U.S. History / Unit 8: World War II and the Early Cold War
8.3 Fighting and Winning the War
Notes
The Allies chose a "Europe first" strategy, defeating Germany before focusing fully on Japan.
- Europe: Allies invaded North Africa (1942) and Italy (1943). The Soviets stopped Germany at Stalingrad (1942 to 1943).
- D-Day (June 6, 1944): Allied forces under Dwight Eisenhower landed in Normandy, France. Germany's last offensive failed at the Battle of the Bulge. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945 (V-E Day).
- Pacific: the U.S. victory at Midway (June 1942) turned the tide. Island hopping captured key islands on the way to Japan, including Iwo Jima and Okinawa (1945), at heavy cost.
- The Manhattan Project built the atomic bomb. President Harry Truman ordered bombs dropped on Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945). Japan surrendered; the formal surrender was September 2, 1945.
- Truman's supporters argued the bomb saved lives by avoiding an invasion of Japan; critics argued Japan was near defeat or that a demonstration could have been tried.
- The Holocaust: Nazi Germany murdered about 6 million Jews and millions of others. The Nuremberg Trials prosecuted Nazi leaders for war crimes.
Practice
The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, is known as:
It opened a western front against Germany in Europe.
The U.S. strategy of "island hopping" in the Pacific meant:
This let U.S. forces move toward Japan faster.
Which statement presents an argument made by those who supported dropping the atomic bomb?
Supporters cited the high casualties expected in an invasion; critics raise other arguments.
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