World War II

Discussing the European and Asian theatres

Background Information

• Following World War I, the countries of Europe wanted to return to normalcy

• Russia underwent a revolution in 1917 and was now making progress

• Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points ineffective and meaningless

• Wilson’s League of Nations ineffective and weak

• The Treaty of Versailles a weak agreement that was not enforced

Background Information• World War I destroyed most of Europe

– France was either blown up or occupied the entire war

– Germany suffered severe inflation problems

– U.S. gets involved• Funds major rebuilding operations• U.S. industry profits from huge demand• U.S. still very isolationist

– Germany forced to pay reparations for the war

Background Information• With the stock market crash in 1929, the

world economy was deeply impacted• Communist Russia, under Stalin, witnessed

economic growth• A power vacuum was created in Europe after

World War I – no strong leader• Power vacuum leads to Fascism• U.S. under Franklin Delano

Roosevelt too busy with Depression to worry about Europe

Fascism• Extreme nationalism / Conservative• Nothing good outside of the state• Anti-Semitic, Anti-Communist • Starts in Italy with Benito Mussolini,

then spreads to Spain under Francisco Franco and then Germany

• Most famous Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler• Born in Austria• German army officer during World War I• Formed the SA (Sturmabteil), who were

ordered to attack Nazi enemies• Hitler and his men staged a coup of the

Weimar government in 1923 (Beer Hall Putsch), but they were captured and Hitler served jail time

• While in jail, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf

Adolf Hitler• Hitler grew in power and was named

Chancellor of Germany by Hindenberg• When Hindenberg died, Hitler called an

emergency and declared himself dictator

• Hitler purged the SA in 1934 and replaced them with the SS (Schutzstaffel) lead by Heinrich Himmler

Adolf Hitler• SS did the dirty work of Hitler – cast out the

Jewish community, vagrants, gypsies• Hitler used racism and nationalism to build up

the German military and confidence • Very effective public speaker who fooled the

German people into believing him• Hitler wanted to establish a super race of

Germans and unite all the German-speaking nations (Anschluss) to create the 3rd Reich

• Hitler takes over Austria

Adolf Hitler• Hitler wanted to occupy the

Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia) but the French and British refused– Meet Hitler in 1938 and agree he could

occupy German Czechoslovakia– Hitler promised he would take no more

land, PM Neville Chamberlain proclaimed peace

– Hitler then took the remaining parts of Czechoslovakia, signifying that he would not stop

Adolf Hitler• Hitler realized that Europe and America

would do everything to avoid another World War

• Hitler signed a non-aggression pact with Russia

• Hitler believed that German aggression and European weakness would stop the other countries from making any moves

Adolf Hitler

"We will not capitulate - no, never! We may be destroyed, but if we are, we shall drag a world with us - a world in flames."

Major Allied PlayersFDR, President of the United States

General Douglas MacArthur, Commander of Pacific Operations

General George Patton, U.S. commander in Europe

General Bernard Montgomery, British commander in Europe

Charles De Gaulle, General in command of French resistance forces

Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain

Major Axis PlayersJoseph Stalin, Dictator of Russia

Erwin Rommel, Commander of the Afrika Korps and European forces

General Yamamoto, Commander-In-Chief of the combined Japanese fleets

“Fuhrer” Adolf Hitler, Commander of the SS, Dictator of Germany

Heinrich Himmler, General of the SS

Benito “Il Duche” Mussolini, Dictator of Italy

It Begins• Germany invades Poland in 1939 using

the Blitzkrieg (Lightning War)– Dive bombers and long range artillery

devastated targets– Armored columns penetrate where the

initial targeting had been carried out – Mechanized infantry follow the columns – The armored columns and mechanized

infantry fan out forcing retreat or surrender– Foot soldiers clean up what’s left

It Begins• Poland no match for German army and

the Reds arrive to split Poland

• Following the occupation of Poland, little action happened, nicknamed the “Sitzkrieg”

• “Sitzkrieg” ends when Hitler attacks Norway and Denmark in 1940– Denmark fell in an afternoon, and Norway

was no match

It Begins• Wehrmacht also took over Belgium and

nearly trapped 150k Belgian, French, and British soldiers in Dunkirk

• Hitler offers peace terms to Britain and France, both refuse

• Winston Churchill replaces Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister (only one who knew what Hitler was up to the whole time)

It Begins• Hitler invades France after they refuse to

surrender• Hitler realized that Churchill would be a

formidable opponent• Germans went right around the French

Maginot Line and occupied the northern half of France

• Germans set up a puppet government in south, called Vichy France

• Only Britain remained to fight off the Germans• Closest Hitler comes to winning the war

It Begins

Warring Parties• Allies

– Great Britain

– France

– U.S. (Later)

– Soviet Union (Later)

– Italy (Later)

• Axis

– Germany

– Italy

– Russia

– Turkey

– Japan

World War II Technology• Tanks• Machine Guns• Radar• Sonar• Submarines (U-Boats)• Encryption Devices• Grenades• Snipers• Field Radios• Jets

