Unit 11: World War II and the Aftermath

Global Conflict

A. Early War 1. The European war started on

September 1, 1939 when Germany invaded _____________________. Using a new type of warfare called ______________ (lightning war), the Germans quickly overran the Polish troops. Prior to September, _________________ and ___________ promised Poland that if they were invaded, both countries would come to their aid. On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. However, Poland fell in less than a ________________.

Poland

blitzkrieg

Great Britain France

month

2. The months following the fall of Poland saw no major battles or movements. Critics began calling this the “________________.” But, in April 1940, Hitler’s army exploded out of Germany. By the end of June, Hitler’s forces controlled most of mainland Europe, following the defeat of ________________. However, the one nation that eluded Germany was ___________________. In the Battle of Britain, the British __________________ outfought the German _______________, and helped to prevent the Nazi invasion of Great Britain.

Phony War

France

Great BritainRoyal Air Force

Luftwaffe

British RAF “Zero” Fighter Plane

German Luftwaffe “Heinkel” Bomber plane

3. During this period, Hitler, Mussolini, and General ____________, military commander of Japan, formed the ________________________________________________, henceforth known as the Axis Powers.

TojoRome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis Alliance

4. With the realization that he could not defeat Great Britain, Hitler turned his eyes towards the ___________________. Breaking the pact from before the war, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. The German __________________ overran much of European Russia. However, as they had done with the invading armies of Napoleon, the retreating Soviets ___________________ all the useful items, leaving nothing for the Germans. “________________________” also played a key role in helping slow down the Germans, as they were unprepared for the harshness of the Russian winter.

Soviet Union

Wehrmacht

destroyed

General Winter

Russian Captives, Operation Barbarossa

German Soldiers, Operation Barbarossa

6. The Pacific portion of the war opened soon after the invasion of Russia. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese air force attacked the US naval yard at ____________________, Hawaii. The Japanese had feared the economic __________________ against them, and felt that by delivering a crippling blow to the US, they could firmly establish their empire without any interference. They were wrong.

Pearl Harbor

embargo

B. Despite the early setbacks, by the middle of 1942 and early 1943, the Allied powers had won several decisive battles which turned the tide of war in their favor.

1. The US first entered the European conflict at the battle of Northern Africa, trapping the Germans in Algeria. In the Pacific arena, after their defeat at Pearl Harbor, the US and her allies stemmed the Japanese expansion at the Battle of _____________. It was at this battle that the US proved the importance of _______________________ to the war effort.

Midway aircraft carriers

2. In Eastern Europe, the decisive battle occurred around the city of __________________________ in southern Russia. Hitler strove to control the ____________________ there, but it turned into a stalemate for the next ________ months. However, the Germans ran out of _________________ because their lines were too long, and they had to surrender. The Red Army then turned the tide and began to advance back across Russia.

Stalingradoil fields

nine supplies

4. In response to pressure from __________________, the Allies opened a second front in Europe. Britain and the US first invaded Italy in 1943, and then they began the liberation of Europe with the invasion of _____________________, D-Day, June 6, 1944. This was the single largest ____________________________ invasion in the history of the world, with almost 176,000 Allied troops ferried across the English Channel. Fighting their way on shore, the Allied troops moved slowly across France, and on _______________________, American soldiers liberated Paris.

Stalin

Normandy amphibious

August 25, 1944

Dday

5. Following the invasion of Normandy, the Allies slowly worked their way across the continent. However, Hitler still devised one last attempt to throw the Allies back into the sea. On December 16, 1944, Hitler’s forces crossed the Argonne Forest, starting the _______________________________. His goal was to take control of the port city of ________________________, which would cut Allied supply lines, and hopefully allow him access to precious oil resources. Ultimately, due to a lack of ____________, and stiff Allied resistance, the attempt failed.

Battle of the BulgeAmsterdam

gas

The Battle of the Bulge

6. Soon after, the Allies crossed the ______________________ into the heartland of Germany. At the same time, the Russians had entered from the east and were laying siege to ________________. Across Europe, Axis soldiers were surrendering in droves. In late April 1945, US and Russian soldiers met at the river _______________ in eastern Germany. Soon after, on May 7, 1945, Germany officially surrendered, signaling an end to the European conflict. However, Hitler did not live to see the end. He committed suicide on April 30, 1945, in an underground bunker in Berlin.

Rhine River

Berlin

Elbe

C. Once Germany surrendered, the Allies prepared to turn their full might against Japan. By mid-1945, most Japanese armed forces had been destroyed, but they still followed a fanatical belief which would make taking the Japanese home islands an extremely difficult task. As the Allies worked their way closer, the Japanese began to employ a new tactic: _________________ would fly their bomb-laden planes into Allied naval vessels. This came from the fanatical belief in ______________, the samurai code of conduct.

kamikazebushido

1. During the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the Japanese demonstrated that they would rather fight to the death than surrender. Reluctantly, Allied planners began to develop the assault on the mainland of Japan. They estimated that there could be almost ______________ Allied casualties if the plans proceeded. This was unacceptable. However, the alternative turned out much worse for the world:

one million

a. In July 1945, US scientists detonated the world’s first ______________. Since the early 1900’s, scientists had theorized that the energy created when an atom was split could be harnessed. Throughout the war, Allied scientists had been working on the ____________________, developing the process to do just this. Under the guidance of ______________, who first proposed this to US President Franklin Roosevelt, they succeeded.

atomic bomb

Manhattan ProjectAlbert Einstein

b. During the Allied meeting in ____________________, US President Harry Truman learned of this development. He offered it to the Allies as an alternative to the invasion. Reluctantly, they agreed and Truman agreed to use the weapon against Japan. In early August, the Allies set a message to Japan stating that they should surrender or face “___________________________________________.” The Japanese did not respond.

Potsdam

complete and utter destruction

c. In the early morning hours of ________________________, the US plane Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on the city of __________________, Japan. Instantly, _____________ people were incinerated, and the city laid waste. Later, many more died as a result of ____________________________. Again, the Japanese did not surrender.

August 6, 1945Hiroshima 70,000

radiation poisoning

The Atomic Bomb

d. Two days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of _________________________, killing almost _______________ people.

Nagasaki70,000

2. Finally, the Japanese responded. However, it was not the military. The Japanese Emperor, ___________________, demanded that the fighting stop. On August 10, 1945, he forced the government to surrender to the Allies. On _________________________, on the deck of the battleship Missouri, the Japanese formally surrendered, ending World War II.

HirohitoSeptember 2, 1945