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The Holocaust
Hitler put the Holocaust into effect because he saw it as the only solution to get rid of the Jewish people. He shipped them from all over Europe to concentration camps where they were forced into doing slave labor, if they were lucky. Many were only sent to these camps to be killed in gas chambers, get shot, or even starve to death. If they did survive, they were seperated from their families. More than 6 milliion Jews were massacred, which was 2/3 of the Jewish population in Europe. -
WWII Begins
A week before World War II began, Hitler had made an agreement with the Soviet Union to divide Poland and keep peace between them by creating a nonaggerssion pact. Hitler decided to take complete control of his half and started killing thousands. When Great Britain and France discovered how Germany was demolishing Poland, they knew they had to defend them because they pledged to help them during an outside aggression. France and Britain were forced to declared an all out war against Germany. -
Lend-Lease
Although Rosevelt did not want to get involved in this World War, he did want to help, as he did in World War I. He passed the Lend-Lease bill which stated that the United States could sell, lend, or lease military supplies to any nation considered in desperate need of defense. This benefited both the US and Great Britain. It gave Great Britain the weapons they needed to win the war and it also gave the US money after the war, which came from Britain paying for the weapons they used. -
Germany Vs. Russia
Despite the nonaggression pact made between Germany and Russia, Stalin did not trust Hitler and he was right not to. German troops used blitzkrieg tactics (an all out tactic in which they destroy everything and everyone in their path) to make their way through Russia, killing more the 500,000 people by starvation. Even the soldiers died because they ended up freezing to death. Stalin blamed the Allies for not helping defend them because they were in desperate need of assistance. -
Pearl Harbor
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto took his plan to bomb the United States without them knowing into effect and bombed Pearl Harbor. The main target at Pearl Harbor was to destroy the United States Pacific Fleet, which they did. There were more than 3,400 US military casualties and over 2,300 were killed. Because of this action by Japan, the US new they had to retaliate. It was to decided to bring out the atomic bomb, -
Two Front War
After the bombing at Pearl Harbor, President Rosevelt, and the rest of the United States, wanted revenge on Japan. FDR demanded that congress declared war on Japan. Although the war was approved, no one expected Germany and Italy to delcare war on the US. Japan did have a pact with Germany and Italy about the US but it had to involve the US striking first, which they didn't. Nevertheless, the US was now an opponent in World War II. -
The Final Straw
Now, the Japanese were attacking Gaudalcanal and they were building an airfield on their land. Marines battled the Japanese for three months, even after they destroyed all their ships near the island. The US was able to secure the island and prevent Japan from taking it. This is when the US realized this couldn't go on any further, unless they wanted another bloody war. The United States knew what they had to do. -
D-Day
General Eisenhower formed and led the largest land-air-sea invasion the world had ever seen against the Germans. There were 175,000 soldiers, who filled a 60 mile stretch of land, prepared to fight. The US went through Normandy to force German troops out of France. After their success in doing so, the United States, along with Great Britain, bombed German railroads, factories, and cities. -
V-E Day
After the United States teamed up with the Soviet Union, winning the war became much easier. All the counties ruled by Hitler were now more in fear of the Allies. This worked to their advantage because they were able to sneak through Poland and the Netherlands to make their way through Germany and onto Berlin. With Berlin surrounded, Hitler committed suicide, knowing his rule was over. With Hitler gone, the Nazis had no leader and Berlin finally fell. The war was finially over in Europe. -
The Ultimate Weapon
Because of Japan's continuous attacks on the United States, the US knew they had to do something drastic in order to avoid being involved in yet another six year war. American scientists developed the atomic bomb, which the US unleashed on Japan at the city of Hiroshima. 100,000 people died instantly and another 100,000 died afterwards due to burns and other damages from the bomb. The US felt it was tragic, but necessary if they ever wanted World War II to end.
