WWII HISTORY NOTES (Part 1)

Topic 1: On the Eve of War

• Case study – Germany
  • Treaty of Versailles
  • germany surrendered in WWI
  • implement peace treaty from allies
    • lost over a tenth of its land
    • dismantled their army
    • had to take full responsibility
    • pay all war reparations
  • Economic Problems
  • treaty affected already weakened economy
  • seen as humiliation by nationalists & war veterans
    • believe they could have won the war
    • politicians & protesters betrayed them
  • Depression and Unemployment
  • american banks withdrew loans from germany
  • already struggling german economy collapsed overnight
  • Political Instability
  • imperial government collapsed
  • civil unrest & worker strikes
  • feared communist revolution
  • major parties joined to suppress uprisings
    • parliamentary weimar republic
  • hitler took advantage of the people’s anger
  • offered convenient scapegoats
  • promised to restore germany’s former greatness
  • mainstream parties unable to handle the crisis
  • left-wing opposition too fragmented by internal squabbles
  • frustrated public flocked to the nazis
  • increased parliamentary votes
  • under 3% to over 18% in 2 yrs
  • Hitler Rise to Power
  • 1919-1929
    • hitler became obsessed with certain views
    • bigotry & paranoid delusions
    • pinned the blame on jews
    • his words found resonance
    • society had mostly anti-semitic people
    • 100s of 1000s of jews integrated into germany
    • many germans still viewed them as outsiders
    • jewish success after WWI
    • accused of subversion & war profiteering
    • conspiracy theories born out of fear, anger, bigotry
    • hitler joined nazi party
    • manipulative public speaking launched him into its leadership
    • drew increasing crowds to his speeches
    • combined anti-semitism with populist resentment
    • denounced capitalism & communism
    • said they were international jewish conspiracies to destroy germany
    • nazi party not initially popular
    • made an unsuccessful attempt at overthrowing the government
    • party was banned
    • hitler jailed for treason
    • when released, began to immediately rebuild the movement
  • 1932 
    • hitler ran for president
    • had 36% of votes
    • demonstrated his support
    • lost election to general von hindenburg (decorated war hero
  • 1933
    • january -> hindenburg appoints hitler as chancellor
    • convinced by advisors & business leaders 
    • hoped to channel popularity for their own goals
    • steadily expanded the power of his position
    • hitler’s supporters formed paramilitary groups
      • fought protesters in the streets
    • raised fears about a communist uprising
    • said only he could restore law & order
    • parliament building set on fire
      • young worker was convicted
      • hitler’s doing
      • government grants him emergency powers
    • freedom of press was abolished
    • other parties were disbanded
    • anti-jewish laws were passed
    • early radical supporters & potential rivals of hitler 
      • arrested & executed
  • 1934 
    • august -> president hindenburg died
    • no new election
    • hitler became dictator
• Steps to War
  • 1931
  • japan conquers manchuria
  • north of korea
  • japan suffered from;
    • economic problems
    • overcrowding on its islands
  • league of nations takes no decisive action
  • hitler ordered a programme of rearming germany
  • many germans grateful for jobs after depression
  • 1935
  • mussolini invades ethiopia
  • done to expand territory
  • obtained region’s rich oil resources
  • league takes no action
  • 1936
  • march -> german troops march into rhineland
    • region that was demilitarized
    • was not allowed to have troops there
    • actions showed how he was willing to directly challenge the peace treaty
  • 1938
  • march -> nazi germany annexed austria
    • broke terms of the peace treaty
    • was banned from uniting with austria
    • arrival of troops were met with great enthusiasm
    • **ANSCHLUSS = the occupation and annexation of austria into nazi germany
  • september -> the munich agreement
    • britain & france meet hitler
    • allows germany to have sudetenland
    • tries to save the world from war
    • known as appeasement
    • the policy of granting concessions to potential enemies to maintain peace
  • october -> rome-berlin axis pact
    • hitler & mussolini
    • hitler to take austria & other territories in northern & central europe
    • mussolini to take southern europe
  • 1939
  • march -> germany invades czechoslovakia
    • hitler ordered occupation of all land
    • first aggressive step
    • suggested a war may begin
  • august -> germany & russia sign non-aggression pact
    • molotov-ribbentrop pact
    • nazi-soviet pact
    • promised neither country would attack the other
    • hitler promised stalin a part of poland
    • 7 days later, hitler invades all of poland
  • september 1st -> germany invades poland
  • september 3rd -> britain & france declare war on germany
  • september 10th -> canada declares war on germany

