A Victory for the Allies
As 1941 came to an end, just after America declared war on the Axis powers, Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met to discuss about how the situation in Europe should be handled. Stalin proposed the creation of a new front on the west of Germany to relieve his troops from the full attack of the Germans. He believed that this plan would destroy Germany. Churchill on the other hand wanted to attack through North Africa and the Mediterranean. This angered Stalin and they eventually came to an agreement in 1943, of attacking through the west of Germany and North Africa. However the Allies consisting of the Americans and British issued General Bernard Montgomery to deal with the German Afrika Korps in North Africa in 1942 without Stalin's soon to come aid. Britain regained Egypt under Montgomery by waging the Battle of El Alamein and with the help of Operation Torch, an Allied attack from the west they were able to push the Germans back up through Italy and eventually taking out Mussolini with the help of Italian revolutionaries in Northern Italy. While the Germans suffered losses in North Africa, Hitler was also losing a war against the Soviets. After failed attempts at capturing Moscow and Leningrad Hitler moved onto to Stalingrad in the summer of 1942. German planes had destroyed 90% of the city when winter arrived. As the frigid temperatures came rolling in German troops took shelter in Stalingrad. However, they were not safe for long. The soviet soldiers surrounded the city and fired at them. The Germans were eventually forced to surrender. This signified a turning point in the war. Russia had turned it around and now was on the offensive. The war was going well for the Allies and in 1943 they took another step forward to crushing the Axis powers. They planned the D-Day invasion. They built a base on the coast of England where they rallied 2.5 million troops and a lot of weapons. By June 1944 the Allies were ready to strike. They attacked the Germans on the French Coast called Normandy. Although the Germans knew that an attack was being planned they had no idea about the whereabouts. So they were taken completely by surprise. The Allies fought well and were given more troops as they trekked into France. On August 25, the Allied soldiers walked through Paris and at September they had freed the France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and some of the Netherlands. The Germans were desperate and in an attempt to turn the situation around they attacked Allied troops creating the Battle of the Bulge. The German troops went through the Ardenne forest and assailed. Although the attempt was somewhat of a surprise to the Allies they fought back and defeated the German army. The Allied troops consisting of French, Canadian, and British soldiers made it into the west of Germany while the Soviets came in from the east. By April 25, 1945 the Soviets had the city, Berlin surrounded. When Hitler committed suicide Germany unconditionally surrendered on May 7 and on May 8 the terms were agreed upon. The war was over. This day was called V-E Day, meaning Victory in Europe Day. Nonetheless the war in the Pacific raged on. It was the fall of 1944 and the Allied forces were closing in on Japan. General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the Allied Pacific fleet, had made significant gains in the Pacific due to his strategy of Island hopping. This strategy was less costly and used less resources. On October 24, the Battle of Leyte Gulf began. The Japanese risked all of their weapons on this battle but in a 3 days time they had lost. Now the only method the Japanese had that worked efficiently was the kamikaze, Japanese suicide bombers. Then in March 1945 the Allied forces took took the island of Iwo Jima and were about 600 miles away from Japan. Soon after they took Okinawa from the Japanese in the most bloody land battle of the war. America was very close to invading Japan. However, the Allies knew that the invasion of Japan would cost the Allies a significant amount of lives, 500,000 to be exact. Harry Truman the newly instated president decided that the only way to put an end to the war was to bomb the resilient Japan with the new invention the US had just made, the atomic bomb. On August 6, 1945 the US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing thousands. The second was dropped on Nagasaki three days after the first. These bombs were devastating and the after those two bombs the country was ravished and destroyed. Finally on September 2, the Japanese surrendered marking the end of the second world war.
Ten Best Articles:
1. The Fall of Berlin. Berlin was attacked by the Soviets on April 20th, Hitler's birthday. The Nazis, forced young boys to fight for them in despair. The Soviets defeated the Nazis and destroyed the city. They burnt houses, raped women, and even stole from banks. Berlin was in a colossal mess.
2.WWII Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West. Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill met in November 1943 at Teheran. There they discussed on what should be done. They argued over how the Germans should be punished, what should be done with Poland and how they should attack the Axis powers.
3. Military Operations in North Africa. The North African wars lasted from 1940 to 1943. It consisted of three campaigns, the liberation of Egypt, Operation Torch, where Allied troops would come in from the east of Africa and trap the Axis troops along with the Tunisian campaign and the Western Desert Campaign (Egypt). The Allies eventually won and were able to push the Axis troops back up through the Mediteranean.
4. World Wars: Hitler's Invasion of Russia in World War Two. The Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 with the intent of turning the huge country into profitable farmland for their own country however they miscalculated the Russian's resistance and severely paid for it in the Battle of Stalingrad(1943) when the Russians took the offensive after winning the Battle of Stalingrad and forced the Germans to retreat.
5. D-Day - World War II. D-Day, the invasion of Normandy took place from June to August 1944 on the French coast called Normandy. The Germans were unprepared for this attack because they had been fooled into thinking that other campaigns were being led by the Allies towards different locations. This was not the case and the Allies won the battle at Normandy due to surprise and stronger weapons.
6. The Liberation of Paris. The liberation of Paris boosted morale for the Allies. Soon after they attacked Normandy they had a sudden change in plans and decided to attack Paris. Paris fell with hardly any damage done to it.
