Notes for Week 1

THE U.S. MOBILIZATION

DURING WORLD WAR TWO

Pearl Harbor- December 7th, 1941• At 8am, the U.S. Pacific fleet was attacked at Pearl Harbor. This was a surprise attack launched by Japan, an axis power. • Over 2,000 men were killed and over 1,000 men were wounded. • Japan managed to cripple or destroy 18 U.S. ships and nearly 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were also destroyed. • On December 8th, 1941 the United States declared war on Japan. • Prior to this attack, the majority of Americans and Congressmen favored isolationism. After Pearl Harbor, the Senate voted unanimously to enter the War and the House only saw one vote in opposition. • Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor

Pearl Harbor

Why Attack Us? • Rarely known, Japan’s economy was suffering due to American interference. After the Great Depression, the United States placed a trade embargo on Japan that limited their supplies after taking over northern French Indochina. • After moving into Southern Indochina, the U.S. and Great Britain froze their assets and wanted Japan to stop expanding. This angered Japan. Not only were they not allowed to expand but their resources diminished while dealing with the effects of the depression. • Some Historians argue that if we had been kinder to struggling Japan and had not gotten involved, Pearl Harbor may have never happened.

The U.S. Response • The U.S. responded quickly by rapidly increasing war

production. American laborers were twice as productive as German laborers and five times as productive as Japanese laborers.

• The U.S. prepped due to the fact this war was now being fought on two fronts. The Atlantic and the Pacific.

• Due to previous events allowed the United States to mobilize so quickly. When Germany had invaded France, Roosevelt declared a national emergency and announced a plan to build 50,000 war planes yearly.

• Two Months later Roosevelt asked Congress for $4 billion to build a “Two-Ocean” Navy. The defense budget increased to $17 billion and The Army-Navy Munitions board began signing contracts with American companies for new aircraft, ships, and equipments.

Labor Production

Churchill comparing the U.S. Economy to a boiler: “Once the fire is lighted under it there is no limit

to the power it can generate.”

Cost Plus Contracts • Instead of asking for bids, during this war the

United States signed cost plus contracts. This was an agreement that the Government would pay a company whatever it cost to make a product, plus a guaranteed percentage of the costs as profit.

• Under this system, the more the company produced and the faster it did so, the more money they would make. It wasn’t cheap, but it was fast.

• This system also convinced many companies to convert to war production. Companies that deemed the process of converting to expensive could request loans from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. This helped increase war production ten fold.

The American Auto Industry • American automobile industries

was uniquely suited for war production and quickly converted to the building of trucks, jeeps, and tanks. They also built artillery, rifles, mines, helmets, pontoon bridges, and dozens of other military equipment.

• Henry Ford in Detroit, MI built the Liberator. By the end of the war Ford had built over 8,600 aircraft.

• Overall, the automobile industry produced nearly one third of all military equipment manufactured during the war.

Liberty Ships • Henry Kaiser, a man in the construction industry,

quickly converted his business to shipbuilding. • German submarines were sinking American ships

at alarming speeds and needed replacements as fast as possible.

• Kaiser believed that speed was more important than quality and that cost was far less important than results. To save time in his shipbuilding yard, Kaiser applied techniques from his construction background.

• Ships were assembled at one location rather built from the ground up. Before Kaiser it took 244 days to build one Liberty ship. After applying his techniques it was dropped to 41 days.

The War Production Board• This board was set in place by

Franklin Roosevelt after Pearl Harbor to lessen confusion between businesses and the govt.

• Roosevelt gave the Board the authority to set priorities and production goals and to control the distribution of raw materials and supplies.

• Almost immediately the WPB and the Military clashed. Military agencies often signed contracts without consulting the WPB.

• In 1943, Roosevelt established the Office of War Mobilization to settle arguments among the different agencies.

Creating an Army • Within days of the invasion of

Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939, Roosevelt expanded the U.S. military to 227,000 soldiers.

• Before the Spring of 1940, the majority of the country opposed a peacetime draft. Opinions quickly changed when France surrendered to Germany in June 1940.

• Two members of Congress introduced the Selective Service and Training Act, a plan for the first peacetime draft in American history.

• In September of 1940, the act was approved by a wide margin.

Welcome to the Army• More than 60,000 men enlisted after Pearl Harbor. • The flood of recruits overwhelmed training facilities

and many had to sleep in tents rather than barracks.

• Equipment shortages also posed a problem with officers using sticks as guns and jeeps labeled tanks to practice maneuvers.

• Draftees were issued uniforms, boots, and whatever equipment was available. The clothing bore the label “G.I.” meaning government issued. This is where “G.I. Joe” came from.

• After taking aptitude tests, recruits were sent to basic training for eight weeks. They learned to handle weapons, load backpacks, read maps, pitch tents, and dig trenches.

• Soldiers were drilled and exercised constantly to learn how to work as a team.

Segregated Army • In the beginning of the War, African Americans

were segregated from white soldiers. Whites and African Americans had separate latrines, barracks, mess halls, & recreational facilities.

• Once trained and organized into all black units, they were often only assigned to construction and supply units. The majority of white officers who commanded them did not want them to fight.

• In response to that, many African Americans opposed the war.

• Some African Americans pushed the “Double V” campaign and to enlist to defeat Hitler and racism in the United States.

• Military bases finally integrated in 1943, not the whole military, after African American pilots proved themselves in battle.

• The Military did not become fully integrated until 1948.

Minorities in the Army • At the start of the war, Japanese-Americans could

not enlist or serve. Towards the middle of the conflict, only second generation Japanese Americans could fight in battle.

• Mexican-Americans joined the National Guard with many serving on the front lines of battle.

• For the majority, minorities were only allowed to be placed in noncombatant positions, such as kitchen duty or construction.

• Native Americans, who were considered to be fierce warriors, was an exception to that policy. ⅓ of all healthy Native American men aged 18-50 served during the War.

Women in the War • During World War 2, women can finally enlist in

1942. • With their enlistment came the formation of the

Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). Even with the ability to enlist, this angered women as WAAC was not apart of the real military.

• To increase women’s involvement in the War, women began to be trained to fly delivery planes. With these new female pilots, the WASPs was formed (Women Airforce Service Pilots).

• Other branches quickly set up women units with the knowledge of a staggering 68,000 women serving as nurses in the army and navy.

http://www.history.com/speeches/wac-recruits-take-oath-of-enlistment#wac-recruits-take-oath-of-enlistment

HomeworkPaper:

Write a 2-3 page essay on the transformation of the United States economy and the factors that helped stimulate its progression.

http://www.studenthandouts.com/09handouts/Free-Printable-American-U.S.-History-Handouts-with-Questions/11.10-Mobilization-for-Total-War.htm