• Airplanes• Aircraft Carriers• Kamikaze Pilots• H-Bomb• Blitzkrieg• Light Mechanized

Vehicles• Rail Guns• V-2 Rockets• Chem and Bio Weapons

Mechanized Infantry

• German– Panzer

• Panzerkampfwagen• Earliest German tank• Lightly armored• 13 mm armor• 57 hp Krupp gas

motor• 7.92 MG34 Gun• 4 Variants

Mechanized Infantry• German

– Panther• Medium

Heavy Armor• 80 mm front

and side armor, 40 mm rear

• 700 hp Maybach V12

• 55 mph top speed

• Main gun 75 mm

• (2) 7.92 MG34’s

Mechanized Infantry• German

– Tiger• Heavy Armor• 100 mm front

and side, 80 mm rear

• 690 hp Maybach V12

• 38 mph top speed

• Main gun 88 mm

• (2) 7.92 MG34’s

Mechanized Infantry• U.S.

– M3 Stuart• 1st American tank• Light armor• 44 mm front, 25

mm sides and back• 262 hp Continental

gas motor• 58 mph top speed• Main gun 37 mm• (5) .30 cal machine

guns

Mechanized Infantry• U.S.

– M4 Sherman• Medium Armor• 51 mm front, 38

mm sides and rear

• 400 hp Continental gas motor

• 34 mph top speed

• Main gun 75 mm• (2) .30 cal and 1

.50 cal machine guns

Mechanized Infantry• U.S.

– M18 Hellcat• Tank

Destroyer• 13 mm armor

around• 460 hp

Continental gas motor

• 80 mph top speed

• Main gun 76 mm

• (1) .50 cal machine gun

Mechanized Infantry• U.S.S.R.

– T-34• Most widely

produced• Medium armor• 45 mm armor

around• 500 hp Diesel

v12• 55 mph top

speed• Main gun 76.2

mm• (2) 7.62mm

guns

The Blitz• Massive air attack of London planned

by Hermann Goering, commander of the Luftwaffe (Aug 1940)– Initially attacked Royal Air Force (RAF)

bases, then turned to cities– RAF pilots were better, with better planes

(Spitfire and Hurricane)

The Blitz• Luftwaffe called off in April 1941 after

heavy casualties

• British had radar, the Germans did not

• London and Coventry were destroyed

• Citizens lived in the subways for months

• “Never was so much owed by so many to so few” ~ Winston Churchill

The Blitz

Mid-War Europe

Invasion of Russia• AKA Operation Barbarossa• Hitler wanted to attack in spring 1941

but had to bail out Italy in Albania• Hitler follows Napoleon’s path with the

same result, the Russians burn everything and the Germans are not ready for the cold weather and hardships of the Russian terrain

• Partisans pick apart the German supply line

Invasion of Russia• Hitler got as far as Smolensk and then

split his forces

• Germans never made it to Moscow

• Part of his army attempts to take Leningrad – Brutal battle for the city named after the

Communist founder– Hitler wanted to deal a morally degrading

blow to the Russians

Invasion of Russia• “Big Bertha” brought to secure oil

supplies in Crimea

• Hitler also tried to take Stalingrad (named for current dictator) but was cut off by Alexander Zhukov

• Battles of Leningrad and Stalingrad extremely costly for Hitler and probably cost him the war

Invasion of Russia

Holocaust• Himmler lead the SS in war and ideas

• Wanted to create the Nazi “super race” of blonde-haired, blue-eyed Germans

• Concentration camps were set up to destroy Jews, elderly, sick, and mentally challenged to maintain German purity

• All camps based on the Dachau model, most famous is Auschwitz

Holocaust

Holocaust

Holocaust

Holocaust

Holocaust

Holocaust• An estimated 6 million Jews were killed,

along with another 2 million gypsies and an unknown number of elderly

• Most were either buried in mass graves or incinerated in concentration camps

• Nazis believed that their race was being “infected” by lesser nations

• Not all Nazis believed this or were involved, including most citizens

Pearl Harbor• U.S. only gave aid and weapons until

Dec 7, 1941

• Japanese attacked Hawaiian naval base, Pearl Harbor, at 7:00 in the morning

• “A Day which will live in infamy” ~ FDR

• Hitler did not want to involve the U.S.

