Download World War II: Americans At War (1941

World War II:
Americans At War
(1941-1945)
Section 1: Mobilization

After the Pearl Harbor attacks, the U.S. entered a
war that they had already been preparing for.
Selective Training and Service Act



Even before entering the
war, the U.S. was
preparing for war.
In 1940, Congress
authorized the first
peacetime draft in
American history.
Required males aged 21-36
to register for military
service.
The GI War


Throughout the
war, more than 16
million Americans
worked in the
military in some
capacity.
Referred to as GIs,
abbreviated from
“Government
Issue.”
Diversity in the Armed Forces

25,000 Native Americans participated.
• Navajo Code Talkers

1 million African Americans joined the military.
• The Tuskegee Airmen
Women and the War



350,000 American
women volunteered for
military service.
Worked as clerks,
typists, airfield control
tower operators, etc.
More commonly,
women entered the
workforce to fill jobs
abandoned by men
who went war.
War Production


In 1942, government set up the War Production
Board (WPB).
WPB stopped the production of consumer goods
and encouraged companies to make goods for war
instead.
Office of War Mobilization



In 1943, FDR appointed James F. Byrnes the head
of the Office of War Mobilization.
The office played a powerful role in centralizing
resources.
Byrnes was often called the “assistant president.”
Liberty Ships



Henry J. Kaiser introduced mass production
techniques to shipbuilding.
Cut the time needed to build a ship from 200 days
to 40.
Called these new vessels Liberty ships.
Wartime Work Force





Unemployment nearly
vanished completely
during the war.
Working wages rose by
50%
Union membership rose
Unions initially agreed
to refrain from strikes
after Pearl Harbor.
In 1943, some strikes
started again.
Financing the War

Federal spending
• 1939: $8.9 billion/year
• 1945: $95.2 billion/year


Gross National Product (GNP) doubled during
WWII.
Higher taxes paid for 41% of this cost, the rest
was borrowed from banks, investors, and the
public through war bonds.
Shortages and Controls



Consumer goods were
scarce, as resources went
to make war supplies.
In 1941, the Office of
Price Administration
(OPA) was formed to
control inflation by
limiting prices.
OPA rationed goods
during the war by using a
point value system.
Popular Culture




With less available
goods, civilians looked
for other recreation.
Americans began
reading more books and
magazines.
They still flocked
baseball games.
60% of the population
went to the movies
every week.
Enlisting Public Support



Government
encouraged citizens to
support the war.
Established the Office
of War Information to
work with magazines,
advertising agencies,
and radio stations.
Worked to create
popular support for the
war.
Victory Gardens



People began planting home vegetable gardens to increase
food supply.
Became known as victory gardens.
People in the cities and suburbs were planting vegetables in
their back yard.
More WWII Ads/Propaganda
Section 2: Retaking Europe

Although attacked by Japan, America
focused first on winning the war in Europe.
Atlantic Charter


Before Pearl Harbor’s attack,
FDR met with Churchill to
establish the principles for
which they fought.
• Countries shouldn’t seek to
expand territory.
• Countries should allow other
countries to choose their
own government.
• All nations of the world must
abandon the use of force.
Became known as the Atlantic
Charter
Battle of the Atlantic



Britain relied on shipments of food and supplies
from the U.S.
German U-boats sought to destroy these convoys
of shipments.
U-boats sunk 175 U.S. ships in June 1942 alone.
North Africa Campaign




British Troops fought the Italian Army in Egypt and Libya.
German forces joined them, led by General Erwin Rommel,
“Desert Fox”.
In 1942, Britain won a victory at El Alamein, pushing Axis
forces back.
By 1943, Axis forces surrendered in North Africa.
Invasion of Italy



U.S. invaded Sicily in
July, 1943.
Italians lost faith in
Mussolini and his own
Fascist council voted him
out.
Germans freed Mussolini
and evacuated him to
Northern Italy for
protection.
Italy Surrenders


In September, 1943, Italy’s new
government surrendered and, weeks
later, even declared war on
Germany.
German forces stayed in Italy, and
continued to fight the Allies as they
proceeded to invade the country.
Eastern Front: Soviet Union



In 1941, Hitler broke his agreement and attacked the Soviet
Union, to gain access to key food and oil fields.
Germans surprised and dominated untrained and poorly equipped
Soviet soldiers.
Germany pushed East rapidly.
Destruction


Stalin ordered his retreating soldiers
to destroy anything that might be
useful to the Germans.
The Soviet army destroyed fuel,
grain, railcars, and buildings as they
evacuated.
Siege of Leningrad


In Soviet City Leningrad, German troops surrounded
the city and held it siege, not allowing supplies in.
Over 1 million civilians died due to starvation.
Stalingrad



