World War II

War World II

  • 1939-1945

Causes of WWII

  • Treaty of Versailles
    • Harsh penalties and massive reparation led to instability and resentment
  • Great Depression
    • The economic crisis created fertile ground for the rise of radical ideologies
  • Rise of Totalitarianism
    • Extremist rulers played on nationalism and the failure of democratic government to meet the needs of the people
  • Militarism
    • Military build-up by Germany, Japan, and Italy
  • Failure of the League of Nations
    • Inability to enforce its decisions or stop aggression by Germany, Italy, and Japan led to its collapse
  • Failure of Appeasement
    • European concessions made to Hitler emboldened him and failed to prevent war

Lebensraum

  • “Living Space”
  • A territory believed to be necessary for national existence
  • Nazi belief that Easter Europe must be taken for Aryans
  • Justification for German expansion of territory and resources

*Appeasement*

  • A foreign policy that involves offering specific concessions to an aggressor nation in an attempt to avoid war

Appeasement Examples

  • 1935
    • Hilter rebuilds military above TOV cap of 100,000
  • 1936
    • Germans occupy the Rhineland with soldiers in violation of TOV
  • 1938
    • Germany annexes Austria in violation of TOV
  • 1938
    • German invasion of Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia
  • 1939
    • German invasion of the remainder of Czechoslovakia
  • 1939
    • The German invasion of Poland started WWII

*The Munich Conference*

  • 1928 meeting of European leaders
    • Hitler (Germany) and Mussolini (Italy)
    • Neville Chamberlain (GB) and E. Daladier (France)
  • Goal
    • Avoid another war
    • Consider Hitler's request to annex the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia
  • Czechoslovakia forced to give Sudetenland to Germany
  • Emboldened Hitler to contintue expansion

Blitzkrieg

  • “Lightning war”
  • Simultaneous use of infantry, tanks, planes, and artillery to overwhelm an opponent in battle
  • Used extensively by Germany

Molotov - Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact

  • Secret and surprise agreement made b/w Hitler and Stalin
  • Divided Eastern Europe between Germany and the Soviet Union
  • Emboldened Hitler to invade Poland

Invasion of Poland

  • 1939 - German troops invade Poland
  • Britain/France declare war on Germany
  • The Official Start of WWII

German Victories Continued

  • Denmark- 6 hours
  • Netherlands- 5 days
  • Belgium - 5 days
  • Norway - 2 months
  • France - 2 months and split

Alliance Timeline

  • 1936
    • Germany and Italy sign the Rome-German Axis
  • 1936
    • Germany and Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact
  • 1939
    • Germany and Italy form a stronger alliance called the Pact of Steel
    • Germany and the USSR signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression pact
    • WWII Stars
  • 1940
    • Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact

Alliances of WWII

  • Allied Powers (Allies)
    • Great Britain
    • France
    • China
    • The Soviet Union (from 1941)
    • The United States (from 1941
  • Axis Powers
    • Germany
    • Italy
    • Japan

Miracle at Dunkirk

  • 1940
  • Operation Dynamo: The use of civilians and small ships to rescue/evacuate 350,000 allied troops surrounded by German military in northern France
  • Allied army saved from destruction

The Battle of Britain - 1940

  • The Context
    • Hitler planned to invade Britain
    • Britain stood alone because France had fallen to the Nazi’s
    • German Luftwaffe was seeking to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force
  • The Battle
    • The battle fought in the sky above Great Britain
    • RAF had fewer planes but better radar capabilities
    • The battle focused on dogfights b/w planes
  • Importance
    • RAF victory stopped the German invasion
    • Boosted British morale
    • Provided Britain time to regroup its military to fight Germany

The Blitz

  • A series of bombing raids by Nazi Germany on Britain, primarily targeting London, from September 1940 to May 1941
  • Part of the Battle of Britain
  • Night-time bombing raids of airfields, factories, and public buildings
  • Massive destruction and loss of life

Operation Barbarossa -1941

Treat Violation

  • Germany’s surprise invasion of the USSR
  • Hitler wants Lebensraum (living space)
  • Violation of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of Nonaggression signed between Hitler and Stalin
  • Germans quickly capture large amounts of soviet land

Russia Fights Backs

  • Red Army counterattack launched
  • Deadliest battles in history were fought between the Germans and Soviets
  • Brutal fighting kills 2 million soldiers/civilians
  • Vast distances, supply problems, and Russian winter hampered German efforts

Battle of Stalingrad

  • 1942 German siege of Stalingrad
  • Stalingrad was a key Soviet industrial center with large oil field nearby
  • German blitzkrieg takes 90% of the city
  • Urban warfare, aerial bombings, snipers, starvation, brutality, resilience
  • Russian victory = Turning point of War
  • 24 hours is the average life expectancy of a Soviet soldier at Stalingrad