Topic 2: Why Canada Slept

• Canada Declares War (1939)
  • one week after britain’s declaration of war
  • as an independent dominion, canada is not automatically at war
  • consults parliament first 
  • a formality to please quebec
  • emphasizes canada’s autonomy
  • hitler & mussolini were establishing fascist governments
  • canada paid little attention to what was happening
  • in political & military sense, canada was sleeping
  • 1. memories
  • losses of WWI were still fresh
  • did not want another conflict on foreign soil
  • 64, 976 casualties in WWI
  • 2. pacifism
  • canadians worked tirelessly to promote peace
  • films revealed the tragic waste of war
    • “all quiet on the western front”
  • political leaders attempted to convinced house of commons
  • wants to declare canada’s neutrality in future wars
  • 3. canada in 10th year of depression
  • over one million people on public assistance
  • foreign politics took a back seat
  • food, clothing & shelter were more important
  • 4. isolationism
  • followed a policy during 1930s
  • joined league of nations
  • never played active role
  • wanted to avoid conflict at all costs
  • when italy invaded ethiopia
    • “no interest in ethiopia, of any nature whatsoever, is worth the life of a single canadian citizen” - justice minister
  • 5. political leadership
  • foreign affairs carried out by prime minister mackenzie king
  • only 7 diplomatic missions abroad
  • canada did not have many contact
  • wanted to protect autonomy of canada
  • did not want to be drawn into british imperial affairs
  • 6. appeasement
  • king supported the munich agreement
  • misjudged facist threat & character of hitler
  • factor of canada’s lack of readiness
  • the government had scaled back on military spending
  • armed forces were total 4 000 personnel
  • 51 000 reservists
  • enters war with no celebration
  • prepared to send roughly 40 000 troops
  • anticipated a role for Canada as Britain’s main supplier
    • food 
    • war materials
  • hopes for limited canadian involvement in conflict
  • government focuses on air & sea military
    • reduces/avoids heavy casualties 
• Mobilization
  • C.D. Howe
  • controls war economy
  • the czar of canada’s economy
  • dynamic entrepreneur
  • ran government’s war production programme
  • head of department of munitions and supply
    • created crown corporations
    • uniquely canadian public businesses
    • produces new items
    • e.g. synthetic rubber
  • led industry to manufacture vast amounts of supplies
    • ships, aircrafts
    • motor vehicles,
    • weapons, ammunition,
    • radar & radio equipment
  • made for canadian armed forces as well as allies
  • october 1944 -> minister of reconstruction
    • oversees transition to a peacetime free-enterprise economy
    • aiming to avoid widespread unemployment & inflation
  • became known as minister of everything
  • Canada’s Status Before 1939
  • military spending is $35 million
    • navy had 10 vessels
    • air force had 50 aircraft
    • 14 tanks
    • 29 bren guns
    • 23 anti-tank rifles
    • 5 small mortar guns
  • Canada’s Status During & After 1939
  • march
    • permanent active militia
    • 4169 officers & men
    • non-permanent active militia
    • 15 418 armed with weapons
    • royal canadian navy
    • 309 officers
    • 2967 naval ratings
    • royal canadian air force
    • 360 officers & 2797 airmen
  • august
    • army enlisted 730 000
    • air force 260 000
    • navy 115 000 personnel
    • thousands served in the royal air force
  • naval growth
    • over 400 ships
    • three aircraft carriers
    • two cruisers
    • maritime effort helped keep shipping lanes open
  • british commonwealth air training plan
    • pm king had a dream
    • “the power of the airplane determines ultimate victory”
    • established BCATP
    • army of experts were assembled
    • airfields developed
    • equipment obtained
    • 104 113 men & women enrolled
    • 154 flying schools 
    • 60% graduates were canadian
  • canadian red cross society
    • over 2 million members
    • sent 10 000 food parcels each week
  • by war’s end
    • 1.1 million men & women had served
  • war measures act
    • federal statute adopted in 1914
    • gave broad powers to the government
    • maintains security & order during war or insurrection
    • was used controversially during both world wars
    • also used during the 1970 october crisis in quebec
    • covered; 
    • censorship
    • detention
    • harbour safety
    • transportation
    • trade
    • appropriation & deposition of property 
    • has been replaced by the more limited emergencies act
  • emergencies act
    • july 21, 1988
    • declaration of emergency must be reviewed by parliament
    • any temporary laws made are subject to the charter of rights & freedoms
  • canadian auto industry
    • one of world’s leading automobile manufacturers
    • fourth in the world for passenger cars & trucks
    • during the war, became the second largest (next to the U.S.)
    • output reached 800 000
    • canadian military pattern (CMP) truck
    • ½ of british army’s transport requirements
    • supplied by canadian manufacturers
    • CMP truck was canada’s most important contribution
    • according to the british government
• Blitzkrieg
  • lessons of world war one;
  • germans;
    • defensive wars lead to defeat
    • emphasis on offensive action
    • blitzkrieg
    • new military tactic
  • allies;
    • defensive wars lead to victory
    • emphasis on defensive action
    • maginot line
    • underground network of fortifications
  • germans effectively utilize technological advancements
  • e.g. tanks & planes
  • lightning war
  • places emphasis on;
  • surprise 
  • speed
  • offensive 
  • german airforce (luftwaffe) to bomb the rear
  • tank columns (panzer) punch through defenses
  • advance is relentless

