The Beginning of WWII

• Alliances :

a) Berlin-Rome Pact – a.k.a –alliance of Steel

b) Nazi-Soviet Pact

c) Allied Powers

d) Axis Powers

• Munich Deal – Czechoslovak Given away, why?

Early Action• Poland

• Beginning of War - Invasion of Poland Sept.-1939- Why?

a) fell in 3 weeks – USSR assist!

b) blitzkrieg

c) sitzkrieg - until May 1940

• France/England a) ill trained & equipped b) Maginot line – Belgium c) May 22, 1940 Allies

pushed to Dunkirk – evacuated 90% of troops

d) Germans invade Paris – June 22 French sign Armistice establishes – Vichy Gov.

Early Action Continued• Operation “Sea Lion”-

bombing of British Isles• Philosophy – Break Great

Britain down for German invasion-continued during war

• British Advantages a) Royal Air Force superior

to Germans Lufwaffer. b) Produced planes faster

than Germans c- had “RADAR”

United States Policy At the Beginning of WWII

• Isolated!

• Actions:

a) Neutrality Act

b) Cash & Carry

c) Destroyer Base Deal

d) Lend Lease Act

e) ABC Staff Agreement & Atlantic Charter

Road To Pearl Harbor

• 1931 invasion of Manchuria- Stimpson Doctrine

• 1937 invasion of China – referred as an incident!

• 1939 – signing of the Axis pact

• 1941 – invasion of Indo- China

• Trying to resolve problem:

a) meetings between US & Japan – until 11-30-41-final attempt

b) Japanese task force c) The attack -

The Attack on Pearl Harbor

Description of The Attack on Pearl Harbor

• Sunday Dec. 7th 1941 in the morning• Over 3,000 casualties• 8 battleships sunk – 3 aircraft carriers

on maneuvers and not damaged• FDR now has reason to involve United

States in WWII• Crippled American power in the Pacific

American Home Front• Involvement pulls us

out of depression • Dollar-a-year men

revived!• Organizations/

actions by government:

a) Office of War Mobilization

b) War Production Board

b) VP – Harry Truman’s committee

c) Smith-Connelly act

d) Office of Price Administration

• Financing the War a) bonds b) taxes

Raising an Army• Begins in the summer

of 1940• Called National Guard

to active duty• Passed the Selective

Service and Training Act in 1940 = 1st peace time draft

• WAAC = Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp

• WASPs = Women Airforce Service Pilots

• auxiliary branches of the navy, coast guard, and marines.

• Served as nurses, drove vehicles, and ferried planes to free men for active duty!

Consequences of WW II in the United States

• Increased juvenile delinquency • Increased marriages – baby boom• May Act – V-Girls• Lack on housing• Relocation on Japanese –Executive Order

9066

Relocation/Interment Camp

Early War in the Pacific

• Japanese Attack on the Philippines-12-8-41

a) Clark Air Base b) evacuation on McArthur – “I will return” c) Bataan Death March – set back war effort 6

months for Japanese• Doolittle Raid! USS Hornet April 1942• Battle of Coral Sea – May 1942• Midway June 1942= balance of power in Pacific-

how?

War In EuropeJune 1941 Germans

invade Soviet UnionInvasion of North

Africa Nov. 1942– “Operation Torch” involves US & GB – Why attack North Africa

Personalities involvedKey Battle - El

Alamein

Operation Torch

Operation Husky• Invasion of Sicily • July 9th 1943• Personalities • Plan of attack• 39 days to take –

many in Italian military surrender Why?

• Notable incidents a) Patton & slapping

incident b) German evacuation

• Invasion of Italy September 1943

a) soft underbelly of Europe, Why?

b) Gained a foothold in Europe. In October established Foggia an Airbase. In January –Anzio landing near Rome

c) Mussolini removed from power

d) Bulk of allied forces pull out in March of 1944 – Rome taken in June 1944

Operation Husky

Invasion of Italy

Invasion of Italy

Operation Overlord – Invasion of Normandy – June 6, 1944

• Supreme Allied Commander- Eisenhower

• Deception! Fake message – Calais• Facts about invasion – use of

mulberries • Result of invasion – Germany 3 front

war

Operation Overlord

The curtain falls on Germany!

• August 25, 1944 Paris liberated – Charles DeGualle

• Last ditch German efforts

I) use of V-1& V-2 rockets

II) Battle of the Bulge – last German offensive

Ending of war in Europe

• March – Allies cross Rhine & Russians ready to invade

• May 8, 1945 Germans surrender – VE Day – surrender unconditional

Yalta Conference

• February 1945

• How to rebuild Europe after WWII

• Role of Allied forces

• After countries liberated – each nation would vote on Gov!

• Arrangements were made to set up United Nations

Fighting in the Pacific

• Strategy after Midway – Island hopping/skipping: hit strategic areas in Pacific

• Longer War lasted better chance that the United States had to win war!

• Areas hit;I)1943 Guadalcanal, II) 1943 Gilbert Islands, III)June, 1944 Guam and Saipan, IV) Oct. 1944 Philippine Islands, V) Iwo Jima, VI) Okinawa – Bonzi charges!

• Decision – invade or use atomic bomb?

Potsdam Conference

Decision A-Bomb• Creation of A-bomb• Hiroshima –August 6,

1945• Nagasaki – August 9,

1945• Ending of War Sept.2,

1945 = VJ day – USS Missouri – McArthur –Terms of Surrender

Odds & Ends of WWII• April 12th , 1945 FDR dies Truman takes

over• After WWII – UN goes into full swing• Holocaust – final solution = elimination of

Jews – 1942 – 6-8 millions Jews and other “racial inferiors” put to death

• Why Korea split in two ?• War trials held in Nuremburg & Tokyo – 1st

time in History of war men were held accountable for war crimes – only members of the losing side were held accountable!

• Weapons of WW II