Bell Ringer

• What were the 6 main countries to start World War II? (NOT the US)

• What is appeasement?

• What is isolationism?

• What are things you know/or think you know about World War II?

Bell Ringer

• What is fascism?

• What was the problem with the League of Nations in the 1930s?

• What is blitzkrieg?

Bell Ringer

• Why is the blitzkrieg an effective fighting tactic?

• What is a disadvantage to a stationary defense?

• What is the advantage of defending an island?

Bell Ringer

• What was the Maginot line?

• What was the result of the Munich Pact?

• What event dragged the US into WWII?

Bell Ringer

• What was the lend lease act?

• What is the RAF?

• Where do you think the city of Stalingrad is located (country)?

Bell Ringer

• Why did the blitzkrieg fail in Russia?

• What is a theater in terms of warfare?

• Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor?

Bell Ringer

• What was “cash and carry” during World War II?

• Where did the US see its first fighting in Europe Theater?

• What is V-E Day?

Bell Ringer

• What three countries invaded beaches on D-Day?

• What is Midway?

• What is the Manhattan Project?

Bell Ringer

• What is Defense in Depth?

• What is a kamikaze attack?

• What were the two cities destroyed by atomic bombs?

Bell Ringer

• What arguments were there for using the atomic bomb?

• What arguments were there for NOT using the atomic bomb?

CH 24: World War II

Russia (Communism)• In 1917 the Russian Monarchy was

overthrown creating a Bolshevik State (USSR)

• In 1924 Joseph Stalin took control of the USSR as a totalitarian dictator.

• Stalin attempted to modernize Russia and increase industrial production through five year plans

• Millions would die in Russia through purges or starvation brought on by the five year plans

Italy (Fascism)• Italy felt largely insulted by their small

role in creating the Treaty of Versailles • Benito Mussolini, a veteran, took

advantage of this by creating a fascist party, or one that focused on extreme nationalism

• Mussolini convinced the Italian people they could recreate the great Roman Empire

• He would rise to the rank of Prime Minister and outlaw much of his Opposition

Germany (Nazis)

• German felt insulted and devastated by the restrictions placed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles

• Hitler preached the idea that Germans and other Nordic people were ethnically & genetically superior to others (Aryan Race)

• Hitler called for Lebensraum, or living space, for the German people in his book Mien Kampf

• In 1934 he legally became both President and Chancellor of Germany

Japan• Japan was an isolationist nation until

the US forced them to trade with the world in 1853

• In 1867 an uprising against the Shogun turned into a full out rebellion with the winners using “modern” weapons

• The new Japan would launch a huge movement to industrialize and modernize.

• They would be on the winning side of World War I, and would be the major Asian power

Britain, France, & USA• Britain– Still ruled a fairly large Empire

around the world, wanted to avoid war and maintain economic stability

• France– Suffered from political instability,

and developed elaborate defenses against a possible German attack

• USA– Had actively attempted to return to

isolationism since WWI

FDR & Winston Churchill

The World• The world had been severely impacted by the

Great Depression– The League of Nations (without an Army) is forced

to rely on member nations to enforce their rulings.

– Britain and France don’t want to spend the money to militarily enforce decisions, and this leads to a rise in aggressive actions by the Japanese, Germans, and Italians

Japanese Aggressions

• In 1920 Japan was a member of the League of Nations, and the Kellogg-Briand Pact (an international agreement to not use war as a diplomatic tactic)

• They had also shrunk their navy to 3/5 its size because of disarmament agreements

• However, Japan was a resource poor island and needed raw materials.

• In 1931 the Japanese would stage an attack on their forces, and use this as an excuse to invade Manchuria.

• Then in 1937 the Japanese would invade Nanking, and go on a 6 week rampage through the city that left 100,000 dead, and is known as the Rape of Nanking

• The Chinese point to THIS as the start of World War II

German Aggressions

• Hitler will begin to blatantly defy the Treaty of Versailles– 1936 Germany reoccupies the

Rhineland – 1938 Germany annexes Austria

(Anschluss)– 1938 Germany gains the

Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

• Britain (Europe) employs a policy of appeasement.

