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WORLD WAR II

Strategy: European Theatre

European Theatre

Strategy Defeat Hitler first Strike at German industry Destroy the morale of German people

2nd Front Relieve pressure on USSR Question: Where to strike?

Stalin demanded an attack in western Europe FDR and Churchill favored an attack on the “soft underbelly of

Europe”: North Africa through Italy

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Campaign North Africa: June 1942-May 1943

British General Montgomery & U.S. General Eisenhower defeat German General Rommel

Invasion of Sicily and Italy July1943-June 1944

Stalingrad (August 1942- January 1943)

Turning point on the eastern front of the European theatre 330,000 German soldiers surrender Soviet army begins to push into eastern Europe

D-Day- US General Dwight D. Eisenhower

June 6, 1944 - Operation Overlord

Major turning point in European theatre

Beaches of Normandy in France 130,000 soldiers 20,000 paratroopers 11,000 aircraft 4,000 vessels

Secured all 5 beaches by nightfall

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Massive push back of German army August 25 – Allies liberate Paris September 12 – cross German border

Yalta Conference – Feb1945 FDR, Churchill & Stalin Agreed to demand Germany’s unconditional

surrender Stalin agrees to permit free elections in

Eastern Europe and to enter the war against Japan

V-E Day May 8, 1945 Germany surrenders

unconditionally

Hitler commits suicideApril 28th

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WORLD WAR II

Strategy: Pacific Theatre

Pacific Theatre Strategy

Island-hopping Capture one island in the chain of

islands and leave the others without support or reinforcement Built air fields for US bombers to

attack and cut Japanese supply lines

Avoid direct assault against fortified Japanese positions

3-prong attack Chinese distract Japanese in China General MacArthur – Attack from

New Guinea via land Admiral Nimitz – Attack through

Pacific via naval and air attacks against island chains

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Campaigns in Pacific Theatre

Battle of Midway Island (June 1942)

Turning point battle in the Pacific Theatre Admiral Nimitz sunk 4 Japanese aircraft

carriers and over 250 aircraft Puts Japanese on the defensive

Iwo Jima (Feb 1945)

Secured this strategic island as a staging site for bombing Japanese home island

7,000 Marines died; over 18,000 Japanese casualties

Ira Hayes U.S. Marine and Pima Indian from AZ One of the six who raised the flag atop Mt. Suribachi

after U.S. took Iwo Jima

Okinawa Final island secured before an

invasion of home islands Largest amphibious invasion of war Less than 1000 miles from Tokyo

110,000 Japanese died 2000 kamikaze missions Japanese refusal to surrender &

determination to protect territory concerned American commanders regarding an invasion of Japanese islands

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Potsdam Conference (July-Aug1945)

Truman, Churchill and Stalin

Issue declaration demanding “unconditional surrender” from Japan

Truman shares with Churchill, but not Stalin, the U.S. has perfected the atomic bomb