The United States in

World War II

Chapter 25

America Joins the War

• The Selective Service began drafting and training soldiers in 1940

• Another 10 million were recruited in 1942

Women Join the War

• Of the 15 million military servicemen, 2/3 were drafted.

• Women enlisted in the WACs, WAVES, and WASPs

• Most served as nurses, drivers, radio operators and test pilots

Blacks Join

the War

• African Americans adopted the “Double V” slogan

– V for victory over fascism abroad

– V for victory for equality at home

• NAACP membership increased

• Congress for Racial Equality, CORE was formed to work more militantly

Minorities Join the War

• Although treated as 2nd class citizens, African-Americans, Mexicans, Chinese and Native Americans served in the military

• About 33,000 Japanese Americans, not living on the west coast, enlisted

Mexican Americans

• Mexican Americans worked in defense industries and over 300,000 served in the military

• A 1942 agreement allowed Mexican farmworkers, braceros, to enter the US during harvest season without a formal immigration process

Mexican Americans

• The sudden influx of Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles in 1943 led to the zoot suit riots

Native Americans

• Indians served in the military and thousands worked in defense industries

Native Americans

• The Navaho, windtalkers, were used to encode secret codes and translate them

• The government ordered them to be killed rather than be captured

Japanese Americans

• No group was treated worse than the Japanese

• After Pearl Harbor, all were considered to be enemies – even 3rd and 4th generation

• The government ordered over 100,000 to leave their homes to reside in internment camps

Japanese Americans

• Japanese located outside the west coast, did not come under this order

• Korematsu v. US, 1944 – the USSC upheld the government’s right to hold people in camps

• In 1988, the govt agreed that an injustice had been done

• Read page 802-03

Japanese

Americans

Manzanar, CA

Women

• Major labor shortages caused women to take jobs vacated by men in uniform

• Over 200,000 served in the military

• Rosie the Riveter encouraged women to take defense jobs –for less pay than men

Rosie the Riveter

• Numerous propaganda posters encouraged women to find work in factories and help produce war materials

Production the War

• Efficiency was the key to get tanks, weapons and ships completed in record time

• Most factory needed more labor but refused to hire African Americans for skilled work

Production the War

• A. Philip Randolph protested this discriminatory procedure by organizing a march on DC

• FDR was forced to sign an executive order to prohibit discrimination in the workplace

Scientists and the War

• 1941 – FDR created the Office of Scientific Research and Development

• They improved radar and sonar

• They improved sanitation and developed penicillin

• They also began the Manhattan Project, development of the atom bomb

Economics and the War

• With war, brought shortages of consumer products

• To prevent inflation, FDR ordered price freezes and increased the number of people paying taxes (less money in circulation drives prices down)

Economics and the War

• To pay for the war, the government again turned to war bonds

• Also like WWI. The War Production Board oversaw the peace to war-time industries

Rationing and the War

• People saved paper, rags and grease for the war effort

• Peer pressure caused people to work harder, not buy new items and recycled

Rationing and the War

• 1/1940 - Butter, bacon sugar

• 3/1940 - Meat, preserves

• 7/1940 - Tea, margarine, cooking fat

• 1941 - Cheese

• People were given coupons, necessary to purchase all rationed goods

Rationing and the War

• Eventually, rice, canned fruit, condensed milk and breakfast cereals were added

• Pregnant women and children got additional eggs and milk

• Meatless Tuesdays and chickenless-chicken recipes were common

Promoting the War

• Hollywood made movie about war heroes

• Edward R. Murrow and Eric Sevareid reported from Europe

• Popular music included, “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition”

• New radio serials included shows about spies and sabotage

Promoting the War

• Families displayed stars in the windows of their homes

Blue stars represented a family active in the militaryYellow stars represented a family member who died

The War for Europe and

North Africa

America Joins Britain

• PM Churchill came to DC 2 weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor

• It was decided to focus first on the war against Germany and Italy and wait until later to fight Japan.

• America would enter the European theater through Africa

Battle for the Atlantic

• Britain controlled the Atlantic but Germany realized that it needed to curtail Britain’s imports of food and supplies

• Germany’s wolf packs (submarines) sank British and American ships

Battle for the Atlantic

• Allied convoys were escorted by destroyers equipped with radar

• Attacks on German subs turned the tide.

