How does world war 2 end

In the west, Allied troops successfully invaded Sicily and southern Italy that summer. The following year, France was liberated after the D-Day landings, and the long, slow drive into Belgium and the Netherlands also began.

In most places, the arrival of Allied troops was accompanied by wild celebrations, because local populations understood that, while the conflict was still raging elsewhere, for them the war was over.

In eastern Europe, the beginning of also marked the point when Soviet troops turned the tide against the Germans at the battle of Stalingrad. Over the next two years the Red Army gradually drove the Germans from Soviet territory, and then began to push forward for the liberation of their neighbours.

In contrast to western Europe, however, there were few celebrations at their arrival. Some, like Hungary and Romania, had spent most of the war fighting against the Soviets as allies of Nazi Germany. Others, like Poland and the Baltic States, simply did not trust them. By the spring of the Allies had closed in on Germany from both sides. Adolf Hitler , realising that his cause was hopeless, committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin on 30 April.

From that moment, events moved fairly quickly. A formal surrender of all the remaining German forces took place three days later, in the French city of Reims. However, the Soviets did not recognise this event, so a final surrender document was signed in Berlin the following night, on 8 May.

Mussolini gets captured and then gets executed. Soviets are able to take Berlin, and maybe most importantly, April 30th, Hitler commits suicide. So, Hitler commits suicide, and he's not the only one. Several other major leaders, Nazi leaders, commit suicide as we go into this period right over here. So the Allies have won in Europe, but everything is not over yet. World War II is still going on in the Pacific. So let's go down to the Pacific Theater.

Starting the year in January, the Allies are able to take the Island of Luzon. In particular, they're able to take Manila. Then, as we go into February, they began the invasion of Iwo Jima, which is an incredibly bloody campaign. You have 70, marines invade the island verus 22, Japanese troops. On top of that you obviously have air, you have the Air Force involved, you have the Navy involved, but I guess what's even more mind-boggling, you have significant Allied deaths. You have 7, deaths on the Allied side, but even more amazing, out of the 22, Japanese soldiers that were defending Iwo Jima, 19, get killed.

So 19, of 22, Japanese soldiers get killed. So you can imagine how bloody this is. And this picture, which is probably one of the most famous military photos ever taken, especially in the United States, this was taken of Marines storming a hill, storming a mountain in Iwo Jima.

And just to imagine how bloody these things are. I just gave you some of the numbers. Even this photo, which is a real photograph, even this photo, where it looks like hey look, the Americans have at least taken this mountain or this hill right over here, even out of this photo, three of these Marines die in the next few days as they continue to try to take Iwo Jima or take the entire island.

Through persistent efforts of teamwork and ingenuity the Allied powers were able to defeat Nazi Germany and free Europe.

As the US Army moved into Germany in , the months of bloody fighting had left a mark on each man. The Japanese, realizing that the War was nearly lost, turned to their most fearsome weapon in their attempts to stop the American advance: The Kamikaze. Shortly after midnight, USS Indianapolis was struck by two enemy torpedoes.

The ship sank in 12 minutes. Over of her crew abandoned ship and began to drift in the sea. Advances in science and industrial capability during World War II brought forth new devices that would shape the face of the world for the next 75 years. To view all webinars and digital programming visit our events calendar. You can access a Zoom webinar on your smart phone, tablet, or computer. If you are watching for the first time on your smart phone or tablet, you will need to download the Zoom app from the app store on your device.

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