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| | On June 6, 1944, the Allies forces led by the American soldiers landed at Normandy, France, to retake mainland Europe from the Germans. Called the "longest day," it was the largest land invasion in the history of the world. It caught the Germans, already weakened by Patton, off guard. | | On June 6, 1944, the Allies forces led by the American soldiers landed at Normandy, France, to retake mainland Europe from the Germans. Called the "longest day," it was the largest land invasion in the history of the world. It caught the Germans, already weakened by Patton, off guard. |
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| − | Holocaust "1941-45: systematic, racist and brutal murder by German leaders of six million Jews during WW II" | + | The worst fight was at the Battle of the Bulge, when the Germans launched a vicious counteroffensives against the Allies (which now included the Americans. |
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| | + | The Allies did not discovery the concentration camps used for the Holocaust until April 1945. Allied commander and future President Dwight Eisenhower described his horror:<ref>http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=136</ref> |
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| | + | :I have never felt able to describe my emotional reactions when I first came face to face with indisputable evidence of Nazi brutality and ruthless disregard of every shred of decency.... I have never at any other time experienced an equal sense of shock. |
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| | + | The end of the war came quickly. On April 28, 1945, the Italian fascist dictator Mussolini was captured and hung by Italians, and the Allied army took controle of Venice. The next day the U.S. 7th Army liberated Dachau, the site of one of the concentration camps. The following day after that, April 30, Adolf Hitler committed suicide. |
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| − | "Hiroshima, Nagasaki" "Aug. 6 & 9, 1945: first and second atom bombs dropped by US on these Japanese cities; Japan surrenders Aug. 15"
| + | A week later, on May 7, 1945, the German troops unconditionally surrendered, and the world rejoiced. A month later, on June 5th, the Allies divided up Germany into western and eastern sections, and three weeks after that, on June 26, the Charter for the United Nations was signed in San Francisco. |
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| | + | But the war continued with Japan, and Japanese soldiers had a religious fanaticism that prevented them from surrendering at any cost. But by then America had developed the atomic bomb. Years earlier some physicists, including a friend of Albert Einstein who persuaded him to write a letter, feared that Germany was developing an atomic bomb and they urged the President to develop it before Germany did. (In fact, Germany was not making any progress.) The President did not act on Einstein's letter, but later he did begin the Manhattan Project to develop our own atomic bomb at a secret facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Top physicists led the project. Roosevelt never lived to hear of its success. It was only after Truman replaced Roosevelt as President that the physicists had been successful in testing the new atomic bomb that they developed. |
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| − | The worst fight was at the Battle of the Bulge, when the Germans launched a vicious counteroffensives against the Allies (which now included the Americans.
| + | As president, Truman was an impulsive and not very bright man. He still holds the record for the lowest approval rating (only 23% of the country approving of his performance) in his last year in office (1952). When there was an ugly strike against a steel company, he impulsively ordered a government takeover of the entire company (the Supreme Court later invalidated his action). When a reporter wrote a negative review about his daughter’s piano recital, Truman said he wanted to punch the reporter in the face for it. When General Douglas MacArthur wanted to be more aggressive in the Korean War, Truman simply fired him. |
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| | + | But Truman's impulsiveness may have served the country well at this critical moment. As soon as the atomic bomb was developed, the top military leaders were anxious to use it to save any further loss to American soldiers fighting Japan. They urged Truman to approve dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. Do it, Truman decided quickly, and later said he slept a good night's sleep after his decision. Truman's impulsiveness may remind you of President Andrew Jackson. Truth be told, Truman hated the Japanese with a passion, as many Americans at the time did. |
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| | + | On August 6, 1945, America dropped its first atomic bomb on the entire city of Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, America dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Japan then unconditionally surrendered on August 15th. |
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| | + | Not even Truman knew when the bombs would be dropped, as he left that up to the military generals. But when Truman heard about it while aboard a cruise, he broke out in a celebration that might strike some as callous and insensitive to the many civilians who unsuspectingly died from the blast. |
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| | + | '''Debate: Was it right to drop atomic bombs on Japan?''' |
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| | From 1943 through 1945, the Allies held a series of conferences for the purposes of strategy and planning for the end of the war: | | From 1943 through 1945, the Allies held a series of conferences for the purposes of strategy and planning for the end of the war: |
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| | *Casablanca Conference, Jan. 14–24, 1943, was a meeting between the U.S. and Britain during which they agreed to fight until other side unconditionally surrenders | | *Casablanca Conference, Jan. 14–24, 1943, was a meeting between the U.S. and Britain during which they agreed to fight until other side unconditionally surrenders |
| | *Tehran Conference, Nov.-Dec. 1943, was the Soviet Union Stalin's first conference and he promised to help against Japan after the defeat of Germany, and the U.S. agreed to the D-Day invasion | | *Tehran Conference, Nov.-Dec. 1943, was the Soviet Union Stalin's first conference and he promised to help against Japan after the defeat of Germany, and the U.S. agreed to the D-Day invasion |
| − | *Yalta Conference, Feb. 1945, during which the Allies divided Germany into 4 military zones (denazification) and Stalin lied in agreeing to hold free elections in Eastern Europe. The Allies also planned to start the United Nations | + | *Yalta Conference, Feb. 1945, during which the Allies agreed to divide Germany into 4 military zones (denazification) and Stalin lied in agreeing to hold free elections in Eastern Europe. The Allies also planned to start the United Nations |
| | *Potsdam Conference, July-Aug. 1945, was Truman's first conference after Roosevelt died. Truman played cards (as was his habit) most of the time and little was accomplished. The Allies agreed to demand Japan's unconditional surrender | | *Potsdam Conference, July-Aug. 1945, was Truman's first conference after Roosevelt died. Truman played cards (as was his habit) most of the time and little was accomplished. The Allies agreed to demand Japan's unconditional surrender |
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| − | Some, including a friend of Albert Einstein who persuaded him to write a letter, feared that Germany was developing an atomic bomb and thus the United States should start something. But the President did not act on Einstein's letter and only much later began the Manhattan Project to develop our own atomic bomb at a secret facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Top physicists led the project. As soon as the bomb was tested and ready, President Truman ordered it to be dropped on Japanese cities in 1945. Japan then surrendered and our war with it was over. (Our war with Germany had already ended.)
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| − | As president, Truman was an impulsive and not very bright man. He still holds the record for the lowest approval rating (only 23% of the country approving of his performance) in his last year in office (1952). When there was an ugly strike against a steel company, he impulsively ordered a government takeover of the entire company (the Supreme Court later invalidated his action). When a reporter wrote a negative review about his daughter’s piano recital, Truman said he wanted to punch the reporter in the face for it. When General Douglas MacArthur wanted to be more aggressive in the Korean War, Truman simply fired him. Drop the atom bomb on Japan? Do it, Truman decided quickly, and later said he slept a good night’s sleep the night he decided. Truman’s impulsiveness may remind you of President Andrew Jackson.
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| − | '''Debate: Was it right to drop atomic bombs on Japan?'''
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| | == Cold War == | | == Cold War == |