The United States in World War II

Chapter 25

Essential Question

Is there any ethical problem (is it wrong) to play war games of battles that really happened or watch movies like Saving Private Ryan for entertainment?

Mobilizing for Defense

25-1

Selective Service and the G.I.

G.I. – Government Issue The nickname given to enlisted WWII soldiers

Selective Service – the draft Men who did not sign up for the military were

called to military service

Women in the Military

George Marshall: Army Chief of Staff Started the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps Organized women to do non-combat work for

the army in WWII

Discrimination in the Military

African Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans were put into segregated troops and given the worst military jobs

Huge groups of these soldiers volunteered for the war

It was ironic to segregate troops while fighting to liberate people from unfair leaders

Filipino Troops

War Production

Car factories in the US shut down and were used for making tanks, planes, boats, and command cars

Many factories went from making household goods to things needed in the war

With millions of men going to fight, millions of women took over work in the factories

Women in Factories

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhswqZh2Rc4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgpvKXLTwr8

African Americans at Home

Still given the worst jobs in factories Asa Philip Randolph: a labor leader who

planned a huge march on Washington to protest poor treatment of African Americans in factories

FDR said if Randolph called off the march he would work to end discrimination in the workplace

War Science

Office of Scientific Research and Development Created by FDR in 1941 Developed better sonar and radar Developed the use of DDT against insects Developed drugs like penicillin that saved

soldiers Worked to develop the atomic bomb

Manhattan Project

Group of top scientists in New York who worked to create the atomic bomb

Government Agencies Control the Economy (1942-1945)

Office of Price Administration

Fought inflation by freezing wages, prices, and rents

Rationed foods such as meat, butter, cheese, veggies, sugar, and coffee

Government Agencies Control the Economy (1942-1945)

National War Labor Board

Limited Wage Increases

Allowed negotiated benefits (vaca, pensions, insurance)

Kept unions stable by forbidding workers from changing unions

Government Agencies Control the Economy (1942-1945)

War Production Board

Dept. of Treasury

Revenue Act of 1942

Rationed fuel important materials

Issued War Bonds to raise $

Extended income tax to raise $

Government Agencies Control the Economy (1942-1945)

Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act (1943)

Limited the right to strike in industries crucial to the war effort

Gave President the power to take over factories that were in strike

25-2 The War for Europe and North Africa

FDR and Churchill had an alliance so America focused on the War in Europe

first.

Battle of the Atlantic (’42-’43)

Germans tried to stop food and materials from crossing from America to England or the Soviet Union

Jan-Apr 1942: Germans sank 87 Am. Ships Apr-Aug 1942: Germans sank 594 more US ships started traveling in convoy’s surrounded by

destroyers and airplanes This helped the US sink German U-Boats and win

the Atlantic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB8GNHxf__A

Battle of Stalingrad (In Soviet Union)

Timeline: June 1941: Germany invades Soviet Union Nov. 1941: Bitter cold stops fighting Spring 1942: fighting starts back up June 1942: Germans winning in south Aug. 1942: Germans reach Stalingrad

Battle of Stalingrad

Fall/Winter 1942: Germans fight house to house combat; Winter sets in (bitter cold); Hitler orders them to stay there; they had

destroyed all the houses The horrible winter kills many and they

surrender to the Soviet Union Soviets Lost 1,100,000 soldiers at Stalingrad

Battle in North Africa

North African countries were under Axis control The Allies invaded N. Africa while Stalingrad was

going on They won back N. Africa and called for

unconditional surrender: they had to agree to whatever the Allies said

Dwight Eisenhower: American General who commanded Allied Troops in N. Africa

Battle in Italy

While the battle in N. Africa was still happening, the Allies decided to attack Italy next.

They quickly won Sicily and were successful in Italy at first They made Benito Mussolini resign and many

Italian people were very happy

Battle in Italy

Germany stepped in and fought the Allies in Italy This kept Italy from being taken back by the

Allies until 1945 (End of WWII) “Bloody Anzio”: a terrible battle just outside

Rome that lasted 4 months 30,000 Axis and 25,000 Allied casualties

Allied forces of all races fought for Italy

Strategy of Operation Overlord

Many troops parachuted behind German lines and thousands stormed the beaches of Normandy

General Omar Bradley made a gap in the German line with a massive air and land bombardment

General George Patton led The Third Army through the gap and advanced into Paris

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPU4p7UQOtU

The Battle of the Bulge

October 1944 Americans/Allies were invading Germany Germans attacked the Belgium port of Antwerp

December 1944 German tanks made it 60 miles into the Allied

lines making a bulge in the lines

The Battle of the Bulge

SS Troopers: Elite Nazi Soldiers Captured 120 American GI’s Herded them into a field and shot them all

The Battle of the Bulge

After 1 month fighting, Germans were pushed back but had serious losses 120,000 Troops 600 Tanks 1,600 Planes

