WORLD WAR II Europe Goes To War 1939

WORLD WAR II

Europe Goes To War, 1939

*The Big Three • Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin • *Leaders met and decided Hitler’s Germany must be defeated 1 st (biggest threat) before dealing with Japan. • Decided they would accept nothing less than unconditional surrender from all axis powers.

Hitler Attacks the Soviet Union June 1941 • Hitler breaks the Non-Aggression Pact & launches a a huge blitzkrieg attack (3 million troops) on Russia • Needed the oil resources for his war machine & land for his growing population • The Soviet Union retreats using the scorched earth policy • *Russia’s vast land resources stretch the German supply lines thin • German troops massacre millions of Soviet citizens believing them to be inferior

*Battle of Stalingrad, USSR July ’ 42 -’ 43 • The bitter cold Russian winter stopped Germany’s advance. (early winter & no winter clothing doomed the Germans) • Over 250, 000 Germans were killed or starved to death. 90, 000 Germans forced to surrender. *This ended Hitler’s plan for dominating Europe & was the turning point in the European theatre!

*George Marshall (USA) • *Roosevelt’s Chief of Staff and the “organizer of victory. ” • Urged military preparedness prior to Pearl Harbor • *Built up & supplied an army of 8 million men • Oversaw the creation of the first atomic bomb.

*Invasion of W. Europe = D-Day *Goal = Open a new Western front forcing Germany to fight a 2 front war. • Operation Overlord, was a crucial invasion that would free France by landing on Normandy’s beaches. • *General Dwight D. Eisenhower (USA) = Supreme Allied Commander in Europe who supervised D-Day • Troops & supplies massed in G. Britain for the invasion on the beaches of Normandy.

*D-Day • • *June 6, 1944 Invasion to liberate (free) France 1, 000 bombers pounded German defenses. 4, 600 invasion crafts left Southern England 23, 000 soldiers parachuted behind enemy lines @ 4: 00 am to cut communication lines, capture bridges, & disrupt the enemy • Despite heavy casualties, within 1 week, half a million men had come ashore.

The morning before D-Day:

*General Omar Bradley (USA) • *Led U. S. ground forces during the European campaign, ( France on D-day) • Liberated (freed from German rule) Paris • Also successful in N. Africa campaign.

*General George Patton (USA) • *Famous & controversial tank commander of the 3 rd army. • *Patton had successful campaigns in N. Africa, Sicily, & then helped liberate (free) France.

*Soviet Forces Advance to Berlin • April 1945, Soviet Army surrounds Berlin • Patton & Bradley told to slow down & allow the Russians to reach Berlin first (politics) • Hitler reportedly commits suicide in an underground bunker in Berlin • Germany surrenders & the Allies celebrate • *V-E Day, May 8, 1945 (victory in Europe)

Yalta Conference • Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at Yalta to plan the surrender of Germany. • Agreed to divide Germany into 4 zones and divide Berlin. • Stalin agreed to join the fight against Japan in three months.

*ANTI-SEMITISM • *Discrimination or hostility directed at Jews • Originated from Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf • Holocaust = Nazi Germany’s systematic murder of European Jews • 6 million Jews died; 6 million other undesirables (mentally ill, handicapped, gypseys

NAZI POLICIES • Gestapo-secret state police • SS-Schutzstaffel-private army of the Nazi party; guarded concentration camps • Jews lost the following privileges: – German citizenship – No marriage between Jews and non-Jews – Lost their jobs and businesses – Jewish doctors and lawyers could only serve Jews – Jews expelled from public schools

KRISTALLNACHT • “Night of Broken Glass”-broken windows of Jewish shops • 1938 -Nazis looted and destroyed Jewish stores, houses, and synagogue • German Jews sought refuge outside Germany. Many nations would not accept Jews (antisemitism was a world wide problem

*From Murder to Genocide, the FINAL SOLUTION • Jews forced into ghettos • *Genocide-deliberate destruction of an ethnic or cultural group • Concentration camp-prison forced labor camp • *Hitler’s Final Solution = to eliminate (kill) the Jews

DEATH CAMPS • Existed for mass murder • Transported by cattle cars • Elderly, disabled, or those who couldn’t work were killed • Crematoria-huge ovens where the bodies were burned • Belongings confiscated & given to German families or recycled

Auschwitz-largest camp

Medical Experiments

*Liberation & Punishment* • The American army was the first to liberate a Nazi concentration camp • Nuremberg Trials, Nov. 1945 = put NAZI leaders on trial & judged them for their crimes against humanity!

