World War II

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5/8 WW2 – Turning Point 42

What events marked a major turning point

in the war?

1. Nazi Invasion of Russia

2. USA Enters the War

3. Allied invasion of Europe

Turning the Tide

1942-1943

In June of 1941, Hitler violated

the pact with Stalin and invaded

the Soviet Union. By December

they had reached the gates of

Moscow and besieged

Leningrad. FDR began sending

supplies to Russia.

Invasion of Russia

Invasion of Russia

Fighting between the Russians and the Germans was fierce, with

few prisoners being taken. The war was racially motivated—

Slavs versus Aryans, with both sides committing atrocities.

Invasion of Russia

The city of Leningrad was surrounded by the German armies. It was

under siege for almost 900 days. It is estimated that up to 1.5

million people died of starvation in the city.

The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union was brutal and devastated

the Soviet Union civilian population and military.

Invasion of Russia

The city’s population helped dig tank ditches to keep the

Germans back. Moscow was defended fiercely, and the city

was kept out of the hands of the Germans.

The Germans stalled when they reached Moscow and

Stalingrad, they were worn out. They had been fighting for six

months, and had not been prepared for the cold weather and

long supply lines.

Invasion of Russia

In Europe, Hitler decided

that his offensive in

northern Russia had stalled.

He ordered an attack in the

southern region in the

spring of 1942.

German forces penetrated

deep into southern

Russia, reaching the

Caucasus, but again

failed to reach their

objectives.

USA enters war

The turning point in

Europe came at

Stalingrad. The Germans

entered the city in July of

1942, confident they

could take it.

The Soviets poured

everything they had into

keeping the city out of

Nazi hands. Fighting was

savage, often hand-to-

hand in the ruined

buildings.

Invasion of Russia

The brutal struggle lasted

from July of 1942 to

February of 1943. By

then the Germans, who

had been cut off and

surrounded, were forced

to surrender.

Invasion of Russia

Between the Axis forces and

the Soviets, it is estimated that

two million men were killed or

wounded at Stalingrad, making

it the bloodiest battle in the

history of warfare. The

Germans from that point on

were retreating in the East.

Of the original 600,000 men he

took into Stalingrad, General

von Paulus surrendered only

91,000. Only 5,000 would

survive to eventually return to

their families.

Invasion of Russia

Japan’s invasion of China in

1937 angered the US, who cut

off exports of steel and coal to

Japan. Japan responded by

refusing to leave China.

The US then imposed an oil

embargo on Japan. The Japanese

began to see America as the main

obstacle to their “Co-Prosperity

Sphere.” They knew that the US

could block any further Japanese

expansion.

USA enters war

The Japanese had already violated the agreements they had signed

limiting the size of their navy and ships. The superbattleships

Yamato and Musashi were commissioned in 1937 and completed

by the fall of 1941. They were designed to counter the superior

numbers of the US navy. But Japan was still outmatched.

USA enters war

Admiral Yamamoto Isoruku,

chief of naval operations,

advised against attacking the

US. But when he was ordered

to by Tojo, Yamamoto came up

with a plan.

The Japanese wanted to cripple

the Americans in one decisive

blow. The new Japanese

Premier, Tojo Hideki, was ultra-

militaristic and thought a

surprise attack would be best.

USA enters war

Pearl Harbor,

Hawaii, was

thought to be

too shallow for

both submarines

and plane-

launched

torpedoes. The

US commanders

thought the fleet

would be safe

there.

They were

wrong.

USA enters war

On Sunday, December 7,

1941, the Japanese

attacked Pearl Harbor

with waves of carrier-

based aircraft. They

dropped bombs and

torpedoes on the ships,

bombed airfields, and

strafed personnel on the

ground. The attack lasted

ninety minutes.

The US was caught

completely by surprise.

16USA enters war

The destroyer USS Shaw explodes

The USS Arizona was struck by a bomb that penetrated its powder

magazine. The ship blew apart, taking 1,177 of its 1400 sailors

down with her.

The USS Oklahoma was hit by four torpedoes and capsized,

trapping many men inside.

The USS West Virginia burns

Almost 2400

Americans died in the

attacks, with another

1500 wounded.

The US lost 18 vessels,

including 5 battleships.

The carriers, one of the

main Japanese targets,

were not in the harbor

and were spared from

the attack.

The US declared war

the next day.

USA enters war

“Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the

United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by

naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

--Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Simultaneously with the Pearl Harbor raid, Japan attacked the US

islands of Guam, Midway, and Wake, and the British outpost of

Hong Kong. For the next six months, Japan took over vast amounts

of territory in the Pacific.

