world war ii overview notes
DESCRIPTION
World War II Overview Notes. What was WWII ?. Largest war in human history. Involved countries, colonies, and territories around the entire world. By the end, over 70 million were dead. It lasted from 1939 until 1945. WW2 Causes. W WI and the Treaty of Versailles. A ppeasement. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
World War II Overview
Notes
What was WWII?Largest war in human history. Involved countries, colonies, and territories around the entire world.
By the end, over 70 million were dead.
It lasted from 1939 until 1945.
WW2 CausesW WI and the Treaty of Versailles•Appeasement•Rise of Totalitarianism
WWI and the Treaty of Versailles
Germany lost land to surrounding nations
War reparations ($)Allies collect $ to pay
back war debts to USGermany pays $57
trillion (modern day equivalent)
Germans are bankrupt, embarrassed, guilt ridden, and angry.
Desperate people turn to desperate leaders
AppeasementGiving 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~
“Peace in Our Time!”
“In war, whichever side may cal l itself the victor,
there are no winners, but
al l are losers.”
Rise of TotalitarianismA system in which the state and its leader
have nearly TOTAL control. Individual rights are not viewed as important
as the needs of the nation. No right to voteNo free speechGovernment controlled economyOften a police state
What is Fascism?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.
Totalitarianism
USSR:Communist Dictatorship
Germany & Italy:Fascist
Dictatorship
Japan:Military
Dictatorship
Adolf Hitler-Germany
Hideki Tojo -
Japan
Benito Mussolini -Italy
Josef Stalin-USSR
Axis Powe
rs
Not >>>>
What did Hitler Want?Militarism- soon after becoming
chancellor he begins rearming Germany breaking the Treaty of Versailles …make the Germany people proud.
Lebensraum- “living space”Austria - annexed peacefully in 1938Sudetenland – territory in Czechoslovakia
Given to Germany by Great Britain and France at the “Munich Conference & Pact” (remember “Appeasement”)
Hitler then invades the rest of CzechoslovakiaOn to Poland… and Russia.
Recap: Who was on each side?Axis Powers
GermanyItaly Japan
Allied PowersGreat BritainSoviet UnionUnited StatesFrance
Surrendered to Germany in 1940 after 6 weeks
Winston Churchill
British Prime Minister
Joseph StalinRussian Leader
Franklin Delano RooseveltUS President Allied
Powers
Not pictured: Charles de Gaulle
President of France
WWII Day 2The European Theater of War
Recap: Who was on each side?Axis Powers
GermanyItaly Japan
Allied PowersGreat BritainSoviet UnionUnited StatesFrance
Surrendered to Germany in 1940 after 6 weeks
Adolf Hitler-Germany
Hideki Tojo -
Japan
Benito Mussolini -Italy
Josef Stalin-USSR
Axis Powe
rs
Not >>>>
Winston Churchill
British Prime Minister
Joseph StalinRussian Leader
Franklin Delano RooseveltUS President Allied
Powers
Not pictured: Charles de Gaulle
President of France
How did WWII start?Germany invaded Poland 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
Allies (BR, FR, & R) declare war on Germany.
Germany then invades France, Belgium, etc.
Then Hitler invades Russia. Germans use “blitzkrieg” to
overwhelm other armies. Blitzkrieg means “lightening war” in German.
Go in with air-craft first… Shock and Awe!
Surround with tanks and troops in trucks.
Parisian Citizens cut the ties on the elevators so that Hitler could not enjoy
the view of the city…
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
"The Battle of the Atlantic was the only thing that really frightened me" - Winston Churchill.
Battle of Stalingrad (June 1941 – January 31, 1943)
Germans violated nonaggression pact with Soviet Union and attacked
Hitler hoped to captured Soviet oil fields
Germans nearly won (controlled 9/10 of the city)
Winter of 1943 hit
Battle of Stalingrad cont…Hitler forced Germans to stay put
Soviets used to their advantage and won
Soviets lost 1,100,000 people in this battle
Turning point in WWII and from that point on, Soviet army began to move westward towards Germany
Battle of the BulgeDecember 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)
Battle of the Bulge Cont.Germans were winning in the beginning
120,000 Germans died (also lost 600 tanks and guns and 1,600 planes – leading to defeat))
80,000 Americans died Americans won, but were close to losing
WWII Day 3The Pacific Theater of War
What about the Pacific War?
