World War II

Axis Aggression

1. Germany Expands

a. Rebuilding the German Militaryi. 1933- Hitler secretly begins rebuilding the

German militaryii. Eventually he was open about his plans for

rebuilding the German military1. This would violate the Treaty of Versailles

iii. 1935- Great Britain agreed to a treaty allowing Germany to build submarines and other warships again

iv. Hitler claimed he was building up his army to resist the spread of communism

1. This was a diversion

b. Militarizing the Rhinelandi. 1936- Hitler sent a small force into the

Rhineland1. German territory that bordered France2. Hitler claimed to be reacting to French-

Soviet agreement that he claimed threatened Germany

3. This was another violation of the Treat of Versailles

ii. British and French complained about the violation but took no action

c. Annexing Austriai. Hitler began to plot more aggressive

moves. He knew that his opponents were trying to avoid another war

ii. Hitler’s next target was Austria1. Wanted to unite all German-speaking people

in Europe

iii. 1938- He demanded that Austrian officials accept annexation by Germany

1. Annexation is the formal joining of one country to another

iv. Austrians agreed1. Knew Hitler would take it by force if he

had to2. Many of the people within Austria

supported this move

v. March 1938- German troops marched into Austria3. Austria is no longer an independent

country

d. A Growing Crisisi. After Austria, Hitler was convinced that

no would stop himii. Turned to incorporate Czechoslovakia

1. The Czech prepared to fight hoping that France would support them

2. France was still more concerned with avoiding another war

iii. September 19381. British prime minister Neville Chamberlain and

French Edouard Daladier agreed to let Hitler have his way

2. They told the Czech that if they opposed Hitler they would be doing it by themselves

iv. Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement3. He believed it had prevent an unnecessary war4. Others disagreed with him

a. Winston Churchill spoke out against Chamberlain’s policy

Neville Chamberlain Edouard Daladier

2. Alliances and Civil War

a. The Axis Formsi. Aggressive and totalitarian regimes had also

emerged in Italy and Japanii. The similarities between these two countries and

Germany led to the formation of the Axis Powers1. Had a series of agreements between them2. 1936- Germany and Japan had agreed to the Anti-

Comintern Pacta. United the two in an effort to prevent communism and to

oppose the Soviet Unionb. A year later Italy would join

3. 1939- Italy and Germany signed a military agreement in which each side pledged to aid the other in the event of a war

b. The Spanish Civil War

i. Italy and Germany also worked for an alliance with Spain

ii. 1939- The Spanish Civil War broke out 1. Two Groups

a. Nationalist (fascists)i. Supported Germany and Italy

b. Republicansi. Supported the Soviet Union

2. Nationalists will defeat the Republicans3. Spain was now under the control of a

Fascist dictator named Francisco Franco

a. A Secret Deal with Stalini. 1939- British and French officials were

discussing a possible alliance with the Soviets

1. Stalin lost confidence that they could help protect his country against the growing German Army

ii. Stalin was secretly negotiating a separate agreement with the Germans

iii. Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact1. Revealed in 19392. Each side promised not to attack the

other3. Designed to allow further German

aggression in Europe4. Secret section of the pact also recognized

each side’s right to take territory in Eastern Europe

a. Included dividing Poland between the Soviet and German area

iv. New of the pact shocked the British and French

v. Became clear that the only way to stop Hitler would be by force

3. The War Begins

a. Lightning Attacksi. German forces used new attack called

the blitzkrieg on their attack of Poland1. Blitzkrieg means lightning war2. Emphasized the speed and close

coordination between aircraft and the fast-moving ground forces

a. Airplanes damaged the defenses and caused panic among civilians

b. Tanks and mobile artillery struck deep into the countryside

c. Then came the foot soldiers, who looked for any area of resistance remaining

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ha0qKquG2E

ii. Attack on Poland had a devastating effect1. Polish air force was quickly destroyed2. Soldiers were powerless to stop the German

iii. Great Britain and France had promised to help Poland if attacked

iv. September 3, 1939- Great Britain and France declare war on Germany3. They became known as the Allies4. Neither gave Poland any significant help

b. Attack on Francei. Began in the Spring of 1940ii. First they invaded Denmark and Norway

