World War II Overview Notes

1. World War II Overview Notes

2. 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.

3. WW2 Causes • WWI and the Treaty of Versailles • Appeasement • Rise of Totalitarianism

4. WWI and the Treaty of Versailles • Germany lost land to surrounding nations • War reparations ($) • Allies collect $ to pay back war debts to US • Germany pays $57 trillion (modern day equivalent) • Germans are bankrupt, embarrassed, guilt ridden, and angry. • Desperate people turn to desperate leaders

5. Appeasement • Giving 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.

6. British PM at the beginning of the War… ~Neville Chamberlin~ “In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers.” “Peace in Our Time!”

7. Rise of Totalitarianism • A 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 vote • No free speech • Government controlled economy • Often a police state

8. 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.

12. Adolf Hitler-Germany Hideki Tojo - Japan Benito Mussolini -Italy Josef Stalin-USSR Not >>>>

13. 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 1938 • Sudetenland – territory in Czechoslovakia • Given to Germany by Great Britain and France at the “Munich Conference & Pact” (remember “Appeasement”) • Hitler then invades the rest of Czechoslovakia • On to Poland… and Russia.

14. Recap: Who was on each side? Axis Powers • Germany • Italy • Japan Allied Powers • Great Britain • Soviet Union • United States • France • Surrendered to Germany in 1940 after 6 weeks

15. Joseph Stalin Russian Leader Not pictured: Charles de Gaulle President of France Allied Powers Franklin Delano Roosevelt US President Winston Churchill British Prime Minister

16. WWII Day 2The European Theater of War

17. Recap: Who was on each side? Axis Powers • Germany • Italy • Japan Allied Powers • Great Britain • Soviet Union • United States • France • Surrendered to Germany in 1940 after 6 weeks

18. Adolf Hitler-Germany Hideki Tojo - Japan Benito Mussolini -Italy Josef Stalin-USSR Not >>>>

19. Joseph Stalin Russian Leader Not pictured: Charles de Gaulle President of France Allied Powers Franklin Delano Roosevelt US President Winston Churchill British Prime Minister

20. How did WWII start? • Germany invaded Poland to attain lebensraum throughout Russia >>> • Also went to the south and east through the Sudetenland.

21. 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.

22. Parisian Citizens cut the ties on the elevators so that Hitler could not enjoy the view of the city…

24. 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

25. "The Battle of the Atlantic was the only thing that really frightened me" - Winston Churchill.

26. 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

27. 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

29. Battle of the Bulge • December 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)

31. 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

33. WWII Day 3The Pacific Theater of War

34. 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

42. “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

43. Battle of Guadalcanal • Aug. 1942 – Feb. 1943 • U.S. amphibious attack on Japanese fortifications • Land, sea, & air battle • Eventually 31,000 of the 36,000 Japanese on the island were killed

44. 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

45. 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

46. Kamikaze Attacks • The 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

49. 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