• U.S. entered the war in 1941 with military and industrial fury

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

• “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

~ General Yamamoto, following Pearl Harbor

Allied Counter• British decide to attack the Nazis in

Northern Africa• German Afrika Korps under the control

of Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox” -Rommel not prepared for attack

• First time U.S. troops were involved in fighting

• General Patton invades Italy• Montgomery forces Nazis out of

Northern Africa

D-Day (Operation Overlord)• Organized by Dwight D. Eisenhower

• Greatest amphibious landing in history

• U.S. used diversion techniques to fool the Germans

• 100k men landed, plus paratroopers

• Toughest Omaha beach – 80% dead

• 101st Airborne parachuted in to provide support behind enemy lines

D-Day (Operation Overlord)• You are about to embark upon the Great

Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. ~ General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander of European Operations

Battle of the Bulge

• U.S. forces enter France and liberate Paris in August 1944

• Germans concentrate their forces and the Battle of the Bulge begins– See-saw battle between Allied and Axis

forces– Germans punched 50 miles into Allied lines

but ran out of gas (literally)– Last significant German attack– Allies retake the ground and push forward

The Collapse

• Allied troops pushed the Germans back to the Rhineland (Area b/w Germany and France)

• Americans discover concentration camps as they march towards Berlin

• U.S. and Soviet troops meet at the Elbe River in Berlin and the war in Europe is over (V-E Day, May 8, 1945)

• Hitler and his top aids commit suicide

The Collapse

The Führer’s Bunker

Cyanide & Pistols

Hitler and Eva Braun

War in the Pacific• Empire of Japan had been expanding

since the 1930’s with brutal force

• Invade China, Korea, Manchuria, Vietnam

• U.S. not happy – freezes Japanese assets, boycotts oil, steel

• U.S. refuses to talk with Japanese until they pull out – taken as major insult and begin practicing for Pearl Harbor

War in the Pacific• Pearl Harbor

– U.S. broke diplomatic codes but not the military

– U.S. Intelligence may have known– 8 Battleships and 3 Aircraft carriers (out on

assignment)– 2500 total dead– Oklahoma sunk and raised to continue

fighting

War in the Pacific

• U.S. forces under General MacArthur begin to capture Pacific Islands

• Philippines, Iwo Jima, then air bombings of Tokyo and the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• Captured soldiers forced on the Bataan Death march – 76,000 prisoners forced to march 60 miles in the heat to prison camp

War in the Pacific

War in the Pacific

War in the Pacific• Battle of Midway turning point – U.S.

takes the island – A battle of aircraft carriers – ships never

see eachother

• U.S. develops nuclear bombs (Manhattan Project) and used them to end the war quickly

• H-Bomb Little Boy (Enola Gay) dropped on Hiroshima and Fat Man (Boxcar) dropped on Nagasaki

War in the Pacific

War in the Pacific

War in the Pacific• Japan surrenders a few days after the

nuclear bombings, which was the intent of President Johnson

• The use of nuclear force has been questioned since WWII

• Nuclear option used because of a miscommunication by the translators

• V-J Day Sept 2, 1945

War in the Pacific

Life After War• Yalta Conference

– FDR met with Churchill and Stalin to discuss post-war plans

– Germany would be broken up into parts protected by Allied powers

– Soviets promise to improve Eastern Europe

– FDR dies while in 4th term and is succeeded by Johnson, who uses the bomb

Life After War

Country Men in war Battle deaths Wounded

Australia 1,000,000 26,976 180,864

Austria 800,000 280,000 350,117

Belgium 625,000 8,460 55,5131

Brazil2 40,334 943 4,222

Bulgaria 339,760 6,671 21,878

Canada 1,086,3437 42,0427 53,145

China3 17,250,521 1,324,516 1,762,006

Czechoslovakia — 6,6834 8,017

Denmark — 4,339 —

Finland 500,000 79,047 50,000

France — 201,568 400,000

Germany 20,000,000 3,250,0004 7,250,000

Greece — 17,024 47,290

Hungary — 147,435 89,313

India 2,393,891 32,121 64,354

Italy 3,100,000 149,4964 66,716

Japan 9,700,000 1,270,000 140,000

Netherlands 280,000 6,500 2,860

New Zealand 194,000 11,6254 17,000

Norway 75,000 2,000 —

Poland — 664,000 530,000

Romania 650,0005 350,0006 —

South Africa 410,056 2,473 —

U.S.S.R. — 6,115,0004 14,012,000

United Kingdom 5,896,000 357,1164 369,267

United States 16,112,566 291,557 670,846

Yugoslavia 3,741,000 305,000 425,000

1. Civilians only.2. Army and navy figures.3. Figures cover period

July 7, 1937 to Sept. 2, 1945, and concern only Chinese regular troops. They do not include casualties suffered by guerrillas and local military corps.

4. Deaths from all causes.5. Against Soviet Russia;

385,847 against Nazi Germany.

6. Against Soviet Russia; 169,822against Nazi Germany.

7. National Defense Ctr., CanadianForces Hq., Director of History.

WWII Casualties

Life After War

• Two superpowers emerge: Capitalist U.S. and Communist U.S.S.R.

• These two world powers begin to create spheres of influence throughout the world

• Europe was completely destroyed and reconstruction efforts, with U.S. help, begin

Life After War• The Nuclear Era had begun and an

arms race soon began

• Japan was put under military control by General MacArthur until they became stable

• Japanese, Italian, and German high officials charged in the Nuremberg Trials

Life After War• Our national situation, the current

situation in the Middle East, and the future of Europe and Russia are all dependant up on World War II

• Millions of men fought and died to destroy pure evil