In 1942, Germany firebombed the city of Stalingrad for two
months.
Germany gained most of the city.
In the harsh winter that followed, Soviet forces launched a
successful counterattack.
Stalingrad




Cut off from supplies, German forces began to starve and freeze.
In January, 90,000 Germans surrendered after roughly 330,000
Germans had died.
Soviet death estimates at Stalingrad are 1,100,000.
Stalingrad was the turning point of the war on the Eastern Front.
Allied Air War


By 1943, Britain’s Royal
Air Force (RAF)
developed a technique
called carpet bombing,
scattering lots of bombs
across a wide area.
Bombed German
infrastructure, factories,
and railway lines so that
they wouldn’t have
access to new supplies.
Invasion of Western Europe

After experiencing some success in
North Africa, Italy, and the USSR,
the allies decided it was time to
recapture France and take control of
mainland Europe.
D-Day



On June 6, 1944 the Allies launched the largest landing by sea
invasion in world history.
150,000 soldiers landed on Normandy Beach; 23,000
parachuted in behind German lines.
2,000 people died, but the Allies took control of the beach and
soon had 2 million troops in France.
Battle of the Bulge



Hitler began drafting
soldiers as young as 15.
In one massive
counterattack in 1944,
Germany pushed the U.S.
Army back, forming a
“bulge” in the Allied line.
General Eisenhower sent
in more troops and
eventually pushed the
Germans back.
Soviet Forces Advance



There was much more action on the
Eastern Front than the Western
Front.
After the turning point at Stalingrad,
Soviet Forces continued to push
Germans back.
By April, 1945, they reached Berlin
and began to destroy it.
Germany Surrenders



Losing the war on both fronts, Hitler chose to
commit suicide on April 30, 1945.
Days later, on May 8, 1945, Germany officially
surrendered.
Known as V-E Day, Victory in Europe.
Yalta Conference



In February 1945, months before the end of the war,
FDR, Churchill, and Stalin met at Yalta, in the Soviet
Union.
They met to agree on the terms at the conclusion of
war.
Agreed to divide Germany into four zones, each
under the control of a major Allied country.
Section 3: The Holocaust

Under Nazi Germany, 6 million European Jews
were killed, 2/3 the European Jewish population.
8 Stages of Genocide

1. Classification
•

"Victims are identified and separated out because of their ethnic or religious
identity..."
7. Extermination
•

"Hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda..."
6. Preparation
•

"Genocide is always organized... Special army units or militias are often trained
and armed..."
5. Polarization
•

"One group denies the humanity of the other group. Members of it are equated
with animals, vermin, insects, or diseases."
4. Organization
•

"When combined with hatred, symbols may be forced upon unwilling members of
pariah groups..."
3. Dehumanization
•

People are divided into "us and them".
2. Symbolization
•

(Gregory Stanton)
"It is 'extermination' to the killers because they do not believe their victims to be
fully human".
8. Denial
•
"The perpetrators... deny that they committed any crimes..."
Anti-Semitism
(classification, polarization)



Anti-Semitism is
opposition, discrimination,
or hostility towards Jews.
At the time of WWII,
Europe, not merely Hitler,
or even Germany, was
highly anti-Semitic.
Jews have historically been
a persecuted people group.
Hitler and Anti-Semitism
(classification, dehumanization, polarization)


Hitler reflected and intensified anti-Semitism in
his book, Mein Kampf.
“Let the desolation which Jewish hybridization daily visits on our
nation be clearly seen, this blood-poisoning that can be removed
from our body national only after centuries or nevermore; let it be
pondered, further, how racial decay drags down, indeed often
annuls, the final Aryan values of our German nation”
–Adolf Hitler, excerpt from Mein Kampf
Symbolization, Polarization
Nazi Policies
(Classification, Dehumanization, Polarization)




Nazi’s first began excluding German Jews from all aspects
of life.
1933- Nazis ordered a one-day boycott of Jewish
businesses.
1935- Stripped Jews of German citizenship, outlawed
marriage between Jews and non-Jews.
1938- Forced Jews to give up their businesses, students
were expelled from public schools.
The Star
(Symbolization)


Jews were forced to follow rigid identification
laws.
Eventually, all Jews in Germany or Germanoccupied countries were forced to sew yellow
stars marked “Jew” on their clothing.
Hitler’s Police
(Organization)

Hitler formed…
• The Gestapo- secret police
• The SS, or Schutzstaffel- a
private army of the Nazi party