1. This helped improve Germany’s access to the Atlantic Ocean

iii. May 10- attacks on France begin1. Assault started in the Netherlands and

Belgium2. Allied forces were no match for Germans3. At the same time Germans attacked in

the Ardennesa. A dense forest region between France and

Belgiumb. It was left virtually undefendedc. Germany then moved toward the French

coast

4. Allied troops were trapped at the coastal city of Dunkirka. 300,000 were rescued by the Allies and

brought to Great Britain

5. June 22, 1940- France surrenders to Germanyb. Germany occupied Francec. Part of the country place under French

leaders who cooperated with Hitlerd. This area is known as Vichy, France

6. Some French leaders escaped to Britaina. i.e. Charles de

Gaulleb. Organized a

resistance to Germany and the Vichy

c. The Battle for Great Britaini. Great Britain now

stood alone against the Germans

ii. Conquering Great Britain would prove to be more difficult for Hitler compared to the rest of Europe

iii. Winston Churchill now led England

iv. Battle of Britain1. Between August and October 1940

Germans sent thousands of aircraft over the English Channel to attack British targets

2. Hitler’s plan was to destroy the British Royal Air Force, so that they could invade Britain

3. The Germans failed

v. British were aided by a new technology: radar1. Radar uses radio

signals to locate and create an image of distant objects

2. This allowed the British to detect incoming aircraft before the Germans arrived

3. Made British air defense more effective

vi. Fall 19401. German plans began to bomb British ports

and cities, including Londona. Became known as the London Blitz

2. Hitler’s goal was to terrorize civilians and break their will to fight

a. Bombs kill thousands of civiliansb. Destroyed large areas in London and other citiesc. British never gave in

vii. 1941- Hitler is forced to call off his plans to invade Britain

d. The Invasion of the Soviet Unioni. June 1941- Hitler broke his nonaggressive

treaty with Stalinii. At first the German blitzkrieg was highly

effectiveiii. Despite heavy losses the Soviet Union did

not collapse

iv. By Autumn was deep within Soviet territory but had not reached their goal of Leningrad and Moscow1. Germans were also not prepared for the

harsh winter2. As winter set in their progress slowed,

then stopped

v. Soviets huge population allowed for it to rebuild its army quickly

vi. They began to fight back

4. Japan Attacks

a. 1941i. Japan moved its forces into French

Indochina1. Region was rich in oil, rubber and other

natural resources that Japan would need to supply its military

ii. American leaders banned the sale of oil to Japan

1. It was designed to slow the Japanese war machine

2. Serious threat to Japan’s future plans

b. Pearl Harbori. Hideki Tojo

1. Japanese General2. Developed plans

for a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor

a. An American naval base in Hawaii

b. Home to the United States Pacific Fleet

ii. December 7, 19411. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor

a. Were undetected by American military

2. Base was lightly defended, even though leaders felt an attack on the base was possible

3. Attack lasted less than 2 hours

4. Destruction of the attacka. 2400 Americans were deadb. 200 aircraft destroyedc. All 8 battleships were either sunk or

damaged

5. Only good news for Americans were that her 3 aircraft carriers were at sea and unharmed

c. The American Responsei. Attack had a profound effect on the

American public1. Up until the attack many felt America should

stay out of the war2. This is known as isolationism

a. The desire to avoid involvement in the affairs of other nations

ii. December 8, 19411. The U.S. Congress declared war on Japan2. Three days later Germany and Italy

declare war on the United States3. U.S. joined on the side of the Allies

The Allied Response

1. Early American Involvementa. The Battle of the Atlantic

i. Control of the Atlantic was a critical factor in WWII

ii. Allied nations depended on the supplies that were sent to their ports

iii. If Germany cut those off the war would soon be lost

iv. Germany’s navy was powerful but could not match the battleships of Great Britain 1. Relied on the U-boats2. Inflicted enormous amount of damage on the

Allies

v. United States had give aid to Great Britain before entering the war3. They gave military escorts to convoys carrying

supplies4. Led to shooting between American and

German vessels

vi. October 19411. A U-boat sank

the American escort ship USS Reuben James, killing most of its crew

a. 1st U.S. Navy ship sunk by Germany during the war

b. The American Home Fronti. U.S. entered the war 2 months after the

Reuben James was sunkii. It was an enormous task to mobilize the

U.S. forcesiii. Millions of Americans volunteered to

fight, others were drafted

iv. Women1. Worked as pilots2. Clerks and other positions

v. Many factories that made consumer goods were converted to produce weapons and supplies

vi. Gave new opportunities for women and African Americans

vii. Other ways Americans helped country1. Did with less items like food and fuel2. Participated in scrape drives to collect

materials like iron and rubber

viii. Negative effects of Patriotism 3. Fear that people of German, Italian, and

Japanese heritage would help the enemy4. Imposed certain restrictions5. Japanese suffered the most

ix. Japanese Internment Camps1. More than 100,000 Japanese Americans

were forced to leave their homes and businesses on the West Coast and move to internment camps

2. Most were American citizensa. Government was only concerned about their

racial background

3. Many camps were located in desert areas4. Surrounded by guards and barbed wire

fences

5. Families lived in small facilities6. Education and health care were poor7. They were released later in the war

c. Winning the Atlantici. Germany sent U-boats into American

water when America entered the warii. 1943- Allies had made number of

adjustments in the war for the Atlantic1. Allied factories began producing ships and

planes in large numbers2. Allies broke a key German code system used

to transmit information about German plansa. Helped with the location of U-boats

2. War in North Africa and Italya. Back and Forth fighting

i. Afrika Korps1. German and Italian forces in Africa2. Led by German general Edwin Rommel

a. Nickname was the Desert Foxb. Pushed the British out of Libya and back into Egypt

3. Did have trouble supplying forces4. El Alamein

a. Key battle between the British and the Afrika Korpsb. British were led by General Bernard Montgomeryc. British were able to use information gained from secret

German codes to win the battle

5. The Battle of El Alamein weakened Axis power in North Africa

b. The Americans Join the Battlei. Soviets wanted the Allies to invade Europe, to

create a second front so that Hitler would have to pull away from Soviet territory

ii. British and America leaders said that it would take time

iii. Invaded North Africa first1. November 1942 a combined British and American

force landed in North Africa2. Led by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower3. Faced little resistance and the French soon joined

them

iv. Put Rommel in a difficult spot1. Supply problems continued to worsen

v. May 1943, the Germans and Italians surrender North Africa2. Nearly 250,000 Axis soldiers were taken

prisoner

c. Fighting in Italyi. Next goal for Allies was Italy ii. July 1943, Allied moved their forces from

North Africa and landed on the island of Sicilyiii. Italian resistance was weakening

1. The government will force Benito Mussolini out of power by the end of the month

iv. Allies captured the island and moved to take mainland Italy

v. September 1943, Allies met German resistance

3. A Turning Point in the Soviet Union

a. The Battle of Stalingradi. Spring 1942, Hitler orders renewed

assaults on the Soviet Unionii. Summer 1942, Axis force was poised to

take the industrial city of Stalingradiii. Stalingrad

1. One of the largest cities in the Soviet Union2. Factories produced tanks, guns and other

military supplies3. Stalingrad’s ports shipped grain, oil and

other products throughout the Soviet Union

iv. The Battle of Stalingrad1. After they had bombed the city into

rubble, the Axis troops moved into the city to wipe out the surviving Soviets

2. Joseph Stalin wanted to hold the city that was named after him at all costs

3. The costs were higha. Tens of thousands on both sides died

v. Fall 1943, Soviet marshal Georgy Zhukov gathered his remaining forces for a counterattack

vi. Broke through the Axis defenses and surrounded 250,000 men

vii. Hitler refused to allow his troops to retreat west1. Wanted his troops to stand and fight2. Promised to supply them by air

viii. Late January 19431. German commander informed Hitler that

his troops had no ammunition, food, or supply

2. Hitler told him surrender was forbidden3. 90,000 Axis troops would be captured and

sent to Soviet prison camps, where many died

ix. Over 1 million Soviet soldiers died in the defense of Stalingrad but the end result was a crushing defeat for Hitler

