European Involvement

World War II Notes

Prelude to War Terms that you should know

MilitarismNationalismImperialism

AXIS POWERS

Countries involved in World War 2

ALLIED POWERSFranceGreat BritainUnited StatesRussia

GermanyItalyJapan

Prelude to War New forms of governments formed after World War 1

Totalitarian rule-Idea that a government exerts total control over a nation.

Fascism- Emphasizes the importance of the nation or an ethnic group and the supreme authority of the ruler. (ITALY)

Nazism-The belief in Germany of the superiority of an ethnic group or race

Socialism- where everyone is created equal and the nation is to provide for everything for everybody.

Prelude to War (Russia) New forms of governments formed after World War 1

Communism- A system of government in which a nation is created where it has no individual states, money is not important and that a class system doesn’t exist. (Russia and today China)

Leader-StalinComes to power in 1924 after Lenin’s

Death and has his own idea’s of Communism

Prelude to War (Russia)Stalin’s Economic plans for Russia

Agriculture Combined family farms into huge collectives run by the

state. (Cooperatives) This led to terrible shortages of food and Stalin

punished his own people who resisted the changes. (Either killed them or sent them to prison camps in Siberia.) pg 569

IndustryTook his people and assigned them to build industrial

centers to produce coal, iron, oil etc.Guns versus butter-Stalin put all of the Soviet

Unions wealth and money into industry, there was a shortage of housing, clothing and food.

Prelude to War How did Stalin accomplish all of this in 10

years???Purges-removing enemies and undesirable

people from powerReign of Terror-Stalin removed anyone who

could threaten his power in the Communist party by trials

By 1939- 7 million arrested, 1 million executed and

millions more in forced labor camps.

Prelude to War (Italy)Fascism- Leader- Benito Mussolini Fought in world war 1, angry over the agreements of the

Versailles Treaty, started to speak up against the government

Formed the Fascist party and started to take control by using gangs to gain power.

Named Prime Minister when Mussolini threated to march on Rome, Italy.

Prelude to War (Italy)Fascism- Leader- Benito Mussolini

To end Italy's economic problems they outlawedElectionsOther political partiesEstablished a dictatorship with him in

control.

Prelude to War (Germany) Nazism- Leader-Adolf Hitler

Wounded in World War 1 also.Had a profound hatred of the war-guilt cause,

which blamed Germany for the war.Formed the Nazi party in response to what was

happening in Germany at this time (Unemployment, Inflation, Starvation, etc.)

Great Public Speaker and attracted many followers after the war.

Prelude to War (Germany)The Nazi Party

November 1923-Hitler tried to overthrow the German government and was sentenced to prison for 5 years (9 months served)

Mein Kampf “My Struggle”proposed anger over the Treaty of VersaillesBuild up of Germany’s military-MilitarismExpanding Germany’s borders-ImperialismPurifying the Aryan (German) race by removing

those who were considered undesirable.

Prelude to war Prelude to war part 1 Prelude to war part 2 Prelude to war part 3

Germany’s GoalsWanted to avoid a long warGermany's strategy was to defeat its

opponents in a series of short campaigns

Strategy: "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war)

Germany’s Strategy: Blitzkrieg

Tactic based on speed surprise, co-ordination and movement.

Designed to hit hard and then move on instantly

Video

Required the application of offensive weaponsTanks, planes, and

artillery (foot soldiers)

Causes shock and disorganization among the enemy defenses

How did it work? German air power prevented the enemy from

adequately resupplying or redeploying forces and thereby from sending reinforcements to seal breaches in the front. German forces could in turn surround opposing troops and force surrender.

Hitler Unleashes Blitzkrieg German’s invaded Poland September

1st 1939

Germany invades Western Europe

Denmark and Norway-April 9th 1940 Defeated after 5 days

BelgiumDefeated in 3 weeks

Ultimately France-June 10th France Surrendered

Most of Europe was under German Control with only Great Britain left to defend itself.

