AM and the World Chap 14

The United State's mobilization of its ____________ and ________ resources during WWII brought significant changes to American society.

economic; military.

Three ways people were urged to aid in the war from the "home front"

1. investment: war bonds.
2. production: working in factories.
3. conservation: saving, recycling, rationing.

war bonds

bonds that go towards the war effort; also called Defense Bond before P.H. and War Bonds/Victory Bonds after; original cost was $25 and yielded a 2.9% interest return after 10 years; posters were used to advertise the sale of them; 1/2 of the sales for the war came from these.

citizen soldiers

the people who remained at home during WWII; they went to work in factories creating ships, airplanes, tanks, and guns and performed many other jobs in factories.

“I cannot tell you how much to invest in war bonds. No one can tell you. It is for you to decide under the guidance of your own conscience."

quote by FDR in reference to war bonds; means that there is no pressure on you to buy war bonds; you buy what your family can afford.

Norman Rockwell

artist who created the famous Four Freedoms paintings

The four freedoms listed in FDR's State of the Union Address:

1. freedom of speech and expression.
2. freedom of religion
3. freedom from want.
4. freedom from fear.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without".

a popular motto during WWII; encouraged people to do their part in saving, recycling, and rationing to help the soldiers overseas; SOLDIERS' NEEDS CAME BEFORE THOSE OF AMERICANS AT HOME.

Office of Price Controls

also known as the OPA; instituted the system of rationing in America at the time of WWII; consumers were issued ration cards to limit the purchase of certain items; also given ration stamps.

Examples of items limited by the ration cards and stamps:

1. gasoline
2. cheese
3. meat
4. sugar
5. butter

85 million

the number of Americans who purchased war bonds.

victory gardens

backyard gardens; Americans were encouraged to grow their own vegetables to support the war effort

scrap drives

events where scrap metals, glass and rubber were collected to be used in the war effort; even nylon stockings were collected to be used for parachutes.

bacon grease

an interesting ingredient that was used to make ammunition during WWII and today.

Battle of the Atlantic

this battle was fought to gain control of the Atlantic Ocean; Allies needed the Atlantic in order to safely deliver supplies, war goods, and troops; it was tough for the Brits because German U-boats were in the waters waiting to strike; once Enigma was cracked and the Americans entered the battle, the tide had turned; American planes began traveling with ships to provide cover from the air; the Allies ended up winning this battle.

Enigma

the German code system used in WWII; cracked by the Brits; cracking this way the key to beating the German U-Boats.

U-boats

German submarines; undersea boats

iron coffins

what Germans called their U-boats after the Battle of the Atlantic.

wolf packs

groups of U-boats; difficult to detect.

Battle of Britain

the first time German aggression was defeated in WWII.

Operation Barbarossa

means "red beard"; Hitler ordered the German invasion of the Soviet Union; the non-aggression pact was broken here; LARGEST military operation in history; THE EXTERMINATION OF THE JEWS BEGAN HERE; a **turning point in the war in Europe**; Hitler thought it would be a confident victory could still be achieved; Hitler wanted control before the winter comes; Hitler wanted it because it would give Germany lots of territory, food, and mineral resources to achieve a WW2 victory; **German strategy was "encirclement and blockade" and blitzkrieg;** Hitler was overconfident; America provided substantial war supplies to the Soviets; SOVIETS WERE CAUGHT BY SURPRISE. June 22, 1941-February 2, 1943.

Lebensraum

"living space"; the belief that the German master race needed more living space

Three targets of Operation Barbarossa:

1. Leningrad - the Soviet Union's main naval base. (German Army Group North)
2. Moscow - capital city of the Soviet Union. (Army Group Center)
3. Ukraine - rich oil fields. (Army Group South)

Ways Hitler DID NOT prepare for the bitter cold winter in the Soviet Union:

1. Germans were wearing summer uniforms.
2. Expecting a quick victory, Germans bought insufficient food and supplies.
3. No plans were made for shelter from cold weather.

Leningrad

the Soviet Union's main naval base; 1.5 million people died; lasted approximately 900 days; Germans used "encirclement and blockade" successfully here; food and fuel were cut off; the people in this city began to starve and freeze to death; people survived by eating every animal and even cannibalism; only lifeline into this city was Lake Ladoga, where trucks tried to get supplies in there; after Hitler moved some of his troops to Ukraine, fortunes reversed here.

Ukraine

region with rich oil fields, abundant grain fields and industrial might; Kiev is the capital city; Stalin refused to have his troops retreat; LARGEST ENCIRCLEMENT OF TROOPS IN HISTORY; was taken over by the Germans.

