, & 11,000 planes

• The largest land-sea-air operation in HISTORY

• Regained much of French territory back!

Battle of the Bulge:• When? – December 16, 1944

• Where? – border areas near Luxembourg, France and Germany

• Results? – The Germans began a counterattack against the Allies as the Allies attempted to drive the Germans completely out of France.

• Importance? – This battle showed the desperation of the German forces. While the Germans were able to slow down the Allied advance, they could not stop it completely.

Victory in Europe· By April of 1945,

American and Soviet troops were closing in on Berlin.

The endless procession of German prisoners marching through the ruined city streets to captivity.

· Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30, and Germany officially surrendered on May 7.

Red army soldiers raising the Soviet flag on the roof of the Reichstag (German Parliament) in Berlin, Germany.

Unconditional Surrender!

• Soviet Army stormed Berlin

• Germany pushed back after Battle of the Bulge

• Camps had been liberated-July 1944

V-E Day• Victory in Europe

Day!!!– May 8, 1945– General Eisenhower

accepted unconditional surrender of the Third Reich

We’re so excited our

Men can come

HOME!

· On May 8, the Allies celebrated V-E Day (Victory in Europe).

Churchill waves to crowds in Britain after broadcasting to the nation that the war with Germany had been won, 8 May 1945.

V-E Day Celebrations in New York City, May 8, 1945.

Island Hopping in the Pacific

• The U.S. began a policy of island hopping, using islands as stepping-stones towards Japan.

Video: Island Hopping - The U.S. invasion of the Tarawa Atoll. (5:52)

• The two main goals of the U.S. in the Pacific were:1. to regain the Philippines.

2. to invade Japan.

· By February of 1945, the U.S. had recaptured the Philippines and captured the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima depicts five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the flag of the United States atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

HOW ARE WE GOING TO…Defeat of Japan?

· The U.S. planned to invade Japan in 1945, though experts warned that the invasion could cost over a million casualties.

Stalin, Truman and Churchill at the Potsdam Conference.

· Upon learning about the atomic bomb, Pres. Truman sent the Japanese the Potsdam Declaration, warning them to surrender or face “prompt and utter destruction.”

To drop the bomb or not?

• Truman just learns of the Manhattan project

•The best-kept secret of the war

• Should they use the atomic bomb?– Might not work– Could set the atmosphere on fire– End the Earth

Testing…

They first tested the bomb in New Mexico

– More powerful than expectedHow would the Japanese respond?1. Surrender2. Test might be a dud-nothing would

happen3. Shoot down the delivery plane or move

American prisoners of war into the test area

· On August 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing at least 70,000 people and destroying most of the city.

The aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

· On August 9, the U.S. dropped another atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki, killing at least 40,000 people.

Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 60,000 feet into the air on the morning of August 9 1945

Before and after photos of downtown Nagasaki.

V-J Day• Victory in Japan• August 15, 1945• Officially marks the

end of WWII

Crowds outside the White House celebrate V-J Day, the Japanese surrender and the end of World War II. August 1945