World War Looms

World War Looms

Failures of WWI Peace Settlement Germany felt Treaty of Versailles was unfair Russia resented their land was taken away to

form Poland & Lithuania Treaty left war-torn nations to rebuild on their

own Gave new democracies little chance at survival What took place as democracy collapsed?

Treaty of Versailles

Stalin & the Soviet Union 1922: Revolutions in

Russia gave way to a Communist state Soviet Union

1924: Joseph Stalin took control of the gov’t

Focused on creating a model Communist state

Stalin & SU contd 1927: Stamped out all private enterprise

Production only under state control 1928: Goal- turn SU into great industrial

power To accomplish goals the Soviet became

a police state

Fascism in Italy 1919: Benito Mussolini began

his rise to power Many people who feared

communism became supporters of Mussolini

1935: Fascist Part established & won 35 seats in Italian Parliament

FACISM: strong centralized govt headed by a dictator

Nazis take over Germany 1919: Adolf Hitler joined the Nazi

party, soon became leader or Fuhrer

Mein Kamf (My Struggle) March 1932: Hitler won more votes

than any other party Jan. 1933: appointed Chancellor Once in power democratic govt

dismantled Third Reich established

Japan Militaristic leaders take over Shared Hitler’s belief in more living

space 1931: Surprise invasion of Manchuria

First test for League of Nations Report condemned Japan Japan simply quit League

League of Nations

Remember: League was set up after WWI, designed by Pres. Wilson, to be a place where nations could solve issues diplomatically, not war.

League of Nations Failure

1933: Hitler pulled Germany out of League 1935: Began military build up

Sent troops into the Rhineland (forbidden by Versailles)

Signed Rome-Berlin Axis Pact Mussolini began building his own Roman

Empire June 1936: Ethiopia fell to Italy

“It is us today, it will be you tomorrow” Ethiopian Emperor

Hitler begins his “imperialist moves”

America Responds Americans had strong anti-war feelings

1937: poll 70% of Americans believed they should not have entered WWI

Breakdown America took sides when Hitler &

Mussolini began to aid Spain Supported Franco with

Troops, weapons, & fighter planes 1939: Spain established a Fascist govt.

with the help of Hitler and Mussolini. Spain now was led by Francisco Franco.

Austria Feb 1938: Hitler met with Austrian chancellor

Kurt von Schuschnigg Schuschnigg was bullied into signing a pact

that brought Austrian Nazis into his govt. March 12, 1938: German troops forced

chancellor to resign Hitler marched troops into Austria and took it

over.

Sudetenland At the end of WWI

the Sudetenland was joined to Czechoslovakia Mountainous region

with 3 million German speaking people

Originally was a part of Germany

Munich Conference Spring 1938: Hitler charged the Czechs

with abusing Sudeten Germans France & GB promised to protect

Czechoslovakia Just before war broke Hitler called a

meeting in Munich Edouard Daladier - French Premier Neville Chamberlain- British PM

Munich Conference

Hitler claimed Sudetenland would be his last territorial claim

September 1938: Munich Pact signed Turned Sudenland over to

Hitler w/o a shot fired

Reactions: Appeasement Neville Chamberlain

returned home claiming “peace in our time”

Britain rejoiced except for Winston Churchill

German Offensive Begins

March 1939:Hitler broke the Munich Pact & seized control of Czechoslovakia

Poland Charged with the same mistreatment of

Germans Both France & GB promised aid

People didn’t think Hitler was serious because of the Soviet’s location to Poland

Stalin did not want war with Germany August 1939: The SU & Germany signed a

non-agression pact Also signed a secret pact: agreeing to divide

Poland between them

Poland

Invasion of Poland August 31, 1939: Hitler

fabricated a fake attack on a German radio station near Polish border. (Actually SS troops)

Hitler invaded Poland the next day Sept. 1, 1939

Invasion of Poland Germany used the “Blitzkrie

g” or “lightning War” Sept. 1, 1939: German war

planes flew over Poland dropping bombs & tanks rolled over the country side

Britain & France declared war on Germany Sept. 3

Sept. 1939: Nazi soldiers marching through Warsaw

Poland Germany tested a

new strategy- Blitzkrieg or lightning war

By the end of Sept. Poland ceased to exist

Invasion of Poland

Europe 1939

Axis PowersJapan, Germany, & Italy

Tripartite Pact -each Axis nation agreed to come to the aid of the other incase of attack

