THE GLOBAL CONFLICT: ALLIED SUCCESS

 

Germany and Japan wanted to establish total control of the people they conquered. The Germans robbed occupied lands of art and resources. Hitler planned to kill all people he thought were "racially inferior." Nazi racism was aimed most directly at the Jews. The Nazis built concentration camps, or detention centers for civilians, where Jews were starved, shot, or gassed to death. By 1945, over 6 million Jews had died in the Holocaust. Gypsies, Slavs, and the mentally ill were victims, too. The Japanese were also brutal rulers. They killed and tortured prisoners. They stole food crops and forced conquered people into slave labor.

 

Up until 1942, it looked like the Axis powers were winning the war. However, the Allied nations began to wage total war. Factories made tanks instead of cars. The Allies rationed goods to supply their troops. Women aided the war effort. They replaced men in jobs, served in the armed forces, and joined resistance groups. Even during wartime. A fear of spies led the United States to force many Japanese- Americans to live in special camps (Internment camps).

 

By 1942, Allied victories turned the tide of war. The first turning points came in North Africa, Italy, and the Soviet Union. On June 6, 1944 (D-DAY), Allied soldiers landed at Normandy in France. They broke through the German lines and freed Paris. By the end of September, 1944, all of France was free.

 

ALLIED VICTORIES 1942-43

 

Battle of El Alamein 1942- British drive back German advances. This leads to German surrender of African lands.

 

Battle of Stalingrad 1942-43- Germans try to take Stalingrad. Russian troops and freezing weather force their surrender.

 

Invasion of Italy 1943- British and American forces land in Sicily and go on into Italy. Hitler is forced to send troops to help Italy fight the Allies.

 

Invasion of Normandy (D-Day) 1944- Allied troops land on beaches of Normandy. They go on to free France from German control.

 

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