Annie+Goldberg

Turning points in World War II 1940- Germans Enter Paris 1940- Battle of Britain 1941- President Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act 1941- Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor 1941- The US and Britain declares war on Japan 1941- Germany declares war on the US 1941- Operation Barbarossa 1942- Battle of Stalingrad 1944- D-Day landings 1945- German forces surrender to the Allies 1945- V-E Day 1945- First atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan 1945- Second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan 1945- Japanese Surrender 1945- V-J Day 1945- Nuremberg trials begin One of the big turning points between 1940 and 1945 was the attack on Pearl Harbor. This attack took place on December 7, 1941 on Pearl Harbor, a United States Naval base in Hawaii. This was an unknown attack to the US and took place because the Japanese did not want the US influencing the war that was being planned in Southeast Asia against Britain. The attack damaged a large amount of war supplies like cruisers and destroyers. The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,402 people and wounded around 1,282 people. The bombing raids took place in three different groups and in different waves. The first wave is the primary attack and the second was made in order to finish what remained after the first wave was finished. The attack involved planes and submarines all armed. This changed the course of the war because it is what got America involved in World War two. After the bombing, Nazi Germany and Italy both declared war on the US. One of the longer term effects of the attack on Pearl Harbor was the initiative the US government took after the attack. The US government took all of the Japanese Americans to internment camps. The goal of the US changed from trying to stay neutral during WWII to making sure that the Japanese doesn’t attack us again though making their military weaker. []

This primary document is a speech said by a Japanese commander in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He describes how thrilling and exciting the whole experience is. The speech shows how proud he was of how the attack was executed and his pride in being Japanese came out. [] D-Day, or the Normandy Invasions, took place on June 6, 1944. It is considered the largest water invasion of all time. The Allied troops started the invasion in Normandy, France then worked into Nazi Germany territory. Months before the attack, Allied bombers attacked the coast of Normandy to disrupt the transportation links and the buildup of the German troops on the beaches. The bombers also blew up bridges, railroads, and captured territory. This would hurt the enemies’ chance of responding to the attack. The Allies started this offensive because they wanted to make Germany fight on their western border. One of the important effects of this attack was how it made Germany fight a two front war. It forced Germany to fight on its western border along with the Soviets on the other side. D-Day was the beginning of the end of the war in Europe. The German troops were already worn out and the speed and how unexpected the attack was wore them out more. The goal of the Allies was open up the western battle front to make Germany fight a two front war, something that they have been avoiding as best they can. Germany’s goals were to keep the Allies out of their territory and to prevent them from gaining as little land as possible. [] Letters from the war front conveyed the emotion that the soldiers were going through during the Normandy invasion. These show the pride that they have fighting and also in some cases the optimism that they have. Thinking about their loved ones back home gives them more desire to fight and protect them. [] The invention and using of the atomic bombs was another turning point. On August 6, 1945 the US decided to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb killed 70,000-80,000 people instantly. Many more died later from radiation or lack of medical attention. The United States warned the Japanese of air raids on cities, but never something as drastic as an atomic bomb. Nagasaki is one of the largest sea ports in Japan and played a large role in the war industry. It produced ships and military equipment. On August 9, 1945 the US headed for their second target. The attack plan was the same as the one for Hiroshima. The bomb hit and destroyed a radius of a mile worth of land and also stared fires 3 miles south of where the bomb hit. After the bombs had hit and vastly effected Japan, the debate over the decision to drop the bombs began. Opinions of people split the population and caused outrage in some cases. The pro bomb believers stated that dropping the bomb would save thousands of the troops lives’ and also funds along with war equipment. Anti bomb activists thought that the effects that the bombs had on Japan are inhumane and the use of two bombs without warning was too extreme. The bombing of the two Japanese cities caused the tension between Japan and the US to increase. This also leads up to the cold war and the race between Russia and American for nuclear power. The goal of the US switched from protecting our country to taking revenge for the attack on Pearl Harbor. []

This primary document talks about the small details involved with the bombing and also all of the damage that was caused. [] This is a map of the D-Day attack on Germany. The blue arrows represent Allied troops moving. []

Citation: Avenge Pearl Harbor. Online Image. Sipsearch.com. [] February 28, 2010 D-Day Propaganda Poster. Online Image. Sipsearch.com. [] February 28, 2010 Atomic War. Online Image. Tvtropes.org. [] February 28, 2010 “The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” The Avalon Project. 30 August 1945. Yale University Records. [] “Letters from the Front.” PBS.org. [] February 28, 2010 Fuchida, Mitsuo. “Surprise Attack Successful!” December 1941. [] “D-Day Map.” Online Image. RNSubmus.co.uk. [] February 28,2010