Munich Pact• Hitler stated his goal was to reunite all ethnic Germans– He was specifically going after areas

that were ethnically German, and HAD been apart of Germany before 1918

• Sept 1938: Hitler promises this is the end of German expansion

• English PM Chamberlin announces “Peace in our time”

• Hitler annexes the rest of Czechoslovakia 6 months later…

Meanwhile, in the USA• In 1935 Italy invaded the African

nation of Ethiopia (used tanks, planes, & gas on tribes)

• Since Italy had been a prime enforcer of the League of Nations the US is asked for help

• The US says no, citing the Neutrality Act of 1935 which stopped the US from supplying nations in conflict with materials of warfare

• The US would stay out of conflicts by signing neutrality acts in 36 & 37, but FDR would write letters to aggressor nations asking for peaceful resolutions to problems.

The Start of World War II

• Germany annexation of Czechoslovakia put Britain and France on high alert.

• Britain and France informed any more territorial expansion by him would result in war

• Hitler & Stalin signed a non-aggression treaty in August 1939 (which also secretly split Poland in two)

• September 1st Germany invaded Poland, September 3rd Britain & France declared war, & World War II had begun.

Blitzkrieg- Lightning War• One of Hitler’s main

strategies during WWII was the Blitzkrieg

• The German army would rush forward as quickly as possible with tanks, planes, and soldiers.

• The speed of the attack often left enemies dazed and confused, and as a result was highly successful.– Poland would only last 16 days.

French Defenses: Maginot Line

• Since World War I had ended the French had been determined to stop another German invasion.

• They constructed the Maginot Line, an in depth fortification along the Germany-France border

• The French believed there would be no way the Germans would invade through the “low countries” again (Netherland, Belgium, Luxemburg)

France falls• Hitler would quickly turn his attention to France after the fall of Poland (His non- aggression agreement with Stalin stood)

• France had the majority of its army at the Maginot Line, and the Germans invaded through Belgium & Luxemburg (again) reaching France in just 4 days

• In 1940 France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway would all fall to the Germans

• Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands fell in just 18 days

Miracle at Dunkirk

• As the German army swept into France it pinned the British, French, & Belgian defensive forces against the sea.

• If Hitler could successfully kill/capture these forces there would not be an army in Europe to compete with

• Hitler issued a Halt order to his division: he feared the ground was too soft to use tanks effectively on, and his pilots were worn out from constant attacks

• In a week long rescue effort (May 27-June 4) every available boat was sent between Britain and France to ferry soldiers back to safety

• In what is commonly referred to as the “Miracle at Dunkirk,” some 338,000 soldiers were rescued by the British

Britain stands alone: Battle of Britain• Britain was the last European

Country to stand against Germany.

• The Germans would relentlessly bomb Britain hoping to beat them into submission (The Blitz). Civilians fled to the country side, or hid in Tube tunnels

• The Royal Air Force (RAF) would night after night fight the German attack, and hold off any possible invasion

• We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

Results of The Blitz

• Hitler sent 2,500 bomber & fighter planes to attack Britain during the Blitz

• The RAF successfully shot down 1,700 German aircraft, while only losing 915– Statistically 3 of every 4 pilots shot down were able to safely eject from

their plane. They were recovered by the RAF, and sent back up in a new plane.

• The Blitz would devastate cities, such as London• Hitler was forced to halt his attack on Britain as his industry could

not replace the planes as quickly as they were being shot down

Roosevelt to the Rescue• In 1939 Roosevelt would push

a “modified” Neutrality act through Congress.

• It contained a “cash & carry” clause: If a nation could pay for materials in cash AND carry it away in their own ships, then the US would sell them whatever they like.

• In 1940 the US military started to remilitarize, but did not enter the war.

Lend-Lease• By 1940 Britain was nearly bankrupt,

and FDR determined the US needed to “lend all aid short of war.”

• The US Congress passed the Lend Lease Act after much debate.

• The act authorized the president to transfer arms or any other defense materials for which Congress appropriated money to "the government of any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States." (WITHOUT PAYING)

• 1941 June- Hitler attacks Russia

Atlantic Charter• 1941 August- Churchill and

FDR met on a war ship off the coast of Canada.