Battle of Dunkirk Defense and evacuation of British

and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940s

Part of the Battle of France 

Operation Dynamo

850 “Little Ships”

2,000 troops per hour

Nine days later, 338,226 trapped people were rescued

DURKIRK SPIRIT

MIRACLE OF DELIVERANCE

Robert Tierney, Dorset Regiment returning back from Dunkirk

We saw these small specks popping about all over the place, only when they got real close did we then realize that they were small boats, small boats in their hundreds going the other way. Then we saw that all these craft were manned by civilians, some even wearing trilby hats and smart jackets. They waved to us as they passed and anyone would think that they were on a Sunday cruise down to Windsor, these fellows had no idea as to what was at the end of their journey. A couple of fellows by the handrail gave them a cheer, and suddenly just about every soldier on our ship then gave three hearty cheers lifting their hats at the same time.

Lebensraum “Living Space”

Wanted space for the “superior race” – Nazi Nationalists

The “inferior race” living on Nazi territory – Gypsies and the Jews

Sent to concentration camps or ghettos for slave labor or to be sent to death – RESETTLEMENT

The Nazis stripped away the Jews lives and their identities in an effort to expand their own race at the expense and mistreatment of the Jewish race. 

Battle of Britain Immediately after the defeat of France,

Adolf Hitler ordered his generals to organize the invasion of Britain.

Objective was to land 160,000 German soldiers along a forty-mile coastal stretch of south-east England.

video

Battle in the AirLuftwaffe: Germany’s large

number of fighter planes Royal Air Force (RAF):

Britain's fighter planes German fighters could only

stay over England for about half an hour before flying back to their home bases.

Britain had a radar system

On the 12th August, 1940, the German air force began its mass bomber attacks on British radar stations, aircraft factories and fighter airfields

Battle of Britain: EndThe climax of the Battle of Britain came on the

30th-31st AugustBritish lost 50 aircraft compared to the

Germany's 41. The RAF were close to defeat but Adolf Hitler

then changed his tactics and ordered the Luftwaffe to switch its attack from British airfields, factories and docks to civilian targets.

This decision was the result of a bombing attack on Berlin

Damage in London London was bombed by the Germans = The Blitz During the conflict the Royal Air Force lost 792

planes and the Luftwaffe 1,389. There were 2,353 men from Great Britain and 574 from overseas who were members of the air crews that took part in the Battle of Britain.

An estimated 544 were killed and a further 791 lost their lives in the course of their duties before the war came to an end.

Response JournalPut your feet in the life of a European teen your

age during this time period. You can choose to write about being in the shoes of a soldier during a battle, a civilian caught in a battle, or a prisoner in a concentration camp. I expect you to sincerely reflect with the knowledge you learned about the Nazi’s tactics and the morale the underdogs held. Highlight tactics, concepts, and battles we discussed in class.

1-2 paragraphs No grammar/spelling errors. Due in the beginning of class tomorrow. – 10 points… 2 minutes of writing time.

Section 3

Prelude to war (Japan) Japan as a modern power Fought wars versus china (1894) and Russia (1904) (Defeated

them both) Early 1920s, A series of Recessions in the Japanese Economy

Went into a depression as a result of the Great Depression in the United States

Nationalism Manchurian Incident – Start of Japanese involvement in the pacific Japan Needed resources to feed its people and to power its

industry.

Feb 1932Pg 583 Japan’s imperialism

Prelude to war (Japan) Military slowly took control by a series of

assassinations after the Manchurian incident China

Sino-Japanese war Japan invades China in 1937Video

Burma RoadBritain's attempt to help the Chinese

by sending supplies down a highway that linked Myanmar to China

Prelude to war (Japan) By annexing the neighboring countries and a

build up of its’ military forces, Japan became a world power at this time

United States (Pre WW2)

Prelude to War (U.S.)Neutrality acts-

1935-Banned U.S. for selling weapons to nations at war

1936-Banned loans to nations at war1937-Permitted trade in non-military goods

as long as they paid cash and transported the goods themselves (CASH AND CARRY)

ALL EXAMPLES OF ISOLATIONISMFireside chats

Prelude to War (U.S.)America’s Role in World Politics

FDR wanted to be more involved but the Great Depression keep Roosevelt focused on Domestic matters.