Battle of Stalingrad

• Hitler made his 2nd major mistake by invading the Soviet Union in 1941 – opening a second front

• Optimistic German soldiers headed to take Stalingrad in Aug 1942 – freezing and starving, they surrendered in Jan. 1943

Battle of Stalingrad

• The Russian army was getting mowed down.

• Food and fuel shortages were killing civilians

• Stalin asked Churchill for a 2nd front to take some of the pressure off

Operation Barbarossa

• Churchill refused and the Russians continued to go it alone

• The Germans attacked Stalingrad

• Stalin ordered that it be held at all costs

Operation Barbarossa

• By October, the rains started but the Germans continued their assault on the city

Battle of Stalingrad

• In November they tried another assault but were pushed back, running low on food and ammunition

Battle of Stalingrad – Hitler

Mistake #3

• The Germans were put on half rations and ordered to eat their horses

• Hitler refused to allow retreat

Battle of Stalingrad – Hitler

Mistake #3

• Without rations in the middle of Russian winter, the Germans were forced to surrender

Battle of Stalingrad – Hitler

Mistake #3

• Over 91,000 were captured and sent to Siberia

• Only 46,000 arrived alive and only 7,000 survived the war

Battle of Stalingrad

• The Germans lost another 150,000 during the siege.

• The Soviets lost 1,100,000 in this siege alone

War in Africa

• The “soft underbelly” of the Axis was North Africa.

• Italy was joined by Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, and German troops, the Afrika Korps

• “Operation Torch” was led by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

War in Africa

• Rommel pushed back to Egypt.

• The Battle of El Alamein, was a decisive victory for the British and American forces.

• Churchill stated, “We never won a battle before El Alamein, we never lost a battle after.”

War in Africa

• The Germans were pushed back into Libya

• After cutting their supply lines, German troops were forced to head north.

• The allies followed them to Sicily

War in Italy

• The fighting in Sicily was extremely hard, but the Allied victory led to Mussolini’s demise.

• Mussolini was captured and was fired by the King

• Italian partisans shot and hung his body upside down.

War in Italy

• Hitler was determined to fight the Allies in Italy, not Germany

• The battle in Anzio lasted 4 months

• Rome was the first Axis capital captured - June 4, 1944 but Italy would not be free until 1945

Tuskegee Airmen

• The government did not believe that African Americans had the intelligence, ability or loyalty to be a soldier, let alone a pilot

• The all black 99th Pursuit Squadron, trained in Tuskegee, AL earned over 100 Distinguished Flying Crosses

D-Day Invasion

• In 1943, Churchill and Roosevelt decided to invade the Normandy coast of France

D-Day Invasion

• Germany had fortified the entire northern coast of France but were not as prepared along the Normandy Coastline

• Gen. Eisenhower amassed 150,000 troops, 13,000 paratroopers, ships and planes

• They set up “dummy” locations to fool the Germans

D-Day Invasion

• Hitler was prepared for the attack far to the west.

• First came Allied bombers• At dawn, landing craft hit the shoreline and paratroopers arrived

D-Day Invasion

• Germans occupied the coast but the Allies were successful, at a cost of over 60,000 men.

D-Day Invasion

• Within 3 weeks, Gen. George Patton led his tanks forces through northern France

D-Day Invasion

• June 3, 1944 France is liberated

Siege of Leningrad

• The Nazis circled Leningrad

• By the time the Soviets broke the siege, over 800,000 people had starved or froze

• After suffering terrible defeats at the hands of the Nazis, the Soviets began an offensive westward claiming Poland and Romania

Allied Bombing of Germany

• As the Germans had bombed civilians in Britain, Allies dropped their bombs on civilian targets all over Germany

Allied Bombing of Germany

• Many targets, such as Dresden, had no military advantage.

• American bomber pilots feared they would be charged with war crimes.

Last German Offensive

• Hitler’s last offensive was near the German border at the Battle of the Bulge.

• With reinforcements, the Germans were driven back.

Allies Invade Germany

• Four months later, allied troops cross the Rhine

• They hurry to take as much land as possible before the Russians.

• By now, it was inevitable that Germany would be defeated.

• Plans were made to decide on post-war plans

Allies Invade Germany

• By now, it was inevitable that Germany would be defeated.

