THE FALL OF THE THIRD REICH

Unit II – World War II

EUROPE AT WAR

■ Hitler and the Blitzkrieg– Poland, Denmark, Norway,

Netherlands and Belgium

■ France– Armistice

– Germany occupies 3/5

■ The U.S. Remains Isolationists– After WWI, laws prevented

us from acting

– Lend/Lease Act

ATTACK ON THE SOVIET UNION

■ Hitler Frustrated with Britain

– British broke German codes, Churchill, and Radar

– Soviet Union their only hope

– Destroy them!

■ Invasion in June

– Accomplished before winter?

– Did not plan for winter uniforms

■ Soviet Offensive and Winter

– German defeat

THE RISE OF JAPAN

■ Japan’s Desire for Resources

– Seizure of Manchuria

– Expansion into northern

China

■ Delayed Response

– Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese

President

– Fighting Chinese

Communists

– Chang loses and retreats to

Taiwan

THE UNITED STATES RESPONDS

■ The U.S. Objects to Japan’s Actions

– Economic sanctions unless Japan

withdraws

– Japan needs resources from the

U.S.

– Can you think of examples of

countries using economic

sanctions against other countries

today?

■ Japan Makes A Decision…

– Germany or the United States?

PEARL HARBOR

■ December 7, 1941

– Japan attacks the U.S. at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

– Feared an attack from the United States

– Damaged 350 aircraft, sunk or damaged 18 ships, and killed or

wounded 3,500 Americans

■ Effect of the Attack?

– Unified U.S. public opinion about joining the war

■ Hitler’s Advantage

– If the U.S. is busy in the Pacific, they won’t be busy in Europe

– Four days after Pearl Harbor, Hitler declares war on the U.S.

JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMPS

THE U.S. ENTERS THE WAR

■ The New Allies

– Britain, USA, and the Soviet

Union

– Ignore political differences

– Fight until Germany, Italy, and

Japan surrendered

unconditionally

■ The Tides Turn

– 1942/1943 - Germany (not

Hitler) begins to realize it is

only a matter of time!

D-DAY

■ Planned Invasion

– Nazi Controlled Europe

– Operation Overlord

■ June 6, 1944 (D-Day)

– Beaches of Normandy

– Soldiers braved mines, barbed wire, and machine

guns

■ Within Three Months

– 2 million men landed - 500,000 vehicles unloaded

HITLER’S SUICIDE

■ Germany Surrounded

– Russia closes in on Berlin

– U.S./Britain continues through France

■ Hitler Descends

– Bunker 55 feet below Berlin

– Nazi leaders turn on Hitler

– Death of Mussolini

– April 30, 1945 – Death

PROJECT PAPERCLIP

■ What is an example of German technological advances during

WWII that the Allies later stole?

– atomic bombs

– digital technology

– jet engines

– microchips

THE ALLIES WIN!(Do you know why?)