War in the Pacific

*Bataan Death March • *The 76, 000 soldiers and nurses were forced by the Japanese to march 60 brutal miles. • Starving & malnourished the prisoners were shot, be -headed, & run over if they couldn’t keep up • *Many were not allowed food or H 20, 10, 000 prisoners died.

*Battle of Midway, June 1942 • Only 6 months after Pearl Harbor, the Americans score a decisive victory against the Japanese halting their advance in the Pacific • Admiral Yamamoto tried to lure (attract) the US Navy into a trap but Adm. Nimitz traps them! • 4 Japanese carriers sunk, 250 planes, 3, 000 killed; US lost 1 carrier, 150 planes, 300 killed • Severely damaged the Japanese fleet because they couldn’t replace them. U. S. winning the battle of production! • *Turning point in the Pacific Theatre & U. S. starts advancing!

*Admiral Chester Nimitz, USA* • Commander of the U. S. Pacific forces. • Commander of U. S. forces at the Battle of Midway • Scored a decisive victory stopping Japan’s advance in the Pacific & beginning our advance.

*Island-Hopping • *General Mac. Arthur’s military strategy of attacking specific strategic islands while avoiding others.

*Manhattan Project • Next = invasion of Japan • Albert Einstein informed FDR that Germany was building a bomb. • *FDR quickly developed the top secret Manhattan Project to invent the first atomic bomb. Project was led by Robert Oppenheimer. • July 16, 1945, America tested the first atomic bomb in New Mexico • Only had 2 bombs built & weren’t exactly sure what it could

*President Truman’s Decision How to get Japan’s unconditional surrender: 1. massive invasion of Japan, thought to cost a minimum of 1 million casualties. 2. naval blockade to starve Japan, time? 3. demonstrate power of the nuclear bomb (only had 2 made & what if it was a dud? ) 4. allow an easy surrender *Wanting to limit casualties, end the war quickly, & not wanting to get Russia involved, Truman decides to drop the bomb!

The Enola Gay dropped the bomb… • August 6, 1945 America dropped the atomic bomb ‘little boy’ on Hiroshima • Japan refuses to surrender • August 9, 1945 dropped ‘fat man’ bomb on Nagasaki • 240, 000 were killed by the blast and radiation

*Little Boy & Fat Man = resulted in Japanese surrender!

*JAPAN SURRENDERS! August 14, 1945 = V -J DAY

Diversity in American Forces • 300, 000 Mexicans served • 20, 000 Japanese American served. Famed 442 army regiment was the most decorated unit in Europe. “Live with honor, die with dignity”.

*Navajo (Indian) Code Talkers* • 44, 000 Native Americans: *Navajos “code talkers” – used their rare language transmit important military information. • Their language was never deciphered (decoded) because their language had no alphabet. • Transmitted messages throughout the Pacific winning the war in the Pacific theatre.

*African Americans • *Fought with distinction during WWII, but came home & faced the same the prejudices they had left • More freedoms overseas than at home • *Vernon Baker-awarded the MEDAL OF HONOR, killed 26 enemy soldiers & destroyed 6 machine gun nests, 2 observer posts & four dugouts.

• 900, 000 African Americans served in segregated units. • *Tuskegee Airmen, 332 Fighter Wing-first black army air fighter squadron

*Results of WWII* 1. Europe was divided into 2 parts: West = Democratic; East = Communist 2. The Atomic Age begins 3. The U. S. & U. S. S. R. emerge as the 2 world super powers. 4. The United Nations was formed