world war ii overview notes

World War II Overview

Notes

What was WWII?Largest war in human history. Involved countries, colonies, and territories around the entire world.

By the end, over 70 million were dead.

It lasted from 1939 until 1945.

WW2 CausesW WI and the Treaty of Versailles•Appeasement•Rise of Totalitarianism

WWI and the Treaty of Versailles

Germany lost land to surrounding nations

War reparations ($)Allies collect $ to pay

back war debts to USGermany pays $57

trillion (modern day equivalent)

Germans are bankrupt, embarrassed, guilt ridden, and angry.

Desperate people turn to desperate leaders

AppeasementGiving someone something to make them

happy and leave you alone.Hitler demanded land that wasn’t Germany’s

and others just gave it to him.Nations were trying to prevent war…it didn’t

work. (Isolationism)Appeasement just showed Hitler that he

could do whatever he wanted.

British PM at the beginning of the War…

~Neville Chamberlin~

“Peace in Our Time!”

“In war, whichever side may cal l itself the victor,

there are no winners, but

al l are losers.”

Rise of TotalitarianismA system in which the state and its leader

have nearly TOTAL control. Individual rights are not viewed as important

as the needs of the nation. No right to voteNo free speechGovernment controlled economyOften a police state

What is Fascism?Political belief that says the individual is less important than the nation.

Glorifies violence, believes it is needed to “prove” strength of a people.

Uses nationalism and racism. Dictatorships.Italy and then Germany became fascist.

Totalitarianism

USSR:Communist Dictatorship

Germany & Italy:Fascist

Dictatorship

Japan:Military

Dictatorship

Adolf Hitler-Germany

Hideki Tojo -

Japan

Benito Mussolini -Italy

Josef Stalin-USSR

Axis Powe

rs

Not >>>>

What did Hitler Want?Militarism- soon after becoming

chancellor he begins rearming Germany breaking the Treaty of Versailles …make the Germany people proud.

Lebensraum- “living space”Austria - annexed peacefully in 1938Sudetenland – territory in Czechoslovakia

Given to Germany by Great Britain and France at the “Munich Conference & Pact” (remember “Appeasement”)

Hitler then invades the rest of CzechoslovakiaOn to Poland… and Russia.

Recap: Who was on each side?Axis Powers

GermanyItaly Japan

Allied PowersGreat BritainSoviet UnionUnited StatesFrance

Surrendered to Germany in 1940 after 6 weeks

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister

Joseph StalinRussian Leader

Franklin Delano RooseveltUS President Allied

Powers

Not pictured: Charles de Gaulle

President of France

WWII Day 2The European Theater of War

Recap: Who was on each side?Axis Powers

GermanyItaly Japan

Allied PowersGreat BritainSoviet UnionUnited StatesFrance

Surrendered to Germany in 1940 after 6 weeks

Adolf Hitler-Germany

Hideki Tojo -

Japan

Benito Mussolini -Italy

Josef Stalin-USSR

Axis Powe

rs

Not >>>>

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister

Joseph StalinRussian Leader

Franklin Delano RooseveltUS President Allied

Powers

Not pictured: Charles de Gaulle

President of France

How did WWII start?Germany invaded Poland to attain

lebensraum throughout Russia >>>Also went to the south and east

through the Sudetenland.

How did WWII start in Europe?

Germany invaded Poland. September 1st 1939

Allies (BR, FR, & R) declare war on Germany.

Germany then invades France, Belgium, etc.

Then Hitler invades Russia. Germans use “blitzkrieg” to

overwhelm other armies. Blitzkrieg means “lightening war” in German.

Go in with air-craft first… Shock and Awe!

Surround with tanks and troops in trucks.

Parisian Citizens cut the ties on the elevators so that Hitler could not enjoy

the view of the city…

Battle of the Atlantic 1939 – 1945 (Jan. 1942 – July 1943 were decisive)

German U-Boats were sinking unprotected U.S. and other Allies' merchant ships

Allies began using convoys to protect ships

The Allies also used a sonar system to detect German U-Boats

The Germans were very successful in the beginning, but by mid - 1943, the Allies had the upper hand

"The Battle of the Atlantic was the only thing that really frightened me" - Winston Churchill.

Battle of Stalingrad (June 1941 – January 31, 1943)

Germans violated nonaggression pact with Soviet Union and attacked

Hitler hoped to captured Soviet oil fields

Germans nearly won (controlled 9/10 of the city)

Winter of 1943 hit

Battle of Stalingrad cont…Hitler forced Germans to stay put

Soviets used to their advantage and won

Soviets lost 1,100,000 people in this battle

Turning point in WWII and from that point on, Soviet army began to move westward towards Germany

Battle of the BulgeDecember 16, 1944

German tanks broke through American lines (80 mile front)

 Fought in Belgium - Germany was trying to capture

Antwerp Very brutal war - one of the most extensive of U.S.

military (120 American GIs captured and mowed down by SS machine guns and pistols)

Battle of the Bulge Cont.Germans were winning in the beginning

120,000 Germans died (also lost 600 tanks and guns and 1,600 planes – leading to defeat))

 80,000 Americans died Americans won, but were close to losing

WWII Day 3The Pacific Theater of War

What about the Pacific War?

