WHAP UNIT 7.7 Conducting WWII

How was WWII conducted?

Total & Global War

Lebensraum

Conquered Nazi GRM lands for development/living space for Germans

• Meant to justify expansionist policies & racial superiority

Blitzkrieg

“Lighting War” strategy using rapidly moving tanks/air force

• Early Victories for GRM:

  • PLN + NTL + BLG + DMK

  • Vichy: FRN Nazi regime

  • Siege of Leningrad

    • Concentration Camps: POWS & forced labor = poor treatment & productivity

Winning Battles: Europe

V-E Day: Victory in Europe = invasion in Berlin → Hitler commits suicide + Mussolini tortured/hanged by citizens

• Battle of El Alamein: UK defeats Erwin Rommel

• Battle of Britain: Luftwaffe weakened UK for invasion → new prime minister Winston Churchill quick rebuilding of radar system, planes postponed invasion

• Battle of Stalingrad: Harsh winter

Battle of Kursk: Largest tank battle → Berlin invasion

Battle of the Bulge: Allies win back FRN, BLG, LXB

(D-Day) → Berlin

Destroyers-for-Bases Agreement

After Vichy, US destroyers = UK air/naval bases

Atlantic Charter

post-war goals for self-determination + no force + disarmament

Pearl Harbor

Surprise air attack on US Naval base

• JPN hoped retaliation would remove US/European influence in Asia after US sanctioned scrap iron

  • US joins war

Lend-Lease Act

Program allowing the US to supply Allies with war materials in exchange for military bases and other concessions

• NO neutrality

Major Wins: Pacific

V-J Day: Victory over Japan day

• Battle of the Coral Sea: Stopped JPN invasion in NWG + Soloman Islands + AUL

• Battle of Midway Island: Stopped JPN invasion on US west coast

• Island of Guadacanal: First major allied offensive victory

  • Island Hopping: US general Douglas Macarthur skipped strong JPN islands to go to weak ones

  • Aircraft Carriers: landed planes

  • Submarines: sank fleets/supply lines

• Hiroshima & Nagasaki: US drops atomic bomb, killing thousands of civilians and leading to Japan's surrender.