By 1939, the Gestapo was a
part of the SS.
The main role of the SS was
to weed out “undesirables”
of society.
Jews, homosexuals,
Jehovah’s Witnesses,
Gypsies, and homeless.
Kristallnacht
(polarization, preparation)



In 1938, Nazi thugs
looted and destroyed
countless Jewish stores,
houses, and synagogues.
Called Kristallnacht,
“Night of the Broken
Glass”
Most synagogues were
destroyed, and Jews
themselves were given a
fine to pay for the event.
Refugees Seek to Escape



During the 1930s, many Jews sought to leave
Germany.
Most moved to neighboring European countries.
Some tried to go overseas, but most countries,
including the U.S. refused immigrants due to the
Depression.
Ghettos
(Organization, Preparation, Extermination)



Early on, Nazis plan
was to force all Jews
into sealed,
overcrowded ghettos.
In Warsaw, Poland,
they put 400,000 Jews
into an area where
50,000 people had
lived.
They sealed it with a
wall and barbed wire,
guarded the
perimeter, and let
very little food in.
Einstazgruppen
(extermination)



While invading the
USSR, Hitler ordered the
Einsatzgruppen, killing
squads, to shoot all
Jews and communist
leaders.
Rounded up victims,
had them dig pits, then
shot them into the pits.
Shot 33,000 Jews in two
days.
Death Camps
(extermination)



To exterminate the Jews
more discretely and
efficiently, the Nazis
implemented death
camps.
Death camps had large
gas chambers disguised
as shower rooms.
Large numbers of Jews
were squeezed into these
chambers, gassed, and
killed.
Death Camps: Auschwitz



Until they were
gassed, prisoners
worked forced to work
in terrible conditions.
Life expectancy at
Auschwitz, the largest
of all death camps,
was only several
months.
Auschwitz alone
gassed and cremated
12,000 people/day.
Liberation


In 1944, Roosevelt
created the War
Refugee Board (WRB)
to help people
threatened by the
Nazis.
Aid was minimal, until
the war ended in 1945,
and Allied soldiers
arrived to liberate the
death camps.
Nuremberg Trials




The Holocaust was more expansive than anyone had known
during the war.
After the war, an International Military Tribunal held the
Nuremberg Trials, to try Nazi soldiers involved in the
genocide.
The soldiers argued that they were merely following orders.
The trials set a precedent of personal responsibility even
during war.
Section 4: War in the Pacific

With the conclusion of the war in Europe, the
U.S. turned all of its attention to the war
with Japan in the Pacific.
Japanese Advancement


After the attack of Pearl
Harbor, Japan invaded
• Hong Kong and
Singapore
• Dutch East Indies and
Malaya
• Burma
In 1942, Japan turned
their focus to controlling
the Philippines.
The Philippines Fall


Fighting took place on the Bataan Peninusula of
the Philippines.
Facing starvation, and running out of ammunition,
American and Filipinos surrendered to Japan on
May 6, 1942.
Bataan Death March




Those who surrendered
became Japanese prisoners
of war (POWs).
76,000 Filipinos and
Americans were forced to
march on a 6-12 day
journey to an army camp.
They were beaten,
tortured, withheld food and
water, and killed.
10,000+ died on this
Bataan Death March.
War at Sea



The war with Japan
relied on aircraft
carriers.
Japan failed to destroy
America’s 3 aircraft
carriers at Pearl Harbor.
Air battle turned ships
into plane carriers
instead of destroyers.
Battle of Midway

In June 1942, at the
island of Midway, the
U.S. destroyed a large
percentage of Japan’s
naval fleet.
• Sank all four Japanese
aircraft carriers.
• 250 Japanese planes

After Midway, Japan
couldn’t launch any more
offensives.
Island-Hopping



The U.S., under General Douglas MacArthur
began an “island-hopping” campaign.
Seized one island, then used it as a base to
launch attacks on other local islands controlled
by Japan.
Slowly moved closer towards Japan.
Philippines Campaign



Executive orders were to bypass the Philippines and push
straight toward Japan.
MacArthur disagreed, FDR reversed the decision.
The battle took longer than anticipated.
• Japanese used kamikaze fighters, suicide pilots.
• Of 80,000 Japanese soldiers, only 1,000 were alive to surrender.
Battle of Iwo Jima


American troops dropped 7,000 tons of bombs on Iwo Jima
(700 miles from Japan) for 74 days before taking control of
the island.
25,000 Japanese fought to the death, only 216 remained
alive after being taken prisoner.
Battle of Okinawa



Okinawa, 350 miles from
Japanese mainland, was
the last island before
reaching the mainland.
In desperation,
kamikaze attacks
increased.
In June 1945, Okinawa
fell to the U.S.
• Only 7,200 of Japan’s
initial 100,000 soldiers
remained alive.
The Manhattan Project



