AMERICA IN WORLD WAR II

CHAPTER 35

The Allies Trade Space For Time After Pearl Harbor, the free world was on the edge of

disaster Japan running amok in Pacific and Germany might drive

England to the wall before US aid could stem the tide. ABC-1 agreement

Get Germany 1st and then move to Japan Why is stopping Hitler a bigger priority?

Hitler might be able to crush Soviets and British Plan: Devote enough energy to Japan to keep them from

getting any more and begin to try to drive them back, but make Europe the first priority. This strategy criticized by public, pacific commanders, China

and far-east allies, but was sound.

Revving the Economic Engine

US had massive economic potential, but needed time to get geared up.

England in desperate shape. America needed to time to convert

factories to all-out war production. Fear that skilled German scientists would

come up with dramatic new weapons. Had to feed and arm itself and allies.

The Shock Of War National unity wasn’t a problem—Pearl Harbor

had silenced isolationists. West-Coast Japanese

110,000 interned in concentration camps. Why? Most interned were well integrated into US Lost millions in earnings and property. Upheld by Supreme Court in Korematsu v. U.S. Apologize in 1988 and pay reparations.

Japanese Internment

Waiting for the Signal From Home

Building The War Machine

War snapped US out of the depression.

Full employment. War Production Board. Henry J. Kaiser -Ship-building

king (14 days per ship)

Rationing

War production board halted manufacture of non-essential items

War industries had first priority in transport and raw materials

National speed limit and gas rationing.

Food Rationing Meat and butter

Farmers have bumper crops and boom time.

Do Your Part

Economic Bumps War caused Inflation. Why?

Full employment and scare consumer goods WPB response.

Ceilings on wage increases Unions gave no-strike pledge, but hated wage caps and

some staged labor stoppages. Mine workers under John L. Lewis were the worst. Roosevelt took a tough stance.

1943 Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act Authorized federal gov’t to seize and operate tied up

industry; strikes were a criminal offense.

Manpower Shortage

15 Million men served in WWII.

216,000 women served in military in one capacity or another

Severe manpower shortage at home. Braceros.

Rosie the Riveter

6 Million women took jobs outside the home; over half had never worked before. Rosie the Riveter.

Effect on Women’s movement Wanted to keep working

after the war 2/3 left or lost their

jobs after war.

Wartime Migrations

Reason for wartime migrations 1.6 million blacks moved from the south. New race problems in northern cities. Blacks resent their treatment. FDR issues executive order prohibiting

discrimination in defense industries Fair Employment Practices Commission.

Internal Migration in the United States During World War II

Blacks Demand Fairness Blacks adopt the

Double V slogan. Victory over Military

segregation and dictators

NAACP membership shoots up and Congress for Racial Equality is established (CORE)

Move north continues after the war.

Economic Effect of War

Americans at home suffered very little from the war, especially when contrasted to the Brits and Russians.

War invigorated the US economy to an unprecedented level. GNP doubled from 1940 to 1945 and pay checks went way up.

Disposable income more than doubled, but not much to spend on because all factories devoted to war.

The war, even more than the New Deal, leads to the Big Government of the second half of the 20th Century.

Federal Spending

All the federal spending finally cures the depression.

War cost $330 billion. Where did money come from?

Forced US to borrow at unprecedented level and to raise taxes.

National debt goes from $49 Billion in 1941 to $259 Billion in 1945.

Figure 36.1: The National Debt, 1930–1950

THE RISING SUN IN THE PACIFIC

Japan attacks islands around them Burma Road – US had been using this to

support Jiang Jieshi (China) General Douglas MacArthur –

Philippines – forced to surrender He fled to Australia Bataan Death March – prisoner of war

camps

JAPAN’S HIGH TIDE AT MIDWAY

Coral Sea Japan going for Australia Heavy losses for Japan Aircraft carriers – important

Midway Japan lost 4 carriers and the battle Turning Point!!!!!

AMERICAN LEAPFROGGING TOWARD TOKYO

Guadalcanal Japan loss – 20,000 / US loss - 1,700

New Guinea Last buffer protecting Australia Heavy Losses for Japan

MacArthur starts to return in Philippines Leapfrogging

The Allied Halting Of

Hitler

Battle of North Atlantic

German subs were sinking merchant ships faster than they could be built.

Code Breakers

North Africa Erwin Rommel – Desert Fox Bernard Montgomery

(WINS)

9/42 Russia stalls the German steamroller on the outskirts of Stalingrad Turning point in USSR

The North African Second Front Soviets are begging the allies to open

second front. Allies recognize they need to. Stalin’s concerns and fears Allies concerns

Americans are willing to make a cross-channel invasion in 1942 but Churchill and England’s high command are against this.

British argue for an attack at the underbelly of Europe in the Mediterranean.

