3/19 WW2 (Part 3)

U.S. Military Response to WWII

  • Enlistment after Attack on Pearl Harbor (1941)

  • Brigadier General Rudder enlists in the army at age 32.

  • He rises to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

  • Battle of the Bulge

  • Named for the German forces creating a "bulge" in the American front lines.

  • American troops pushed back and trapped in Bastogne.

  • Reinforcements and Combat Experience

  • Many trapped troops are not fully battle-hardened, facing German attacks.

Allied Operations and Aftermath

  • Strategic Air Raids on Germany

  • A night attack by the Royal Air Force kills 25,000 German civilians.

  • Combined operations ensure Germany cannot recover for future conflicts.

  • April 1945:

  • President Roosevelt anticipates the Soviet Union's desire to expand influence post-war.

  • Historians note that compromises made during the war were to limit Soviet expansion in Europe.

  • Impact on Roosevelt

  • Roosevelt experiences physical and emotional stress, losing 25 pounds after Yalta.

The Holocaust and its Consequences

  • Concentration Camps

  • Allied forces discover concentration camps while advancing in Germany.

  • Systematic extermination of Jews for forced labor and death.

  • Statistics of the Jewish Population

  • Pre-war (1940) Jewish population in Europe was 9.5 million.

    • By 1945, 5.5 million Jews killed.

  • Poland had 3.3 million Jews pre-war; by end of conflict, 90% were exterminated.

  • Legacy of the Holocaust

  • Jewish population in Europe has never recovered to pre-war levels.

Nazi Surrender and Post-War Considerations

  • Fall of Berlin (May 1945)
  • Many high-ranking Nazi officials commit suicide as the Soviet Army closes in.
  • May 8, 1945, marks the official surrender of Nazi Germany, ending the war in Europe.

The Pacific Theater and Japanese Internment

  • Continued Conflict in the Pacific

  • Brutal conditions and raids lead to paranoia about Japanese attacks on the U.S.

  • Japanese Internment

  • Over 125,000 Japanese Americans placed in internment camps during the war, following Pearl Harbor.

  • Controversy and Supreme Court Decisions

  • Internment viewed as constitutional for national security reasons.

  • Dissenting opinions highlight civil rights concerns.

Perception of Japanese Soldiers

  • Reputation of Fanaticism

  • Japanese military ethos promotes total loyalty and sacrifice: "never give up a position."

  • Suicide Attacks and Guerrilla Warfare

  • Use of suicide attacks on American ships by Japanese pilots.

  • American forces perceive Japanese soldiers as fanatics, enhancing fear and prejudice.

U.S. Strategy in the Pacific

  • Island Hopping Campaign

  • U.S. Navy cuts off supplies to Japan.

  • Key battles include the recapture of the Philippines led by Douglas MacArthur (October 1944).

  • The Manhattan Project and Atomic Bomb

  • Atomic bomb successfully tested (July 1945), with plans for use against Japan.

  • Hiroshima and Nagasaki

  • Hiroshima bombed on August 6, 1945, killing approximately 70,000 instantly, with up to 60,000 additional deaths from injuries and radiation.

  • Nagasaki bombed subsequently, leading to Japan's surrender on August 14, 1945.

Conclusion of World War II

  • Total Impact
  • An estimated 60 million deaths attributed to WWII across the globe.
  • The victory led to discussions of self-determination and the emergence of the U.S. as a world superpower post-war.