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

The Allies struggle in Europe By May 1940, Germany had conquered

Denmark, Norway, & Poland British had tried to stop Germany’s 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…”

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 Germany’s last major offensive attack on the Allies at the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium they lost again moving Europe closer to war’s end.

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

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.

c. Explain major events; include the lend-lease program, the Battle of Midway, D-Day, and the fall of Berlin.

Pacific Theater – Battle of Midway

June 1942 (6 months after Pearl Harbor), the US entered the war in the Pacific (Midway—northwest 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.

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

Battle of Midway

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

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!

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

Fall of Berlin

By the Spring of 1945, the German army was militarily defeated

Final Chapter of the destruction of Hitler’s 3rd Reich.April 16th, 1945

Stalin’s 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…..

Hitler’s Birthday.

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.

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

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

Practice Questions

President Truman authorized the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan as a way toA) Bring World War II to a quick

endB) Earn the backing of Allies in

the war effortC) Gain the surrender of GermanyD) Spur international atomic

research