Chapter 17 Section 2 and 3 - Hoffman

Nuremberg Trials

1945-1949 - Germany was split into 4 zones. US, Great Britain, France, and Soviet Union occupied and administered one zone each. In the next year international tribunes representing 23 nations tried Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg, Germany. 22 Nazi leaders were tried of the first of the Nuremberg trials. 12 of 22 defendants were sentenced to death while the rest were in prison. 200 more Nazis were guilty of war crimes and were held legally responsible for actions to wartime.

Guadalcanal

August 1942 - Guadalcanal was the first Japanese held island that US took control of. Japanese decided to be defensive rather than offensive after Guadalcanal was captured.

Liberation of France

August 1944 - Although Hitler vowed to persevere with Paris, he surrendered it. He lost control of Stalingrad and North Africa. He would need to rearm and protect France against an invasion. Liberation of Paris symbolized fall of Hitler and the Nazis.

Battle of Stalingrad

February 1943 - Stopped German progression into Russia. Stalingrad was where Russian troops were sent by Stalin and stopped the German troops which left them with no way to get supplies. German army approached Stalingrad and burned down and bombed parts of the city. Stalin still urged Soviet officers to defend despite the cost. Germany over the next few months conquered most of Stalingrad. Soviet's victory over Volga was a turning point. This was one of the bloodiest battles.

Yalta Conference

February 1945 - FDR of US, Churchill of UK, and Stalin of USSR came to discuss the fate of Nazi Germany and Europe. Agreed that end of war was from complete surrender of Germany. Also agreed to demilitarize Germany and German prisoners of war would help rebuild war torn countries. Also agreed to create UN.

Battle of the Bulge

January 1945 - Hitler hoped to break through Allied lines to recapture part of Antwerp due to Americans capturing Aachen. He hoped to disrupt enemy's supply lines and demoralize the Allies. Germans broke through American defenses. The "bulge" was the resulting dent in the Allied lines.

Liberation of Majdanek

July 1944 - Majdanek was the first concentration camp to be liberated by Allies and was liberated intact by a sudden advance from the Soviet Union. Majdanek was liberated on July 3, 1944. Majdanek was like a gigantic murder plant with thousands of living corpses and hundreds of thousands of shoes.

Los Alamos

July 1945 - Was the site of the first atomic bomb test. The atomic bomb was later dropped on Japan. people were scared it wouldn't work or it would be too powerful.

Iwo Jima

March 1945 - Was an air base for fighter escorts and supported long range bombing missions against mainland Japan. Capture of Iwo Jima was necessary as an emergency landing strip for crippled B-29's damaged from bombings since US bases were far from mainland Japan. Capturing Iwo Jima allowed for air/sea blockade and would allow intensive air bombardment and destruction of enemy's air/naval capabilities.

Operation Torch

May 1943 - British American invasion of North Africa (controlled by Axis Powers) during WW2 which was commanded by Dwight D. Eisenhower

V-E Day

May 1945 - Day when WW2 ended. It followed the day of Germany's surrender. Allies would need to focus on forcing Japan to surrender

Battle of the Atlantic

Mid 1943 - U boats were sinking because of attacks made by Germany commanded by Hitler. U boats were carrying goods and supplies from the US and Canada to Britain. It was essential that Britain get the supplies because they were the main resistance. Allies then created convoys by grouping for protection. When too many German ships sank, Germans retaliated.

Capture of Aachen

October 1944 - City of Aachen was located in Germany. It was the first German city to be captured by Allies

Leyte Gulf

October 1944 - Japanese tested Kamikaze suicide planes. Japanese were left in state of disaster. US defeated a majority of the Japanese fleet and also managed to cut off Japanese supply lines.

Tokyo Bay

September 1945 - There was a surrender ceremony where the Japanese signed surrender documents aboard USS MIssouri. This was 3 weeks after bomb was dropped on Japan. When the bomb was dropped, the Japanese surrendered. The document of Tokyo Bay was the formal conclusion of the agreement. US Army General Douglas Mac Arthur presided for Allies.

Italian Campaign

Spring 1945 - Opened another front in Allies part which was extremely close to Hitler. It left Mussolini powerless. It gave the Soviet Union relief from extra pressure from the Eastern Front which was much desired by Stalin for a while.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

August 1945 - Enola Gay dropped atomic bomb on Hiroshima which was an important military center in Japan. The building's turned to dust. Hiroshima ceased to exist. However, Japanese authorities wouldn't surrender. Another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki leveling half the city. People were killed from atomic blasts. Emperor Hirohito was horrified surrendering and ending the war.

Midway

June 1942 - Was a major turning point in war in Pacific. US only sent 3 aircraft carriers to defend islands against Japanese. Japanese had more ships but didn't know that Americans knew of this attack. American fleet defended islands successfully while destroying Japanese forces. Japanese morale and physical state lowered.

D-Day

June 1944 - Turning point of WW2. It was the start of the Allies invasion of Western Europe and would lead to the victory for the Allies. Eisenhower hoped to catch the Axis Powers by surprise. The Allies landed on the coast of Normandy, France and began France's liberation and future defeat of German's war machines. However, when the Allies landed, Germans were prepared and retaliation was brutal. Despite this, Allies persevered. General Omar Bradley unleashed a massive air and land bombardment against the enemy giving General George Patton and Third Army help to advance. When Allies had freed France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and most of Netherlands, Roosevelt was elected with Truman by his side.

Okinawa

June 1945 - Was the last island to capture before heading North and invading mainland Japan. Allies would also find it easier to invade Japan with capture of Okinawa. The battle was the last land battle of the Pacific war. Okinawa would act as a nearby base of operations to launch invasions. It also indicated how many lives would be lost to conquer Japan. This helped Truman drop the atomic bomb to end the war.