ch 18 sec 2
TRANSCRIPT
European Theater
Dunkirk
• Germany attacked France and cornered them at Dunkirk
• German airforce (Luftwaffe) was to come and wipe them out
• Weather was bad• British came to the rescue and ferried them
across the English Chanel
Bombing of Britain• Germany began bombing to prepare for a land
invasion• The RAF (Royal Air Force) destroyed German
bombers• Every day for 113 days• Hitler grew impatient and abandoned the plan
Russia
• Hitler wanted to take advantage of Russia’s natural resources
• Russians used a “scorched earth policy” – Russians destroyed everything that could be used by the Nazis.
Pacific Theater
Philippines• Japanese attacked a number of islands in the
Pacific including the Philippines• President Roosevelt ordered Douglas
MacArthur to leave to avoid capture
Douglas MacArthur
Midway Island
• Americans had an important naval base on this island
• Americans were outnumbered, but the Americans attacked and forced the Japanese to retreat
Turning Points in the War
1. Germany invading Russia
• Resulted in Germany fighting a two-front war
2. Japan attacked the United States
• The US declared war on Japan, and then Germany and Italy declared war on the US
3. Italy surrendered
• Dwight D. Eisenhower, the US General, led troops into Sicily and forced the Italian government to surrender
4. D-Day
• Allied leaders had to decide where to attack• Decided on France• June 6, 1944
5. Germany surrendered
• Germany tried one last time to break through the Allied forces at the Battle of the Bulge
• V-E Day was May 8, 1945• Victory in Europe Day
6. Dropping of the atomic bomb
• Harry Truman ordered Japan to surrender• They refused• Dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on
August 6, 1945• Japan refused to surrender• Dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki on
August 9, 1945• Japan surrendered
• War was officially over on September 2, 1945