The War Ends

The Third Reich Collapses • Battle of the Bulge– Winter of ’44 & early ‘45– Antwerp, Belgium/Cut off supplies – Hitler’s last attempt– Capture Bastogne– Allied aircraft began hitting German fuel

depots– Lasted more than 3 weeks– German losses: • 100,000 causalities & several tanks & aircraft• Little protection left

V-E Day“Victory in Europe”

• American & British forces– Liberate France

• Soviet forces– Massive attack on Germans in Russia– February 1945, 35 miles from Berlin

• Together:– Germany attacked on both fronts– Rhine River

• Hitler commits suicide April, 1945– Doenitz surrendered May 7, 1945– V-E Day May 8, 1945– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV-go1cuzgE

Ludendorff Bridge Across the Rhine

Japan is Defeated• April 12, 1945– Harry S. Truman replaces FDR– War still raging with Japan

• Invading Japan– Location of Japan– B-29s – Iwo Jima

• Rugged terrain• Rocky cliffs• Concrete bunkers• February 19, 1945 • Marines died with greatest violence

“…uncommon valor was a common virtue.”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y0gdFisD9k

Firebombing Japan• B-29s missing targets– Napalm– Controversial – Effort to destroy war production– March, 1945– 67 Japanese cities– No signs of surrendering– Invade Okinawa• Closer & bigger• May, 1945• Captured by June, 1945

Emperor urged his government to surrender

Manhattan Project• 1938 Leo Szilard learned that German scientist

had split the uranium atom• Convinced Einstein to sign a letter to President

Roosevelt• Skeptical until 1941/met with British • Leslie Groves & Robert Oppenheimer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfEMnx-Nz-w&feature=fvwrel

Decision to Drop the Bomb• Mixed feelings• Truman– His duty as president to use every available weapon

• August 6th, 1945 – B-29 Bomber Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on

Hiroshima– 120 ,000 people died instantly

• August 9th

– “Fat Man” dropped on Nagasaki – 35,000-74,000 died instantly– Continuous radiation deaths

• August 15, V-J Day

United Nations• 1944, 39 countries met • General Assembly– Everyone would have one vote

• Security Council – 11 members

• International peace and security• Can use military force to uphold resolutions

– 5 permanent members• G.B, U.S., France, China and Russia • Veto Power

• Charter created in April, 1945– Could investigate any international problem

Putting the Enemy on Trial• Allied forces created the International Military

Tribunal (IMT)• Nuremburg Trials in Nuremburg, Germany,

IMT put leaders suspected of war crimes on trial

• Sentenced to death by hanging• Prison sentences• Similar trials in Tokyo • Part of the plan to create a better world • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsOpcMFkrFs