Major Conflict and Outcomes of World War II

Chapter 26 p. 806 – 838Primarily p. 814- 822

Origins of World War II • March 15, 1939 Hitler invaded and took

control of Western Czechoslovakia• Declared he would be the greatest

German of all • France & Britain begin negotiations with

the Soviet Union • August 23, 1939 Germany and the Soviet

Union sign the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact

• September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland

• September 3, 1939 Britain and France declare war on Germany

Japanese Path to War • Sept. 1931 seized Manchuria • Began to spread into Northern China• Chiang Kai Shek ignored Japan to deal with

Communists • July 1937 – Chinese & Japanese forces clash in

Beijing• December 1937 – Rape of Nanjing• Summer of 1940 – Japan demanded right to

exploit economic resources in French Indochina • U.S. objected & threatened to impose economic

sanctions

Two Sides Allied Powers • Great Britain• France• United

States (after Dec 7, 1941)

• Soviet Union (after Summer 1941)

Axis Powers • Germany • Italy • Japan

Europe at War

• Germany stunned Europe with speed & efficiency of attack on Poland

• Blitzkrieg or “lightning war” used armored columns, called panzer divisions, supported by airplanes

• Within 4 weeks –Sept 28, 1939– Poland surrendered and was divided between Germany & the Soviet Union

Hitler’s Early Victories • April 9, 1940– Blitzkrieg against Denmark &

Norway• May 10, 1940 – Germany launched an attack

on Belgium, the Netherlands, & France• Main assault was through Luxembourg• Raced across northern France; France signed

an armistice on June 22 • Approximately 3/5 of France occupied by

German armies • Vichy France– authoritarian regime under

Germany control ruling the rest of France

Battle of Britain • Germany realized an Amphibious (land &

sea) invasion could only be successful if Germany gained control of the air

• August 1940, the Luftwaffe, German air force – launched a major offensive, bombing British air & naval bases, harbors, communication centers, and war industries

• In September after British bombed Berlin, Germany began bombing cities to weaken British morale.

Attack on Soviet Union • Germany had no desire for a two front war,

but were convinced Britain only remained in the war b/c it expected Soviet support.

• June 22, 1941 – Germany invaded the Soviet Union

• Massive attack stretched across 1800 miles through Ukraine, Leningrad, and a third 25 miles from Moscow (the Soviet capital)

• Early winter & fierce resistance halted the German advance

Pearl Harbor • December 7, 1941 – Japanese aircraft attacked

the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Island

• Hoped to destroy the US fleet in the Pacific & cause the US to accept Japanese control of the Pacific

• BUT… it unified American opinion about being involved in the war

• US joined European nations and China to defeat Japan

• Believing American involvement in the Pacific would make them ineffective in the European theater, Hitler declared war on the United States December 11, 1941

http://www.thesoundsofhistory.com/pearlharbor.html

El Alamein • In early 1942, defeat was far from Hitler’s

mind. • In North Africa, German forces under Gen.

Erwin Rommel broke through British defenses in Egypt & advanced toward Alexandria.

• British forces stopped Rommel at El Alamein – Summer 1942 – causing Germans to retreat across desert

• November 1942 – British & American forces invaded French North Africa– forced German & Italian troops to surrender in May 1943

Stalingrad

• Major industrial center on the Volga • One of the most terrible battles of the

war• Nov 1942 – Feb 2, 1943 – Soviet

troops stopped, encircled, & cut off supply lines of Germans

• Entire German sixth army, considered best of the German troops, were forced to surrender

ASIAN THEATER

Battle of Midway Island

• Turning point of war in Asia• June 4, 1942 US planes destroyed attacking Japanese aircraft carriers

• Established US naval superiority in the Pacific

Guadalcanal Campaign • Aug 7, 1942 – Feb 9, 1943 • First major offensive launched by Allied

Forces against the empire of Japan• First significant strategic combined arms

victory • Combined Allied land, naval, and air forces –

60,000 ground forces (allied) v. 36,200 Japanese ground forces

• Marked transition to Allied offensive rather than defensive

• Island – hopping approach promoted by generals such as Douglas MacArthur

The Battle for the Philippines • 1941 – 1942 • US and Filipino forces led by General Douglas

MacArthur • Japan wanted to remove as a US base• Japan invaded but were strongly resisted• US- Filipino outnumbered Japanese but were low

on food & medical supplies and lacked air support (attacked by Japanese 12/7/41)

• Japanese victory but became a symbol of hope for US in early days of war and caused Japan to expend more resources than they had planned

• Clearly showed US was unprepared for war in 1941

End of War in Europe • June 4, 1944 – Rome fell to Allies after

heavy casualties as Allies fought through Italy

• June 6, 1944 – D – Day – Allied forces under US General Dwight D. Eisenhower landed on the Normandy Beaches in history’s greatest naval invasion.

• Fought past mines, barbed wire, and machine gun fire to establish a beachhead

• Within 3 months, Allies had landed 2 million men & half a million vehicles into France

D-Day Photos

• http://www.6juin1944.com/assaut/en_index.html

• http://www.6juin1944.com/espace/omaha/cartomah.php

• http://www.6juin1944.com/espace/omaha/omaha.php?ref=memoria&id=1&idmax=10

• http://www.6juin1944.com/cimetier/index.php?cim=collevil&id=1

• http://www.6juin1944.com/cimetier/index.php?cim=james&id=9

End of the War in Europe Continued…

• In August 1944 the Allies liberated Paris • March 1945 advanced into Germany• Battle of Kursk, July 5 -12, greatest tank

battle of WWII- Soviets defeated Germany • April 30, 1945 – Hitler committed suicide• May 7, 1945 – German commanders

surrendered • May 8, 1945 – VE Day

End of the War in Asia • Harry S. Truman became President of the U.S.

April 1945 • Hoped using the atomic weapons would keep

the US from having to invade Japan• August 6, 1945 – Bombing of Hiroshima• August 9, 1945 – Bombing of Nagasaki • http://www.gensuikin.org/english/photo.html• Both cities were leveled; thousands died

immediately and thousands more from radiation in the months following

• August 14, 1945 – Japan surrendered • August 15, 1945 – VJ Day

Summary Results of WWII

• Total deaths approximately 62 million • Civilian deaths approximately 32

million• Military deaths approximately 24

million• Holocaust deaths- Jewish 6 million• Total destruction of Europe

Results of World War II Country Military deaths Civilian deaths Jewish Holocaust deaths Total deaths

China 3,000,000 7,000,000 10,000,000

France 212,000 267,000 83,000 562,000

Germany 5,500,000 1,840,000 160,000 7,500,000

Italy 306,400 145,100 8,000 459,500

Japan 2,000,000 600,000   2,600,000

Poland 400,000 2,200,000 3,000,000 5,600,000

Soviet Union 10,700,000 11,500,000 1,000,000 23,200,000

United Kingdom 382,600 67,800 450,400

United States 407,300 11,200   418,500

Totals 24,456,100 32,326,600 5,754,000 62,536,700

Each symbol indicates 100,000 dead in the appropriate theater of operations