7. World War II: Liberation of Western Europe. Soon after the Allied forces had invaded Normandy they liberated France, August, 1944. Then Belgium and Luxembourg were liberated in September with little resistance in Luxembourg but some in Belgium. After that the Netherlands was liberated in November. Denmark, Norway and Greece were among the last countries to be liberated. They were liberated in May, 1945. Italy was one of the earliest and the invasions of Italy started in July.
8. World War II in the Pacific. As Japan industrialized in the 19th century it started to desire an empire. In the beginning of the 1900 Japan launched attacks on China hoping to take some of it over. However it turned into a long and costly war. Japan needed resources so it looked to neighboring islands and attacked them. It eventually attacked Pearl Harbor sparking a war with the US but the US defeated the Japanese in 1945 with the help of the atomic bomb.
9. Hiroshima & Nagasaki Atom Bombs. On July 26, Harry Truman asked Japan if they would surrender due to the terms in the Potsdam Declaration. Japan said no and America dropped to A-bombs on the cities called Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first bomb was called "Little Boy" the second bomb was called "Fat Man"
10. Why the Allied Victory was Not a Sure Thing. The Allies won due to numerous reasons. For one the Allies had a superior air force. Hitler also became cocky when he gained mass territories in Europe and because they Allies had better technology (ex. radar) they were able to see enemies before they attacked.
1. The Fall of Berlin. Berlin was attacked by the Soviets on April 20th, Hitler's birthday. The Nazis, forced young boys to fight for them in despair. The Soviets defeated the Nazis and destroyed the city. They burnt houses, raped women, and even stole from banks. Berlin was in a colossal mess.
2.WWII Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West. Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill met in November 1943 at Teheran. There they discussed on what should be done. They argued over how the Germans should be punished, what should be done with Poland and how they should attack the Axis powers.
3. Military Operations in North Africa. The North African wars lasted from 1940 to 1943. It consisted of three campaigns, the liberation of Egypt, Operation Torch, where Allied troops would come in from the east of Africa and trap the Axis troops along with the Tunisian campaign and the Western Desert Campaign (Egypt). The Allies eventually won and were able to push the Axis troops back up through the Mediteranean.
4. World Wars: Hitler's Invasion of Russia in World War Two. The Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 with the intent of turning the huge country into profitable farmland for their own country however they miscalculated the Russian's resistance and severely paid for it in the Battle of Stalingrad(1943) when the Russians took the offensive after winning the Battle of Stalingrad and forced the Germans to retreat.
5. D-Day - World War II. D-Day, the invasion of Normandy took place from June to August 1944 on the French coast called Normandy. The Germans were unprepared for this attack because they had been fooled into thinking that other campaigns were being led by the Allies towards different locations. This was not the case and the Allies won the battle at Normandy due to surprise and stronger weapons.
6. The Liberation of Paris. The liberation of Paris boosted morale for the Allies. Soon after they attacked Normandy they had a sudden change in plans and decided to attack Paris. Paris fell with hardly any damage done to it.
7. World War II: Liberation of Western Europe. Soon after the Allied forces had invaded Normandy they liberated France, August, 1944. Then Belgium and Luxembourg were liberated in September with little resistance in Luxembourg but some in Belgium. After that the Netherlands was liberated in November. Denmark, Norway and Greece were among the last countries to be liberated. They were liberated in May, 1945. Italy was one of the earliest and the invasions of Italy started in July.
8. World War II in the Pacific. As Japan industrialized in the 19th century it started to desire an empire. In the beginning of the 1900 Japan launched attacks on China hoping to take some of it over. However it turned into a long and costly war. Japan needed resources so it looked to neighboring islands and attacked them. It eventually attacked Pearl Harbor sparking a war with the US but the US defeated the Japanese in 1945 with the help of the atomic bomb.
9. Hiroshima & Nagasaki Atom Bombs. On July 26, Harry Truman asked Japan if they would surrender due to the terms in the Potsdam Declaration. Japan said no and America dropped to A-bombs on the cities called Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first bomb was called "Little Boy" the second bomb was called "Fat Man"
10. Why the Allied Victory was Not a Sure Thing. The Allies won due to numerous reasons. For one the Allies had a superior air force. Hitler also became cocky when he gained mass territories in Europe and because they Allies had better technology (ex. radar) they were able to see enemies before they attacked.
Audio/Video:
The devastating atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
The Battle of the Bulge. A desperate German attempt at dividing the Allies.
A more serious depiction of D-Day.
A cool little video depicting D-Day through the lens of legos.
Primary Sources:
1. http://www.army.mil/d-day/message.html
This is General Dwight Einsenhower's speech to the Allied soldiers on the day of the D-Day invasion. It is very inspiring.
2. http://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c06.html
The Potsdam Declaration, an offer Harry Truman made to the Japanese that was denied.
3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's message to the congress after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/education/resources/month_dec.html
1. http://www.army.mil/d-day/message.html
This is General Dwight Einsenhower's speech to the Allied soldiers on the day of the D-Day invasion. It is very inspiring.
2. http://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c06.html
The Potsdam Declaration, an offer Harry Truman made to the Japanese that was denied.
3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's message to the congress after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/education/resources/month_dec.html
Maps:
A map of the Battle of Stalingrad.
A map of Italy's occupation of North Africa.
A map of the impact of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
A map of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
A map of the major battles.
Primary Sources: