World War II Overview Notes
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World War II Overview Notes The Cause of War What was WWII? Key Facts: Largest war in human history. Involved countries, colonies, and territories around the entire world. By the end, over ______were dead. It lasted from 1939 until 1945. WW2 Causes ___ WI and the Treaty of Versailles ___ ppeasement ___ ise of Totalitarianism
WWI and the ______ Germany lost land to surrounding nations War ______($) Allies collect $ to pay back war debts to US Germany pays $57 trillion (modern day equivalent) Germans are bankrupt, embarrassed, guilt ridden, and angry. ______
______ Giving someone something to make them happy and leave you alone. Hitler demanded land that wasn’t Germany’s and others just gave it to him. Nations were trying to prevent war…it didn’t work. (Isolationism) Appeasement just showed Hitler that he could do whatever he wanted. British PM at the beginning of the War… ~Neville Chamberlin~
______ A system in which the state and its leader have nearly ______control. Individual rights are not viewed as important as the needs of the nation. No right to vote No free speech ______economy Often a ______
What is ______? Political belief that says the individual is less important than the nation. Glorifies violence, believes it is needed to “prove” strength of a people. Uses nationalism and racism. Dictatorships. Italy and then Germany became fascist. What did Hitler Want? Militarism- soon after becoming chancellor he begins rearming Germany breaking the Treaty of Versailles …make the Germany people proud. ______- “living space” Austria - annexed peacefully in 1938 Sudetenland – territory in Czechoslovakia Given to Germany by Great Britain and France at the “Munich Conference & Pact” (remember “Appeasement”) Hitler then invades the rest of Czechoslovakia On to Poland… and Russia.
Who was on each side?
______ Germany Great Britain Italy Soviet Union Japan United States France -Surrendered to Germany in 1940 after 6 weeks The European Theater of War How did WWII start? (Big Picture) Germany invaded ______to attain lebensraum throughout Russia >>> Also went to the south and east through the Sudetenland.
How did WWII start in Europe? Germany invaded Poland. September 1st 1939 ______(BR, FR, & R) declare war on Germany. Germany then invades France, Belgium, etc. Then Hitler invades Russia. Germans use “blitzkrieg” to overwhelm other armies. ______means “______” in German. Go in with air-craft first… Shock and Awe! Surround with tanks and troops in trucks. Battle of the Atlantic 1939 – 1945 (Jan. 1942 – July 1943 were decisive) German U-Boats were sinking unprotected U.S. and other Allies' merchant ships Allies began using convoys to protect ships The Allies also used a sonar system to detect German U-Boats The Germans were very successful in the beginning, but by mid - 1943, the Allies had the upper hand
Battle of Stalingrad (June 1941 – January 31, 1943) Germans violated nonaggression pact with Soviet Union and attacked Hitler hoped to captured ______ Germans nearly won (controlled 9/10 of the city) Winter of 1943 hit and Hitler forced Germans to stay put Soviets used to their advantage and won Soviets lost ______people in this battle Turning point in WWII… From that point on, Soviet army began to move westward towards Germany Battle of the Bulge December 16, 1944 German tanks broke through American lines (80 mile front) Fought in Belgium - Germany was trying to capture Antwerp Very brutal war - one of the most extensive of U.S. military (120 American GIs captured and mowed down by SS machine guns and pistols)
The Pacific Theater of War What about the Pacific War? The US (mostly) fought the Japanese. December 7, 1941 “______” Japan bombed ______in Hawaii to sink US ships there. Two hours = most US navy destroyed and 2,000+ sailors killed Battle of ______ Aug. 1942 – Feb. 1943 U.S. amphibious attack on Japanese fortifications Land, sea, & air battle Eventually 31,000 of the 36,000 Japanese on the island were killed ______1880 – 1964 . Seasoned veteran of WWI, highly decorated soldier who had won the Medal of Honor . Had vowed to return to the Philippines when forced to evacuate in 1942 . Led US effort to retake the Philippines and proclaimed “I have returned” when he finally landed in Oct. 1944 . Later was US commander of occupied Japan after WWII and led UN forces in the Korean War The Philippines . US forces landed at Leyte in Oct. 1944 to begin the retaking of the Philippines, but relied entirely on the US Navy for air cover for protection . Japanese navy counterattacked, drawing the US Navy into a major naval battle that left MacArthur’s forces unprotected and nearly led to disaster . US forces would not gain full control of the Philippines until July 1945, just weeks before the war ended ______Attacks The Battle of Leyte Gulf marked the first coordinated use of suicide attacks by Japanese pilots known as kamikaze (“divine wind”) Japanese high command was now resorting to desperate tactics as Japan ran out of experienced pilots and the industrial capacity to continue making new weaponry Battle of the ______ Prior to this battle, the Japanese were winning every battle and taking over the Pacific May 1942 - U.S. and Australia stopped Japan from invading ______won the actual battle, but the allies were able to ______Japan invasion for the first time U.S. was beginning to use the Island Hopping technique to weaken Japan’s forces “______” US forces elected to focus on capturing only ______in the ______– ones that would allow US bombers to get within striking range of Japan and create a safe route for troop and supply movement Battle of ______June 1942 Admiral Chester Nimitz intercepted Japanese code U.S. launched surprise attack on Japan at Pacific island called Midway U.S. was successful in the Battle of Midway The Japanese lost 4 carriers, a heavy cruiser, 3 destroyers, some 275 planes, at least 4,800 men, and suffered heavy damage among the remaining vessels of their fleet. American losses included 1 carrier, the Yorktown, a destroyer, about 150 planes, and 307 men ______Feb./Mar. 1945 . First Japanese “home-island” captured by the US . 20,700 of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers on the island were killed; about 6800 of the 60,000 US Marines who landed on Iwo Jima were killed . Badly damaged Japanese morale; placed Japan within easy bombing range for US bombers ______of Japan . Gen. Curtis LeMay ordered the use of napalm (jellied gasoline) bombs on Japanese cities because his bombers were having trouble hitting their targets . The napalm was designed to start massive fires, which would ensure the destruction of the desired military targets, but would also lead to heavy losses of civilian life . Mar. 9, 1945: firebombing of Tokyo killed over 80,000; by the war’s end, 67 Japanese cities had been destroyed using napalm Battle of ______. Apr.-June 1945 . Most brutal battle of the Pacific war: about 125,000 Japanese killed and 12,500 Americans . Nearly 700,000 men fought in this battle (550,000 Americans) . Okinawa was needed to set up a base of operations for an invasion of Japan itself
The End of War: How did WWII end in Europe? ______- Allied invasion of France. Also called ______. Within a month 1 million Allied troops were stationed in Europe. Germany is surrounded with the USSR to the east Germany surrenders in ______after Hitler commits suicide.