Moscow

the Soviet Union's capital city; an example of Hitler's overconfidence in his troops; in the beginning of the siege of this city, Hitler seemed to be winning; Stalin's scorched earth policy and anti-tank ditches caused setbacks in the German plan; Soviets had evened the score; this battle reached a stalemate; German offensive stopped when the temperature reached -31 degrees; Soviet counter-offensive was a surprise and pushed the German army back; PROVED TO THE SOVIET TROOPS THAT GERMAN AGGRESSION COULD BE BEATEN.

Lake Ladoga

the only lifeline into Leningrad during it's invasion; once frozen solid trucks would attempt to shuttle supplies in and refugees out.

scorched earth policy

Stalin's policy that, if troops were forced to retreat, anything that could be of use to the enemy should be destroyed (food, farms, bridges, crops, etc.); VERY EFFECTIVE.

Two things the Soviets did to hurt the German army:

1. "scorched earth policy".
2. dug anti-tank ditches and barbed-wire fences.

Battle of Stalingrad

BLOODIEST BATTLE IN HISTORY; a **major turning point** for the Allies in WWII; German method was **encirclement** and **blockade**; Germany started out dominating the Soviet troops; conflict moved from outside the city to inside the city; the deeper the troops got into the city the more difficult the street fighting became; winter settled in and the Soviets really took over; German tanks were less effective in fortified urban areas; German soldiers were running short of supplies; German General Paulus begged for a retreat, but Hitler refused; Axis soldiers began running low on food and supplies; they were freezing; only German soldiers who could fight were allowed to eat; Hitler promoted Paulus to field marshal and reminded him that no German F.M. had ever been captured; the next day, Paulus surrendered; Soviet soldiers marched all remaining German soldiers to Siberia to prisoners of war camps; HITLER DID NOT HAVE TO ATTACK HERE.

General George Zhukov

a Soviet general; planned the counter-offensive on the Germans at Moscow.

General Friedrich Paulus

German general; led German troops at Stalingrad.

Three reasons Stalingrad was important to Hitler:

1. Stalingrad was an industrial center used by the Soviets to provide war goods to their troops.
2. it was a major railroad hub and center of communication in the south.
3. the city bore the name of Hitler's enemy(Stalin).

Five mistakes Hitler made in Operation Barbarossa:

1. Hitler thought it would be a quick victory.
2. he was unprepared for the harsh winter. (Wearing summer uniforms) (No plans for shelter)
3. German supply lines were too far away. (Brought insufficient food and supplies)
4. Hitler underestimated the Soviet Union's strength.
5. he refused to retreat in the face of sure defeat.

Stalingrad was such an important battle because ________________________.

it turned the tide of the war in Europe and marked the beginning of Germany’s collapse.

Two reasons why North Africa was so important to the Allies:

1. the British could protect shipping on the Mediterranean Sea against Italian attacks.
2. the British needed to control the area so they could bring oil from the Middle East through the Suez Canal, through the Mediterranean and back toGreat Britain.

General Erwin Rommel

nickname was "Desert Fox"; a German general and field marshal; **led the German forces in North Africa and at Normandy (D-Day)**; considered one of the most skilled commanders of desert warfare; he was very humane and did NOT mistreat his prisoners of war; eventually convicted of joining the conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler; was forced to take a cyanide pill or else Hitler would kill his family.

Afrika Korps:

the name of the German force led by Erwin Rommel in North Africa.

North Africa:

where American soldiers first entered WWII.

Operation Torch

America's first WWII offensive invasion; entered in North Africa; commanded by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower and George S. Patton; Bernard Montgomery commanded British troops; called for the invasion of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; Allied forces win here.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

led the American soldiers in Operation Torch and at Normandy; would eventually become the 34th president of the U.S; named Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe after Marshall was kept in America; overall Allied commander of the Operation Overlord; became America's favorite military hero after D-Day.

George S. Patton

an American commander who helped with Operation Overlord; led the troops that helped back up American forces in the Battle of the Bulge; "old blood and guts".

Bernard Montgomery:

Commanded the British troops in North Africa during Operation Torch; “Monty"; the top British commander for Operation Overlord.

Members of the Big Three:

1. Winston Churchill (Prime Minister of Britain).
2. FDR (President of the U.S.).
3. Joseph Stalin (Dictator of the Soviet Union).

What was the purpose of first meeting between the Big Three?

To plan the final strategy against Nazi Germany and to discuss the invasion of Italy.

"soft underbelly"

the weakest portion of something; Italy was referred to as this.

