World War II Lecture Review

Chronology of Key Dates and Events (1939–1945)

• 1939: The Outbreak of War

  • September 1, 1939: Germany invades Poland, marking the official start of World War II.

  • September 3, 1939: England and France declare war on Germany in response to the invasion of Poland.

  • September 17, 1939: Russia (USSR) invades Poland from the East.

• 1940: German Hegemony in Europe

  • April 1940: Hitler invades Denmark and Norway, ending the six-month "Phon(e)y War" period.

  • June 22, 1940: France falls to Germany.

  • October 30, 1940: The $57$-Day Battle of Britain ends.

• 1941: Escalation and US Entry

  • June 22, 1941: Hitler breaks the non-aggression pact and launches an invasion of Russia (Operation Barbarossa).

  • December 7, 1941: Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

  • December 8, 1941: The United States and Great Britain declare war on Japan.

  • December 11, 1941: The Triple Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) declare war on the United States.

• 1944–1945: Allied Victory

  • June 6, 1944: D-Day (Decision Day); Allied forces land in Normandy to begin the liberation of France.

  • April 30, 1945: Adolf Hitler commits suicide.

  • May 7, 1945: Germany surrenders.

  • May 8, 1945: VE Day (Victory in Europe).

  • August 6, 1945: The United States drops the first Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima.

  • August 9, 1945: The United States drops the second Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki.

  • August 14, 1945: Japan surrenders (VJ Day).

Early Regional Conflicts and Alliances

• Sino-Japanese War ($1937$-$1945$):

  • The conflict began when China resisted Japanese expansion within Chinese territory.

  • This led to a stalemate.

  • By late $1941$, Japanese forces were diverted from this conflict to the Pacific theater of World War II.

• The Non-Aggression Pact:

  • Hitler signed a non-aggression pact with Joseph Stalin in August of $1939$.

  • Strategic Purpose: This was intended to avoid a two-front war for Germany during the invasion of Poland.

  • The Terms: In exchange for signing the pact, Stalin was promised the eastern portion of Poland.

Major European Operations and Turning Points

• The Invasion of Poland ($1939$):

  • Hitler invaded on September 1 and divided the nation with Stalin within four weeks.

  • Tactics: Hitler employed the Blitzkrieg (German for "lightening war"). This involved breaking through enemy lines and quickly encircling troops.

• The Phoney War ($1939$-$1940$):

  • A six-month lull in major ground combat between Germany, France, and Britain.

  • The period was characterized by blockades, mine laying, and sporadic naval actions until April $1940$.

• Occupied France and the Vichy Government ($1940$-$1944$):

  • Following the fall of France, the country was occupied by Axis powers.

  • The Vichy Government collaborated with the occupiers.

• The Battle of Britain ($1940$):

  • An aerial campaign where the German Luftwaffe clashed with the British Royal Air Force (RAF) over the United Kingdom.

  • The Luftwaffe targeted air bases, military posts, and eventually the civilian population.

  • Outcome: The RAF successfully prevented Germany from gaining air superiority. This decisive victory saved Britain from a ground invasion and occupation.

• Operation Barbarossa (June $1941$):

  • The code name for the German invasion of the USSR, which broke the non-aggression pact.

  • Invasion Force Statistics:

    • Total Divisions: $138$

    • Total Men: Approximately $3,316,200$

    • Total Aircraft: $3,988$

The Attack on Pearl Harbor and Naval Losses

• Personnel Casualties (Killed/Wounded/Total):

  • Navy: $2,008$ Killed | $710$ Wounded | $2,718$ Total

  • Army: $218$ Killed | $364$ Wounded | $582$ Total

  • Marines: $109$ Killed | $69$ Wounded | $178$ Total

  • Civilians: $68$ Killed | $35$ Wounded | $103$ Total

• Battleship Damages and Repairs:

  • Arizona: Sunk; total loss.

  • Oklahoma: Capsized; total loss.

  • Utah: Capsized; sunk.

  • West Virginia: Sunk; raised and repaired by July $1944$.

  • California: Sunk; raised and repaired by May $1944$.

  • Nevada: Heavily damaged; repaired by December $1942$.

  • Maryland: Damaged; repaired by February $1942$.

  • Tennessee: Damaged; repaired by March $1942$.

  • Pennsylvania: Slightly damaged; repaired by August $1942$.

• Other Vessel Damages:

  • Destroyers: Cassin (heavily damaged, rebuilt Feb. $1944$), Downes (heavily damaged, rebuilt Nov. $1943$), Helm (damaged, Jan. $1942$).

  • Cruisers: Helena (heavily damaged, June $1942$), Honolulu (damaged, Jan. $1942$), Raleigh (heavily damaged, July $1942$).

  • Minecraft/Auxiliaries: Oglala (sunk, raised Feb. $1944$), Curtis (damaged, Jan. $1942$), Sotoyomo (sunk, raised Aug. $1942$), Vestal (heavily damaged, Feb. $1942$), YFD-2 (sunk, raised May $1942$).

American Industrial War Effort

• Total Equipment Production:

  • Machine guns: $2,681,000$

  • Tanks: $86,330$

  • Airplanes: $296,400$

  • Naval vessels: $6,500$

  • Landing craft: $64,500$

  • Cargo ships and transports: $5,400$

• Lend-Lease Program (March $1941$-June $1944$):

  • The program exported goods and financial aid to Allied nations.

  • Major Destinations/Values:

    • United Kingdom: Primary recipient.

    • USSR: Significant recipient.