• Here they developed the Atlantic Charter– They would not use war to

expand their territory– All people should have the right

to rule themselves• 1941 November- Congress

allows US transport ships to arm themselves and sail to Europe

Pearl Harbor • 1940-1941: Japan had been conquering large portions of the Pacific in search of raw materials

• The US attempted to curb Japanese aggression by Japanese enemies, and freezing their money in US banks

• Dec 7 1941- Japan would launch a surprise attack on the US Naval Base located at Pearl Harbor Hawaii (2,400 dead, 1,200 wounded, 300 aircraft, 8 Battle Ships)

• The next day FDR asked for Congress to declared war on Japan, they would (82-0 Senate, 388-1 House)

• Dec 11 1941- Germany & Italy declared war on the US

European Theater 1942-45

Germany invades the USSR• Believing Britain a nation only

days away from collapsing in on itself, Hitler turn the German Army’s attention to Russia (need for oil/disliked Stalin)

• A massive Blitzkrieg attack was launched– The Buffer area of Poland (&

Russia’s huge size) gave the Russian army room to retreat

– The Red Army practiced “Scorched Earth”

• The onset of Russian Winter would halt the Nazi offensive

Axis in North Africa• Oil will be a driving factor in

Hitler’s decisions• Militarily the Germans cannot

push into the Middle East through Europe, so Hitler sends a tank division to Africa (to help the Italians who are doing pretty poorly): Afrika Korps– Led by Erwin Rommel (Desert Fox)

• A main goal of the Germans: take control of the Suez Canal

As the US Enters…?

• After the US enters WWII the war will drastically change.

• Stalin wants the US to invade mainland France first (to take pressure off the Russians)

• Churchill wants the US to invade Northern Africa to aid his troops

• FDR would chose to invade Northern Africa because 1. US troops were inexperienced and 2. the logistics of transporting men from England to France were too risky

Northern Africa• The US will land in Northern Africa in Nov 1942. • Under the leadership of Dwight Eisenhower and

George Patton the US would face and break the German forces in Northern Africa (Rommel)– 250,000 Axis Soldiers will be taken prisoner

Invasion of Italy• Northern Africa was used as a

launching point into Italy (1943)• The invasion and a number of

losses caused the Italian people to lose faith in Mussolini. The King was reinstated and Mussolini was removed from office

• Mussolini was eventually executed by the Italian people

Battle of Stalingrad• Since the Allies had chose to invade Northern Africa Stalin

remained alone in the East• June 1942: Even though the Axis forces closed on the city, and

it was fire bombed, Stalin ordered his soldiers not to retreat • For over 2 months fierce fighting would move from street to

street• Nov 1942: Stalin counterattacked, & surrounded the Nazis.• The Nazis were under orders to fight to the death

– Over 200,000 Germans would die, and over 1 Million Russians

Attacking Germany

• The US would employ its advanced air force against the Germans

• The US would use precision bombing and saturation bombing– Precision bombing would destroy

specific targets such as oil refineries, train yards, and factories

– Saturation bombing would release a large number of bombs over a wide area (cities). This would leave the area bombed in rubble• Saturation bombing was INTENTED to

kill a large number of civilians in an effort to break their will and make a country quit

Operation Overlord: D-Day• The invasion of France involved 1,200 warships, 800

transport ships, 4,000 landing crafts, 10,000 airplanes, & hundreds of tanks

• The First wave had 156,000 soldiers

• The Allies would land on 5 beaches • By the end of that day the Allies held the 59 mile

landing area.

V-E Day• The D-Day invasion had caused the

two front war that Hitler had feared

• Hitler attempted to break the Allied lines one last time but failed (Battle of the Bulge)

• The Russians pushed into Poland driving the German army to the breaking point

• April 30th- Hitler commits suicide (FDR had died April 12th)

• May 8th The Germans surrender and the allies celebrate Victory in Europe -> V-E Day

Note about the EOC

• ***The Florida EOC tends to focus more on the Pacific Theater than the European. The reason for this is that the Pacific Theater was almost a TOTAL American Effort. While we were in Europe we had some help from the British, French, Russians, and other people. In saying this, it does not mean ignore Europe, it just means that militarily the stuff that has come up before cares slightly more about the Pacific.***

Pacific Theater: 1942-45

• The Americans fight in the Pacific almost completely alone.

• The Russians “said” they would help but conveniently show up the day we dropped the 2nd nuclear bomb

• General Douglas MacArthur led the US

Doolittle Raids• Many Americans incorrectly think

that dropping the atomic bomb was revenge for Pearl Harbor- it wasn’t.– Pearl Harbor- December 7th 1941– Atomic Bombs- August 6th & 9th 1945– Doolittle Raids- April 18th 1942

• The Doolittle Raids sent long range bombers (B-25s) off of aircraft carriers to bomb Japan as a definitive 1st strike on the Japanese.