Two reasons Italy was called the "soft underbelly":

1. it was at the "bottom" of European countries.
2. it was the weakest part of the Axis defense.

Italy

the Allied power's next target after conquering North Africa.

Tuskegee Airmen

the first ever full African American Air Force fleet; got their name from their training location, which was near Tuskegee, Alabama; only 355 out of the 932 that graduated actually fought in the war; this group escorted our big bombers into battle; only 66 died in war.

Claretta Petacci

Benito Mussolini's mistress.

What happened to Benito Mussolini?

He tried to flee Italy into neutral Switzerland with his mistress; as they were attempting to cross the border they were recognized and shot; they were then taken in a truck to Milan, Italy where they were hung upside down in the square.

Milan, Italy:

Where Mussolini and his mistress were hung after shot.

D-Day

the day the operation starts, June 6, 1944; the Allied invasion of France; took place on the beaches of Normandy in Northern France; the day that Operation Overlord began; the most celebrated Allied victory in WWII; most complex landing operation ever to take place; **largest seaborne invasion in history**; THE BLOODIEST DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

General George Marshall

developed the war strategy for the Allies; also selected the generals who would lead the offensive; U.S Army Chief of Staff; called the "Organizer of Victory" by Winston Churchill; kept in Washington by FDR due to his ability to work in Congress and his value as a war planner; first U.S. Army officer to achieve the rank of five-star general; awarded the Nobel Peace Prize after the war.

Operation Overlord

the Allied invasion of France's code name; led by Dwight D. Eisenhower; took place in three phases; SURPRISE ATTACK.

H-hour

the hour that Operation Overlord began; 6:30 a.m.

The five beaches of D-Day and who landed there:

1. Gold (British).
2. Juno (Canadians).
3. Sword (British).
4. Utah (Americans).
5. Omaha (Americans).

Omar Bradley

the man who actually LED American forces at Normandy.

Atlantic Wall

a 1,670 mile stretch of German forts and bunkers along the Atlantic Ocean from Denmark to Spain; implemented because Hitler knew of an imminent Allied attack.

phase one of Operation Overlord

24,000 paratroopers were dropped behind enemy lines; goal was to establish control of important positions like roads and bridges; took place just after midnight on June 6, 1944.

phase two of Operation Overlord

11,000 war planes bombed German defenses before the first troops landed on the on the Normandy beaches.

phase three of Operation Overlord

at 6:30 a.m., 5,300 battleships targeted German defenses on the cliffs above the beaches; 4,000 landing crafts ferried troops to the beaches.

Eight reasons why Omaha beach was the most difficult beach:

1. it was the BROADEST beach (6 miles) and DEEPEST beach (3 football fields deep).
2. beach was covered with sand dunes, barbed wire obstacles and "hedgehogs" to prevent tanks coming.
3. Germans planted explosive mines on the beach and in the water ("Bouncing Betties").
4. German troops and defenses littered the cliffs above the beach; these were missed by Allied planes.
5. Allied troops were told that craters would have been left by the air and naval artillery and would serve as ready-made foxholes for protection; THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.
6. the cross channel trip was very rough, with 6 foot waves.
7. many drowned before even arriving to the beach.
8. 1/3 of the people who landed at Omaha died within the first hour.

Bouncing Betties

the German mines that were planted on Omaha beach and in the water.

Bluffs:

the name of the cliffs at Normandy.

Higgins Landing Craft

the special landing craft boats that were used during D-Day and on Pacific beaches; created by Andrew Jackson Higgins; 20,000 produced.

Andrew Jackson Higgins

designer of the Higgins landing craft.

The success of D-Day came down to the ____________ of the individual soldiers.

courage

"The whole western front has been ripped wide open."

a famous quote by a German commander after D-Day.

Battle of the Bulge

Hitler's last offensive; TOP SECRET; Hitler sent all of his able-bodied troops to a 75 mile stretch in the Ardennes Forest; four American divisions were stationed there for rest and training; attack lasted 90 minutes; Hitler’s goal was to drive a wedge between the American and British troops then drive all the way back to the English Channel; American forces held off the Germans enough for reinforcements to arrive and the weather to clear; GOT IT'S NAME FOR THE "BULGE" GERMANY CREATED IN THE AMERICAN DEFENSES; America was asked to surrender, we said NO.

General Anthony McAuliffe

American commander of the 101st Airborne division at the Battle of the Bulge; famous for the quote "Us surrender? NUTS!"

Six things the Big Three discussed at their conference in Yalta:

1\. they agreed to divide Germany into 4 sections.

2\. U.S., Britain, Soviet Union and France would each occupy one of the areas.

