end of world war 2

D-Day (Operation Overlord) - June 6, 1944

The largest amphibious invasion in history, led by Eisenhower. 16,000 US paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines (many missing targets), while forces landed on 5 Normandy beaches. At Omaha Beach, 90% of initial units were killed/wounded and 1,000 drowned, but the successful landing was a major turning point in liberating Europe.

Battle of the Bulge - December 1944

Germany's last major offensive in Belgium involving 1 million troops. Americans suffered 89,000 casualties (many from frostbite) but defeated the Germans, who lost 100,000 men, depleting their remaining forces.

Yalta Conference - February 1945

FDR, Churchill, and Stalin agreed to divide post-war Germany, establish the United Nations, and Stalin promised free elections in Eastern Europe via the Declaration of Liberated Europe. Stalin later broke this promise, establishing communist governments and starting Cold War tensions.

FDR's death and V-E Day

FDR died on April 12, 1945, shocking the nation. Hitler committed suicide days later, and Germany surrendered on May 7. V-E Day (Victory in Europe) was celebrated on May 8, 1945, with 500,000 people gathering in NYC streets.

Bataan Death March - April 1942

After the Philippines fell, 75,000 American and Filipino POWs were forced on a 65-mile, 6-day march. 10,000 prisoners died from starvation, dehydration, or being stabbed/shot for falling behind, creating lasting anti-Japanese sentiment.

Battle of Midway - June 1942

A decisive naval battle where the U.S. sank four Japanese aircraft carriers, destroying their naval air power. This was the major turning point in the Pacific War, stopping Japanese expansion.

Island-Hopping Strategy

U.S. military strategy of selectively capturing key Pacific islands while bypassing others, establishing airfields and bases to move closer to Japan. This conserved resources and accelerated the advance toward the Japanese mainland.

Battle of Leyte Gulf - October 1944

The largest naval battle in history where U.S. forces destroyed over 30 Japanese ships and 4 carriers. Japan first used organized kamikaze attacks, with 4,000 pilots dying in suicide missions against U.S. ships.

Iwo Jima and Okinawa

Iwo Jima (21,000 Japanese killed, 7,000 Americans) provided a potential airbase never fully used. Okinawa (150,000 Japanese killed, 35% U.S. casualties) showed the extreme cost of invading Japan, influencing the atomic bomb decision.

Potsdam Declaration and Atomic Bombs

July 1945 ultimatum demanded Japan surrender or face "prompt and utter destruction." When Japan refused, Truman authorized atomic bombs: "Little Boy" on Hiroshima (78,000 killed instantly) and "Fat Man" on Nagasaki (70,000 killed), leading to 140,000 total deaths by year's end.

V-J Day - September 2, 1945

Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri, ending World War II. This came after the atomic bombs and Soviet declaration of war, with 85% of Americans supporting the bomb's use to save estimated American lives.

Human cost of World War II

Approximately 60 million deaths worldwide: 20 million Soviets, 10 million Chinese, 5.6 million Germans, 2.3 million Japanese, and 400,000 Americans. The Soviet Union suffered disproportionately with 59 Soviet deaths for every 1 American.

Why the Allies won

Superior coordination between U.S. and Britain versus Axis fighting separate wars

Postwar outcomes

Fascism destroyed

Nazi Holocaust discovery

Allied troops liberating concentration camps found systematic extermination of Jews, Roma, homosexuals, and political prisoners. The scale of the genocide shocked the world, though Allied efforts to rescue Jews during the war had been limited.

Kamikaze warfare

Japanese tactic of suicide pilots crashing explosive-laden planes into U.S. ships, first used extensively at Leyte Gulf. Approximately 4,000 kamikaze pilots died, sinking 34 ships and damaging hundreds more, demonstrating Japanese desperation.

The home front transformation

War production ended the Great Depression

Atomic bomb decision factors

Truman considered the massive U.S. casualties expected from invading Japan (projected 1 million+), Japanese refusal to surrender after firebombing had already killed 100,000 in Tokyo, and the desire to end the war quickly before Soviet expansion in Asia.

Cold War origins at Yalta

Though allies during war, tensions emerged as Stalin installed communist governments in Eastern Europe despite promising free elections. The division of Germany and disagreement over Poland's government created the Soviet-Western distrust that characterized the Cold War.

Postwar decolonization movement

World War II weakened European colonial powers, inspiring independence movements. Britain granted India and Pakistan independence in 1947, beginning a wave of decolonization across Asia and Africa that reshaped the global political landscape.