America’s economy was recovering slowly

America’s opinions were to support Britain and go against Germany and Italy (Axis Powers)

Prelude to War (U.S.)America’s Role in World Politics

Exchange of old Navy Destroyers for military bases in the Western Hemisphere

Thought that the exchange would lead the United States into war

America First Committee-Group that wanted to prevent further aid to Britain, saying that any more involvement would plunge the nation into war.

Prelude to War (U.S.)Lend Lease-Lending Britain money and

supplies instead of charging them cash.Pearl HarborDec 7th 1941

Japan attacks the United StatesVIDEOVIDEO 2President’s speech

Chapter 18 The World at war

Chapter 18 Section 1America prepares for warFireside ChatAmerica out of the great depression creates

industries geared to production of war products (Guns, ammo, ships, etc) GUNS VS. BUTTER

The American public goes through a series of steps for rationing productsRationing-limiting the supply of goods sent to

the people of a country during a time of crisis.

Chapter 18 Section 1Steps to rationing

Office of War Mobilization-VIDEO

Victory garden-Black Market-Ration Card-Ration Stamps-

Victory garden-

Ration Card-

Ration Stamps-

Black Market-

War in Europe Chapter 18 Section 2

With the United States now into the war, the Allies and the Axis Powers are now defined as enemies.

The United States focuses all its might and energy into helping Great Britain defeat Nazi Germany and help in Europe.

War in Europe Chapter 18 Section 2

Atlantic Charter- Video The first action for the allies was in North Africa to gain

a toehold into Europe Wolf Packs- German Submarines who wreaked havoc on

shipping in the North Atlantic,. They tried to cut off all supplies to the British Island which almost single-handedly won the war for Germany

Video

War in Europe Chapter 18 Section 2

The Eastern Front-Germany invades Russia during June 1941

Germany is halted by the brutal Russian winter at Stalingrad 1942

Eventually they are beaten back after heavy losses of both men and machine.

Video

War in Europe Chapter 18 Section 2

Carpet bombing- The use of heavy bombers to reduce a city to rubble to force a country into submission

Video

The bombing campaign while effective was not a solution to make Germany surrender so an invasion of the European continent was planned

War in Europe Chapter 18 Section 2

D-Day-Operation Overlord The 5 beaches at Normandy France

Sword, Omaha, Juno, Utah and gold Saving Private Ryan Lead by Dwight D. Eisenhower, would later become

president Largest Amphibious operation of its kind to retake

Europe

War in Europe Chapter 18 Section 2

Battle of the Bulge Last German offensive of the war, tried to create a gap in

the Allied lines to force a retreat to drag out the war.VideoAfter the German defeat at the battle of the bulge, The

allies quickly pull into Germany and defeat is final on May 8th 1945 V-E Day; Victory in EuropeYalta conference: The allies met to divide Germany into

four zones and what to do in Europe afterwards

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4

Japanese forces advance in the pacific warFall of the Philippines

Bataan Death march U.S. Forces were captured and forced to march to a prisoner

camp over the span of 12 days 10,000 died on the march and 15,000 more die at the prison.

Geneva Convention Written in 1929 which defined treatment of prisoners of war

which the Japanese ignored

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4

The war at sea Important battles

Battle of the Coral Sea-no one won the battle but prevented the Japanese from invading Australia

Battle of Midway-Turning point of the war in the pacific, the U.S. Navy destroyed most of the Japanese carrier fleet

VIDEO The victory enabled the U.S. to go on the offensive

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4

The war at sea Important battles

Battle of Guadalcanal-FEB 19431st victory of the U.S. on land which took territory

away from Japan Island Hopping-selectively attacking certain

islands held by Japan while bypassing others to cut off supplies and reinforcements, enabled the U.S. to get to the ultimate goal, Japan, faster.

