Section 2

Early American Involvement

            -US had been helping Allies before attack on Pearl Harbor (1941)

            -Battle of the Atlantic

                        -Control of ocean importantàGermany wanted to cut off supply route for Allies

                        -U-boats attacked merchant ships (hundreds sunk)

                        -US begins “convoy system”

                                    -Navy ships escort merchant ships across the ocean

                                    -Very successful

            -Americans on home front helped in war effort

                        -Draft

                        -Conserve, recycle, reuse, planted own food

            -Japanese and Italian immigrants faced lots of discrimination (spies???)

                        -Japanese internment camps

            -Germany had u-boats in American ports (NYC, Charleston)

            -US able to crack German codeàfound out location of u-boats

                        -Also had sonar

War in North Africa and Italy

            -N. Africa was important to AlliesàSuez Canal (oil, other supplies)

            -Italy first to attack Egypt (1940)àfailed

                        -Germany and Italy unify forces (Afrika Korps) led by Erwin Rommel (Desert Fox)

            -Fighting between Allies and Axis went back and forth for about 2 years

                        -Battle of El Alamein proved turning point

                                    -British defeat Afrika Korps

            -US joins fight in November 1942

                        -Russia wanted US to start fighting in Europeàrelieve pressure

                        -Bumpy start at first, but began to be successful (good training for us)

                        -US and British trap Rommel and troopsà250k surrender

            -Fight for Italy 

                        -July 1943, Allies invade Sicily

                                    -Mussolini ousted from power (Italy weakened)

                                    -Then start moving up Italy

                        -September 1943àGerman forces fight Allies in Italy

                                    -Fierce and bloody (no huge battles, lots of smaller fights)

Soviet Union

            -After Hitler’s invasion of USSR failed, decided to lay siege to Leningrad (1941-42)

                        -1 million starved to death

            -Battle of Stalingrad

                        -Huge industrial city

                                    -Destroy Stalingrad = destroy USSR

                        -Brutal fighting

                        -USSR holds off Germany for months

                                    -Launch counter-attack and breaks through Axis lines

                                                -Surrounds 250k German troops

                                                            -Hitler refuses to allow them to surrender

                                                            -160,000 died

                        -1 million Russians died in battle

                        -Germany retreats, does not attack Russia again

Fighting in the Pacific

            -Pacific was #2 priority for US (Europe #1)

            -Took some time for US to recover from Pearl Harbor

            -Pearl Harbor was just the start for Japan

                        -Attacked Indonesia, Hong Kong, Burma, and other places

                        -Philippines was a US territory

                                    -US had few troops there led by Douglas MacArthur

                                    -Japan attacks P. and takes 70k US and Filipino soldier’s prisoner

                                                -Forced them to march to prison camp

                                                            -Bataan Death March (1942)

                                                -600 Americans and 10k Filipino’s died along way

            -Battle of Coral Sea (May 1942)

                        -First battle in which Japan DIDN’T win

                        -US was able to break Japanese code

                                    -Knew their plans

                        -No land fightingàall ships and planes

-Battle of Midway (June 1942)

            -Midway was in a strategic location and a US military base

                        -Turning point of war in Pacific

                        -Japan launches 2-pronged attack

                                    -We knew their code!

                        -US sinks 4 Japanese carriers (huge loss)

                        -US shoots down many Japanese planes

                        -US goes on offensive after this

            -Island hopping

                        -US strategy of going from island to island, getting closer to Japan

        -Battle of Guadalcanal (August 1942)

                        -US offensive

                        -Japan was building an airport on Solomon islands

                                    -Building it to attack Australia

                        -Long battle (6 months)àlots of casualties

                        -US winsàkeeps Japan from expanding

                                    -Allies (US) on a roll

            -Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 1944)

                        -Largest naval battle ever

                        -US begins to recapture Philippines

            -Other victories: Solomon Islands, Gilber Is., Marshall Is., Caroline Is., Mariana Is.,

            -Japan fought tough

                        -Kamikaze missions

WORLD HISTORY        GOVERNMENT     AMERICAN HISTORY       CRIMINAL JUSTICE    MAIN PAGE