The Tide of War Turns to the Allies


Germans want Suez Canal
British under Montgomery win
the Battle at El Alamein against
Rommel and push West
 Last stand for the Allies
 First defeat of the Germans in
WWII

Allied invasion of N. Africa
 Stalin pushing for second front
▪ Took pressure off Russia
 Confidence from El Alamein

victory
 Land in Morocco and
Algeria
Considered Europe’s Soft
Underbelly


Roosevelt and Churchill meet for Casablanca conference
Two decisions:
 Allies increase bombing of Germany
 UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER – surrendering without
conditions or guarantees

July 1943 - British and Americans land in Sicily
 Chased the Axis powers to the mainland

3 September 1943
ITALY surrendered
when allies get to
Rome
 Mussolini flees to
N. Italy w/ Nazi help
• Over a million
men land on
Normandy
beaches
• Paratroopers of
82nd and 101st
Airborne land
behind
enemy lines
20 July 1944 –
officer planted
bomb in Hitler’s
headquarters
 Rommel was in
on it
 Aug 1944 – Allies
liberate Paris
 Sept 1944 –
BeNeLux freed


Last ditch effort of
the Germans
 Cripples Germany
by using reserves
and demoralizing
what troops are left
Jan. 1945 - Soviets reach
Oder River outside Berlin
 April 1945 – US Army
reaches Elbe River

 50 miles west of Berlin
30 April – Hitler commits
suicide
 7 May – V-E Day, Germany
surrenders


Island Hopping skipping islands w/
strong resistance
and take those w/
strategic importance

Douglas MacArthur
– commander of the
Pacific forces

First major US offensive
against Japan
 Japanese air base w/ location
to threaten Australia

Japanese lose the island
after heavy casualties

23 October 1944 – Battle of
Leyte Gulf
 Japan tries to destroy whole
US fleet by sending whole
Japanese navy (all-in)
▪ Japanese lose whole navy
▪ Only Army and kamikazes left


March 1945 – after
bloody fighting marines
take island of Iwo Jima
Important: US Air
Force can bomb
Japanese mainland

Bloodiest battle yet
 Samurai spirit leads
Japanese (even
civilians) to commit
suicide


US victory
Victory allows US to
think about invading
Japan



Secret project at Los Alamos,
New Mexico to develop atomic
bomb
J. Robert Oppenheimer – lead
scientist
 Einstein also involved
Potsdam Ultimatum given to
Japan
 Called for unconditional surrender
 Japan refuses

6 Aug 1945
 Hiroshima bombed

9 Aug 1945
 Nagasaki bombed

15 Aug 1945 – Japan
surrenders
 Peace treaty signed on USS
Missouri on 2 Sept 1945


Bombing and fighting destroyed entire cities
Many tried to live in areas not completely destroyed
 Others moved

Nuremberg War
Crime Trials
 Held at Nuremberg
▪ 22 Nazi leaders were
put on trial for
“crimes against
humanity”
▪ 10 were hanged
▪ Bodies of those
executed were burned
in Dachau


Demilitarization – disbanding
Japanese army
Democratization – gov’t run by
people
 Emperor loses all power
 Created Diet – two-house parliament

Rebuilt Japanese economy