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4

Map of island hopping

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4

Battle of the Leyte GulfTaking back the PhilippinesDouglas MacArthur makes good on his promise

to returnKamikaze

Japan, short on planes and warships, loaded their airplanes with gas and explosives and they crashed into American ships

Similar to suicide bombers of today

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4

Douglas MacArthur

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4

Iwo Jima and OkinawaMost brutal fighting of the Pacific

war, these two islands were to provide an air base to attack Japan directly

Iwo Jima 25,000 American casualties

Okinawa 50,000 diedVIDEOVIDEO flag rising

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4

Iwo Jima famous photograph

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4

Okinawa and Iwo Jima

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4

Okinawa and Iwo Jima

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4 Japan is ready to be beaten but surrender is not

an option in their culturePresident Roosevelt dies in

office April 12th 1945 a month before V-E day

Harry S. Truman inherits the office of the presidency and faces a difficult decision in the Pacific war.

War in the PacificGet into groups of 2You are the president of the

united states and these are the four scenario’s that you must choose from to end the war in the pacific

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4What would you do as the new

president? 1) Invade the main island of Japan and lose 1,000,000

American troops? 2) use a new secret weapon being developed in the

United States unleashing a horrible new destructive technology but it is unknown how powerful it is or the long term effects.

3) blockade the island and starve Japan along with bombing them into submission

4) soften demands for an unconditional surrender

War in the Pacific You must choose from one of the

four scenarios and give reasons why your group chose the one you went with, and also give at least 1 reason of why the other reasons were rejected. You have 10 minutes to complete this project and be ready to defend your decision in front of the class

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4Manhattan project

To build the world’s first nuclear deviceTested at Los Alamos, New MexicoAlbert Einstein, a former German scientist

worked on the projectCreated under the direction of Robert

Oppenheimer, who after witnessing the successful test (called the Trinity Test) was quoted “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”

VIDEO

War in the Pacific Chapter 18 Section 4V-J Day August 15th 1945

Unconditional surrender aboard the USS Missouri

Genocide on the European continent Section 3

Timeline Anti-Semitism-discrimination or hostility directed at the Jewish

population Mid 1800s in Germany Holocaust-term used to describe the persecution and

extermination of the Jewish people in Europe by Germany 1933-1945

Concentration Camp-prison which contained anyone deemed “undesirable” by the German state

Kristallnacht-Night of Broken Glass, Nazis destroyed Jewish stores and places of worship and shipped thousands of Jews to the concentration camps after one night November 9th, 1938

Genocide on the European continent Section 3Timeline

Warsaw Ghetto-1940Germany houses the Jewish population in the city to starve

Wannsee Conference-Nazi officials met and decided on a “Final Solution” of the Jewish question Jan 1942

Which meant the systematic extermination of all Jews in Europe

Genocide on the European continent Section 3Timeline

Genocide-deliberate destruction of an ethnic or cultural group

Death Camps-camps designed with one purpose in mind, to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time.

Nuremberg Trials-Nuremberg Germany where high ranking German officials were put on trial for crimes against humanity.

VIDEO

Genocide on the European continent Section 3In the end over 6 million Jews

were exterminated during World War 2

Holocaust Museum-Auschwitz Concentration Ca

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Japanese Internment Internment-Forced relocation of Japanese citizens

in the Western United States to different locations throughout the U.S.

Nisei-Term used for Japanese Americans VIDEO The Japanese Americans were forced to leave their

homes, businesses, which were then taken by the United States government

In 1988, Congress authorized repayment of $20,000 dollars and an apology for the crimes committed by the U.S. government against its’ own citizens