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On July 25, 1944, 2,500 United States bombers blew a hole in the German lines (hedgerows that allowed the Germans to originally keep their positions), which allowed for U.S. tanks to dash through the gap. The Allies had liberated Paris.
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With the Allies gaining in on the Germany border, Hitler staged one last aggression. Hitler's plan was to cut off Allied supplies coming into a port in Belgium. While the Germans successfully caught the Americans by surprise, General Patton and his troops raced to the attack to fight the Germans. After 3 weeks, the United States won the battle.
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After unsuccessfully attempting to bomb Japan, the American military realized they needed send the bombs from a site closer to Japan. They decided on the island of Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was a good distance from Japan but the Japanese were in control of the island and they had a large number of bunkers located on the island. So, around 60,000 marines landed on the Iwo Jima and attacked the bunkers with explosives in order to capture the island. -
Now with airfields on Iwo Jima, it was time for the Americans to send their B-29s to their expected target. On March 9, 1945, a number of B-29s loaded with napalm bombs (firebombs) attacked the city of Tokyo killing 80,000 people and destroying 67 Japanese cities.
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Realizing that Japan was not going to surrender after the firebombing, the United States decided to invade Japan. In order to invade Japan, the United States needed a base to stock up on supplies and build troops. The U.S. chose Okinawa for this base. U.S. troops landed on Okinawa on April 1, 1945. The U.S. troops fought against constant Japanese fire but eventually captured Okinawa after two months.
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When on vacation in Georgia, Franklin D. Roosevelt died from a stroke. Roosevelt's vice president, Harry S. Truman, became president in his place. Unfortunately, Roosevelt did not live long enough to see Germany surrender or spectate the end of WWII. -
Soon after the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies had made it past about every major line of Germany's defense. Then, on April 21, the Soviets reached the outskirts of Berlin. Knowing the end was near, Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker.
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Not even a month after Hitler commits suicide, Germany agrees to the terms for surrender. The following day, "V-E Day", was celebrated all over the world as an end to Germany's involvement in the war. -
On August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber dropped the first atomic bomb ("Little Boy") on Hiroshima, a highly populated manufacturing-centered city near Tokyo. The atomic bomb was released at 8:15 am and destroyed five square miles of the city. Around 80,000 and 12,000 people died instantly from the bomb and devastated the city's infrastructure. -
Three days after the U.S. bombed Hiroshima, a second B-29 dropped another atomic bomb ("Fat Man") on the city of Nagasaki at 11:02 am. This second atomic bomb was even more powerful than the first but only destroyed 2.6 square miles of the city. The bombing of Nagasaki killed around 60,000 and 80,000 people. -
By the end of WWII, Japan had faced colossal destruction and casualties from combat and from the bombings. On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito ordered the government to surrender. This day came to be known as V-J Day.