x. German army was now retreating to the west

4. A Turning Point in the Pacifica. The Allies Fight Back

i. Early months in the Pacific were difficult for the Allies

ii. Japan was better equipped and was fighting closer to home

a. Conquering vital territory, i.e. Singapore, Hong Kong, Burma and many strategic islands

iii. One target was the Philippines1. General Douglas MacArthur led forces in a

doomed defense2. America surrendered the Philippines in

April 1942a. Japanese forced 70,000 prisoners to march up

the Bataan Peninsula to a distant camp b. Became known as the Bataan Death March

i. Captors kill 600 Americans and 10,000 Filipino prisoners

c. Thousands more perished in the prison camps

b. The Battle of the Coral Seai. Japan was at its height of power in May 1942ii. Japanese and American aircraft carriers met

in the Coral Seaiii. Battle took place as Japan was preparing to

invade the British controlled Port Moresby on the island of New Guinea

1. Group of Allied forces tried to stop the attack2. Both sides lost an aircraft carrier

a. This hurt America more than Japan

3. 1st time Japan’s advance was stopped

c. The Battle of Midwayi. June 1942

1. Japan and American carriers fought again at the Battle of Midway

ii. Japanese wanted to capture the island of Midway, that was home to a key American military base

iii. Japanese had the advantage with the number of ships and aircraft carriers they could bring to Midway

iv. Americans had a greater advantage: they had broken the Japanese code used to transmit messages1. Americans knew the date and location of the

planned Japanese attack2. Allowed American admiral Chester Nimitz to

plan an effective defense that over came the Japanese superiority in firepower

v. Americans destroyed 4 carriers and the Japanese only 1

vi. Sent a heavy blow to the Japanese navy

d. Island Hoppingi. Battle of Midway had changed the

balance of power in the Pacificii. This allowed the Allies to go on the

offensive1. Pursued a strategy called island hopping

a. They would skip over Japanese strongholds and capture weaker targets

b. The captured islands would serve as base for the next attack

iii. Battle of Guadalcanal1. Six month battle2. Each side won small victories3. The Japanese finally fled the island in

February 1943

iv. Battle of Leyte Gulf1. Took place in October 19442. Largest naval battle ever fought3. First major battle in the Philippines4. First major use of a new Japanese weapon: The

Kamikaze attacka. Kamikazes were Japanese pilots who loaded their

planes with explosives and deliberately crashed into Allied ships, sacrificing their own lives in the process

5. Battle ended in Allied victory6. It would take many more months of fighting to

take control of the Philippines

The Holocaust

1. Nazi Anti-Semitism

a. The Jews i. At the time of Hitler’s rise to power there

were 9 million Jews in Europe1. Most lived outside of Germany

ii. Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany’s problems

iii. The 1930s1. The Nuremberg Laws created a separate

legal status for German Jews2. Thousands were deported from Germany

a. Deported, is to be forced to leave a country

3. Many left Germany on their own

iv. Emigration was not an option for many1. German laws left many without money or

property2. Many countries were often unwilling to

take in the poor immigrants

v. At the start of WWII 250,000 Jews still lived in Germany and Austria3. Emigration became more difficult4. Germany outlaws it in 1941

2. The Final Solution

a. The Final Solutioni. The deliberate mass execution of Jews

b. The Killing Beginsi. Nazis used several brutal methods to deal

with the Jewish civilization under German control

1. Initially Jews were forced into the ghettoa. A confined area of the cityb. Walls or barbed wire fences prevented the

Jews from leavingc. Armed guards shot anyone trying to escaped. Warsaw

i. Most notorious ghettoii. Located in Polandiii. Housed 400,000 peopleiv. Most died from starvation or were murdered by

the Nazis

2. Concentration Campsa. Labor camps b. Meant to hold people considered to be

enemies of the statec. Forced to work as slave laborersd. Some were subjected to cruel medical

experimentse. All endured severe hunger, which killed

many

ii. Hitler’s forces carried out large scale executions of Jews and other civilians in villages across Poland

iii. Mobile Killing Units1. Established during Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet

Union in 19412. Carried out execution of Jews on a massive scale

a. Often aided by local people and policei. Called collaborators

b. An example: Babi Yari. Located near Kievii. In one two-day period in September 1941, 35,000 Jews

were murdered

iv. Nazi leaders were not satisfied because the killing left behind too much evidence1. Germans will set up special concentration

camps in Poland for the main purpose of killing large number of Jews and destroying their bodies

2. Known as Death Campsa. Famous one is Auschwitzb. Had specially designed gas chambers in which

thousands of people were killed everydayc. Also had furnaces for the disposal of bodies

c. The Victimsi. Jews were not the only victims of Nazi

concentration and death campsii. Imprisoned other groups thought to be

inferior1. i.e. Poles, Slaves, homosexuals, people with

disabilities and the Romanya. Romany were an ethnic group known as

Gypsies

2. By the end of the war about 5 million from these groups had died in Nazi camps

iii. Jews however suffered the most1. 6 million, that is 2 out 3 Jews in Europe

died at Nazi hands2. Entire families were killed3. This is known today as the Holocaust

3. The World Reacts

a. Other Countriesi. Other countries were aware of what was

going on in Germany before the warii. Tried to shield the brutality of Hitler

during the war, from the outside world

b. The United Statesi. 1942

1. People in the U.S. and Europe began to hear reports of widespread killing of Jews in Europe

2. At first seemed too horrific to believe3. Reports were confirmed and led to the U.S.

and Great Britain meeting to discuss possible responses

ii. January 19441. The United States established the War

Refugee Board to help rescue European Jews

a. This was after million had already diedb. Board helped save 200,000 Jews

iii. Allied leaders were unwilling to take action, like bombing the railroad lines that led to the death camps1. Allied leaders did not want to do anything

that would interfere with the war effort2. Apathy and anti-Semitism also

contributed to this inaction

iv. Sumer 19441. Soviet troops were the first to discover an

abandoned death camp in Polanda. Germans had tried to cover up evidence of

their crimes before the Allies arrivedi. This included killing or removing the prisoners

v. January 19451. Soviets liberated Auschwitz

a. They found 7,000 starving survivorsb. Also found hundreds of thousands of pieces of clothing

i. Strong indication that more people had been housed there

vi. April 19452. Americans reached Buchenwald

a. Found thousands of corpses as well as many inmates who were nearly dead

3. Around the same time the British reached Bergen-Belsen camp

a. They found tens of thousands were murdered there

vii. Soldier who made the discoveries were shocked by what they had found there

viii. The scenes of horror gave a clear picture of what a world under Hitler would have been like

The End of The War

1. War Ends in Europe

a. Soviet Victoriesi. In early 1944, the Soviets finally ended

the siege of Leningradii. Major offensive in the summer led to

great success for the Soviets1. 800,000 casualties for the Germans

iii. Soviet Union began pushing Germans back into central Europe

iv. By the end of January 1945, Soviets were within 40 miles of Berlin

b. D-Dayi. Allies were finalizing their plans for a

massive invasion of Western Europeii. An effective invasion would be difficult

1. The assault would have to come by sea2. Also had to be made against strong German

positions

iii. Preparations were made by American generals George Marshall and Dwight D. Eisenhower

iv. Allies also need to develop specialized equipment for transporting tanks and troops across open water

v. Also staged a complex plan to mislead Hitler about where the invasion would take place

vi. June 6, 1944- D-Day1. Allied forces invaded France2. Over 150,000 troops land on the beaches

on Normandy and forced their way through the strong German defenses

3. High casualties but was a success for the Allies

4. Once the beaches were secure more soldiers came

5. By July nearly 1 million soldiers had come ashore

vii. Allied forces broke through German defenses in July

viii. Quickly re-conquered much of Franceix. By end of August Germans had

surrendered Paris

c. The Battle of the Bulgei. December 1944- Hitler ordered one last,

massive counterattack in Belgium1. Germans made solid advances at first2. Produced a bulge in the Allied battle lines

