Lesson 8.03 The Allied Counterattack

  

The year 1942 was a decisive one for both sides in World War II.  At the beginning the Nazis and their allies, Italy and Japan still seemed just about unbeatable.
  • In September of 1939 Germany attacked Poland
  • England and France declared war on Germany and Italy
  • France fell to the Axis invaders
  • By 1942, the Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) had control of most of Europe

Look at the map above and write down a list of the countries that were directly controlled by the Axis or were under occupation.  What countries were neutral?  What countries were left to fight Hitler and his allies?

While the cause seemed hopeless at the beginning of 1942, help was soon on its way. 

Japan saw the war as a chance to further its expansionist aims in Asia.  At about the same time that it joined the axis in 1940, it had occupied French Indochina.  This aggression caused the United States to stop selling war materials to the Japanese, and soon relations between the two countries deteriorated.  Late in 1942 the government of Japan, now led by an extremist military leader, General Hideki Tojo, was already planning to attack the United States. 

The Japanese attack came on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  Over three hundred Japanese carrier-based planes bombed the American naval base.  The United States had now joined the war.

Farthest extent of Japanese control

If you look at the map on the above, you can see the extent of the control of Asia that the Japanese had.

Soon after the attack, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

The United States made the decision to fight Hitler first and the Japanese second.  Many Americans disagreed with President Roosevelt’s decision simply because the Japanese were the ones who had attacked America.

  

Assignment 8.03 - The Allied Counterattack

 

This assignment has two parts to it.  In the first part you will research the important people, events, and battles that led the United States and her allies to victory.  In the second part you will answer two short essay questions.  Submit part A and B as one document in a Word document.

Part A:  World War II Events, Personalities, and Battles. 

Identify the following in a sentence or two:  

 

 1.  The Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942)

 2.  The Battle of Midway (June 1942)

 3.  Winston Churchill

 4.  Dwight D. Eisenhower

 5.  The Battle of El Alamein (Summer of 1942)

 6.  The Battle of Stalingrad (November 1942)

 7.  The Normandy Invasion (June 1944)

 8.  The Battle of the Bulge (December 1944)

 9.  General Douglas MacArthur

10.  “island hopping”

11.  The Manhattan Project

12.  Harry S Truman

13.  Hiroshima and Nagasaki

 

 

 

 

Part B.  Essay
1.  Why did the United States decide to fight Hitler first and then Japan?  (hint:  Look at the two maps above)

2.  One of the most controversial decisions in World War II was President Harry S Truman’s decision to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan. Read through these links before answering this question.

What were the arguments, pro and con, for the United State’s decision to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan?

 

  

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