World War Two
Standard SSUSH19: Examine the origins, major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, including the growth of the federal government.
Germany and the USSR Before the war began, Hitler and Stalin had signed a NONAGGRESSION PACT Agreeing to leave each other alone. However, by 1941, France had collapsed The British were on the verge of collapse And so Hitler decided to unleash the Blitzkrieg on the Soviet Union. He had two reasons: 1. To capture Russian oil 2. To capture more territory for the Aryan race to populate. And because both Britain and France were staggering, he was not concerned about fighting a two-front war.
The Allied Powers When the US entered World War Two It formed an alliance with two other nations that were under attack by Nazi Germany: Great Britain And the USSR. This alliance formed the core of the Allied Powers. Stalin Roosevelt Churchill
The Axis Powers The opposing alliance was known as the AXIS It comprised The Empire of Japan (Hideki Tojo) Italy (Benito Mussolini) And Germany (Adolf Hitler).
The military alliance between Germany, Japan and Italy was known as... A.) the Allied Powers. B.) the Axis Powers. C.) the Central Powers. D.) the Eastern Powers.
The military alliance between the US, Great Britain and the Soviet Union was known as the... A.) Allied Powers. B.) Axis Powers. C.) Central Powers. D.) Western Powers.
Japan Dominates the Pacific A few hours after Pearl Harbor, Japan launched a savage attack on US military positions in the Philippines During which the Philippine capital was captured And America s commander in the Pacific Douglas MacArthur Was forced to order a hasty evacuation, leaving 20,000 of his men behind They remained POWs for the entire duration of the war And only 40% of them ultimately survived. Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore & Burma were also rapidly captured by Japanese forces And the Japanese began to take on an aura of INVINCIBILITY on the battlefield.
The Battle of Midway Japan s next goal was to capture HAWAII But they first had to take Midway Island, which is situated halfway between Hawaii and the Japanese mainland. US military specialists had broken the Japanese secret code knew when and where the Japanese attack was planned So America attacked FIRST And sank four Japanese aircraft carriers The battle HALTED JAPANESE EXPANSION in the Pacific And was Japan s FIRST MAJOR DEFEAT in WW2.
Island Hopping After the victory at Midway, the US began the process of island hopping retaking territory previously captured by the Japanese. The first such battle was the Battle of Guadalcanal Which lasted for six months and resulted in the deaths of nearly 50,000 men. When the Japanese were forced to withdraw from the island It signaled that the Empire of Japan was FINALLY now on the defensive.
The Battle of Iwo Jima By 1945, the US had LIBERATED much of the Pacific And US military planners were determined to take the fight to the Japanese population. The capture of the island of Iwo Jima would allow the American military to begin bombing Tokyo. However, the Japanese had been preparing to defend Iwo Jima for YEARS Occupying a network of caves that ran underneath the island. 110,000 Marines stormed the island The Japanese fought almost to the last man surrender was considered DISHONORABLE And only 216 Japanese prisoners were taken (of nearly 25,000).
Firebombing Tokyo Killed more people than than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Fires In Tokyo killed 100,000 civilians.
By the later stages of the war, the Japanese had lost so much territory that their leadership turned DESPERATE And turned to the Kamikaze (God Wind)... Who were typically young men, recruited for their willingness to DIE for the emperor. Warplanes were stripped of all gear unnecessary for flying The nose was packed full of high explosives Pilots were given a shot of methamphetamine And then directed to fly into battleships, aircraft carriers, etc. They accounted for 80% of US losses in the last stage of the war. The Kamikaze
Japanese school children saluting a Kamikaze fighter
After Iwo Jima, the door was open for a US invasion of the Japanese mainland. The last obstacle was the island of Okinawa And once again, the Japanese had pledged to the Emperor That they would defend the island until the LAST MAN WAS DEAD. 180,000 Americans stormed Okinawa And killed all but 7,000 of the 100,000-man Japanese defense. Additionally tens of thousands of Japanese civilians committed suicide rather than surrender to American forces. US military planners were HORRIFIED by this preview of an invasion of the Japanese mainland Where MILLIONS of Japanese would likely resist in the same way. The Battle of Okinawa
Difficulties in Delivery The Pacific Theater The distance across the Pacific was three times the distance from New York to Great Britain. Forces in the Pacific faced outdates equipment and shortages of goods. There was little to no infrastructure to transport or supplies in the Pacific. The climate of the Pacific led to the spoiling of food. The Pacific Theater presented unique challenges for the U.S. in delivering food, weapons, and medical supplies to the troops in WWII.
Which battle is considered the TURNING POINT battle of the pacific theater of the war? A.) the Battle of the Coral Sea. B.) the Battle of Midway. C.) the Battle of Guadalcanal. D.) the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Which battle was thought to be the prelude to a full invasion of the Japansese home island by American forces? A.) the Battle of the Coral Sea. B.) the Battle of Okinawa. C.) the Battle of Guadalcanal. D.) the Battle of Midway.
Which battle was the first of the US' "Island Hopping" strategy? A.) the Battle of the Coral Sea. B.) the Battle of Midway. C.) the Battle of Iwo Jima. D.) the Battle of Guadalcanal.
The Casablanca Conference In January of 1943, Churchill and Roosevelt met in Casablanca, Morocco They came to THREE agreements: They agreed to concentrate on a EUROPE FIRST strategy to defeat Hitler and Mussolini before focusing on Japan They also determined to accept an unconditional surrender ONLY from Italy, Germany and Japan And they agreed to go after Mussolini FIRST.
The Collapse of Fascist Italy The invasion of Italy took place in the Spring of 1943 After taking Sicily, the Allies leapt onto the Italian mainland and roared up the peninsula The Italian Army collapsed in 39 days Mussolini was captured and placed under house arrest And Fascist Italy Hitler s strongest ally was finished.