THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR II24.5 World War II Ends

Focus Your Thoughts . . . Quiz Review1. How did the fighting in Europe affect events taking place in the Pacific?

Because Hitler appeared to be the most imminent threat, U.S. response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor was slow; as a result, the Japanese enjoyed a string of victories which artificially inflated their confidence in their abilities; once the fighting in Europe began to subside, the Allied Powers shifted their focus more heavily to the Pacific, where the tides quickly began to turn when poor planning and decision-making exposed the weaknesses of the Japanese military.

2. At Iwo Jima and Okinawa, Japanese forces suffered great losses, but refused to surrender . . . how might this affect the end of the war?

The Japanese were offered several opportunities to surrender leading up to the introduction of nuclear warfare; just like their earlier decisions to fight to the last man standing, the Japanese refused to surrender, even under the threat of nuclear warfare; this resulted in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the acute effects of these bombings killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki; however, total deaths associated with the bombing and residual radiation were twice that.

3. Describe the significance of the following: Code talkers

Navajo Indians who used their native language to help Allied soldiers communicate with one another in a manner indecipherable by the Japanese

Kamikaze pilots Japanese fighter pilots who engaged in suicide bombing missions; unnerved – but did not dissuade –

Allied forces

A Historic Meeting By April of 1945, American forces

had crossed Germany’s western border and were heading eastward; Soviet soldiers were advancing through Germany from the opposite direction . . . Each side knew that when they

met, Hitler’s fate would be sealed

April 24, 1945 A group of American troops

spotted Soviet forces on the other side of the Elbe River

The Americans identified themselves as friendly forces and headed across the river

The soldiers shook hands, embraced, and toasted to the leaders of their countries; they danced and sang, promising to build a lasting peace between the United States and the Soviet Union

But would it last?? Do Americans like communism?

Winning the War in Europe The aftermath of both the Battle of the Bulge

and the Battle of Stalingrad was devastating for German troops

The German army had risked a great deal, and suffered two crushing defeats . . .

Few soldiers were left to defend against the four million Allied troops poised on the western border; nor could they withstand the Soviet troops who stood waiting to the east; Germany was surrounded

The Yalta Conference In January of 1944, FDR took the oath of office

for a fourth time

Shortly after his inauguration, he left for a conference of the Allied leaders The Big Three: FDR, Churchill, Stalin

Met in Yalta in the Soviet Union Their primary goal: Figure out what to do with the

soon-to-be conquered Germany They agreed to divide the country into four sectors; each of

the Big Three would occupy a sector, and France would get the last

What does it mean to ‘occupy’ a country or territory?

The Yalta ConferenceSomething about this picture doesn’t look quite right . . .

In addition to dividing up Germany, they had to decide what to do with the other countries in Europe acquired by Germany during Hitler’s expansion Stalin agreed to hold elections in these countries, in addition, he agreed to declare war on Japan

as soon as Germany had surrendered . . .

What do you think?? Would Stalin keep his promises?

ChurchillFDR Stalin

Crossing the Rhine As the Big Three were meeting in Yalta, the Allied forces

were preparing to cross the Rhine River

The Rhine River, at least in the mind of the Germans, represented a key barrier to the center of Germany Even though it was not a good defensive location, Hitler

ordered his troops to make a stand there

Hitler began blowing up bridges over the Rhine to slow the Allies; but the Allies managed to capture one, and began to cross over into Germany The Allies were able to surround and capture a quarter million

German soldiers; tens of thousands were killed

The Question of Berlin

With the German forces crumbling before their eyes, both the Americans and the Soviets set their sights on Berlin

While both the United States and the Soviet Union wanted control of the capital city, Eisenhower knew the fight for Berlin would be a bloody one, and opted to preserve American troops for war in the Pacific, which was still raging

April 12, 1945 FDR’s unexpected death throws a bit of a wrench in things .

. . the vast majority of American troops had known no other president during their adult lives; many were saddened, but it did not slow victory

Who took over for FDR?

Hitler’s Death As the Soviet and American

troops came together in Germany; Hitler finally recognized that all hope was lost

On April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker

As news of his death spread, fighting in Europe came to a halt; two days later, Berlin surrendered, followed by Germany’s new leader, Karl Donitz, on May 7th This was proclaimed V-E Day

(Victory in Europe Day)

Surprise, Surprise! Japan Keeps Fighting

Despite the fall of Mussolini and then Hitler, Japan does not surrender

Major General Curtis LeMay responds by bombing Tokyo in an experimental raid that destroyed 270,000 buildings and killed more than 84,000 people

While the bombing stunned the Japanese, they vowed to continue fighting

Fleeting Moments of Clarity

Some Japanese leaders saw the need for peace; in June and July they reached out to the Soviet Union hoping they’d help arrange an agreement for peace

Meanwhile, the American war plans moved steadily forward . . .

The Atomic Bombs Unbeknownst to the rest of the world – and to

American citizens - the United States had been working on the creation of a nuclear weapon for some time The Manhattan Project

When Harry S. Truman assumed the Presidency following FDR’s death, he was made aware of the existence of the intelligence, and he formed a group to advise him about its use

July 26, 1945

Truman and the Allies – hoping to avoid nuclear war - demanded the immediate surrender of Japan Japan was warned

that failure to surrender would result in “prompt and utter destruction” Japan did not respond

August 6, 1945

The Enola Gay, an American B-29, dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima

In a single terrible blast, most of Hiroshima was reduced to rubble 80,000 people died instantly; 35,000 were injured 90,000 buildings were decimated

The United States waited three more days . . .

Japan did not respond.

August 9, 1945 The United States reluctantly dropped another atomic

bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki 40,000 people were killed instantly

Amazingly, the Japanese military still did not surrender Japanese Emperor Hirohito begged them to give up the

fight, to which they responded by trying to oust him from power; thankfully, they were not successful Hirohito issued Japan’s unconditional surrender on August 15,

1945, via radio broadcast (V-J Day)

World War II was finally over.

The Challenges of Victory The Creation of the United Nations

After the dissolution of the League of Nations during WWII, fifty nations once again met to form a new organization meant to encourage cooperation and keep the peace . . . this time, the United States joined

The Potsdam Conference Allied nations once again met to continue the discussions begun at

Yalta; Truman hoped that he’d be able to convince Stalin to live up to his promises . . . he wasn’t successful

Re-building Europe (again) and Japan The U.S. walked a fine line between showing respect for Japanese

tradition and insisting on democratic values The U.S. also helped to re-build Europe; this process resulted in

increasing tensions with America’s wartime ally, the Soviet Union . . . which would soon engulf us in another war