Around the Room 21-6

1. 26 nations met in Washington D.C. in January 1942. What did each nation promise and agree upon?

Each nation promised to use all its resources to defeat the Axis. They also agreed to not sign any separate peace treaties and to follow the Atlantic Charter.

2. Describe the battle of Stalingrad and its results?

The battle lased for 6 months. Germans pushed within the city’s limits and instead of falling back the Soviets defended the city. In November of 1942 the Soviets began a counterattack, they circled the Germans trapping them within the city. It was the turning point of the war because the Germans never recovered.

3. Describe how the Axis forces were forced to surrender in North Africa?

Dwight D. Eisenhower and British General Bernard Montgomery trapped Rommel’s forced between them forcing a surrender in mid May of 1943.

4. What were the results of Rommel’s surrender in North Africa?

North Africa was completely under Allied control. Italy’s African empire disappeared. Control of the French colonies in Africa passed to the Free French government and the Allis kept control of the Suez Canal.

5. What is the “soft underbelly of the Axis?”

Stalin suggested that the Allies open a second front through Italy and the Balkans.

6. Describe what happened after the Allies took the island of Sicily?

In the summer of 1943 the Allies took Sicily, which forced Mussolini to resign. Marshal Pietro Badoglio became premier. He dissolved the

fascist party and agreed to stop fighting the Allies and declared war on Germany

7. How did Allies protect shipping lanes?

Destroyers and other armed ships escorted ships across the Atlantic. Planes flew overhead protecting ships and improved sonar technology located subs.

8. How did the Americans turn the tide in the war against the Japanese?

They defeated the Japanese that were heading to Australia in the Battle of the Coral Sea and they defeated a larger Japanese fleet pushing eastward to try to capture Midway Island.

9. Describe island hopping?

Military strategy of capturing only certain islands of a country and bypassing the others.

10. Describe Operation Overlord and D-Day

An Allied invasion of northern France. Set for the Normandy coast over a million Allied troops landed within a month. The plan was to invade the Normandy coast and invade Europe from the West, while the Soviets invaded from the East. The Allies entered Paris on August 25, 1944 and the race to Germany begun.

11. Describe the events that took place in the European theater following D-Day up to 1945?

The Allies entered Paris on August 25, 1944. The Soviets pushed the Germans from the east and by the end of 1944 they had taken back Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, and Bulgaria. The Americans broke through the Siegfried Line after five weeks of fighting. After 10 days of fighting the Allies were victorious during the Battle of the Bulge and turned back the Germans last drive.

12. Describe the events that led to Hitler’s suicide.

At the end of April 1945 the German Army in Italy surrendered. At the same time the Soviet Army reached the German border. It was agreed that the Soviets would take Berlin and as the Soviets closed in on the city, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker.

13. What is V-E Day. Provide the date.

Within a week the German high command surrendered unconditionally on May 8, 1945.

14. What was the result of the Yalta Conference?

Roosevelt and Churchill met with Stalin in February 1945 and to plan out post-war Germany. It was agreed that Germany would be divided and occupied by Allied troops. The Soviets also agreed to enter the war against Japan. In return for their help the Soviet Union would receive Japanese territories.

15. Describe the Potsdam Conference?

July 17, 1945 President Truman and Prime Minister Clement Attlee planned for the occupation of Germany and demanded an unconditional surrender from Japan.

16. What finally forced Japan to surrender?

On August 6, 1945 dropped the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The entire city was destroyed and 80,000 people were killed instantly. Radiation sickness would kill thousands more in the following years. On August 8th the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and swept through Manchuria. On August 9th Nagasaki was bombed killing 40,000 people. On August 14 Japan officially surrendered.

17. What were the terms of Japan’s surrender?

The Japanese surrendered unconditionally asking only that the emperor be allowed to retain his title and authority. On September 2,

1945 known as V-J Day both sides signed the Japanese surrender documents.

18. What made WWII the most destructive war in history?

22 million military personnel died and more then 34 million were wounded. In Europe and Asia more then 16 million civilians died.

19. How were human rights violated throughout the war?

The Nazi Holocaust. Japanese in Nanjing. In the Philippines in 1942 the Japanese forced some 78,000 priosners of war to march more then 55 miles up the Bataan Peninsula killing more then 600 Americans and as many as 10,000 Filipinos. The incident became knows as the Bataan Death March. The Soviets in Poland did not just target Jews. Landowners, local officals, teachers and intellectual were sent to labor camps. 1.5 million poles were sent away. When the German invaded the Soviets began to execute the prisoners. Some 100,000 were executed. Lastly, America’s use of the Atomic bomb.