Importance of Operation Barbarossa

  • Germans forced out of the USSR having lost 3 million irreplaceable veteran troops
  • Opened a 2-front war for the Germans
  • 22-30 million deaths occurred
  • Boost to allied morale

US Entry Into WW2 - 1941

Split Personality USA

  • Don’t Join
    • Isolationism
    • Neutrality Acts: restricted arms sales to warring nations
    • Millions were unemployed, and the government’s focus was on economic recovery
  • Join
    • US begins military build-up
    • Lend-Lease Acts: provided military aid to Britain and other Allied nations, without technically entering the war
    • US stops oil sales to Japan leaving it with only 2 year's supply (1940)

US President FDR

  • Roosevelt saw Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan as major threats to global security and American interests
  • Favored gradual assistance to allies without violating neutrality
  • Used fireside chats and other public addresses to prepare the country for the possibility of war

US Entry into WWII

Pearl Harbor Attack - December 7, 1941

Context

  • Japan was expanding its territory in Asia, and the US disapproved of their actions
  • The US also placed economic sanctions on Japan in an attempt to stop its aggression
  • Japan worries that if it dosen’t expand quickly then it will run out of oil for its military

The Planning

  • Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor planned by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
  • Japan hoped a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor would cripple the US Pacific Fleet, allowing them to freely conquer Southeast Asia
  • Major goal was to force the US into a war and defeat it before Japan ran out of oil reserves

Missed Warning Signs

  • Intercepted Japanese messages hinted at attack but location unknown
  • On the morning of the attack, US radar did pick up unidentified aircraft approaching Oahu, but it was misinterpreted as friendly bombers due for delivery
  • A US destroyer spotted a submarine near Pearl Harbor entrance just before the attack, but it was dismissed as a false alarm

Attack on Pearl Harbor

  • December 7, 1941
  • Japanese surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet in Harbor
  • 19 US ships sunk or damaged
  • 2,300 Americans killed
  • Sank or crippled multiple US battleships = Japanese success

The Aftermath

  • FDR declared it “a date that will live in infamy” and then declared war on Japan
  • INdustries shifted production to create massive quantities of weapons, ships, and airplanes
  • Millions of Americans enlisted
  • Executive Order 9066 led to the internment of over 110,000 Japanese Americans

Doolittle’s Raid

  • Aprile 18, 1942
  • US surprise bombing attack on Tokyo
  • Prove to Japan they were not untouchable in their homeland
  • Planned and led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle
  • 16 specially modified B-25 bombers were launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet
  • Demonstrated that Japan was vulnerable to American air attacks
  • Boosted American morale after the attack on Pearl Harbor

US Contributions

  • Arsenal of Democracy
    • Weapons, ships, airplanes, tanks, and other supplies for itself and its Allies
  • Technology
    • Developing the atomic bomb, radar technology, and improved weaponry
  • Military Might
    • A multi-million-strong army, navy, and air force
  • Fighting Spirit
    • Fresh, confident troops with swagger came at a time of low Allied morale
  • Financial Aid
    • The US provided billions of dollars in financial and military aid to Allied nations so they could continue to fight
  • Leadership
    • FDR, General Eisenhower, General MacArthur, Admiral Nimitz, General Patton, Oppenheimer, Truman

US Involvement Tipped the Scales of Victory in WW2

Operation Overload

The D-Day Invasion -June 6, 1944

Normandy, France Landings

  • European invasion plan created by Supreme Allied Commander, US General Dwight D.Eisenhower
  • Allies need a foothold on the European mainland to use as a base for further operations against the Germans to free France
  • Normandy, France selected as the site of a massive Allied assault

D-Day Invasion

  • D-Day = June 6, 1944
  • 156,000 Allied forces invade Nazi-occupied France at the beaches of Normandy
  • Largest amphibious landing in history; Allied VICTORY!!!
  • Allied casualties - 153 killed, wounded, and missing

Significance of the D-Day Invasion

  • Led to the liberation of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg and an end to fighting in Europe
  • Massive morale boost for the Allies
  • Forced Germany to fight a two-front war on both its Eastern and Western border

Death of the Dictators

  • Death of Mussolini - April 1945

Battle of Berlin

  • April 1945
  • US forces advance on Berlin from West
  • Soviet forces advance on Berlin from East
  • Germans starving, sick, and war-weary
  • Soviets reach Berlin first, destroy it
  • April 30th - Hitler retreats to his bunker and commits suicide
  • May 2nd - German Army surrenders

Victory In Europe

  • May 8, 1945
  • Known as “VE Day”
  • Celebration of the Allied defeat of Germany
  • Officially ended the fighting in Europe
  • War against Japan would go until August 1945