Lesson Eight
-
The end of WWII
Outcomes
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Students will identify the tactics of landing and attack at Normandy to
advance into France
Students will analyze the eastern movement of the Soviet Union into
Berlin
Students will evaluate the decisions surrounding the dropping of A-bombs
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to force Japan’s surrender
Activities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
“Saving Private Ryan” – show 15 minutes of the beginning of the
movie to give a visual of the landing at Normandy
Normandy invasion. Students receive a map of the beaches. Highlight
Juno beach as the designated area for Canadian invasion. Use lecture
notes to highlight points of this attack.
Push to Berlin. Present the Soviet drive westward into Berlin.
Canadian liberation of the Netherlands.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Use lecture notes to diagram on the board
what options the US believed they had. Students should set this up in
a table format in order to evaluate the decisions to drop bombs on
Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
Quiz next day on material to date.
Materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
Maps of Normandy invasion.
Lecture notes on Normandy and push to Berlin
movie – Saving Private Ryan
Hiroshima & Nagasaki lecture notes.
Socials 11
Name ___________________________
D-DAY AND THE PUSH TO BERLIN
Casablanca Conference
Trident Conference (Washington, 1943)
Canadians Liberate the Netherlands (Holland)
Use your textbook page 118 to describe the methods used by Canadians to
liberate the Netherlands from Germany.
When hostilities ceased 5 May 1945, it fell to the Canadians to liberate western
Holland
The Dutch there had suffered through an extremely harsh winter, short of food
and fuel, but relief supplies were quickly funneled into the area.
The Canadians were welcomed enthusiastically and the joyous "Canadian
summer" that ensued forged deep and long-lasting bonds of friendship between
the Dutch and Canadian peoples
OPERATION OVERLORD – Lecture Notes
The Pacific War gave Churchill cause to feel that certain defeat now had been
replaced with certain victory
Stalin wanted the Allied to open a 2nd front in France
Churchill feared a 2nd front:
- he knew the landing needed an overwhelming force and huge numbers of
troops
- he knew the UK wouldn’t be ready in 1942
Casablanca Conference
-Allies agree that the only terms they will accept from the Axis are those of
unconditional surrender
-the 2nd front would be launched in 1943
Dieppe
- the Allied losses at Dieppe boost Hitler’s confidence as 3500 of the 6 000 troops
died
- however, he reinforced his troops along the Atlantic Wall
Trident Conference (Washington, 1943)
-Overlord is given its name
-“Operation Fortitude” is used as a deception and radio transmission gives false
references to this landing at Pas de Calais
-the real landing is planned for Normandy
-Hitler half believed the plan and split his Panzer troops between the 2 locations
-commanders are to be Montgomery from the UK, and Eisenhower once troops
had gained a solid foothold
Landing
-5 seaborne divisions with “swimming” Sherman tanks
-a doubling of D-Day vessels needed delayed the attack from May until June
Beach codenames:
Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno & Sword
Naval attack
-4 000 landing craft
- hundreds of attack transports
- 7 battleships
- 23 cruisers
- 104 destroyers
The destruction of French rail and roads leading to Paris would hinder German
support
June 6, 1944 – 6-7:30am landing
-before the amphibious landing, glider battalions had dropped parachutists to
outer German flanks.
-they confused the Germans, blowing “chirpers” and the goal was for them to
hold bridges and blow them up to delay German movements
-Rommel was absent in Germany, on leave
-Hitler was at his holiday house at Berchtesgaden
Omaha
-this beach area was defended by Germany’s best formation
-the area also was defended by its steep banks
-swimming Shermans launched too far from shore and moved in slowly
-most of the 4649 Allied casualties of this attack happened there
-however, all landing areas were eventually in Allied hands
-the movement to unite inland was laborious and slow
-Hitler also faced a turn-around in the East as USSR moved their line 300 miles
westward
1940 – Germany had conquered France in 4 weeks
1944 – Germany loses France in 6 months
Liberation of Paris – August 23, 1944
General Charles de Gaulle installs himself as France’s president.
Siege of Berlin – 1945
-Hitler’s bunker was an air-raid shelter with 18 rooms, water, electricity, A/C,
phone, radio, kitchen, etc…
Zhukov’s tanks enter from the north
April 26th
- 464 000 Soviet troops ring the city  once they enter they rape, loot and
assault the citizens
April 29th
- Hitler marries Eva Braun
April 30th
-he destroys his cherished dog and 4 pups with poison
-he and Eva take cyanide and he shoots her, then himself
-their bodies are incinerated and buried
- 125 000 Berliners died in the siege, many by suicide
May 7, 1945 – VE Day
HIROSHIMA & NAGASAKI
Stirrings of the Cold War!
Stalin
Kim Il
Sung
Why Hiroshima?
Reasons
Why Nagasaki?
Alternatives
Consequences
HIROSHIMA & NAGASAKI
Stirrings of the Cold War!
Stalin
Kim Il
Sung
Why Hiroshima? – (140 000 dead) before dropping “Little Boy”, leaflets were
dropped, announcing that an unseen before bomb was to be dropped on them.
Japanese answer was “mokusatsu” – we’ll give you our answer in time.
Reasons
-Japan surrenders quickly
-US doesn’t sacrifice
more troops
-concern over Stalin and
the spread of
communism
-US demonstrates
military superiority to
USSR
-Japan instead of
Germany as island serves
as a “buffer”
-Hiroshima sits in a bowl
and will limit spread of
radioactive material
Alternatives
-pull troops from Europe
-amphibious landing in
Japan
Consequences
-massive deaths result
from amphibious landings
Why Nagasaki? (80 000 dead)
-Japan hadn’t surrendered after 3 days because their communications were
down due to radioactivity
-test “Fat Man” out
-Japanese surrender 6 days later