WWII
Conner, Danielle, Freddie, & Savannah
Battles
- Bataan Death March- 1942, after the U.S. surrendered the Bataan Peninsula over 75,000 American and Filipino soldiers were forced to make a 65-mile march to prison camps in intense heat with harsh treatment from the Japanese. Thousands died.
- D-Day- June 6, 1944, 156,00 American, British, and Canadian forces landed on a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France's Normandy region. By late August, all of Northern France had been liberated.
- Pearl Harbor- December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter ships attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. The next day FDR declared war on Japan and finally joined WWII
- Battle of the Bulge- December 1944, Hitler tried to split the Allied forces through surprise blitzkrieg attacks. The allied forces were eventually able to neutralize the German counteroffensive, but with great casualties.
- Battle of Coral Sea- May 4-8, 1942, Japanese air forces seeking to control Coral Sea were intercepted by Allied naval forces, marking the first air-sea battle in history. Though both sides suffered damages, the Allies claimed a strategic victory
- Italian Campaign- July 10, 1943- May 2, 1945, Allied powers invaded Italy in an attempt to draw Axis attention from the main advance through northern Europe to Berlin. It severed the German-Italian Axis and threatened the southern flank of Germany
- North African Front- 1942-43 (for U.S.), after Italy declares war the Allies fight the Axis powers in North Africa for control of the Mediterranean. With the larger force, the Allies win various African countries
- Stalingrad- July 17, 1942- Feb. 2, 1943, was the successful defense of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) from the German advance and marked a turning point in the war. It was one of the bloodiest battles in history with nearly 2 million total casualties.
The Navajo Code Talkers
Homefront
Leaders
Franklin D. Roosevelt
FDR initially wanted to stay neutral, but he persuaded congress to let the U.S. sell weapons to Britain and France after realizing the global threat that the Nazis posed. Ultimately, it was the attack on Pearl Harbor that led to the direct involvement of America in the war.
Harry S. Truman
Harry succeeded Roosevelt after he passed away, and he asked FDR's cabinet to stay and help him make decisions. He is best known for ordering the atomic bombs to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Winston Churchill
Churchill led Britain's fight against Nazi Germany, and he was known for giving many speeches to boost national morale. At the end of the war he helped create a post-war order that limited Stalin's control over Europe.
Adolf Hitler
Dropping the Bomb
Something Extra: Interesting facts!
-80% of soviet men born in 1923 didn't surivive WWII
-Between 1939 and 1945, the Allies dropped 3.4 million tons of bombs, which averaged to 27,700 tons per month.
-The longest battle of WWII was the Battle of the Atlantic, which lasted from 1939-1945.
-Max Heiliger was the fictitious name the SS used to establish a bank account in which they deposited money, gold, and jewels taken from European Jews.
-The swastika is an ancient religious symbol. It derives from the Sanskrit name for a hooked cross, which was used by ancient civilizations as a symbol of fertility and good fortune. It has been found in the ruins of Greece, Egypt, China, India, and Hindu temples.
-From 1940-1945, the U.S. defense budget increased form $1.9 billion to $59.8 billion.
-William Hitler, a nephew of Adolf Hitler, was in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He changed his name after the war.