Europe at War

Germany used a “lightning war” to gain control of much of western and central Europe, but Britain was undefeated and German troops were stopped in Russia.

Section 2

• Germany’s use of blitzkrieg, or “lightning war,” to attack Poland stunned Europe with the speed and efficiency of the attack.

• In September 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland.

• By spring 1940, Hitler used blitzkrieg tactics to attack Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.

Europe at War (cont.)

Figure 3

Section 2

• On June 22, 1940, the French signed an armistice allowing German armies to occupy three-fifths of France.

• U.S. citizens did not want to get involved in the war. President Franklin D. Roosevelt adopted a policy of isolationism, but denounced Germany’s attacks. A series of neutrality acts prevented the United States from becoming involved.

Europe at War (cont.)

Section 2

• In August of 1940, the German air force, the Luftwaffe, launched a major offensive on Great Britain.

• The British air force inflicted enough damage on Luftwaffe bombers to persuade Hitler to postpone the invasion of Great Britain.

Europe at War (cont.)

Section 2

• Hitler believed that Britain would not remain in the war without the support of the Soviet Union.

• Hitler confidently invaded the Soviet Union, hoping to obtain full occupation by winter.

Europe at War (cont.)

Section 2

• The German forces quickly captured two million Russian soldiers and swept through Ukraine.

• An early winter turned the tide of German successes; German troops did not have adequate winter supplies and were forced to halt their advances.

• The Soviet forces launched a counterattack in December of 1941.

Europe at War (cont.)

Section 2

Japan at War

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor outraged Americans and led to the entry of the United States into the war.

Section 2

• On December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, hoping to destroy the Pacific fleet and any attempt of U.S. involvement.

• Japan quickly acquired territory throughout Southeast Asia, creating the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Japan at War (cont.)

Section 2

• With overwhelming public support, the United States joined forces with European nations and Nationalist China to battle Japan.

• Four days later, Hitler declared war on the United States, creating a global war.

Japan at War (cont.)

Section 2

The Allies Advance

The Allied forces stopped the advance of the Germans and the Japanese.

Section 2

• The three major Allied forces (the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain) agreed to fight until the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) surrendered unconditionally.

• Hitler was still confident in 1942, as Japan continued to advance in the Pacific, and German forces fought in the Soviet Union and North Africa.

The Allies Advance (cont.)

Figure 4

Section 2

• In May of 1943, the tide of the war turned when a British and American coalition forced German and Italian troops to surrender in French North Africa.

• By the spring of 1943, Hitler realized that the battle over Stalingrad would end in a German defeat.

The Allies Advance (cont.)

Section 2

• Japanese forces were defeated at the Battle of Midway Island when U.S. planes destroyed four attacking Japanese aircraft carriers.

• With the help of General Douglas MacArthur, the U.S. Army, Marine, and Navy forces freed the Japanese-held islands of the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

The Allies Advance (cont.)

Section 2

Last Years of the War

Allied victories forced Germany and Japan to surrender unconditionally.

Section 2

• The Allies turned the tide of the war with the surrender of Axis forces in Tunisia on May 13, 1943.

• In September, the Allies took Sicily, an area Winston Churchill referred to as the “soft underbelly” of Europe.

• The Allied forces planned a strategic invasion of France from Great Britain known as D-Day.

Last Years of the War (cont.)

Figure 7

Figure 6

Section 2

• Allied Forces, under U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, landed on the Normandy beaches in history’s greatest naval invasion on June 6, 1944.

• Allied troops liberated Paris by the end of August 1944.

Last Years of the War (cont.)

Section 2

• With the imminent defeat of Germany and the partisan murder of Mussolini, Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945.

• Soviet forces advanced through Eastern Europe until Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945.

Last Years of the War (cont.)

Section 2

• Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945, after President Harry S. Truman authorized the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

• World War II was finally over, with casualty estimates totaling 60 million.

Last Years of the War (cont.)

THE END