Download Ch 17 Sect 4 Notes-#14

Ch 17 Sect 4 Notes-#14
Texans Fight World War II
I.
II.
III.
The Cause of WWII
A. Poor economic conditions in Germany and Italy following
WWI lead to the rise of dictators
1. In 1933, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler became dictator of
Germany
2. Benito Mussolini had come to power in Italy
3. Military rulers had taken control of Japan
4. All three of these countries were attempting to build
empires and would become allies.
B. Japan invaded China in 1931
C. Italy had invaded North Africa
D. Germany had invaded Poland
1. In response, Great Britain and France declared war on
Germany
2. World War II had begun
The U.S. enters the war
A. Isolationists feelings were strong wanting the U.S. to stay out
of the war
B. By 1940, Nazi Germany had taken over most of Europe
C. The U.S. began to send aid to Great Britain
D. Japan saw the involvement of the U.S. as a threat
1. On December 7, 1941, Japan made a surprise attack at
the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
2. More than 3,400 were killed
3. Congress declared war
E. The U.S. joined Great Britain, France, Russia, China, and 35
other countries
Texas and Texans in the War
A. Texas served as a training ground for US troops
1. Largest in the US
2. More than 1 million soldiers were trained in Texas
3. Fort Worth became the headquarters of the Air Force
training command
B. Texas also housed thousands of prisoners of war
C. More than 750,000 native Texans served in the armed forces
D. 23,000 Texans died
E. 36 Texans received the nation’s highest honor, the
Congressional Medal of Honor
F. Texan Audie Murphy received more combat awards than any
other soldier
G. Texan Dwight D. Eisenhower became the supreme commander
of all the Allied forces in Europe
1. Lead forces against Germany in France on D-day in
1944
2. Defeated Germany
H. The war ends in 1945 after atomic bombs were dropped on
Japan