In 1939, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to FDR
warning that Germany might build an all-powerful
atomic bomb.
Einstein himself was a German Jew who had moved
to America to escape Hitler in 1933.
FDR organized a top secret Manhattan Project to
develop the atomic bomb before Germany.
Atomic Bomb


On July 16, 1945, they
tested the first atomic
bomb in the New
Mexican desert.
Watching, J. Robert
Oppenheimer, supervisor of
the project spoke from the
Hindu holy book, Bhagavad
Gita, “Now I am become
Death, the destroyer of
worlds.”
Decision

In deciding to drop the bomb, several
alternatives were considered..
• A massive invasion of Japan, expected to cost
millions of Allied casualties
• A naval blockade to starve Japan, with
continued bombing
• A demonstration of the weapon on a nearby
deserted island, to pressure Japan to surrender
• A softening of Allied demands for unconditional
surrender
Harry S. Truman



FDR died in April, 1945,
just before the end of the
war.
Vice President, Harry S.
Truman, became
president.
Ultimately, the final
decision regarding the
atomic bomb was up to
Truman; he decided to use
it.
Hiroshima



On April 6, 1945, American plane, Enola Gay
dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
The blast damaged or totally destroyed 90% of
the city’s buildings.
Killed an estimated 80,000 people from the blast
alone.
Aftermath
Nagasaki: The End



Three days later,
August 9th, another
bomb was dropped on
Nagasaki.
On August 14th, Japan
accepted American
terms for surrender.
August 15th was
celebrated as V-J Day,
Victory in Japan.
Section 5: Social Impact of War

War brought about social changes on the home
front, particularly for women and minorities.
African American Employment




African American
unemployment rate was 20%
in 1941.
In 1941, Roosevelt banned
discrimination in workforce.
2 million African Americans
moved from the South to
cities in the North to find jobs.
Most found jobs, but many
lived in substandard housing
and were resented and feared
by whites.
Soldiers and Segregation


African Americans fought in the war, but remained
segregated even in the military.
Many thought it contradictory that the U.S. would
fight for freedom while practicing racial
segregation.
“Double V”


An African American newspaper launched a “Double
V” campaign.
Referred to victory against the Axis powers, and the
victory of racial equality at home.
Mexican Americans


A shortage of farm laborers led the U.S. to begin providing
transportation, food, and shelter for thousands of braceros,
Mexican farm laborers brought to work in the U.S.
More than 200,000 braceros came to the U.S., largely the
Southwest, between 1942-1947.
Zoot Suit Riots



Some young Mexican
Americans in Los Angeles
wore “zoot suits”, long
jackets and baggy pants.
This look offended many, and
navy sailors on leave often
looked to beat up “zootsuiters”
In 1943, street fighting broke
into full-scale rioting until
Army officials intervened.
Japanese Americans



In 1941, there were 127,000 Japanese Americans
in the U.S., most on the West Coast.
Roughly two thirds had been born in the U.S.
Suffered extreme racism, hatred, and paranoia
from the rest of American during the war.
Japanese Internment


Fearing Japanese
Americans could be spies,
the government set up
the War Relocation
Authority to intern, or
confine, Japanese to
guarded camps in remote
areas.
110,000 Japanese were
forced into these
internment camps.
Internment Camps


Some Japanese legally challenged internment.
In Korematsu v. United States (1944), the
Supreme Court ruled that the relocation was not
based on race.
Japanese Internment Camps



In 1945, Japanese Americans were
allowed to leave the internment
camps.
In time, the internment came to be
seen as a great injustice.
In 1988, Congress awarded each
surviving internee $20,000 and the
U.S. government officially apologized
for the internment.
Japanese Americans in Military




Military refused to accept Japanese Americans until
1943.
Ironically, more than 17,000 eventually volunteered
to fight, even from internment camps.
Most were Nisei, 2nd generation immigrants.
An all-Japanese unit won more medals than any
other unit in U.S. history.
Working Women



The war brought women
into different parts of the
work force.
Traditional women’s jobs,
secretaries, household
servants, and sales clerks,
were abandoned for factor
work and defense
manufacturing.
By 1944, women made up
35% of the total labor
force.
Rosie the Riveter




Fictional character
Rosie worked in a defense
plant, driving rivets into
metal planes, while her
boyfriend fought at war.
Popular icon that encouraged
women to enter the labor
force.
The government used Rosie
in posters and recruitment
ads.
After the War


Many women wanted to continue
working at the war’s end.
There was intense pressure to leave
their jobs and return home so that
returning soldiers could get their jobs
back.
Aftermath: Death Toll