• Plans were made to decide on post-war plans

• Feb. 1945, Churchill, FDR and Stalin met at a resort on the Black Sea

Yalta Conference – Feb 1945

• It was decided to divide Germany into four zones to occupy after Germany’s surrender

Liberating the Death Camps

• The Soviets liberated the first camps in Poland

• They found thousands of bodies in various states of decomposition

• The survivors looked like walking dead

1944 Election

• FDR was in poor health in 1944

• Democrats chose a running mate that had a strong likelihood of becoming president

• Harry S. Truman filled the bill

FDR died a few months after his re-election, leaving the end of the war to Harry Truman

1944 Election

• Republicans chose Thomas Dewey who was not able to run against any of FDR’s platforms

• FDR will serve only 3 months of his 4th term

Hitler Dies

• Allied troops advancement on Berlin marked the end of Hitler’s Third Reich

• He married his long time girlfriend, Eva Braun before shooting himself

• Hitler and Braun’s bodies were burned

Hitler Dies

• Germany surrendered May 7, 1945

The War in the Pacific

The United States in

World War II

Fighting Japan

• The US focused on defeating Germany, but did not ignore Japan

• By 1942, Japan controlled most of the Pacific, the height of their conquests

Fighting Japan

• Gen. Douglas MacArthur led the Allied forces in the Pacific

• When over-run by the Japanese, MacArthur retreated leaving many American and Filipino soldiers

• The Japanese took them as prisoners and forced them to march – the Bataan Death March

Fighting Japan

• As MacArthur left, he stated, “I shall return.”

• It will take 3 years for him to do it

• Lt. Col. Doolittle led a bombing raid on Tokyo – lifting American morale

Battle of the Coral Sea

• This battle marked a turning point in Japanese expansion

• The 5 day battle saved Australia from Japanese attack

War in the Pacific

• The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed and sank in the Pacific

• Almost 900 survivors floated in the ocean with no lifeboats, food, or water

• The ship was never missed

War in the Pacific

• By the time rescue boats arrived, 4 days later, only 350 remained

• The rest were picked off by sharks

• Capt Charles McVay was court-martialed for failure to zig-zag.

War in the Pacific

• After a lengthy investigation, Pres. Clinton exonerated the captain for the attack and resulting deaths of his crew.

• Even the Japanese swore that he was not at fault.

Battle of Midway

• The Battle of Midway ended Japanese superiority in the Pacific

• Adm. Nimitz led American troops to avenge Pearl Harbor

Island Hopping

• Knowing that US forces could never capture every Japanese occupied island in the Pacific, they adopted the strategy of island hopping – taking only the important islands, leaving the rest to fall from lack of supplies

Island Hopping

• The Japanese responded by adopting kamikaze flights

• Even though they were losing, the Japanese refused to surrender

Battle of Leyte Gulf

• In Oct. 1944, the Battle of Leyte Gulf was the last, largest, and most decisive naval battles in the Pacific

• The Japanese lost most of their navy

Eisenhower returns to the Philippines

Battle of Iwo Jima

• The location of Iwo Jima made it an important island for Japanese and American forces

• It was a bloody battle

Battle of Okinawa

• The battle of Okinawa was the costliest in the Pacific, taking 50,000 American and 100,000 Japanese lives

Terms of Surrender

• In July 1945, the US tested the first atomic bomb in New Mexico

• Invading Japan for the final defeat would have cost tens of thousands of GI lives

Potsdam Conference- July 1945

• Winston Churchill was replaced by Clement Atlee

• Stalin, Truman and Atlee met in Postdam and decided to– Warn Japan to surrender unconditionally

– Hold war-crime trials of Nazi leaders

Terms of Surrender

• President Truman warned Japan again to surrender -unconditionally

• They refused

• In July 1945, the US tested the first atomic bomb in New Mexico

• Invading Japan for the final defeat would have cost tens of thousands of GI lives

Manhattan Project

• At the urging of Albert Einstein, scientists worked on a project, mostly in Manhattan

• Truman made the decision to use the weapon

• The Enola Gay was sent to deliver the first bomb on Aug. 6

Bombing of Japan

• Nicknamed, “Little Boy”, the bomb destroyed Hiroshima

• 75,000 people were killed instantly

Bombing of Japan

• Thousands of others died from burns, radiation, and shock

• Japan refused to surrender

Bombing of Japan

• Three days later, the US dropped “Fat Man” on Nagasaki.

