Tags & Description
FDR
Strategy was defeating Germany 1st
Met with allies "The Big Three" during the war at conferences like Casablanca, Cairo, Tehran, and Yalta
Signed Executive Order 9066 which authorized internment of 110,000 "Issei" and "Nisei" (2nd Gen. Japanese Americans)
Said US would be an "Arsenal of Democracy"
Died April 12, 1945
Harry S. Truman
Ordered Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945
33rd President (1945-1953
3rd Vice President to serve with FDR
Took office after FDR death
Though new to office, he led America and presided of VE Day and VJ Day
Admiral Chester Nimitz
Turned around US's fortune in Battle of Midway
Kamikaze attacks off Okinawa led him to resist plans to invade mainland Japan
After Pearl Harbor, he took command of US Navy in Pacific
Closed war with operations in the Leyte Gulf and Okinawa
General Douglas MacArthur
He promised "I shall return" after being ordered by FDR to abandon the Philippines
His strategy of maneuver, island hopping, result in fewer casualties under his command
Returned to the Philippines in 1945
Presided over Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945
Dori Miller
The 1st black person to be awarded the Navy Cross
Mess attendant assigned to USS West Virginia
Hero of the pearl harbor attack
His bravery as heavily publicized in black press making him an emblem of the war for blacks
Killed in 1943 when the Japanese sank his ship
Henry Kaiser
Nicknamed "Sir Launchalot" because his shipyard could build an entire ship in 14 days
American Industrialist that became known as the Father of modern American Shipbuilding
Established Kaiser Shipyards on West Coast which built liberty ships to transport supplies and equipment for war
Audie Murphy
Most decorated American soldier in WW2
Received Congressional Medal of Honor
His story is basis of the film "To Hell and Back"
Enlisted at 17
Received battlefield promotions
General Dwight Eisenhower
Commander of SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters American Expeditionary Forces)
Led operation torch (an invasion of North Africa)
Picked by FDR to head liberation of Europe on Eastern front
Jacqueline Cochran
Contributor to formation Women Airforce Service Pilots
Aviator
Supervised training of hundreds of women who flew planes from the factories to frontlines
Holds more records than any other pilot dead or alive
Virginia Hall
Spy for OSS (Office of Strategic Services)
Nicknamed Artemis
Reported as "the most dangerous of all Allied spies" by the Gestapo (German Secret Police)
Forerunner of Central Intelligence Agency
Smuggled into France before D-Day to organize resistance fighters
Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism
Oveta Culp Hobby
Director of the WACs (Women's Army Corps) which was created to fill the gaps due to shortage of men
WACs were the 1st women other than nurses to be in Army uniform
Achieved rank of colonel
First women in the Army to receive Distinguished Service Medal
Veronica Lake
Publicly restyled her "peek-a-boo" hairstyle because she feared that the thousands of women copying her hair were endangering themselves
Accident rates for women fell 22% after her heroic haircut
Movie Star
Endured a famous haircut for patriotism
Her movie career never really recovered
Charles Lindbergh
Leader in anti-war America First movement
FDR refused to reinstate his Army Air Corps commission that he had resigned in April 1941
After Pearl Harbor, he flew 50 combat missions in Pacific as a civilian advisor to Air Force
Robert Oppenheimer
He served as director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during the development of atomic bomb "the Manhattan Project"
Physicist
Angered by use of 2nd atomic bomb on Nagasaki
Said "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." after testing the a-bomb
Anthony McAuliffe
Acting division commander of 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles)
Defended Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge
Famous for saying "Nuts" in response to German Surrender Ultimatum
A. Philip Randolph
Led March on Washington, convincing FDR to issue Executive Order 8802 in 1941, banning discrimination in defense industries during WW2
Led 1st predominantly black labor union
General Mark Clark
Commander of US 5th Army in Italy
Ordered destruction of religious abbey at Monte Cassino
Captured Rome on June 5, 1944
Critics argued that his tactics led to high casualties
General George C. Marshall
Army Chief of Staff
Commander of US army during WW2
Chief Military adviser of FDR
Led the rapid growth of US forces , coordinated the Allies, and promoted post war reconstruction of Europe
Henry Stimson
Secretary of War to FDR (1940-1945)
Led charge calling for war on Germany
Oversaw the training 13 million soldiers/aviators
Supervised spending of 1/3 of nations GDP on Army and Air Forces
Took personal control of construction and use of atomic bomb
Fred Korematsu
December 1944, Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Korematsu vs US that exclusion order was justifiable in times of "Emergency and Peril"
Challenged internship of Japanese-Americans
Japanese-Americans were imprisoned without right to a trial
General Curtis LeMay
Oversaw B-29 raids on Japan (US Army Air Corps)
Ordered bombers to strike at night using incendiary bombs
Firebombing Japanese cities created firestorms
High altitude bombing proved ineffective over Japan
March-August 1945, the raids killed around 330,000 Japanese
General George S. Patton
Commander of US 3rd Army "Old Blood and Guts"
Organized a relief operation to counter attack German Wehrmacht at the Battle of the Bulge
Aggressive General who was nearly fired for slapping a soldier for cowardice
Adopted German tactic of armored blitzkrieg
One of the most effective combat commanders of WW2
General Holland Smith
"Father" of modern US amphibious warfare
Led invasion of Iwo Jima
"Howlin' Mad"
Trained military in ship to shore warfare (major factor in successful US landings in Europe and Pacific
Jimmy Doolittle
The Doolittle Raid: Viewed as a major-morale building victory for US in opening months of Pacific War
Led top-secret attack on Tokyo by 16 B-25 bombers from aircraft carrier USS Hornet