The Phony War Countries expect & braced for heavy

combat Troops sat & waited in peace for more than

6 month British newspapers called it the “sitzkrieg”

Phony War Ends Germany broke the

peace by taking countries it lost in WWI

By the end of May Germany took … Denmark, Norway,

Netherlands, Belgium & Luxembourg

Fall of France

Before the war France fortified itself at the Maginot Line

Fall of France Invasion of Belgium threatened France Hitler sent forces to France

Think Schlieffen Plan from WWI Used Blitzkrieg

Allied forces fled to Dunkirk “Miracle at Dunkirk”

Italy invaded from the south

Fall of France June 1940:Germany

reached Paris Hitler handed over

his terms of surrender Germans occupy

Northern France Nazi-controlled

puppet govt. in S. France called the Vichey Government.

Hitler in Paris What a scary sight:

France General Charles

DeGaule Fled to England Set up French govt

in exile

Britain Stands Alone

May 1940: Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister

“ I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” Winston Churchill.

Battle of Britain Summer- Fall 1940 The Blitz

Operation Sea Lion Luftwaffe or German

Airforce Goal: gain control of

the skies On a single day

1,000 planes would bomb England

Battle of Britain

Targets: Airfields, aircraft &

eventually cities RAF: fought back

with help of radar

Royal Air Force (RAF)

The London “Tube”

Air Raid shelters during the “blitz”

Battle of Britain With radar, British planes destroyed

many German aircraft. This forced Hitler to cancel his invasion

of Britain and turn to attack the Soviet Union

Non-Aggression June 1941- Hitler ignored his pact with

Stalin and invaded the Soviet Soviets carried out a slash and burn

policy to keep up a fight against Hitler FDR started sending supplies to Stalin

U-Boat Attacks British & Soviet supplies from America

were being destroyed by U-boats Wolf-packs: 15 to 20 U-boat groups

April-May 1941: Germans sank 1.2 million tons of British shipping

June 1941: FDR orders the Navy to protect shipments

Permission to attack U-boats in self defense

Atlantic Charter

FDR & Winston Churchill met secretly to form a declaration of war principles Atlantic Charter spelled

out causes for which WWII was fought

Operation Barbarossa:Hitler’s Biggest Mistake

Hitler’s attack on the USSR -June 22, 1941 -Hitler’s racist policies would not allow him

to remain loyal to Stalin -By Dec 1941, failure for Germany -Largest Military Op in history: manpower,

area, casualties -A turning point in the War.

Barbarossa

North African Campaign Operation Torch British/American invasion of North Africa -Allies plan assault on weakest Axis area - North

Africa - Nov. 1942-May 1943 -George S. Patton leads American troops -Germans trapped in Tunisia - surrender over

275,000 troops.

North African Campaign

Gen. Ernst Rommel,The “Desert Fox”

Gen. Bernard LawMontgomery

(“Monty”)

The Battle of El Alamein, 1942

Italian Campaign Battle for Sicily, June 1943

Gen. George S. Patton

Italian Campaign

Battle of Monte Cassino, Feb. 1944 Goal: Liberate Rome Monastery destroyed Germans flee May 18 Rome captured June 4,

1944

Invasion of France June 6, 1944: Operation Overlord

Gen. Eisenhower gives orders for D-Day

Invasion of France D-Day

Casualties:Allies: 11,000Germans: 9000

Paratroopers

Normandy Landing

German Prisoners

Higgins Landing Craft

Invasion of France Liberation of Paris: Aug. 25, 1944

De Gaulle in triumph

Battle of Bulge: Dec 16, 1944-Jan. 28, 1945

Ardennes Forest: Belgium

Battle of Bulge Last ditch effort by Hitler to split Allies in

two in their drive toward Germany and destroy their ability to supply themselves

Known as the Ardennes offensive Massive attack against American forces Caused a bulge in the Allied front line. Goal: Disrupt Allies unity and take Port of

Antwerp, where allies received many supplies.

Yalta: February , 1945 Stalin, FDR & Churchill prepare for

peace Agreed to:

Move ahead in the creation of the UN Soviet promises to enter war against Japan

Defeat of Germany April 28, 1945, Mussolini was killed by

Italians. On 30 April, 1945 the Reichstag in

Berlin was captured. The same day, Hitler committed suicide

in a bunker in Berlin.

Hitler Commits Suicide

The Fuhrer’s BunkerCyanide & Pistols

V-E Day (May 8, 1945)

Japanese Aggression Japan kept claiming more lands in its colonial

empire July 1941- Japan takes military bases in

French Indochina US cut off trade with Japan

Oil embargo

Japan Continued October 1941- Hideki Tojo became Prime

Minister Tojo promised Hirohito a final attempt to make

peace with America No peace = war November 5, 1941- Tojo flew to Washington

for peace talks At the same time he ordered the Japanese navy to

prepare for attack

Japan The US broke Japan’s secret codes

They knew an attack was coming but did not know when

FDR sent a war warning to Guam, the Philippines, and Hawaii

Peace talks went on for a month Dec. 6- FDR received a decoded message

instructing Japan to reject all peace terms

Pearl Harbor

“A date that will live in infamy”… Dec. 7, 1941- Two wave attack on

Oahu, Hawaii First at 7:53 am Second at 8:55 am 2,403 left dead 188 destroyed planes 8 damaged or destroyed battleships

Pearl Harbor

Japanese Navy crippled the entire US Pacific Fleet

Congress approved a declaration of war the next day Dec 11- Germany & Italy

declared war on the US

FDR signs declaration of war

Pearl Harbor

Selective Service “Remember Pearl Harbor” 5 million men volunteered for the war effort

Not enough to fight two front war

Selective Service Draft provided 10 million soldiers to meet the

military’s needs All men 18-45 required to register A GI’s basic training lasted 8 weeks

War in the Pacific

-For the first 6 months after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese knew nothing but victory and continued to build an empire.-But after a stunning defeat by American forces at the Battle of Midway in June 4-7, 1942, the Japanese found themselves on the defensive.

War in the Pacific

“Island Hopping”

Philippines The US under

direction of General Mac Arthur Loses control of the

Philippines 12,000 Americans

surrender at Bataan

Bataan Death March

76,000 prisoners [12,000 Americans] Marched 60 miles in the blazing heat to

POW camps in the Philippines.

“I Shall Return”

Air Raids on Tokyo:

April 1942 Colonel Jimmy Doolittle Psychological victory for

US because bombs do little damage to Tokyo Japan questions its

defense

Battle of Midway TURNING POINT OF PACIFIC CAMPAIGN

Japan wanted Midway Island for use as a base to attack Hawaii

June 4-7, 1942 JUNE 4- Japanese attack on US carries and island are

beaten back Later in day, US planes find 3 of 4 Japanese carriers &

inflict fatal damage JUNE 5- US planes sink 4th Japanese Carrier

US carrier Yorktown in badly damaged & sinks JUNE 6- remainder of Japanese fleet retreats out of area Japan: on defense rest of war US starts “island hopping” campaign

Island Hopping LOCATION: South & Central Pacific Islands April 1943- June 1944

Winner: US US plan to attack selected islands & ignore others Battles take place on many islands including:

Truk, Tarawa, Marshall, Eniwetok The US worked their way closer to the

Japanese Islands.

Island Hopping

Iwo Jima & Okinawa June- Feb 1945 South of Japan

Islands needed for air strikes on Japan Very costly for US to take both islands

Iwo: 7,000 KIA & 19,000 wounded Okinawa: 50,000 casualties

Japan lost over 130,000 combined

Iwo Jima

US Marines raise flag on Mt. Surbachi, Iwo Jima. Feb. 19, 1945

Defeat of Japan Aug- Sept 1945 July ‘45: while US is

completing Manhattan Project, they attempt to convince Japan to surrender Japan seemed willing but

on their terms, not ours

Los Alamos, NM

Aug 6: B-29 Enola Gay drops a uranium bomb on Hiroshima

The bomb instantly kills 80,000 & incinerates 42 square miles

Aug 9: B-29 Bock’s Car drops a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki

It kills 40,000 & destroys city

Col. Paul Tibbets and the A-Bomb

Terms of Surrender Debate over terms of surrender are settled September 2, 1945 the Japanese Supreme

Council signs the papers on the deck of the USS Missouri

September 2 is V-J Day WWII is now over Japan placed under US control & the

rebuilding process begins