Nagasaki – Ground Zero

• Aug 7

• Aug 12

Bombing of Japan

• About 100,000 people died instantly

• Another 200,000 died of related effects

V-J Day

• Emperor Hirohito agreed to surrender

• On Sept. 2, 1945, papers were signed ending the war

• Emperor Hirohito was allowed to stay in power

V-J Day

• The war ended and American soldiers returned home

Costs of the War

• Over 56 million military and civilians were killed by the end of the war.

American Battle

Military Cemeteries

Costs of the War

• Cities were rubble

• Infrastructure was non-existent

• Almost 90% of Dusseldorf was uninhabitable

• Millions would suffer from starvation and malnutrition

• People lost everything they owned

Costs of the War

•

Costs of the War

• As Allied troops moved through Germany and Poland, they liberated Jews and other prisoners from the Nazi concentration camps.

Costs of the War

• Two-thirds, 6 million, of European Jews were killed

• Six million Poles, Gypsies, homosexuals, religious dissidents and mentally disabled were also killed.

War Crimes Trials

• It was decided at the Potsdam Conference that war criminals would face trial

• Japanese war criminals were tried for torture and atrocities they committed in Baatan and China

War Crimes Trials

• Nazis were tried at Nuremburg

• They were executed and imprisoned for their crimes

• Those that fled, were hunted down and return for trial

Goering and Hess

Occupation of Japan

• As the victors over Japan, US troops occupied Japan

• War criminals, including Prime Minister Tojo, were executed for war crimes

• The US oversaw their economic development – MacArthur Constitution

Occupation of Germany

• The Big Four: the US, Soviet Union, France and Britain took control of Germany

• Germany was divided and occupied by each of the Big Four

• Berlin was divided and occupied by each of the Big Four

A Divided Germany

Communist Soviet Union controlled East Berlin and East GermanyThey did not attempt to help Germany create a democratic form of governmentThe Cold War had begun

Balance of Power

• By the end of the war, the US had shown itself to be the world’s strongest power.

• Unlike WWI, after WWII the US was a major player in making decisions about Germany

The War’s Legacy

• 300,000 Americans dead

• 800,000 Americans wounded

• Cost $320 billion, 10x more than WWI

• National debt increased to $250 billion – 5x 1941

Historical Perspectives

• Could Pearl Harbor been avoided?– Yes, FDR knew it was coming

– No, jets can’t fly across the Pacific

• Could we have ended the war without dropping an atomic bomb?– Yes, Japan was losing

– No, Japanese warrior would not quit

Historical Perspectives

• Could we have ended the war without dropping an atomic bomb?– Some historians believe that dropping the bomb was ‘flexing our muscle’ to warn the Soviets of our new power, beginning the Cold War

The United States

in World War II

The Home Front

The Depression Ends

• After 8 years of deficit spending for work programs, it was WWII that got America out of the Great Depression

• Even before Pearl Harbor, laborers made goods for the Allies overseas

The Depression Ends

• Wages increased and workers could save money with overtime pay

• Women entered the labor market in record numbers

• When men left to join the military, women made up about 35% of the workforce

The Depression Ends

• Wages increased and workers could save money with overtime pay

• Women entered the labor market in record numbers

• When men left to join the military, women made up about 35% of the workforce

The Great Migration

• African-Americans moved away from southern farms to northern industrial cities for employment

Family Structure Changes

• With so many fathers gone, childrearing was left to wives and child-care services

• Couples married quickly, before deployment

GI Bill

• In 1944, Congress passed the GI Bill which gave loans to ex-servicemen for education and housing after the war.

• The demand for housing in post-war America gave rise to neighborhoods like Levittown

Post-War Segregation

• African-Americans fought for freedom and liberty in Europe, but saw little themselves when they returned to work

• Segregation and Jim Crow laws were still in effect

• Blacks were relegated to low paying job

Post-War Segregation

• Riots in Detroit led to the deaths of 34 people

• Racial tensions had surfaced and would be a major focus for the next 40 years

Japanese Internment

• After Pearl Harbor, the Japanese who lived in the western states were taken to camps

• They were forced to leave their homes, jobs and businesses quickly, often selling their possessions for pennies on the dollar

Japanese Internment

• Not until 1965 did the US acknowledge any guilt and offered a payment of $38 million

• Under continued pressure from the Japanese American Citizen League, Pres. Reagan signed a bill in 1990 authorizing a payment of $20,000 to each person who was relocated during the war