PP WORLD WAR TWO

WORLD WAR TWOTHE GLOBAL WAR: 

WORLD WAR TWO THE GLOBAL WAR

Slide2: 

Nazi Germany reached the peak of its success at the end of 1941. In 1942 the tide began to turn. Between 1943 and 1945 the German armies were on retreat on three main fronts: the south, the east and the west. Map

Slide4: 

The German armies were driven back by three allies. One was Britain, which had been at war with Germany since 1939. Another was the Soviet Union, invaded by Germany in 1941. The third was the United States, which entered the war in 1941.

TASKS : 

TASKS Your task will be to complete a detailed time line of events on a global scale during World War Two. On your time line you will be marking events from four different parts of the world; The Southern front – Africa and Italy The Eastern front in Europe including Russia The Western Front in Europe including France Far East and Burma The events you will need to put on your time line are highlighted. Colour code your time line using four different colours for the four areas of the world. You also need to explain why that particular event was significant.

THE SOUTHERN FRONT: 

THE SOUTHERN FRONT Hitler's ally, Mussolini, brought Italy into the war in 1940. Italian troops in North Africa were quickly defeated by the British, and Hitler had to send a German army under Rommel in February 1941. At first Rommel won a number of important victories and advanced through North Africa to El Alamein.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END: 

THE BEGINNING OF THE END Months of fighting had reduced Rommel’s forces to 2 000 men and about 65 tanks. General Montgomery was in command at the Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. He gathered a force superior to the Germans and forced them to retreat.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF AL ALAMEIN: 

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF AL ALAMEIN The battle marked the beginning of the end for Rommel and the Italian army in north Africa. It prevented Egypt and the Suez canal from falling into German hands. Meanwhile, the Americans were also moving across to North Africa, and in 1943 the Allies were ready to move onto their next target: Sicily and Italy. Go to interactive map. - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo/launch_ani_el_alamein.shtml

THE SOFT UNDERBELLY OF THE AXIS: 

THE SOFT UNDERBELLY OF THE AXIS This is how Churchill described Italy. What did he mean? British and US troops advanced rapidly from Sicily to mainland Italy. In September 1943 the Italian government surrendered. Mussolini fled to the north, where he set up a small puppet state under German protection. He was captured and shot by Italian partisans in 1945. Hyperlink to - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo/launch_ani_campaign_maps.shtml

THE EASTERN FRONT: 

THE EASTERN FRONT The bitterest fighting and heaviest losses of the war occurred in the East. The Germans had cut through the Russian defences in 1941 but were eventually held at Stalingrad. Soviet and German troops fought for over a year in the rubble of the Stalingrad. In February 1943 the German commander von Paulus, surrendered Stalingrad. Stalingrad was one of the most important battles of the second world war and was followed by another Soviet victory in the tank battle at Kursk in July 1943.

Slide11: 

The German troops were driven steadily out of the Soviet Union from the late 1943 onwards. In 1944 Soviet troops liberated south-eastern Europe, and then Poland and Hungary. In Spring 1945 Marshal Zhukov captured Berlin. Hitler committed suicide in an underground bunker within earshot of the Russian guns.

THE WESTERN FRONT: 

THE WESTERN FRONT When the US entered the war, plans were drawn up to invade France. In June 1944 Operation Overlord was eventually launched – hyperlink to - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo/launch_ani_campaign_maps.shtml British and US troops, under the leadership of General Eisenhower, landed in Normandy and, two months later, in southern France. They gradually pushed the German armies back across the Rhine and in 1945 penetrated the Third Reich from the west as Soviet forces entered it from the east..

THE WAR IN JAPAN: 

THE WAR IN JAPAN Japan was a small nation with a strong military history. In 1936 she had invaded China and later French Indo China. This action brought Japan in conflict with the US, who set up a trade ban on Japan. The East Indies became an obvious target for Japan as the region was rich in oil.

PEARL HARBOUR : 

PEARL HARBOUR On 7th December 1941 Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbour, sinking 5 battleships and destroying 188 planes. On 8th December 1941 the USA, Britain and several other allied countries declared war on Japan.

THE JAPANESE INVADE BURMA: 

THE JAPANESE INVADE BURMA The Japanese were well prepared and gained a number of rapid victories in the Far East. In December 1941 Japan invaded Malaya, Thailand, the Philippines and Hong Kong. By 15th May 1942 Burma was completely controlled by the Japanese.

THE ALLIED FIGHT BACK IN BURMA: 

THE ALLIED FIGHT BACK IN BURMA In October 1942 allied troops began their fight back against the Japanese in Burma and launched the ARAKAN CAMPAIGN. It took several years, but by march 1944 Allied attacks at last became successful. On the 19th March 1945 Mandalay was recaptured. - hyperlink to - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo/launch_ani_campaign_maps.shtml

JAPANESE SURRENDER: 

JAPANESE SURRENDER On the 3rd May Rangoon was back in Allied hands and the remaining Japanese fled east through Thailand. On the 6th August the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, followed by Nagasaki on 9th August. On the 14th August 1945 the Japanese surrendered to the Allies.

GROUP PRESENTATION: 

GROUP PRESENTATION In groups you are going to be given one of the important global battles of the war to research. You will then present your findings to the rest of the class.