USA enters war

The same day as Pearl Harbor,

the Japanese landed troops in

the Philippines. The

Americans there were taken

completely off-guard.

Their commander, Douglas

Macarthur, organized the

defense as best he could,

but the Philippines were

now cut off from all

American help.

USA enters war

The fighting was savage,

especially in the capital,

Manila. But the Americans

and Filipinos were

outnumbered and had no way

to replenish their supplies.

By late January, most soldiers

were suffering from

malnutrition, malaria, and

dysentery. General Macarthur

left the Philippines, promising

“I shall return.” The rest

surrendered.

USA enters war

Ameicans surrender the

Philippines in April 1942, 12,000

Americans and 65,000 Filipinos

were marched 66 miles across the

island to their POW camp.

Temperatures along the march,

which crossed open plains and

dense jungles, reached 120

degrees. The POWs were given

little water and food, and if they

stopped, they were bayoneted,

clubbed, or shot.

Over 8,000 died during this 66

mile march, it became known as

the Bataan Death March.

USA enters war

The Japanese armies

also took over Southeast

Asia, Malaya, and

invaded Burma.

They eventually cut the

supply pipeline between

the Allies and China, the

Burma Road.

The Japanese continued to conquer territory in the Pacific until they

had created a vast empire stretching for thousands of miles.

In June 1942, the

Japanese attempted to

invade Midway, a set of

US-held islands halfway

between Asia and North

America. They also

were attempting to lure

the American aircraft

carriers into a trap.

The Battle of Midway

would become the

turning point at sea in

the Pacific.

USA enters war

The Americans were able to

break the Japanese Naval

codes, so they didn’t fall into

the Japanese trap. Instead,

they were in a position to

strike the Japanese Navy as

they supported the invasion

attempt.

In a battle that lasted two days,

the Americans sank all four

Japanese carriers. The Japanese

were defeated for the first time

in a major battle.

USA enters war

The Japanese next tried to take

Guadalcanal Island in the

Solomons. From there they

could disrupt American

shipping to Australia. They

began to construct an airfield

on the island.

In August of 1942, the

US 1st Marine Division

landed on the island and

took the airfield. They

spent the next five

months beating back

Japanese counterattacks.

USA enters war

In North Africa, the

British Eighth Army

clashed with the German

Afrika Korps.

The Germans were commanded by

Erwin Rommel, one of the best

generals on either side during the

war. Rommel was a master of

blitzkrieg, and by the fall of 1942 he

had pushed the British all the way

across the coast and cornered them

in Egypt.

USA enters war

In November, the Americans

and Free French landed

along the coast in Operation

Torch. Their landings were

largely unopposed, and they

quickly moved east to trap

Rommel between two

armies..USA enters war

At the Battle of Kasserine

Pass, Rommel smashed into

American lines with a full

blitzkrieg assault. Many

Americans, new to combat,

ran from the onslaught.

But Rommel was short on

supplies, tanks, and men. He

ultimately lost the battle and

had to retreat.

Allies use North Africa as a springboard to invade Italy. In July of

1943 they invaded Sicily, quickly gaining ground.

USA enters war

In less than a month, the island lay firmly in the hands of the Allies.

But the Axis armies escaped to Italy.

Allied invasion of Europe

After invasion of the Italian

mainland. The Italian army

soon surrendered. Mussolini

was arrested by his own

people.

The Germans rescued him,

put him back in power, and

began to fight the Allies’

advance themselves, using

Italy’s terrain to their

advantage.

Allied invasion of Europe

The Allies came up against line after line of prepared

fortifications. It was slow going.

Allied invasion of Europe

On June 5, 1944, the British and Americans entered Rome and

were welcomed as heroes. It would take another year to conquer

northern Italy.

Allied invasion of Europe

Mussolini and his mistress were

murdered, and their mutilated

bodies were hung from a gas

station awning in Milan. Their

corpses were abused by many of

the onlookers.

Sic semper tyrannis.

Allied invasion of Europe

Allied invasion of Europe

D-Day

Allied invasion of

France

The plan was to attack Normandy in 5 different locations and

establish a foothold in France. British and Canadians in the east

at Gold, Juno, and Sword, and the Americans at Utah and

Omaha to the west. They needed to take Cherbourg to have a

port to bring in supplies.

Allied invasion of Europe

Total Allied

casualties on D-Day:

over 7500 wounded

2500 dead

Stop here, please.