1945

To get you started: 1945 - Auschwitz liberated by Soviet troops. - __Russians__ __reach__ Berlin: Hitler commits suicide andGermany surrenders on 7 May. - Truman becomes President of the US onRoosevelt's death, and Attlee replaces Churchill. - After atomic bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrenders on 14 August.

Use your textbook, the big PPT, the revision booklet and the internet.

Also include info about any major air, naval, __land__ battles or developments


 * __Event__: Auschwitz liberated by Soviet troops.**

-- Soviets liberated the biggest extermination and concentration camp, Auschwitz.
 * 27th January 1945

-- Soviets only found several thousand starving prisoners __alive__ at the camp because the Nazis had forced the majority of them to march westwards – these marches became known as “death marches”.

-- Most of the warehouses had been destroyed by the Nazis.

-- Personal belongings of the prisoners were found in the remaining warehouses i.e. Lots of men’s suits, women’s outfits and human hair.

__ Battle ____ of Iwo Jima __ Occurring 19th February 1945 to 26th March 1945 the Battle of Iwo Jima was a major offensive during the Pacific War whereby American forces attempted to capture the three airfields of the Japanese island Iwo Jima through a coordinated combined military offensive. The island, heavily fortified by the Empire of Japan through a network of defensives and concealed weaponry, was a strategically important location throughout the war in the Pacific as the airbase was extensively used to intercept long range American B-29 Superfortress bombers and to stage air offensives upon American forces. In addition to eliminating the strategic advantage of the location to the Japanese, the capture of the island would provide assistance in relation to the eventual planned invasion of the Japanese mainland in relation to its extensive capabilities as an airbase. The battle was particularly significant as the number of American casualties exceeded that of the Japanese soldiers despite the inevitability of Japanese defeat.

__ Battle ____ of Berlin __ Occurring 16th April 1945 to 20th April 1945 the Battle of Berlin was the final distinguished offensive of the European theatre during the Second World War. The Red Army, having breached the German Front during the successful Vistula-Oder offensive whereby Russian soldiers had overrun German defences within Eastern Europe and had advanced rapidly reaching 60 km east of Berlin were the column halted along the Oder River. The Russian forces which had surrounded the city subsequent to resumption of the offensive attacked Berlin simultaneously from the north and south. Russian forces quickly advanced through the city meagrely opposed by inadequately equipped and disorganised German forces composed of //Whermacht//, //Waffen-SS//, //Volkssturm//, and Hitler Youth units. With close combat raging within the city centre during the conclusion of the battle Adolf Hitler and many of his closest followers committed suicide.

__ Battle ____ of Okinawa __ Occurring 1st April 1945 to 21st June 1945 the Battle of Okinawa was the amphibious assault in the Pacific theatre of the Second World War. The allied powers and chiefly the United States of America launched a major offensive upon the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa due to its strategic importance as a location providing airfields, troop staging areas, and fleet anchorage within close proximity of Japan. Indeed, the allies hoped that the island could adequately offer a base of air operations for the impending invasion of the Japanese mainland. The battle is particularly noted for resulting in the highest number of casualties during within the Pacific theatre of war. Japan suffered in excess of 95,000 casualties who were either killed or committed suicide. Approximately 11,000 soldiers were captured and civilian deaths are estimated as 45,000-150,000 of which many were mass suicides. Furthermore allied forces suffered approximately 85,000 casualties. Due to the ferocity of the offensive and especially in relation to the intensity of kamikaze attacks and the magnitude of the assaulting force, the battle has been considered to be a major contributor of the decision to use atomic weaponry upon civilian targets within the mainland of Japan. Anticipating that American losses upon the mainland of Japan could exceed that of the Battle of Okinawa the American government opted upon an alternative option which would not only potentially end the war within the Pacific, but display the power of the United States of America to Soviet Russia who America increasingly perceived as a threat due to their contrasting political ideologies.

__ Technological Developments __ A weapon which was used extensively during the Pacific conflict was the flamethrower, particularly the United States of America M2A1 flamethrower. The flamethrower was a particularly effective weapon at defeating Japanese forces positioned within pill boxes, buildings, and caves. As the dwellings within Eastern Asia were often constructed of dry plant based material they were very susceptible to destruction by fire. Indeed, within the Vietnam War the flamethrower was used extensively in relation to the conflict within the countries dense tropical environment.