Major Events of World War II

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Major Events of World War II

• Wars are not won in one day!

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Stalingradnice place
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Civilians used to call this home

• Battle of Stalingrad
• July 17, 1942-Feb 2, 1943
• Significance of Stalingrad industrial city, oil,
  propaganda
• Bloodiest battle in modern history
• Combined casualties 1.7 million-2 million

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Next stopBerlin

• Turning point in the East. Hitlers army was
  devastated (loss of men and supplies)
• The long march to Berlin begins.

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General Eisenhower talking to his boys

• Operation Overlord Codename for invasion of
  North-West Europe
• Operation Overlord June 6-Aug 19, 1944
• Operation Neptune
• June 6-June 30, 1944
• (establish beachhead)

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Objective Break through the Atlantic Wall, then
breakout to Berlin!
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Imagine you are landing at Omaha, Utah, Sword,
Gold, or Juno

• D-Day June 6, 1944 (Day on which military
  operation begins)
• Main Allied forces were Britain, U.S., and Canada
• Largest single-day amphibious invasion of all time

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Powerful image of the beach landing
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Many gave their lives to achieve their objective

• Allies landed 156,000 in Normandy
• Allied casualties
• 10,000
• 6,603 American (1,465 dead)
• Nazi casualties
• 4,000-9,000 dead, wounded, or captured

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Special delivery for Adolf Hitler!
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Here lie the men who opened the door to Berlin.
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Helps you understand the sacrifices of our men.
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Bitter winter weather will not deter our fighting
force

• Battle of the Bulge
• Dec 16 1944-January 25, 1945.
• Major German offensive (Their last)
• Ardennes Mountains Region (Belgium)

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Why the nameBattle of the Bulge?
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Battle within the Battle Refusal to surrender
with a simple response

• During the Siege of Bastogne, the German high
  command gave the Americans a surrender ultimatum.
• General McAuliffe sent back a formal replyNUTS.

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It is always important to remember

• Soldiers, sailors and World War II veterans
  remember those killed in action during the
  Battle of the Bulge at a wreath laying
  ceremony, Dec. 15, 2004, at the American GI
  Statue honoring the Liberation of Clervaux,
  Belgium. Events serve to commemorate the 60th
  anniversary of the German offensive action in the
  Ardennes region of eastern Belgium and northern
  Luxembourg, where American forces suffered some
  of its largest casualties during World War II.
  U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Ted
  Banks

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Battle of the Bulge The Nazis will not win this
War!

• Casualties
• Allies 89,500 (19,000 dead)
• Nazis 91, 132

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The invasion of Iwo Jima

• Battle of Iwo Jima
• Feb 19-March 26, 1945.
• Strategic importance Island Hopping to Japan,
  Airfieldsgain and take away.
• First American attack on Japanese Home Islands.

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The logistics of landing at Iwo Jima
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Many believe this to be the most famous war
picture in our history

• Mount Suribachi
• 5 Marines, 1 Navy Corpsman
• Every Marine on this island must see this flag.
• 3 of the 6 flag raisers would soon be dead.

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Many of these men would soon perish
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Japanese battle plans

• No Japanese survivorsBushido
• 10 Americans dead before you die
• Need a high casualty rate to deter the Americans
  from invading Japan

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Look at the casualty rates

• American Casualties
• 6,821 dead and 19,189 wounded
• Japanese Casualties
• 21, 703 dead and 1,083 (est.) captured

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Congressional Medal of Honor

• "The Medal of Honor is awarded in the name of
  Congress to a member of the navy or military who
  distinguishes himself or herself by conspicuous
  gallantry and intrepidity in the line of duty.
  The deed performed must have been one of personal
  bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to
  clearly distinguish the individual from his or
  her comrades and must have involved the risk of
  life.
• a time of trial and crisis their first thoughts
  were of others their actions exhibited a spirit
  of self-sacrifice that is universally recognized
  and respected. When they could have done less
  without blame or dishonor, they gave more,
  responding 'above and beyond the call of duty.'
• "The Congressional Medal of Honor is a symbol of
  those high ideals. It is this nation's expression
  of gratitude and recognition to those individuals
  whose uncommon valor sets them apart from other
  men or women."

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Amazing valor

• I read that 1/4 of all Congressional Medal of
  Honor awards during WWII went to men who fought
  at Iwo Jima.

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Island Hopping The final step before the main
islands
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Invasion of Okinawanext stop Japan

• Battle of Okinawa Operation Iceberg
• Largest amphibious assault in Pacific Theater
• Late March-June 1945
• The final battle of the Pacific Theater

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The faces of kamikaze pilots
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Remember the devastation that plane brings with it
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Reality checkfighting takes on new meaning once
the plan becomes action
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Lives lost at Okinawa

• Casualties
• U.S. 12, 513 dead, 38, 916 wounded
• Japan
• 94,136-131,303 dead
• 7,400-10,755 captured
• What about civilians?

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Loss of civilians

• Unlike Iwo Jima, Okinawa had a large civilian
  population.
• Over 140,000 dead
• Controversy Civilian mass suicides influenced
  by Japanese military.

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We needed this island to take the final step to
the main islands of Japan