3\. the capital city, Berlin, was also divided into 4 sections.

4\. Stalin agreed to hold elections in his countries.

5\. Stalin agreed to declare war on Japan .

6\. FDR argued for a United Nations.

Yalta, Soviet Union

the location of the Big Three's final meeting.

the crossing the Rhine River/conquering Germany

the Allies's final goal; Americans and British would come from the east while the Soviet Union came from the west; all bridges had been blown up by Hitler to prevent Allied troops from crossing; the Ludendorff Railway Bridge was the last one standing, which the Allies used to enter Germany; this country was conquered on May 2, 1945.

Rhine River

Hitler saw this landmark as a symbol of German resolve; no invading army had ever crossed this in 140 years.

Ludendorff Railway Bridge

the only bridge that the German troops left intact; the bridge used by Allied troops to enter and conquer Germany.

Eisenhower's decision

when the Allied troops were about to enter Berlin, Eisenhower decided that the American troops would not enter Berlin and therefore avoid losing more men; they went to fight the battle in the Pacific Ocean.

How did FDR die?

He passed away from a brain hemorrhage. (April 12, 1945)

How did Hitler die?

After marrying his mistress, Eva Braun, he and her both committed suicide (He died by a cyanide pill and a bullet to the head). (April 30, 1945)

Eva Braun

Hitler’s mistress; Died by cyanide pill (suicide)

V-E Day

"Victory in Europe" Day; May 8, 1945; the day that the surrender of the Axis Powers actually went into effect.

Rheims, France

this is where the final surrender of the Axis Powers was signed on May 7, 1945.

Holocaust:

the systematic murder of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany during WWII; Greek word meaning "sacrifice by burning".

Genocide:

the deliberate annihilation of an entire race of people.

Anti-Semitism:

the hatred of Jews.

Eight examples of the Nazi persecution against Jews in the 1930s:

1. Jews were attacked on the streets by Nazi storm troopers.
2. boycotts of Jewish businesses.
3. book-burnings of books by Jewish authors.
4. signs were hung with messages like "Jews not wanted here".
5. Jews had to wear the yellow Star of David.
6. Nazis used the media and schools to spread false information about the Jews to German citizens.
7. Nuremberg Laws were enacted.
8. Kristallnacht.

Five examples of the Nuremberg Laws:

1. citizenship was taken away from Jewish Germans.
2. marriage between Jews and Germans was forbidden.
3. prohibited Jews from voting and holding public office.
4. Jews were banned from practicing law and medicine.
5. by the summer of 1936, nearly half of Germany's Jews were jobless.
6. “Jew free” villages.
7. Non-Argans banned from serving in the military.

Kristallnacht

Violence against the Jews on Nov 9, 1938; event that “begins” holocaust; "Night of Broken Glass"; after the murder of a German diplomat, Hitler ordered attacks on Jews to make it look like there was retaliation for the murder; Jewish property was smashed, furniture was burned, synagogues were firebombed and Jews were beat in the streets; 7,000 businesses and 300 synagogues were destroyed.

Einsatzgruppen

specially trained mobile killing units; sent into German-occupied territories to round up the Jews, take them to deserted areas, then forced them to dig a trench, then shoot them into their own grave; the people in this group were psychologically affected by the killings.

mass graves

the trenches that were dug by the Jews; where they would lie(dead) after they were shot by the Einsatzgruppen.

ghetto

a section of a city that were sealed off with brick walls, barbed wire and police guards; movement was strictly controlled in and out; no radios; no communication with the outside world; limited food; poor conditions; over 300 ghettos during WWII.

Warsaw, Poland Ghetto

the largest ghetto during WWII.

Final Solution

the plan created by 15 high ranking Nazi officials for the complete extermination of the Jews; plans were made for the evacuation of Jews out of the ghettos to "resettlement areas", mostly in Poland.

concentration camps

Jews were sent here to work slave labor until they died of exhaustion and starvation; food rations were meager; Bergen-Belsen and Dachu.

extermination camps(death camps):

camps where Jews would be exterminated by poison gas with their bodies being burned in crematoria; most famous was Aushwitz (1.6 million killed).

Night

a book by Elie Wiesel depicting his experience during the Holocaust.

Nuremberg Trials

A series of court proceedings held in Nuremberg, Germany after World War II, in which Nazi leaders were tried for aggression, violations of the rules of war, and crimes against humanity.

Persecute:

to discriminate/ harm someone/ group of people.

Why did Hitler blame (hold responsible) Jews for inflation, the Depression, and other German problems?

1. German Jews were economically successful.
2. German Jews had good jobs.
3. German Jews owned nice houses.