Download Lecture World War II Chronology Notes

Outline of World War II Chronology
FDR AND THE SHADOW OF WAR, 1933-1941
AMERICA IN WORLD WAR II, 1941-1945
FDR's Foreign Policy:
1. Caused new isolationism and extreme nationalism.
2.
He failed to become involved in trying to bring the world out
of the depression.
3.
He was too concerned with his home, the U.S.
4.
Roosevelt formally recognized the Soviet Union in 1933.
5.
FDR made clear that he renounced armed intervention.
FDR pulls marines out of Haiti, 1934.
Cuba was freed in 1934.
Allows Mexico to seize Yankee oil properties, 1938.
1934, Congress passes bill promising freedom for Philippines.
1939, 21 countries enter in reciprocating trade pacts.
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1934
Chronology of War
Japan terminated the Washington Naval Treaty.
1935
Italy attacks Ethiopia with bombers and tanks.
Hitler openly rebelled against the Treaty of Versailles by
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introducing compulsory military service in Germany.
1936
Germany boldly marched into the demilitarized German
Rhineland.
Hitler persecutes and begins to liquidate Jewish
population in areas under his control.
Italy becomes an ally with Germany forming the RomeBerlin Axis.
Spanish Civil War, 1936-39, Spain became a proving
ground and dress rehearsal in miniature for WW II.
Rebels led by Fascist Francisco Franco aided by Hitler
and Mussolini undertook to overthrow the established
Loyalist regime, aided by the Russians to a small degree.
1937
December, Panay Incident. Japanese aviators bomb and
sink an American gunboat in Chinese waters.
1938
March, Hitler occupies German speaking Austria.
September: British and French leaders allow Hitler to take
control of the German speaking area known as the
Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.
English Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is persuaded
by Hitler that he is doing nothing to hurt anyone just
trying to unite the German speaking peoples, basically
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allowed Hitler to do what he wanted and leads to the
takeover of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
1939
America's Neutrality.
Congress passes the Neutrality Act. But, U. S. favored
democracies in Europe by allowing purchase of munitions
on a "cash and carry" basis.
Aug. 23 Germany signs a non-aggression treaty with the Soviet
Union.
Sept. 1 Germany sends their mechanized divisions crashing into
Poland. Hitler conquers Poland in two weeks.
 He then divides Poland with the Soviet Union. Stalin occupies
eastern Poland.
 As a result of the invasion of Poland by Germany Great
Britain and France declare war on Germany.
1940
April
May
Hitler without warning overruns his neighbors Denmark
and Norway.
Hitler launches an unannounced assault on Holland and
Belgium.
May 27-June 4 Operation Dynamo
 Evacuation at Dunkirk
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June
France is forced to surrender.
United States Lend-Lease Law
July 1940, Congress passes Bill #1776, to provide guns to the
democracies. (Technically it was a declaration of war against
Germany and Hitler knew it.)
September 2
Roosevelt transfers to Britain 51 WW I vintage destroyers for 8
bases on the western side of the Atlantic from Newfoundland to
British Guiana. (United States violates neutrality act.)
September
Japan formally becomes an ally of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy
by signing the Tri-Partite Agreement creating the Axis Powers.
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1941
June
Hitler launched a devastating attack on the Soviet Union.
U.S. promises aid to the Soviets to fight Hitler.
U.S. freezes Japanese assets in America and cessation of
all shipments of gasoline, oil and scrap steel.
September & October
U.S. Destroyers and Hitler's U-Boats Clash in Atlantic.
December 7 Imperial Japanese naval forces attack Pearl Harbor,
"Black Sunday".
December 8
U.S. declares war on Japan.
December 11
Germany and Italy declare war on U.S., U.S.
reciprocates by officially declaring war on them.
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WORLD WAR II, THE MULTI-FRONT WAR
PACIFIC:
PHILIPPINES, CHINA, BURMA
EUROPE:
ITALY, FRANCE, RUSSIA
NORTH AFRICA: EGYPT, FRENCH NORTH AFRICA.
World War II Chronology
1941
December 7 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
December 8 Japan attacks the Philippines.