Operation Torch Invade North Africa 11/42. Ike in command. Biggest sea-born invasion up to that time. American troops get pummeled by Germans in first battle at

Kasserine pass. Patton takes charge. U.S. and Brits begin to drive Germans East. Forced Germans to surrender in Tunisia 5/43

Casablanca Churchill and Roosevelt

Jan. 1943. Agree to invade Sicily. Many on American staff

don’t like this idea. Churchill and Roosevelt

agree to insist on unconditional surrender of Germany. Why? Soviets would like it Forestall charges of future

broken treaties Enemy must now fight until

the last bunker

Sicily

Sicily invaded and falls 8/43.

Mussolini is deposed soon thereafter and Italy unconditionally surrenders.

Germans don’t leave and carry on fight in Italy

Invasion of Italy 9/43 Allies invade toe of

Italy and start fighting up the boot.

Bogs down; amphibious invasion along the Western coast at Anzio.

Very slow going in Italy fighting through the mountains.

Allies finally get Rome 2 days before D-Day.

Do not finish in Italy until 5 days before German surrender.

Italy Assessed

Benefits: Does divert some German troops and provides us

with air bases from which we can easily bomb Germany.

Does open the Mediterranean to Allies greatly restricting Germans.

Problems: Delayed the cross-channel invasion by many months,

giving Soviets a chance to get further into Eastern Europe before the war ends.

Increased Soviet suspicion

Tehran Conference

Late Nov. 1943 Purpose

Plan an East and West simultaneous attack

First meeting of Roosevelt and Stalin

Stalin Roosevelt Churchill

Eisenhower’s D-day Invasion Of France

Eisenhower is given command of D-day landing.

June 6, 1944. Biggest sea-borne invasion in history.

Land near Normandy.

Five beaches. Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah, Omaha

D-Day

Very hard fighting; Have to break out before Germans

bring in reinforcements and drive invasion back into the ocean. US has Air superiority. US has used paratroopers the night

of the D-day invasion Hitler dithers on the day of the

invasion. August, 1944, invasion of southern

France opens a second front. Patton breaks out and races to the

German border, but is forced to stall when he can’t get enough supplies.

Election of 1944

Election of 1944 comes at a bad time—the war is reaching its climax

Republicans nominate Dewey, popular governor of New York. He is only 42 and is very liberal for a Republican.

FDR is re-nominated as a matter of course. Roosevelt is in very poor health. VP, Henry Wallace (distrusted), dumped and replaced

by Truman. Why? Inconspicuous Senator

Roosevelt Again

FDR wins by 3 Million votes and 432-99 in the Electoral College. Reasons?

Battle of the Bulge

December 1944, Germany was wobbling. Dec. 16, 1944 Hitler unleashes a powerful

all-out counter-offense in the snow-shrouded and foggy Ardennes forest. Battle of the Bulge.

Allies are thrown back in disarray. German target is port of Antwerp. Why?

It was the key to the Allied supply operation

Battle of the Bulge

Problem—Germans are very low on fuel and lack air support.

101st Airborne is surrounded but refuses to surrender at Bastogne. Constantly shelled, low

supplies, no winter clothing.

Patton drives north in record time and relieves Bastogne.

V-E Day March 1945 American Troops reach the Rhine April, 1945 just outside Berlin, US forces meet up with Soviets who have

been driving in from the East. Discover the concentration camps. April 12, 1945, Roosevelt dies. Truman, who is totally out of the loop, is hastily sworn in. April 30, 1945, Hitler commits suicide as Berlin is falling around him. May 7, 1945, Germany surrenders unconditionally.

Japan Dies Hard American subs devastate Japan’s

merchant fleet. Massive fire-bomb raids of Japanese

cities. March, 1945, destroy ¼ of Tokyo and killed

over 80,000. As devastating as later Nuclear attacks.

MacArthur recaptures New Guinea.

Leyte Gulf and Philippine

October, 1944, biggest naval battle in history. Leyte Gulf. Japan’s naval power is

destroyed. Kamikazes.

Jan. 1945, recapture Philippine mainland.

Douglas MacArthur returns to Philippines

Okinawa and Iwo Jima

Spring 1945 vicious battles on Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

Japanese fight to the last man, inflicting severe casualties.

Impact on US strategic thinking? Japan will never

unconditionally surrender

Atomic Awfulness

Invasion of Japan is assumed will cost America thousands of casualties.

Japan is sending out peace-feelers, but does not appear willing to surrender unconditionally.

Potsdam Conference - July 1945 Allies agree again to unconditional surrender.

Japan wants to keep the emperor. Manhattan Project. Very secret. First atomic bomb in New Mexico July 1945. Nagasaki and Hiroshima—Japanese surrender.

Hiroshima—70,000 instant deaths and 60,000 more over next months due to radiation.

Nagasaki – 80,000 killed or missing Soviets enter the war just after the first bomb and overrun

Manchuria and Korea (hence North Korea) Japan surrenders August 10, 1945 if they can keep their emperor

Hirohito. US accepts on August 14, 1945

Why Does Truman Use the Bomb?

Avoid US casualties, but clear Japan would likely surrender before Invasion.

To show Soviets what we have

To prevent Soviets from being involved in Pacific longer and grabbing more territory and having a say in rebuilding of Japan. Probably most important