a. Battle became known as the Battle of the Bulge

ii. January 1945, The Allies crushed the German offensive at the Battle of the Bulge1. Defeat marked the end of major German

resistance

iii. Within two months Allied forces crossed the Rhine River and were headed toward Berlin

d. The Germans Surrenderi. Soviets surrounded Berlin in late April

19451. They found Hitler’s body on May 22. He had taken his own life

ii. Germany surrendered on May 7iii. Next day was proclaimed V-E Day

2. War Ends in the Pacific

a. Final Battlesi. Mid-1944, American bombers had begun

making regular bombing raids on Japanese cities

1. This was done at great risk for American pilots

ii. Americans need islands closer to Japan to continue making these raids

iii. Battle of Iwo Jima1. Started in February 1945 when Allied

troops landed on the island2. Battle lasted a month3. 7,000 Americans died capturing the island4. Japanese had 20,000 on the island; all but

a thousand of them fought to the death

iv. After Iwo Jima, Americans invaded Okinawa

v. Battle of Okinawa1. Lasted 3 months2. 12,000 Americans died3. Japanese lost

a. Lost nearly all of the more than 100,000 Japanese defenders

b. The Atomic Bombi. Next step was for the Allies to take Japanii. Japanese defenders’ willingness to fight

to the death led military leaders to conclude that an invasion of Japan would be too costly

1. Estimated it would cost up to 1 million lives

iii. Leaders considered another option: the atomic bomb1. Weapon used energy released by the

splitting of atoms2. More powerful than regular bombs

iv. Program to develop the bomb started in 1939; it was successfully tested in July 1945

v. Harry S. Truman1. Became president when Roosevelt died in

May 19452. Advisors believed that using the atomic

bomb would help bring the war to an end and help save lives

3. Others believed it should only be used as a last resort

4. Truman decided to drop the bomb

vi. July 26, 19451. Allies issue a demand for Japan’s

surrender2. Japanese did not respond3. Plans moved forward to use the bomb

vii. August 61. An American plane dropped an atomic

bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima2. Devastation

a. More than 70,000 were killed instantlyb. Thousands of buildings destroyed

3. Japanese still did not surrender

viii. August 91. Americans drop a second bomb over the

city of Nagasaki2. Devastation

a. 75,000 people died

3. Tens of thousands of residents in both cities would die later from radiation poisoning

ix. August 15, 19451. Emperor Hirohito surrendered2. Known as V-J Day (Victory in Japan Day)

3. The Postwar World

a. Planning for the Futurei. Allied leaders had been planning for the day

the war would endii. July 1941

1. Roosevelt and Churchill met2. They issued the Atlantic Charter

a. Outlined what the two leaders saw as the purpose of the war

b. They proclaimed that they sought no territorial gainc. Looked forward to a peaceful world in which all

nations chose their own governments and worked together for mutual prosperity

iii. November 19431. Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met at a

conference in Tehran, Irana. They agreed on a schedule for the D-Day

invasionb. Also agreed to work together in the peace

that would follow after the war

b. Yalta and Potsdami. Early 1945

1. Allies were on the brink of victory2. Had difficulties agreeing on the plans for

peace

ii. The Yalta Conference1. Primary goal of the conference was to reach

agreement on what to do with postwar Europe2. Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin agreed on

plans for governing Germany after the war3. Stalin got his way on other key points

a. He was able to keep territory that had formerly been part of Poland

b. He promised to respect democratic ideals in the Eastern European countries his armies now occupied

4. Roosevelt won some pointsa. Persuaded Stalin to join the fight against

Japan as soon as the war in Europe endedb. Also convinced Stalin to join a new world

organization proposed by the Allies….The United Nations

5. The United Nationsa. Was designed to encourage international

cooperation and prevent warb. June 1945 representatives of many of the

world’s nations signed the UN charterc. United States, Great Britain, France,

Soviet Union and China formed the UN Security Council

i. Had more power than other member nations

iii. July 19451. Allies met again in Germany in the city of

Potsdam2. Potsdam Conference

a. Took place among ill will between the Soviets and the Allies

b. Discussed many issues concerning postwar Europe

c. Had difficulty reaching agreement