Germans were forced to retreat from all combat

Liberation of Death Camps

Allies were working east into German and Soviets were working west through Poland July 1944: First death camp was liberated by the

Soviets (Majdanek: name of camp) SS Guards tried to burn evidence, but they could

not do it in timeSoldiers found 1,000 starving people, the largest

crematorium in the world, and 800,000 pairs of shoes from those who were killed

V-E Day

V-E Day: Victory in Europe Day April 25, 1945:

Berlin was under attackHitler Married Eva BraunHitler wrote his last address to the German people

Hitler’s Last Address

Blamed Jews for starting WWII Blamed Generals for losing WWII Said that he and Braun would choose death

over the disgrace of being captured by the Allies

Both killed themselves the next dayHe shot himself, she drank poison

V-E Day

The Germans surrendered unconditionally on May 8, 1945 This was V-E Day, Victory in Europe Day

FDR died on April 12, 1945 and never lived to see any of this

Harry S. Truman (VP under FDR) took over as President of the United States at the end of WWII

25-3

War in the Pacific

WWII in the Pacific

Doolittle’s raid

Japanese victory destroyed the myth of white supremacy in Asia.

American spirits lifted by the Tokyo bombing.

Damaged Japanese air power

Philippines

Midway

Military Action Significance

Leyte Gulf Reduced Japanese navy to minor role

Okinawa Allowed attack on Japan itself

Hiroshima America is first to use the atomic bomb.

Nagasaki Led to Japan’s surrender

Philippines

The Japanese won the islands from the Americans

This proved Japan’s power and it took away a major port for America

Doolittle’s Raid

April 1942 James Doolittle led a successful air raid on

Tokyo (capital of Japan)

Battle of the Coral Sea

Americans and Australians stopped Japan from taking Australia

One of the first times the allies were able to stop Japan

Battle of Midway

June 1942 US found out Midway Island was Japans next target

and attacked their planes and ships before they attacked the island

Many Japanese planes and ships were destroyed Was a turning point in the war

Americans were attacking now, not defending Japanese Official: “Americans avenged Pearl Harbor”

“Island Hopping” and Kamikaze

Once they won Midway, Americans started attacking Japan one island at a time As soon as they got a new island, they would lay

a cement airstrip and begin attacking the next island

Kamikaze pilots tried to stop them Kamikaze pilots: Japanese suicide bombers who

flew bomb-laden planes into American ships

Battle of Iwo Jima

General Macarthur: American General in the Pacific War Led attack on the island of Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima was close enough to Japan that heavy bombers could take off there and reach Japan

6,000 US marines were killed 20,500 Japanese soldiers were killed (only 200

survived)

Scenes from “Flags of Our Fathers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewIzAlmk8pQ&feature=related

Battle for Okinawa

April 1945 1,900 Kamikaze attacks and worse fighting than

Iwo Jima 7,600 American casualties 110,000 Japanese casualties

Two Generals committed suicide rather than surrender

The fighting in Okinawa showed that an invasion of Japan would be horribly deadly

Atomic Bomb

Because Iwo Jima and Okinawa were really difficult battles, the Allies thought that an invasion of Japan would be a desperate struggle

They decided instead to use the Atomic Bomb New technology developed by the Manhattan

Project

Atomic Bomb

Manhattan Project led by J. Robert Oppenheimer

It was first tested in the desert of New Mexico

July 26, 1945: US warned Japan to surrender or it would face “prompt and utter destruction”

Hiroshima

August 6, 1945 B-29 Bomber (plane) named Enola Gay Atomic Bomb named Little Boy Hiroshima: city where Little Boy was

dropped Hiroshima turned completely to dust after the

bomb was dropped

                                                            

  

Nagasaki

Japan did not surrender after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima

August 9, 1945: A second bomb was dropped on a city called Nagasaki Fat Man: Code name of second bomb

This prompted Japan’s Emperor Hirohito to surrender

200,000 people were killed by the bombs

The Yalta Conference

A meeting in the Soviet Union to discuss how things should be in Germany after the war (how to prevent a WWIII)

Feb 1945 The Big Three: Churchill, Stalin, FDR They decided to split Germany into four zones that would be

governed by America, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union that would all eventually come together to be a united Germany again

Soviet Union joined the war against Japan They would start the United Nations

The Nuremberg Trials

The trials of 24 surviving Nazi leaders for crimes against humanity, crimes against the peace, and war crimes

Held in Southern Germany, a town called Nuremberg

12 were sentenced to death Most were sent to prison

Nuremberg Trials

Eventually almost 200 more were put on trial and sent to prison

Some said this was not enough and many Nazi’s who were part of the Holocaust went free

Trials set the principle that individuals are responsible for their actions during war If you do terrible things you cannot just say that

you were following orders so it is okay

Occupation of Japan

After Japan surrendered, American forces stayed in Japan to control the country and to put leaders on trial for war crimes

Led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur Lasted 7 years Started a new democratic government and a

free market economy