World War II

1930s in Germany

1930s in Germany

German military was rebuilt under Hitler, which was a violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

German Aggression

Remilitarized in 1936 - took Rhineland.

Took Austria in 1938 and Sudetenland

Munich Agreement

Chamberlain and Hitler agree that Hitler could take Sudetenland but no more land from Czechoslovakia

March 13-14, 1939

Germany takes Czechoslovakia

September 18, 1931

Japan’s government conquers Manchuria. Military assassinates Japanese Prime Minister and takes control of the government.

December 1937

Japan seized control of Najing even though Chiang Kai-shek gave Japan the northern part of China to govern. “Rape of Najing” killed more than 100,000 Chinese citizens.

Rome Berlin Axis

October 1936 - alliance between Italy and Germany

Anti-Comintern Pact

Germany and Japan - November 1936

Nazi-Soviet Non Aggression Pact

August 1939 - protect Germany from a war, promised Soviet Union half of Poland.

Neutrality Act of 1935

Made it illegal for Americans to sell weapons to any country at war

September 1, 1939

Germans invaded Poland from the west and the Soviets invaded from the east.

September 3, 1939

Britain and France declared war on Germany - start of WWII

Mein Kampf

Hitler’s autobiography that outlined his plan for Germany. He wanted to unify all Germans under 1 government, expand east into Poland and Russia, believed all Slavs should be enslaved by Germans, master race are the Aryans, blamed Jews for German defeat in WWI.

Blitzkrieg

lightning war - large numbers of tanks and airplanes to defeat opponents

Maginot line

series of bunkers and trenches in France

Battle of Dunkirk

British and French troops trapped on a beach in Belgium. Allies were able to strengthen their lines and evacuate to England.

June 22, 1940

France surrenders to Hitler because most of their country was under Axis control

Battle of Britain

Britain refused to surrender to Hitler. Battle of Britain was an air battle which took place during the summer of 1940.

Bombing of London

Britain launched an air raid on Berlin, so the Lufwaffle bombed London. Called the Blitz. Hitler ordered all air force to focus on London and not military targets.

October 12, 1940

Hitler cancels invasion of Britain

Lend-Lease Act

FDR passed an act which removed the cash restriction on the Neutrality Act. US could loan weapons to any country. US could send weapons to the British if they promised to pay/give money after war.

Japanese Embargo

To prevent Japanese from attacking British ships, FDR placed embargo on trade to Japan. Embargo cut off oil shipments, which was Japan’s main importer.

December 7, 1941

Pearl Harbor. This happened because Japan wanted to seize British and Dutch colonies in south asia and Phillippines, but they couldn’t do that without destroying US Pacific Naval Fleet. Japanese attacked the US Naval base in Hawaii.

December 11, 1941

Hitler declares war on the US in attempt to have Japan fight against the Soviets when US was defeated.

Biggest Battle of WWII - August 1942 - February 1943

Battle of Stalingrad. Germany’s first major defeat and stopped German advance east.

Seige of Leningrad

“The city would not die during WWII.” Leningrad marked the furthest in the North and served as a symbol of perseverance and hope. The siege lasted 900 days and 1600 people died everyday from cold/starvation.

The Casablanca Conference

January 1943. FDR and Churchill meet to discuss European Campain. Agreed to increase bombing of Germany and to invade Italy to force them out of the war. Bombing of Germany crippled German military.

July 10, 1943

Invasion of Itlay through Sicily. King of Italy placed Mussolini under arrest and created a new italian government.

September 8, 1943

Italy surrenders to the Allies

The Italian Campain

Bloodiest of the entire war with over 300,000 deaths. Hitler refused to allow the Allies to gain control of the Italy. He took control of northern Italy, attacked American forces, and placed Mussolini back in power. Took Americans 5 months to break German lines and force them to retreat.

Allies meet in Tehran

FDR, Churchill, and Stalin met in Tehran (Iran) in 1943 to discuss D-Day (invasion of France). They agreed that Stalin would launch an offensive at the same time, Germany would be broken after the war, Soviets would help US defeat Japan, and peace would be kept after war.

June 6, 1944

D-Day. Hitler knew an invasion would happen and he thought it would be at the beaches, not on the coast of France.

Names of the D-Day beaches

Utah, Omaha, Gold, Sword, Juno

The Battle of Midway

American naval forces defeated Japanese force as Japan tried to seize Midway Island, which would allow for Japan to invade Hawaii. US victory allowed the Hopping campaign.

Island Hopping Campaign

Fall of 1943, US Navy tried to get close enough to where US could bomb Japan. After each island was taken, it served as a launch pad to take the next island.

Iwo Jima - February 19, 1945

November 1944, US began to bomb Tokyo. However, their planes ran low on fuel and would miss their targets, so to gain a fueling station, the US decided to invade Iwo Jima.

Why was Iwo Jima important?

served as Japanese air base that intercepted US bombing raids on Tokyo and capturing Iwo Jima would provide the US with an easier path to future bombing on Japan

Okinawa

Last island taken in the Island Hopping Campaign. Important because  It would ensure that the entire Japanese homeland was within bombing range and Okinawa would provide a base for Americans to launch an invasion of Japan (like D-Day).