The US (mostly) fought the Japanese.December 7, 1941
“Day that will live in Infamy” Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
to sink US ships there. Two hours = most US navy destroyed and 2,000+ sailors killed
“Island-hopping”US forces elected to
focus on capturing only certain strategic islands in the Pacific – 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 GuadalcanalAug. 1942 – Feb.
1943U.S. amphibious
attack on Japanese fortifications
Land, sea, & air battleEventually 31,000 of
the 36,000 Japanese on the island were killed
Douglas MacArthur 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
Kamikaze AttacksThe 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 Coral Sea 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 Japan won the actual battle, but the allies were able
to stop Japan invasion for the first time
U.S. was beginning to use the Island Hopping technique to weaken Japan’s forces
Battle of MidwayJune 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
Battle of MidwayThe 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
Iwo JimaFeb./Mar. 1945First 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
Firebombing 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 Okinawa 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
Day 4 will be a Media Center Day!
WWIIThe End of the War
How did WWII end in Europe?
Operation Overlord- Allied invasion of France. Also called D-Day.Within a month 1 million Allied troops were stationed in Europe.
Germany is surrounded with the USSR to the east
Germany surrenders in 1945 after Hitler commits suicide.
Normandy Invasion (D-Day) June 6, 1944
During this time, Soviet Union was pushing into Poland and Allies were pushing North in Italy
Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and
George Patton influential in leading attack 3 million ally troops to attack
Normandy Invasion cont.D – Day
Ø 60 mile stretch of beachØ 156,000 troopsØ 4,000 landing craftØ 600 warshipsØ 11,000 planesØ Largest land-sea-air operation in historyØ Omaha beach known as one of the most
brutal areas
Normandy Invasion cont.The battle continues
W/in 1 month, a million more troops
September 1944, France was freed from Nazi control
Yalta ConferenceTook 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”
April 12, 1945At the beginning of his 4th Term,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt passes away
The U.S. went through a major grieving period
Harry S. Truman, as Vice-President, takes the role as President
The End of HitlerApril 30, 1945 Hitler
and Eva Braun commit suicide (gun shot and cyanide)
Bodies burned in street
Cover of Time magazine May 7, 1945
V-E Day May 8, 1945
General Eisenhower accepted a surrender by the Third Reich
V-E day = Victory in Europe day 1st part of War was over
PotsdamJuly – 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
Potsdam ContinuedDivided Germany into 4 sections (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 “unconditionally surrender”
Potsdam, Germany
How did WWII end in Europe?Allies divide Germany up between
them. This helps start the Cold War.
The Nuremburg Trials are held in Germany to try the people responsible for the war.Many are executed and jailed for war crimes.
Nuremberg TrialsInternational 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
The Manhattan Project
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 “Fat Man” and “Little Boy”
Harry S. Truman 1884 – 1972 (life) 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?
HiroshimaJapan 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 killing over 120,000 people
NagasakiWhen the Japanese still
did not surrender, the B-29 Bock’s Car dropped “Fat Man” on the port of Nagasaki, killing over 50,000 on August 9, 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 (“V-J Day”)
Formal surrender took place on September 2, 1945
As part of the terms of surrender, Japan was occupied by U.S. forces until Apr. 1952
Quick $$$ FactsWar Costs
US Debt 1940 - $9 Billion
US Debt 1945 - $98 BillionWWII cost $330 billion – 10 times the cost of WWI & equivalent to all previous federal spending since 1776
Losses of the Major Wartime Powers in WWII, 1939-1945
Germany4.5 million military2 million civilian
Japan2 million military350,000 civilians
Italy400,000 military100,000 civilian
China2.5 million military7.4 million civilians
USSR10 million military10 million civilians
Great Britain300,000 military50,000 civilians
France250,000 military350,000 civilian
United States274,000 military
WW IIThe Holocaust
The Wannsee Conference• Jan. 20, 1942• Nazi leaders met to
determine the “final solution of the Jewish question”
• Formalized the process for rounding up and exterminating the Jewish population of Europe through the use of concentration camps and deth camps
The Holocaust• By the time the war was
over, more than 12 million 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 “undesirable”: Gypsies, Poles, Russians, uncooperative Catholic priests, homosexuals, the mentally ill, & the physically or mentally handicapped
What was the Holocaust? (Summary)
Nazi plan to kill all Jews.Why? Hitler’s provided solution to Germany’s
problems6 million Jews murdered in camps in
Europe. 5+ million others (gypsies, mentally ill,
homosexuals) Total of 11+ million exterminated What is genocide?
Purposely trying to exterminate an entire group of people (ethnic, religious, racial).