Topic 3: Battles

• Dunkirk
  • 1940
  • german advance is rapid & successful
  • drove british & french forces back
  • troops sent across the channel are trapped on the beaches
  • germans flew around the maginot line
  • flanked the allies & pushed them away from france
  • british launches massive rescue effort
  • germany halts its advance
  • luftwaffe chief waiting for orders from hitler
  • 300 000 soldiers are rescued
  • boats of all sizes come, destroyers to fishing boats
  • british heavy war equipment left behind
  • france falls in six weeks
• Battle of Britain
  • winston churchill called to replace neville chamberlain
  • 1940-1945
  • 1951-1955
  • was the prime minister of war
  • neville lost confidence vote in the house of commons
  • britain had zero plans to surrender
  • the british people trusted churchill
  • hitler decided to try to take over britain
  • thought it would be easy as france fell quickly
  • planned to take over the world
  • britain was the biggest threat
  • starts june 10th, 1940
  • air war starts august 12th, 1940
  • raf vs luftwaffe
  • luftwaffe attacked;
  • airfields
  • radar stations
  • london 
  • nightly attacks
  • done to destroy the will to resist
  • thousands killed
  • raf bombed;
  • berlin
  • germany
  • military targets
  • factories 
  • ports 
  • children evacuated to the countryside
  • spent nights in bomb shelters & subways
  • key players
  • adolf hitler
    • leader of germany
    • responsible for starting WWII
    • deaths of 30 million+ people
    • turned attention to destroying raf
  • hermann goering
    • head of german luftwaffe
    • raf had to be neutralized
    • bombing raids
    • british air installations
    • cities & centers of industry
  • winston churchill
    • prime minister of great britain
    • lead britain during the second world war
    • political career; 1900-1964
  • lord dowding
    • air chief marshal
    • commander-in-chief of fighter command
    • in royal air force; 1936-1940
    • responsible for;
    • preparation
    • conduct
  • spitfire summer
  • battle was fought over the skies
  • in southern england
  • june, july
    • germans attacked convoys
    • south coast ports
    • dover & plymouth
    • outnumbered at the beginning
    • brits had advantages like radar
    • most advanced warning system in the world
  • in august 1940
  • battles intensified
  • luftwaffe launched 1 000+ attacks in one day
  • raf lost 100 fighters
  • germany lost 190+ planes
  • raf sustained heavy losses
  • german losses were greater
  • by the end of august
  • germans lost 600 aircraft
  • damage to radar stations left britain vulnerable
  • air installations had continued
  • hitler shifted the focus of his attacks
  • blitz (september 7 - may 11, 1940)
  • british launched air attacks on germany’s industrial areas
  • angers hitler
    • orders luftwaffe to bomb british cities
  • changes tactics & shifts attention away from british air defence
  • germany attacked 1000+ aircraft on sept 15th
  • heavy fighting
  • raf said they shot down 175 aircraft
    • was only 56
  • inflated numbers were accepted
  • both sides fought a propaganda battle
  • keep calm & carry on posters
  • determined to continue living their lives
  • attacks on british cities caused;
    • widespread damage
    • loss of life
  • hitler needed summer weather
  • threat of invasion receded as winter approached
  • in the end;
  • hitler failed to establish air superiority
  • fleet of invasion barges suffered heavy losses
  • battle was over, britain was safe
  • 1598 luftwaffe were shot down
  • began to try to take over russia instead
  • violated nazi-soviet pact
  • end of battle gave luftwaffe enough time to make up some of their losses
  • hitler withdrew from britain on sept 17
  • didn’t stop fighting them till oct 31
  • germany not able to defeat britain
  • historical significance
  • raf lost 902 aircraft
  • luftwaffe lost 1598
  • british considered themselves most powerful country in the world
  • development of radar helped them track germans
  • learned how to crack the german code to intercept their plans