Normandy Invasion (______) ______ During this time, Soviet Union was pushing into Poland and Allies were pushing North in Italy Generals Dwight D. ______and George ______influential in leading attack 3 million ally troops to attack
D – Day Ø 60 mile stretch of beach Ø Largest ______Ø 156,000 troops operation in history Ø 4,000 landing craft Ø Omaha beach known as one of the Ø 600 warships most brutal areas Ø 11,000 planes The battle continues and within 1 month, a million more troops added September 1944, France was freed from Nazi control ______ Took place February 1945 before WWII was over Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met in Yalta in the Soviet Union to discuss post WWII Set up United Nations Yalta – “The Big 3” Who are they? ______ April 12, 1945 At the beginning of his ______Term, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passes away The U.S. went through a major grieving period ______, as Vice-President, takes the role as President The end of Hitler - April 30, 1945 Hitler and ______commit suicide (gun shot and cyanide) Bodies burned in street Cover of Time magazine May 7, 1945 ______= Victory in Europe day - May 8, 1945 General Eisenhower accepted a surrender by the Third Reich ______part of War was over ______- July – August 1945 Truman, (Churchill and then Clement Atlee) and Stalin met in Potsdam, Germany Drew up a blueprint to disarm Germany and eliminate the Nazi regime Divided Germany into ______(occupied by France, Britain, U.S. and Soviet Union) Berlin to be divided up in East (or Soviet Germany) Set up the Nuremberg Trials to persecute Nazi leaders Japan must “______” Potsdam, Germany ______Trials International tribunal court tried Nazi officials Over 23 nations tried Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg, Germany 12 of the 22 defendants were sentenced to death 200 other officials were found guilty, but give lesser sentences How did the War End in the Pacific? The ______. US effort to build a new type of weapon that would unleash tremendous destructive energy by splitting uranium atoms – an “atomic bomb” . Led by Gen. Leslie Groves and researcher J. Robert Oppenheimer, the team produced 3 bombs . 1 bomb was tested in the New Mexico desert, leaving just 2 bombs for military use . Bombs were code-named “______” and “______” ______- 1945 - 1953 (Pres.) . Became president upon FDR’s death . Truman now had to decide how to end the war – should the US mount an invasion of Japan, which would cost an estimated 1 million American lives or should it use the new atomic bomb, which would kill an unknown number of Japanese civilians and whose after-effects were still unknown? ______ Japan was warned that unless they surrendered immediately and without conditions, they faced “prompt and utter destruction” When the Japanese did not reply, orders were given to destroy the industrial city of Hiroshima August 6, 1945: The B-29 Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on the city, destroying 76,000 buildings and ______ ______ When the Japanese still did not surrender, the B-29 Bock’s Car dropped “Fat Man” on the port of Nagasaki, ______1945 On the same day, the Soviets declared war on Japan and began to prepare to enter the war in the Pacific Japan Surrenders . Faced with destruction on an unforeseen scale (and unaware that the US had no more atomic bombs to use), Emperor Hirohito ordered his government to surrender unconditionally . Fighting stopped August 15, 1945 (______) . ______. As part of the terms of surrender, Japan was occupied by U.S. forces until ______ The Holocaust The ______Conference • Jan. 20, 1942 • Nazi leaders met to determine the “______” • Formalized the process for rounding up and ______the Jewish population of Europe through the use of ______and death camps The Holocaust • By the time the war was over, more than ______people had died in the concentration camps, about half of them Jews • The other half were a mix of other groups the Nazi’s considered “______”: Gypsies, Poles, Russians, uncooperative Catholic priests, homosexuals, the mentally ill, & the physically or mentally handicapped What was the ______? Nazi plan to kill all Jews. 5+ million others (gypsies, mentally ill, Why? Hitler’s provided solution homosexuals) to Germany’s problems Total of 11+ million exterminated 6 million Jews murdered in camps in Europe.
What is ______? Purposely trying to exterminate an entire group of people (ethnic, religious, racial).