    • Africa, Middle East, and Mediterranean: $\$1,310,000,000$

    • India and China: $\$1,400,000,000$

    • Australia and New Zealand: $\$1,000,000,000$

    • Latin America: $\$300,000$

    • Other Countries: $\$400,000$

  • Common Goods: Watercraft, aircraft, tanks, ordnance, and machinery.

Major Campaigns and Strategies

• Battle of Midway (June $1942$):

  • Japan's Losses: $2,500$ Servicemen, $292$ Aircraft, $1$ Heavy Cruiser, and $4$ Aircraft Carriers.

  • U.S. Losses: $307$ Servicemen, $145$ Aircraft, $1$ Destroyer, and $1$ Aircraft Carrier.

• North African Campaign ($1942$-$1943$):

  • Involved Allied landings and troop movements through Algeria and Libya toward Tunisia, with an Axis retreat and eventual campaign in Italy.

• Island-Hopping in the Pacific ($1942$-$1945$):

  • A strategy targeting key islands in the Pacific to move closer to Japan.

  • Key Battle Sites: Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Saipan, Guam, Kwajalein, Tarawa, Guadalcanal, Leyte Gulf, and the Aleutian Islands.

• Battle of the Atlantic:

  • A struggle for convoy routes against German U-boats.

  • Noted ship losses included the German vessels Bismarck (sunk), Scharnhorst (December $1943$), and Tirpitz (November $1944$).

Operation Overlord: D-Day

• The Invasion:

  • Date: June 6, 1944. The "D" stands for "day" as the timing was weather-dependent.

  • Beaches (50-mile stretch of Normandy): Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Omaha was the costliest in terms of Allied casualties.

• Forces and Commanders:

  • The Armada: $5,000$ ships/landing craft, $50,000$ vehicles, and $11,000$ planes.

  • Troops: $156,000$ from US, UK, Canada, Free France, and Norway.

  • U.S. Commanders: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley.

  • U.K. Commanders: Bernard Law Montgomery, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Arthur Tedder, Miles Dempsey, Bertram Ramsay.

  • German Commanders: Erwin Rommel, Gerd von Rundstedt, Friedrich Dollmann.

• Casualties (Total killed, wounded, missing, or captured):

  • United States: $6,603$ ($1,465$ killed).

  • United Kingdom: $2,700$.

  • Canada: $1,074$ ($359$ fatal).

  • Germany: Estimated between $4,000$ and $9,000$.

• Outcome:

  • By June 11, beachheads were secured with $326,000$ troops and $100,000$ tons of equipment ashore.

  • Paris was liberated on August 25, 1944.

The Holocaust and Domestic Policy

• The Holocaust ($1933$-$1945$):

  • Began when Hitler rose to power; estimated $11,000,000$ total deaths.

  • $6,000,000$ of those killed were Jews, representing approximately two-thirds of the European Jewish population.

• Executive Order 9066 (Japanese Internment):

  • Fear of Japanese targets on the West Coast led to the relocation of Japanese-Americans.

  • Between $1942$ and $1945$, over $100,000$ Japanese-Americans and aliens from California, Oregon, and Washington were placed in $10$ camps in states like Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.

  • Internees were forced to sell homes and businesses at "rock bottom prices."

The American Home Front

• Enlistment and Military Growth:

  • Initial military size was only $300,000$ men. Enlistment numbers eventually overwhelmed government expectations.

  • Minority Contributions:

    • African Americans: $1,000,000$

    • Mexican-Americans: $300,000$

    • Japanese Americans: $33,000$

    • Native Americans: $25,000$

    • Chinese Americans: $13,000$

    • "Golden 13": The first African American Great Lakes officers who scored the highest marks ever on the Officers exam in $1944$.

• Rationing and Finance:

  • The government sold War Bonds to borrow money from citizens.

  • Rationed Items: Sugar, coffee, shoes, meats, cereals, and gasoline ($3$ gallons per week per sticker).

  • Scrap Drives: Collection of scrap iron, tin, aluminum, fats (for bullets), and nylon (for parachutes).

• War Production Board (WPB):

  • Directed the conversion of civilian factories to wartime production.

  • Specific Industrial Shifts:

    • GM, Ford, and Chrysler shifted from cars to tanks.

    • Boeing shifted to bombers and fighter jets.

    • Colt shifted from hunting rifles to machine guns and flamethrowers.

  • Output: At full capacity, the U.S. produced up to $4,000$ tanks and $4,500$ planes per month.

• Labor and Women's Roles:

  • By $1944$, $18,000,000$ workers were in war industries ($3 \times$ the $1941$ level).

  • Over $6,000,000$ women entered the workforce, many for the first time; $1/3$ were in the defense industry.

  • Women's Army Corp (WACS): An Army unit allowing $150,000$ women to serve in noncombat positions.

• Economic Impact:

  • Unemployment dropped to 1.2\text{%} by $1944$.

  • Wages rose by 35\text{%}.

  • Farmer production doubled and income tripled.

  • Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (G.I. Bill of Rights): Provided education for $7.8$ million returning veterans.

Post-War Planning and Geopolitics

• Yalta Conference (Feb. $1945$):

  • Attendees: Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin.

  • Agreed to divide and occupy Germany and outlined the United Nations.

• Potsdam Conference (July/August $1945$):

  • Discussed Allied control of Germany, reparations, and the Oder/Neisse Line (Polish/German Border).

  • Discussed Russia joining the war against Japan.

• The Division of Europe:

  • The Iron Curtain: Separated Soviet-controlled communist countries from the West.

  • East/West Germany: Germany was divided into Eastern (communist-controlled) and Western zones.

  • Communist-controlled nations: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Yugoslavia (independent but communist).