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U.S. would be the “ great arsenal of democracy ” (again only allied power not touched by war here at home) Show America the Story of Us: WWII 11:50-15:39
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U.S. would be the “great arsenal of democracy” (again only allied power not touched by war here at home) • Show America the Story of Us: WWII 11:50-15:39 • In June 1941 Hitler violating the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939 & invaded Soviet Union = Lend-Lease applied to USSR too (very strained relations with this ally, didn’t recognize as country til 1932, USSR refusal to pay War debts, sent troops to help whites v. reds, they encouraged communist activity in U.S.) • Show America the Story of Us: WWII 11:54-18:13
From North Africa… …to D-Day
U.S. enters the fight from northwest Africa; they were very ineffective at first • General George Patton (U.S.) - colorful, controversial, effective in charge of N.African Campaign
Germans are defeated in N. Africa by being pinched on both sides • Within Nazi occupied countries, resistance began to occur (sabotage, spying)
Battle of El Alamein –GB stopNazis from getting to Middle East oil & attacking USSR from South.
Allies successful in N.Africa & has to leave 300,000 soldiers behind. • Southern Europe in 1943 • U.S. and G.B. invade Sicily • Italy is invaded next • Mussolini is overthrown & Italian government surrendered (Mussolini tries to flee to Germany but caught & drug through streets)(said to be the soft underbelly of the Axis Powers) • Germans defend Italy stubbornly w/ German soldiers plugging lines. • Italy slowly fell after taking 1yr to climb up peninsula & only made it to Rome (½ way up peninsula) (not the soft underbelly)
Invasion of western Europe: • Soviets were pressuring Britain and the U.S. to open a western front • 2 years of planning D-Day
General Dwight Eisenhower (U.S.) - Supreme Allied Commander – • Patton becomes decoy
Massive build up in England of Allied troops, planes, ships, and arms
June 6, 1944 > D-Day - Invasion at Normandy, France - 300,000 military personnel involved - 176,000 troops landed - 5,000 naval vessels - 11,000 aircraft • Hitler knew allies would invade France so fortified France along the English Channel • Allies had advantage of surprise because Hitler didn’t know when or where • By spring U.S. had 1.5 m soldiers, 12,000 airplanes, 5 m. tons of equipment
Needed low tide & no storms • small window from June 5 – 7 • Ike’s staff called date for invasion begins w/ Letter D • So when weather bad on June 5th & reports called for improvement on June 6th - Ike said “OK we’ll go”
At end of the long and deadly day, the Allies had a beach head in France from which they could drive into Europe
It was a major turning point in the war • The Allies are now in a position to challenge the German grip on western Europe
Show America the Story of Us: WWII 27:09-38:00 • D-Day (33:09-38:00)
Battle of El Alamein • Battle of Midway • Tuskegee Airmen • Nisei regiments • Navajo communication codes • Bataan Death March & the Geneva Convention • Genocide & the Final Solution • Rosie the Riveter • Internment of Japanese Americans
Facts and Images of… The Holocaust 4th stopped here
The Facts • Anti-Semitism (anti-Jews)had been a common belief among some Germans for decades • 1933 label who is Jewish 1st degree v. 2nd degree • boycott Jewish stores – • If 2nd degree could be in army but not officer • Register guns & later came to collect them so couldn’t fight back. (2nd Amend argument today) • Hitler and the Nazi’s stirred the hatred –needed a scapegoat
Jews were required to register with the state & have Stars of David on them at all times • Then, their economic activity was limited and then rights as citizens taken away = barred from certain jobs, no intermarriage, synagogues & Jewish businesses closed, pay fines.
Then, the Nazi’s isolated Jews in ghettos-after invasion of Poland, too many to contain so Ghettos until concentration camps could be built. Ghettos were shut off from supplies & food. • Eventually, concentration camps
“The Final Solution” - Extermination- Germany never publicized so to meet little resistance. Govt heard rumors but couldn’t prove • Gas chambers, crematoriums
12 million people killed by the Nazis(Slavs, Gypsies, handicapped, homosexuals too) • 6 million were Jews • (between 1933-1939 1/2 million Jews escaped Europe before Final Solution to U.S. , Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Israel (Palestine) & China)
Defeating the JAPANESE in the Pacific
2. Amphibious warfare –water to land invasions – “Island hopping”
. Aircraft carriers were crucial – so important that Japan didn’t get our carriers at Pearl Harbor (Yamamato knew it too)
The Japanese were fierce defenders, thus, the “island to island” fighting in the Pacific was long, hard, and deadly Kamakazi, women jumping off cliffs, more hand to hand combat & guerilla style warfare
U.S. Commanders in the Pacific Gen. Douglas MacArthur Commander of Army Admr. Chester Nimitz Commander of Navy
Map • Battle of the Coral Sea • Japan trying to conquer Australia • Allies lost more ships but stopped Japan’s Offensive • 1st time fleets never came in sight of each other=carrier based planes
Battle of Midway • Japan attempted to invade Midway (1,000 miles from Hawaii) (if Midway conquered then Hawaii invaded) • Nimitz intercepted message of Japan preparing for invasion • U.S. attacked while Jap. Fleet preparing for invasion • Jap. Caught off guard & lost 4 carriers, 1 cruiser & 322 planes • U.S. now on offensive & sea power edge over Japan (island hopping campaign begins to inch closer to Japan) • Japanese resort to suicide planes taking out U.S. ships (Kamikaze) (show history channel)
Success of Kamikazes –pilots took out 47 allied vessels (sunk) & damaged 300. 14% success rate) • 3rd period stopped here
U.S. Preparing for invasion of Japan / estimated loss of life w/ Japanese Kamikaze was @ 1 million deathsAllies agreed on Unconditional Surrender of all Axis powers & Japan refused to surrender if emperor was removed
American scientists feared the Nazis would develop an atomic weapon 1939 Leo Szilard (born in Austria-Hungary)(world’s top physicist learned German scientists had split the uranium atom which released enormous energy so convinced Einstein to sign letter w/ him to FDR warning him of German’s advances in weapon) • The government began the largest, costliest military project in history - to build an atomic bomb first (skeptics until 1941 joined w/ GB scientists who were already working on bomb) (Secret program) The Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project • Under control of U.S. Army Corp of Engineers • Led by Robert Oppenhimer, Berkley Physicist (will be accused of being a spy) • 30 sites across the U.S. including Uranium enrichment Research Facility at Oak Ridge, TN (30 miles outside Knoxville)
In July 1945, (about year after D-Day invasion) an atomic bomb was successfully detonated in the desert of New Mexico 38:07 America story of us WWII -
Fighting on the Pacific islands had been horrific(Iwo Jima 23,000 casualties & Okinawa 50,000) • Casualty estimates for taking Japan’s homeland were huge (1 million) (McArthur estimated– 10 years, no limit on casualties) • FDR died in office & Truman didn’t know of the project until becoming president. The Decision, Why?
It was made on the basis of ending the war as soon as possible with the least amount of casualties
August 6, 1945 at Hiroshima • - Vaporization area was half mile in diameter • - Total destruction area was one mile in diameter • - Within a diameter of two and a half miles, everything flammable burned • - 80,000 to 120,000 deaths (thousands more died later from burns & radiation) The Bombing