World+War+II+Key+European+and+Pacific+Battles

=Because so many different countries were involved in World War II, battles were fought on different parts of the globe. Most of the fight took place in either Europe or in the Pacific.= == Before the United States entered the war, the Axis powers controlled a large portion of Europe. As you can see, the Axis powers became a force that was hard to stop. Great Britain suffered major damage from bombing raids by the Axis powers. ==

** Switching Sides **

 * When WWII began, Soviet Union leader, Joseph Stalin, and Hitler formed an agreement to not attack each other in hopes that each country would help expand their territory and become a stronger nation. This agreement became short lived as Hitler continued to dominate the war. In June of 1941, Hitler pushed through the Soviet Union's territory and in turn break their agreement. The Soviet Union had no choice but to join the Allies. Even though the Soviet Union and the United States were not friendly with each other, under the Lend- Lease agreement already formed with Great Britain, the United States also begin sending supplies to the Soviet Union to help in the war effort. **



=World War II Interactive Map= Click on the link below to learn more about World War II and how Germany gained control over portions of Europe from 1938- 1943. http://www.history.com/inside-wwii-interactive =** Once the United States entered, the Allies were able to provide fresh troops, supplies to help fight off the Axis powers. This was not an easy task and even though having the United States was an advantage for the Allies, the war would continue for 3 more year and cause major damage to human life and the landscape of Europe. **=

= Battle of Stalingrad = In the summer of 1942, German forces began marching to the industrial city of Stalingrad in hopes to gain control of the city to gain additional resources and supplies. Soviet Union forces fought to push back the German army. By the summer of 1942, Germany began bombing the city and over time, ended up in ruins. The civilians as well as the Soviet Union army held their ground. By January of 1943, winter had set in and forced the German army to surrender due to lack of resources and bitter cold. Check out the video clip below to learn more about the battle.
 * Check out some of the key battles fought in the European theater that became turning points in the war. **

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad/videos

In June of 1940, France, an allied power, fell to Germany which left Great Britain very vulnerable against the Axis powers. Over time, Allied forces were able to fight back and gain control of North Africa and Italy, but in order to actually win this part of the war an invasion of Germany was necessary. In order to make this happen, the Allied powers had take back France so they could easily enter Germany. In 1944, Allied forces began planning an invasion to make this possible. = = = Normandy invasion or D-Day =

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day/videos http://www.history.com/inside-wwii-interactive Click on the interactive map of Europe and look for D-Day invasion.

Click on the link above to see an interactive map of the invasion and how the groups progress to Paris. During the night of June 5th 1944, Allied forces that totaled 175,000 soldiers and 6000 ships sailed from Great Britain to the shores of France. American forces were led by General Dwight D. Einsehower. They reached the shore by June 6th and this became known as the largest sea invasion in world history. German forces were ready and blasted the first wave of soldiers coming on the beach, but over time, the allied forces made it through and captured the beaches of Normandy. Once the beach was secure, the allied forces marched into Paris to gain control of France and move onto to invade Germany. Check out the link below to learn more. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day/videos/d-day-invasion?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false

= Battle of the Bulge = American forces led by General George S. Patton fought against German forces in December of 1944. This was one of the biggest battles fought by the United States Army. Both sides had sever losses. As winter set in, American forces were ill prepared, but supplies were flown in and a helped them out. Allied forces won the battle and crossed into the Germany. Check out the link below to learn more. http://viewpure.com/8a8fqGpHgsk?start=0&end=0 http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge/videos/weapons-of-pattons-armies?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge/videos/george-s-patton?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false

= V-E Day = As Soviet Union and American troops marched into Germany's power was slipping away. When Soviet troops entered Berlin, the German capital, Hitler committed suicide. German troops surrendered to the Allies on May 8th 1945. This became known as V-E Day "Victory in Europe". http://www.britishpathe.com/video/ve-day-celebrations

=Europe after World War II= Click on the link below to learn more about Germany along with the rest of the European countries involved in the war and how they continued after the war. http://www.fasttrackteaching.com/ffap/Unit_11_Cold_War/U11_Europe_After_WW_II.html

= Holocaust =
 * What was it?**

The Holocaust is one of the most terrible events in human history. It occurred during World War II when Hitler was leader of Germany. Six million Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis. This included as many as 1 million Jewish children. Millions of other people that Hitler didn't like were killed as well. This included Polish people, Catholics, Serbs, and handicapped people. It is thought that the Nazis murdered as many as 17 million innocent people.

Check out the link below to learn more about the Holocaust and its impact on Jews and Europe. https://www.ushmm.org/learn/students media type="file" key="Shoah_Auschwitz_A_2Mb.mp4" width="300" height="300" http://183.62.203.196/jasenawalt/Jasen_Awalt/Number_the_Stars_Unit/Entries/2013/10/21_Number_the_Stars_files/number-the-stars-lois-lowry.pdf

The United States was forced to divide its military and naval forces between the European and Pacific theaters. Click on the power point below to learn about some of the major battles fought in the Pacific theater and its outcomes. ==

Ending the war with the Atomic Bomb



Check out the link below to learn more about how Oak Ridge Tennessee was involved with the Atomic Bomb. http://www.tn4me.org/article.cfm/era_id/7/major_id/9/minor_id/72/a_id/219