Preparation for Europe
In December of 1941, Churchill and Roosevelt met and discussed strategy to help the Allies defeat the Axis. The allies adopted a Europe first policy in which the U.S. would focus on attacking in Europe and defending the Pacific. When the U.S. joined the war, the axis was comfortably in the drivers seat. One reason for this was oil, the source of power for his war machines. While German forces attempted to secure more oil, Hitler tried to exterminate Jews in what we now know as the Holocaust. Thousands to the upwards of millions of homosexuals, Jews, and Soviet Soldiers were killed in camps. Unaware of the "final solution", Churchill and Roosevelt decided to defend their territory and then attack. The allies however needed to decide where to attack, should they attack Italy, North Africa, or the Soviets?
War in Europe
Roosevelt had come to a decision, the U.S. would invade Africa. Groups of Americans saw their first combat missions in this region from 1942-43. According to TCi, "The U.S. II Corps, which fought in many North African battles, benefited from the leadership of two brilliant generals— George Patton and Omar Bradley. These men helped the combined Allied armies launch a final offensive in May 1943, after which Axis resistance in the region collapsed, leaving about 250,000 German and Italian soldiers at the mercy of the Allies." While the U.S. controlled parts of North Africa, they marched into Italy engaging in war. Italy soon surrendered, signing an armistice and going to war on Germany. In June of 1942, Hitler split his troops to go into the offensive attack in the Soviet. Counteroffensive fighting went on for 2 months before the Battle of Stalingrad between the Soviets and Germans. A million Soviets died while 200,000 Germans died. This however was enough to cause German retreat. Hitler only had one oil source left in Romania, if the allies could take it, they could win the war. America and Britain used tactics of precision and saturation bombing to destroy German infrastructure. The allies invaded France and landed on the beaches of Normandy, this invasion is better known as D-Day. The allies controlled the coastal border and proceeded to invade Germany. Allied forces also came across the horrifying sight of concentration camps when passing through Germany. The Battle of The Bulge proved to be the last German offensive. As Germany became surrounded, Hitler committed suicide finally giving up his dictator aspirations. German forces signed the German Instrument of Surrender and the war in Europe came to an end.
Preparation for the Pacific
Japan was increasing it's economy and influence. The had captured Hong Kong, Singapore, Guam, and Wake, while also invaded other islands. When Japan conquered the Philippines they beat and killed numerous starving people from the island. When Burma fell, some of China's supplies were cut off and they were struggling. Japan winning numerous battles boosted their ego, so Roosevelt decided to hit them where it hurt, at home. Americans dropped some bombs barely doing any damage to Japan, however Japan was scared. In May of 1942, The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought strictly with carrier-based-aircraft's. According to TCi, "It marked the first naval battle in history in which the enemies’ warships never sighted each other. Japanese aircraft sank the carrier Lexington and damaged the Yorktown, while American planes sank one Japanese carrier and damaged the other two. Despite fairly even losses, the Americans gained a strategic victory, blocked Japanese expansion to the south, and learned a valuable lesson the Japanese navy could be defeated." The navy wanted to go on the offensive, and some believed the U.S. should construct bases in China. What was the U.S. going to do?
Fighting in the Pacific
sigThe American forces really acted as the primary source of strength in the Pacific, and the ally strategy was to gradually take the supporting islands around Japan, and the surround them. In order to have success in the region, according to TCi, "One of the keys to Allied success in the Pacific was the use of secret codes. The United States trained a special group of Navajo Indian “code talkers” for this task. Because Navajo is not a written language and is understood by very few people, it made an excellent code foundation." Before the Allies could attack, they had to stop the expansion. The allies did this in the Battle of Midway which was Japan's last offensive. The U.S. forces often used the tactic of leapfrogging even though sometimes it came at a cost. In August of 1944, the marines took the Mariana islands.The U.S. then shifted focus to Iwo Jima and Okinawa. They captured Iwo Jima in one of the most chaotic battles of the war. They captured Okinawa in another bloody battle. America then went on to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing close to 250,000 people. Japan soon surrendered signing the Potsdam Act, an unconditional surrender.