The US (mostly) fought the Japanese.December 7, 1941

“Day that will live in Infamy” Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii

to sink US ships there. Two hours = most US navy destroyed and 2,000+ sailors killed

“Island-hopping”US forces elected to

focus on capturing only certain strategic islands in the Pacific – ones that would allow US bombers to get within striking range of Japan and create a safe route for troop and supply movement

Battle of GuadalcanalAug. 1942 – Feb.

1943U.S. amphibious

attack on Japanese fortifications

Land, sea, & air battleEventually 31,000 of

the 36,000 Japanese on the island were killed

Douglas MacArthur 1880 – 1964 Seasoned veteran of WWI,

highly decorated soldier who had won the Medal of Honor

Had vowed to return to the Philippines when forced to evacuate in 1942

Led US effort to retake the Philippines and proclaimed “I have returned” when he finally landed in Oct. 1944

Later was US commander of occupied Japan after WWII and led UN forces in the Korean War

The Philippines US forces landed at Leyte in Oct. 1944 to begin the retaking of the Philippines, but relied entirely on the US Navy for air cover for protection

Japanese navy counterattacked, drawing the US Navy into a major naval battle that left MacArthur’s forces unprotected and nearly led to disaster

US forces would not gain full control of the Philippines until July 1945, just weeks before the war ended

Kamikaze AttacksThe Battle of Leyte

Gulf marked the first coordinated use of suicide attacks by Japanese pilots known as kamikaze (“divine wind”)

Japanese high command was now resorting to desperate tactics as Japan ran out of experienced pilots and the industrial capacity to continue making new weaponry

Battle of the Coral Sea Prior to this battle, the Japanese were winning every

battle and taking over the Pacific May 1942 - U.S. and Australia stopped Japan from

invading Japan won the actual battle, but the allies were able

to stop Japan invasion for the first time

U.S. was beginning to use the Island Hopping technique to weaken Japan’s forces

Battle of MidwayJune 1942

Admiral Chester Nimitz intercepted Japanese code

U.S. launched surprise attack on Japan at Pacific island called Midway

U.S. was successful in the Battle of Midway

Battle of MidwayThe Japanese lost 4 carriers, a heavy

cruiser, 3 destroyers, some 275 planes, at least 4,800 men, and suffered heavy damage among the remaining vessels of their fleet.

American losses included 1 carrier, the Yorktown, a destroyer, about 150 planes, and 307 men

Iwo JimaFeb./Mar. 1945First Japanese “home-island” captured by the US

20,700 of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers on the island were killed; about 6800 of the 60,000 US Marines who landed on Iwo Jima were killed

Badly damaged Japanese morale; placed Japan within easy bombing range for US bombers

Firebombing of Japan Gen. Curtis LeMay ordered the use of napalm (jellied gasoline) bombs on Japanese cities because his bombers were having trouble hitting their targets

The napalm was designed to start massive fires, which would ensure the destruction of the desired military targets, but would also lead to heavy losses of civilian life

Mar. 9, 1945: firebombing of Tokyo killed over 80,000; by the war’s end, 67 Japanese cities had been destroyed using napalm

Battle of Okinawa Apr.-June 1945 Most brutal battle of the Pacific war: about 125,000 Japanese killed and 12,500 Americans

Nearly 700,000 men fought in this battle (550,000 Americans)

Okinawa was needed to set up a base of operations for an invasion of Japan itself

Day 4 will be a Media Center Day!

WWIIThe End of the War

How did WWII end in Europe?

Operation Overlord- Allied invasion of France. Also called D-Day.Within a month 1 million Allied troops were stationed in Europe.

Germany is surrounded with the USSR to the east

Germany surrenders in 1945 after Hitler commits suicide.

