The Early Battles of WWIIThe Early Battles of WWII

SETTING THE STAGESETTING THE STAGE

Two Fronts – ◦European Theater ◦Pacific Theater

Pacific, The Battle of Midway – June 1942,

Europe, Battle of the Atlantic 1941-1945

Philippine ColonyPhilippine Colony

Day after Pearl Harbor Japanese take the

Philippines. No hope of reinforcements for U.S. troops there.

Bataan Death March

THE FALL OF THE PHILIPPINESTHE FALL OF THE PHILIPPINES

Eventually, troops were forced to surrender. Horrible conditions.

Troops were forced to march 65 miles to a Japanese POW Camp. Over 10,000 men perish.

THE DOOLITTLE RAID ON TOKYOTHE DOOLITTLE RAID ON TOKYO

Early1942, U.S. want to do something.

FDR orders LT. COL James Doolittle to undertake a suicide mission.

Plan to bomb Tokyo – little actual damage but big psychological blow to Japanese

Huge moral lift for U.S.A

THE BATTLE OF CORAL SEATHE BATTLE OF CORAL SEAAfter Doolittle Raid, Japan

realizes it must crush American fleet.

Thanks to code breakers, US is able to keep supple lines open to Australia.

Fleets meet in the Battle of Coral Sea. 1st naval battle fought completely with air power.

THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY: THE TURNING THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY: THE TURNING POINT IN POINT IN PACIFIC THEATERPACIFIC THEATER

Code breakers lure Japanese into trap at Midway.

The Japanese end up losing 4 carriers, 100s of planes = Never recover.

Now Japanese on defensive – US on offensive.

STOPPING THE GERMANSSTOPPING THE GERMANS

In 1942, Nazi invasion of USSR devastating – Stalin demands action by US

Operation Torch – US invades North Africa Success will mean moving on to “soft underbelly” Sicily and Italy.

THE STRUGGLE FOR N. AFRICATHE STRUGGLE FOR N. AFRICAGeneral Patton leads US forces in

Morocco. Capture Casablanca. German General Erwin Rommel (Desert

Fox) stops US advance in Tunisia.Finally, combined British and American

forces defeat Germans at El Alamein in 1943.

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTICTHE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC By August 1942, German subs had sunk 360 US ships off

East Coast. (Wolf Pack) American navy sets up convoy system New technology – Radar, sonar and improved depth charges

= success