HIST end of WW2 in eur and asia pac [X strength and weaknesses]

How did world war 2 start?

WW2 began in September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland.

Explain the german strategy of Blitzkrieg.

• swift and focused attack using mobile forces to overwhlemed enemies

• germany’s strategy to avoid a long war to prevent stalemates and because the german economy had insufficient resources to sustain long battles

What was significant about the fall of france?

• France was unable to resist German attack despite superior air and army,

• Britain and France force were vulnerable and cornered at dunkirk

Exact date of the fall of france?

23 june 1940

What was the significance of the escape at Dunkirk (1940)?

Hitler’s general felt there was a need to halt the advance to consolidate their forces. If they had attacked, the war could have had a different outcome as the Britsh Forces recuperated for operation overlord.

Significance: Strategic blunders left Germany in a poor position despite initial successes

Explain the Battle of Britain (and the blitz) 1940 please

• Luftwaffe carried out attacks against British RAF

• Hitler bombed british cities causing great loss of life and property (the blitz)

Significance: British did not surrender and their continued sovereignty meant the allies could launch Operation Overlord (first time allies touched German soil)

Explain how Operation Barbarossa begun.

Hitler had wanted to destroy communism and expand Germany’s territory + USSR has resources like oil.

In 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa,

Initially it was successful but the Soviet weather [of all things!] caused a halt.

Why was operation barbarossa unsuccessful?

In September 1941, the harsh soviet winter halted the german advance. Stalin used the time to reorganise the war effort and was able to put up a strong resistance to Germany on the eastern front.

Explain what is meant by the war on two fronts.

Germany declared war on the US although he was not obliged to by the Tripartite Pact and also lauched operation Barbarossa. Hence, Hitler was fighting the Allies on the western front, and the USSR on the eastern front

Significance: The german army was unable to concentrate its efforts on a single point and was gradually worn down by the allies.

What was operation overlord? **

The combined allied forces landed on the the fortified coasts of France’s normandy region.

The operation succeeded due to an overwhelming number of troops and excellent planning by the allies.

Additional: The airforce destroyed radar installations, cutting off the germans in normandy from reinforcements.

Why and when did Germany surrender to the allies?

Date: 8th May 1945 [formal german surrender]

Hitler’s suicide: 30th April 1945

The soviets gained a huge victory in Stalingrad and by Jan 1945 had surrounded Berlin.

Describe the circumstances and significance of the attack on pearl harbour (and date)

Japanese planes surprised US forces destroying 18 ships, 5 of which were battle ships. Japanese forces also sank the british battleships the Prince of wales and the Repulse.

Was the Pearl Harbour attack effective in the long term?

No, the US aircraft carriers were not at pearl harbour and Japan failed to hunt down and destroy yhrm, meaning they were unable to control the Pacific.

In addition, the US decalred war on Japan and its huge resources were used to mobilise the war effort.

Significance: The US’ huge production capacity was a key strength against the Axis powers, and Japan’s strategic errors worsened their positions.

What was the turning point of the war against Japan?

The Battle of Midway: 4 carriers were lost and nearly 3/4 pilots, affecting their naval and air defense capabilities.

Additional: Japan was at a point of weakness since US production capabilities could not be matched.

Explain the strategy of island hopping.

Air and sea attacks were carried out upon poorly defended Japanese Islands to win quick decisive victories, and to cut off ships that supplied the well defended islands.

Did island hopping succeed?

Successful during 1942 to 1945,

Yes, it allowed the allies to get within striking distance of Japan for the first time since the start of the war AND

Japan’s resources were overstretched since it fought for each island.

What happened in the Asia Pac theatre of war in April 1945?

The British took the island of okinawa and US air raids were carried out on Japan such as the bombing of Tokyo.

Significance: It was the first time that US forces had landed on Japanese soil.

Allied ships were also damaged from attacks from Japanese suicide bombers.

Exact date of wo atomic bombs dropped on Japan + the result of it

6 august 1945 - Hiroshima

9 august 1945 - nagasaki

Massive casulties and horrible damage

Japanese emperor Hirohito told the army to surrender and while some soldiers tried to continue fighting, Japan eventuallly surrendered.

Significance: The atomic bomb was a key reason for Japanese surrender

Exact Date of Japanese surrender

14 August 1965 [5 days after the 2nd atomic bomb in Nagasaki]

Why did the US choose to drop the atomic boms?

President Truman realised that continuing island hopping and invading Japan would take a heavy toll, and the world’s first atomic bomb had been invented.

At the time, it was “justified” as bringing about a rapid victory for the allies.

Truman decided to drop both bombs in quick succession to overwhelm the Japanese.

Casualty stats from Hiroshima and Nagasaki

over 100,000 dead and total of 200,000+ casualties.

List the key strengths of the US

1. Vast resources and production capacity

2. Island Hopping Strategy

3. Use of the atomic bomb

How did production capacity of the US contribute to the war effort?

US produced 250,000 aircraft 90,000 tanks aand submarines+merchant ships.

in 1944, US produced ½ of global weapons.

Significance: The weapons that the US gave to the allies allowed Britaina nd the USSR to resist the Germans

What was the lend-lease programme (USA)

LLP of 1941, USA supplied food, fuel and equipment to help the British and USSR war effort,

This allowed the USSR to defeat Germany during the assault during Operation Barbarossa and allowed them to move to Berlin in May 1945

Define “war of attrition”

The US “arsenal of democracy” caused the war to develop into a war of attrition where Germany and Japan could not compete [US was building more ships than German U boats could sink]

Keyword: Sheer scale and speed of US industrial production

How did the US keep control of shpping routes across the atlantic?

US needed these routes to be open to distribute supplies through the lend lease programme to USSR and Britain.

The threat of being sunk by the U-boats was mitigated when Britain cracked the codes used by the U boats, and the allies sunk 141 U-boats in 1943

Significance: Being able to recieve crucial supplies allowed the USSR and Britain to hold out against Germany.

List British Strengths in ww2 :D

1. Manpower and resources from its empire

2. Military production

3. radar technology

4. refusal to surrender (1940-1941)

How was britain’s refusal to surrender significant for the war effort?

Since Britain was not invaded by Germany, it was able to serve as a military base for the allies during operation overlord, making it possible for the allies to push back against the germans.

Significance: Fighting on home ground also had the advantage of using less fuel and having reserves of spare parts.

How did Britain’s might as an empire help the war effort?

Britain had a huge empire of colonies in asia, and irs presence in the region created great resistance to Japan.

80% of India’s wealth and many indian troops fought with the western allies in europe and in asia against the Japanese.

What were the 3 main contributions of the USSR?

1. Stalin’s red army

2. The soviet war economy

3. Entry into the asian-pacific theatre of war

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