Normandy Invasion (D-Day) June 6, 1944

During this time, Soviet Union was pushing into Poland and Allies were pushing North in Italy

 Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and

George Patton influential in leading attack 3 million ally troops to attack

D-DAY June 6, 1944

Normandy Invasion cont.D – Day

Ø       60 mile stretch of beachØ       156,000 troopsØ       4,000 landing craftØ       600 warshipsØ       11,000 planesØ       Largest land-sea-air operation in historyØ       Omaha beach known as one of the most

brutal areas

Normandy Invasion cont.The battle continues

 W/in 1 month, a million more troops

 September 1944, France was freed from Nazi control

Yalta ConferenceTook place February 1945 before WWII

was over

Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill met in Yalta in the Soviet Union to discuss post WWII

Set up United Nations

Yalta – “The Big 3”

April 12, 1945At the beginning of his 4th Term,

President Franklin D. Roosevelt passes away

The U.S. went through a major grieving period

Harry S. Truman, as Vice-President, takes the role as President

The End of HitlerApril 30, 1945 Hitler

and Eva Braun commit suicide (gun shot and cyanide)

Bodies burned in street

Cover of Time magazine May 7, 1945

V-E Day May 8, 1945

General Eisenhower accepted a surrender by the Third Reich

 V-E day = Victory in Europe day 1st part of War was over 

PotsdamJuly – August 1945

Truman, (Churchill and then Clement Atlee) and Stalin met in Potsdam, Germany

Drew up a blueprint to disarm Germany and eliminate the Nazi regime

Potsdam ContinuedDivided Germany into 4 sections (occupied by

France, Britain, U.S. and Soviet Union)

Berlin to be divided up in East (or Soviet Germany)

Set up the Nuremberg Trials to persecute Nazi leaders

Japan must “unconditionally surrender”

Potsdam, Germany

How did WWII end in Europe?Allies divide Germany up between

them. This helps start the Cold War.

The Nuremburg Trials are held in Germany to try the people responsible for the war.Many are executed and jailed for war crimes.

Nuremberg TrialsInternational tribunal court tried Nazi officials

Over 23 nations tried Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg, Germany

12 of the 22 defendants were sentenced to death

200 other officials were found guilty, but give lesser sentences

The Manhattan Project

US effort to build a new type of weapon that would unleash tremendous destructive energy by splitting uranium atoms – an “atomic bomb”

Led by Gen. Leslie Groves and researcher J. Robert Oppenheimer, the team produced 3 bombs

1 bomb was tested in the New Mexico desert, leaving just 2 bombs for military use

Bombs were code-named “Fat Man” and “Little Boy”

Harry S. Truman 1884 – 1972 (life) 1945 - 1953 (Pres.) Became president upon FDR’s death

Truman now had to decide how to end the war – should the US mount an invasion of Japan, which would cost an estimated 1 million American lives or should it use the new atomic bomb, which would kill an unknown number of Japanese civilians and whose after-effects were still unknown?

HiroshimaJapan was warned that

unless they surrendered immediately and without conditions, they faced “prompt and utter destruction”

When the Japanese did not reply, orders were given to destroy the industrial city of Hiroshima

August 6, 1945: The B-29 Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on the city, destroying 76,000 buildings and killing over 120,000 people

NagasakiWhen the Japanese still

did not surrender, the B-29 Bock’s Car dropped “Fat Man” on the port of Nagasaki, killing over 50,000 on August 9, 1945

On the same day, the Soviets declared war on Japan and began to prepare to enter the war in the Pacific

Japan Surrenders Faced with destruction on an unforeseen scale (and unaware that the US had no more atomic bombs to use), Emperor Hirohito ordered his government to surrender unconditionally

Fighting stopped August 15, 1945 (“V-J Day”)

Formal surrender took place on September 2, 1945

As part of the terms of surrender, Japan was occupied by U.S. forces until Apr. 1952

Quick $$$ FactsWar Costs

US Debt 1940 - $9 Billion

US Debt 1945 - $98 BillionWWII cost $330 billion – 10 times the cost of WWI & equivalent to all previous federal spending since 1776

Losses of the Major Wartime Powers in WWII, 1939-1945

Germany4.5 million military2 million civilian

Japan2 million military350,000 civilians

Italy400,000 military100,000 civilian

China2.5 million military7.4 million civilians

USSR10 million military10 million civilians

Great Britain300,000 military50,000 civilians

France250,000 military350,000 civilian

United States274,000 military

WW IIThe Holocaust

The Wannsee Conference• Jan. 20, 1942• Nazi leaders met to

determine the “final solution of the Jewish question”

• Formalized the process for rounding up and exterminating the Jewish population of Europe through the use of concentration camps and deth camps

The Holocaust• By the time the war was

over, more than 12 million people had died in the concentration camps, about half of them Jews

• The other half were a mix of other groups the Nazi’s considered “undesirable”: Gypsies, Poles, Russians, uncooperative Catholic priests, homosexuals, the mentally ill, & the physically or mentally handicapped

What was the Holocaust? (Summary)

Nazi plan to kill all Jews.Why? Hitler’s provided solution to Germany’s

problems6 million Jews murdered in camps in

Europe. 5+ million others (gypsies, mentally ill,

homosexuals) Total of 11+ million exterminated What is genocide?

Purposely trying to exterminate an entire group of people (ethnic, religious, racial).