1942
Reactions at home in U.S.: Executive Order 9066
 Japanese internment camps:
Ten relocation camps for Japanese-Americans
Utah:
Topaz
California:
Manzanares, Tanforan
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Arkansas
Louisiana
Arizona:
Idaho:
Montana:
Several camps
North of Twin Falls
Heart Mountain
Moab, Utah and Tule Lake, California were set up to handle the
dissidents and rebels.
Amache (Granada), CO
Opened: August 24, 1942.
Closed: October 15, 1945
Peak population: 7,318.
Gila River, AZ
Opened July 20, 1942.
Closed November 10, 1945
Peak Population 13,348.
Heart Mountain, WY
Opened August 12, 1942.Closed November 10,
1945.
Peak population 10,767
Jerome, AR - Opened October 6, 1942.
Closed June 30, 1944 Peak population 8,497
Manzanar, CA - Opened March 21, 1942.
Closed November 21,1945
Peak population 10,046
Minidoka, ID - Opened August 10, 1942. Closed October 28, 1945 -. Peak population 9,397
Poston, AZ - Opened May 8, 1942. Closed November 28, 1945. Peak population 17,814
Rohwer, AR - Opened September 18, 1942. Closed November 30, 1945. Peak population 8,475
Topaz, UT - Opened September 11, 1942. Closed October 31, 1945. Peak population 8,130
Tule Lake, CA - Opened May 27, 1942. Closed March 20, 1946. Peak population 18,789
Atlantic, Hitler's "wolf packs", submarine groups were devastating
the Allied shipping sinking more than 500 transport ships.
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Apr. 9
U.S. and Filipino troops surrender. Gen. MacArthur
secretly escapes to Australia. Announced at his
departure, "I shall return."
April
Bataan "Death March"
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May 6
Corregidor surrenders
May 7-8
Battle of the Coral Sea
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Japanese advances in the Pacific were halted by this crucial naval
battle. An American carrier task force, with Australian support,
inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese forces.
June 3-6
Battle of Midway Island
 Japan undertakes the attack on the strategic base on Midway
Island.
 Adm. Nimitz (US) directs a smaller carrier force against the
invading fleet.
 The fighting was all done by aircraft and the Japanese break
off fighting after losing 4 important carriers.
 Important Naval victory for the U. S.
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August 7-9, 1942-Feb. 1943
 Invasion of Guadalcanal and ensuing battle.
 First landing of American troops in the Pacific
Pacific became the focus of the military strategy known as "island
hopping."
May
Turning point of the land-air war against Hitler had
arrived. British launched a 1,000 plane raid on Cologne.
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Sept
Soviets stop the German advance at Stalingrad, the
graveyard of Hitler's hopes.
Oct
Gen. Montgomery (BR) defeats Rommel (GR) at El
Alamein outside of Cairo.
Nov. 1942 – Oct. 1943
Soviets unleash a crushing counteroffensive and within a year
Stalin had regained about 2/3 of his country.
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November
1943
February
General Eisenhower (US) lands in French North
Africa between Morocco and Tunisia, pushes
Germans back to Tunis.
British defeat Rommel’s Desert Legions at the
Kasserine Pass and Tunis is captured.
May
German forces surrender in North Africa.
July
Sicily is invaded by US, Canadian and British forces.
 Became a battle of egos between British Gen.
Montgomery and U. S. Gen. Patton.
 Montgomery’s plan was failing and Patton
disobeyed orders and implemented his own
historically based plan. Patton succeeded to
Montgomery’s chagrin.
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August
Attu and Kiska in the Aleutians are recaptured by US
forces.
Sicily is captured by the Allies. Continue up the boot
into Italy.
September
Mussolini is deposed and a new Rome government
surrenders unconditionally.
 Even after the surrender of Italy the German
armies continued to fight vigorously against the
Allies.
 Important battles were at Anzio, Salerno and
Cassino.
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November
1944
June 4
June 6
Tarawa and Makin Islands in the Gilbert Islands are
taken by U. S. Marines and attached amphibious
Army division.
Rome is liberated.
Operation
France
Overlord,
D-Day,
Normandy,
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August
US/FR forces land on the southern coast of France
and swept northward.