• These raids were meant to show the Japanese that we could hit them whenever we wanted to.

Battle of Coral Sea• Shortly after the Doolittle

Raids the Japanese were approaching Australia to strengthen their hold on the Pacific

• The US fleet would come to their allies aid – May 4-8 1942- Battle of Coral

Sea• The US turned back Japanese

expansion in the South Pacific• The Battle of Coral Sea would

be the first Naval battle where aircraft carriers fought, and neither sides SHIPS actually saw or fired on each other

Battle of Midway

• The US had to figure out how to get to Japan in large numbers & stop Japanese expansion in the Pacific

• The US intercepted and broke a Japanese transmission stating the Empires next target was the US island of Midway.

• The US fleet waited for the Japanese to come and attack

• The Japanese were looking for revenge from the Doolittle Raids

• The Battle of Midway was a resounding victory for the US fleet.– The US destroyed all 4 Japanese Aircraft carriers, a cruiser,

and 300 planes• The Japanese would never recover from their loss at

Midway, and were forced to fight on the defensive for the rest of the War

• This battle opened up the Pacific for the US Fleet

Island Hopping (Leapfrogging)

• The Japanese held almost every island in the Pacific.

• To retake each island would be a slow, costly, and difficult task.

• The US determined that they could “leapfrog” heavily defended islands and claim a nearby, but less well defended, island

• The end goal was to secure and island close enough to Japan to launch bomber attacks from

Defense in Depth

• The counter to Island Hopping was the Japanese’s Defense in Depth

• The Japanese acknowledged they could not defend every island the same as it would drain limit resources

• Therefore they did not believe they could stop the American advance, but instead make it so slow and costly that the US would seek peace rather than victory.

• Defense in Depth was used at the battles of Tarawa, Saipan, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa

Iwo Jima & Okinawa• By Aug 1944 the US had taken the

Marianas Islands where they could launch long range bombing missions into Japan

• For a realistic military invasion the US had to be much closer

• The last two important islands were Iwo Jima and Okinawa– Iwo Jima- Emergency landing place for

Bombers & base for escort fighter planes– Okinawa- 310 miles south of Japan and

an ideal staging location

Iwo Jima• The US bombed Iwo Jima for

3 months before invading it (had little affect)

• Feb 1945- Took a month to take the island

• 6,800 American soldiers would die

• 22,000 Japanese soldiers (almost all) died on Iwo Jima as they were given orders to fight till their death

Okinawa• April 1945• Combined US & British effort• Battle lasted for 2 months,

much of the combat was hand to hand

• 12,000 Americans would die• 100,000 Japanese would die

• Meanwhile Japanese aircrafts were flying directly into Allied ships, at tactic known as Kamikaze

The Manhattan Project• Securing Okinawa gave the US and

Allies a base to launch an invasion of mainland Japan

• HOWEVER, the fighting on Iwo Jima and Okinawa, combined with kamikaze pilots worried the Allied Generals.

• There was a legitimate fear the Emperor would order ALL Japanese citizens to fight invaders till their death, and a very realistic belief that they would.

• The US had developed another option though…

• At the urging of Albert Einstein, FDR allowed for research into using uranium to form “extremely powerful bombs.”

• This established The Manhattan Project

• Research was done by scientist, many of whom fled fascist Europe, in the New Mexico desert

• The project successfully developed and detonated the world’s first atomic bomb– “I am become Death, the

destroyer of worlds.”

A decision…• President Truman was told a direct

invasion of Japan could result in 500,000 Allies dead or wounded

• The Japanese refused to surrender even though a blockade had cut off all aid to the islands and they were routinely being bombed

• General Eisenhower, “It was my belief that Japan was, at that very moment, seeking some way to surrender with a minimal loss of face (honor).”

Hiroshima, Nagasaki, & V-J Day• Hiroshima Aug 6th 1945– Enola Gay-> Little Boy– 80,000 people died instantly

• Nagasaki Aug 9th 1945– Bockscar-> Fat Man– 40,000 people died

• An estimated 250,000 Japanese died from the blast, burns, radiation poisoning, or cancer from the 2 atomic bombs

• August 14th the Japanese Surrender -> V-J Day

The War

• The end of World War II had resulted in great loss of life

• About 55 Million died– 30 Million were Civilians– 20 Million were from the USSR– 440,000 US citizens died