Aug. 25
Paris is liberated.
October
Aachen (German city) fell to the advancing
Americans.
Oct. 20
MacArthur returns to the Philippines, well staged
scene for photographers, Gen. MacArthur returns to
the Philippines at Leyte Island.
Oct. 23-26
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Battle of Leyte Gulf
Japan's menacing navy was at last subdued and
finished as a sea power.
America's fleets now ruled the Pacific waves.
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Dec. 16, 1944 to January 28, 1945
Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes Forest)
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 Bastogne, 101st Airborne Division trapped. US
commander responded to surrender demands with the curt
response "nuts".
 Massacre of American soldiers
 Reinforcements were sent up and freed the surrounded
Americans.
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1945
Feb.19 Invasion of Iwo Jima
February 19 Invasion of Iwo Jima
 Intense fighting for 26 days
 Heavy casualties for U. S.
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Killed/Missing/
Died of Wounds:
Wounded:
Combat Fatigue:
Total:
U. S. Marines
U. S. Navy
5,931
17,272
2,648
25,851
890
1,945
0
2,835
Japanese Casualties at Iwo Jima
Estimated Defense Forces:
21,000
Prisoners:
1,083
Killed:
20,000 (Approximation*)
Mar. 3 Manila is liberated by US troops after a 30 day battle.
March 9-10 Massive fire bombing raid on Tokyo was devastating.
Hamamatsu
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Tokyo
April
Allied troops reach Elbe River. There a short distance
south of Berlin, American and Russian advance
guards dramatically clasped hands.
April 1
Invasion of Okinawa begins
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April 12
FDR died from a massive cerebral hemorrhage.
Vice Pres. Harry Truman was briefed on the status of
the war, and takes charge.
April 30
Hitler commits suicide.
May 7, 1945
Germany surrenders unconditionally.
May 8, 1945 was officially declared VE Day, Victory in Europe.
June 21 Okinawa falls to Americans. Japanese fought valiantly.
Innovation of suicide planes, "kamikaze".
Casualties at Okinawa
Total U. S. Forces: 183,000
Total Japanese Forces: 120,000
Killed:
12,513
95,000+
Wounded:
38,916
Captured:
7,400-10,755
Non-Combatant losses: 33,056
Civilian Losses:
42K-150K
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July
Philippines liberated from Japanese forces.
Potsdam Conference, ultimatum given to Japan to
surrender or be destroyed.
July 16 Secret weapon is tested, the atomic bomb, at Alamogordo,
New Mexico.
Aug. 6 Enola Gay, American bomber drops one atomic bomb on
the military city of Hiroshima. 180,000 persons left dead,
wounded or missing.
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Aug. 8 Stalin enters the war against Japan.
 Russian troops overran Manchuria and Korea in a 6
day "victory parade."
Aug. 9 Nagasaki, Japan, the second atomic bomb was detonated
on the naval base.
Aug. 10 Japan surrenders with only one condition that the
Emperor remains on his throne as nominal Emperor.
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Aug. 14 Japanese surrender accepted by the Allies
Sept. 2, 1945
Agreement signed on the Battleship Missouri.
Truman’s Dilemma and Options Leading up to the use of the
Atomic Bomb
1. Drop the unknown bomb, atomic bomb.
2.
Lay siege to Japan.
3.
Invade Japan.
4.
Bombard Japan with conventional weapons.
5.
Wait for the Soviets.
Problems associated with these choices:
1.
Unknown at the time.
2.
Would take a long time, money, manpower and supplies.
3.
Would cost the American nation at least 1,000,000 casualties,
killed or wounded in first 90 days.
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4.
Would take time and the casualties to Japan would be
enormous. It would be mass annihilation, a planned genocide
of the Japanese people.
5.
Soviets taking their time to bolster their post war position in
the world.
Most prudent decision based on the available information was to
use the bomb.
What U. S. Intelligence did not know about Japan’s ability to
continue fighting?
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Japan was developing their atomic weapon, approximately
three weeks from testing.
On the island of Shikoku a weapons of mass destruction
facility was working on chemical, bacterial and gas weapons.
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