Download Chapter 18: Americans in World War II

Chapter 18:
Americans in World
War II
Section 1 Early Difficulties;
Part 1
Objectives:
Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of
the Allied and Axis Powers in 1941.
 Outline the steps that the U.S. took to
prepare for war.
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Axis Strengths:
Better prepared.
 Firm control of conquered lands
 Had rearmed since 1930’s
 Had airfields, barracks, and military
training centers
 Economically ready for war.
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Axis Weaknesses:
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Had to defend multiple fronts
Allied Strengths:
U.S. had a tremendous production
capacity
 Soviets had vast Manpower
 British and Soviets had not been defeated.
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Allied Weaknesses:
Faced a long drawn out fight on several
fronts
 Enemy had a firm control of conquered
areas spread over an enormous area both
in Europe and Asia.
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Steps Taken By U.S. to Prepare for
War.
A. Efforts to Increase Production
 American factories produced huge
numbers of planes, tanks, jeeps, guns
 Economy boomed
 Factories/Farms produced more
 Unemployment fell
 Great Depression ended
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B) Government Expansion
 Number of federal employees tripled from
1940-45.
 Government needed to grow to keep up
with war demands
 U.S. needed to channel resources toward
war effort.
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War Production Board
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Started in 1942 by President Roosevelt
Was developed to increase military production
Directed the conversion of existing factories to
wartime production.
Supervised building of new plants.
Assigned raw material to industry including scrap
iron, recyclable aluminum, paper, tin.
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Office of War Mobilization
Began 27 May 1943
Coordinated all government agencies involved
in war effort.
Supervised production and distribution of
consumer goods
Ex: Nylons went to making parachutes
Regulated clothing styles
Directing the economy
 Government took measures to expand the
economy.
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 Increased
number of people paying income
taxes.
 Sought to control inflation
 Sold War Bonds- helped keep inflation down
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Office of Price Administration.
Set maximum price on consumer goods.
1941 began rationing scarce itemssugar, coffee, meat, gas, tires.
To help with rationing many planted
“Victory Gardens”
Froze prices
Mobilizing for war
 1940 Congress passed Selective Training
and Service Act- 1st peacetime draft
 All men 21-35 to register
 2/3 of American who served were draftees
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300,000 women served
WAAC ( Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps)
WASP (Women’s Air Force Service Pilots)
WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer
Emergency Service)
Worked as nurses, drove vehicles, ferried
planes in order to free men for active duty.
Chapter 18 Section 1 Part 2:
Identify the locations where the Japanese
military attacked after Pearl Harbor.
 Discuss the early turning points of the war
in the Pacific.
 Relate the major battles in Europe and
North Africa in 1942.
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War in The Pacific
Japanese Advance
 Pearl Harbor was launching point of a
major Japanese offensive intent on taking
control of Pacific.
 For two weeks, Japanese attack
American- British installations in Pacific.
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Attack on the Philippines
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8 December ’41 bombed
Clark Air Force Base,
Philippines.
22 December began
invasion.
Japanese pushed toward
capital, Manila.
Defending were 30,000
U.S., 110,000 Filipino
troops under command of
General Douglas
MacArthur.
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U.S. forces ordered by MacArthur to retreat to
Bataan Peninsula.
Outnumbered
Inexperienced
Outgunned
Few supplies
Fearing MacArthur will be captured, FDR orders
him to Australia, leaves Lt. General Jonathan
Wainwright in command of forces in Philippines.
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MacArthur promises that “I shall return.”
On 6 May 1942 Wainwright surrenders 70,000
U.S.- Filipino troops
Japanese force survivors to march 60 miles
through jungle on way to prison camp.
Brutalize prisoners on the way.
10,000 died.
Known as Bataan Death March.
Further Japanese Advances
27 February ’42 Japanese destroy multinational force in Battle of Java Sea sent to
stop their advance.
 Began conquest of New Guinea.
 In the next few months, most of western
Pacific in Japanese hands.
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America Strikes Back
18 April 1942 16 B-25 bombers leaving
U.S.S. Hornet and U.S.S. Enterprise
bombed Tokyo.
 Known as Doolittle’s Raid.
 Not a strategic victory.
 Provided hope for U.S. at a dark time.
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Halting the Japanese Advance
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Summer ’42 Japanese
ready to attack Australia
and continue conquest of
New Guinea.
Admiral Chester Nimitz
put in command of U.S.
Pacific Fleet.
Fleet damaged but not
destroyed- soon ready to
fight.
Battle of the Coral Sea
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Japanese prepared to attack New Guinea
Met by British- American Navy
Planes from both sides bombed the other in a 5
day battle.
1st naval combat carried out entirely by aircraft.
Both sides lost a carrier.
Militarily- draw
Strategically- prevented Japanese from
establishing base to bomb Australia.
Battle of Midway
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2nd Major battle in Pacific.
Japanese wanted to draw American fleet into a
battle.
Believed key to Asia success was destruction of
U.S. Fleet.
Conceived 2-prong attack.
1 headed for Aleutian Islands
1 headed for Midway Island
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Americans broke Japanese secret code
Knew Japanese plans
Forces met 3-6 June.
Americans destroyed all four Japanese Carriers
sent against Midway.
Americans lost 1 carrier.
Battle fought almost entirely in the air.
Significance:
Loss of carriers a devastating blow to
Japanese naval power.
 Never able launch another offensive
operation
 Turning point of War in the Pacific.
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Battle of Guadalcanal
Midway allowed U.S. to go on offensive.
 1st Goal- capture Guadalcanal
 August ’42 11,000 Marines attacked.
 Fought for 6 months.
 November ’42 Japanese sent fleet to
recapture island
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Defeated by U.S. Navy- turned back.
 February ’43 Japanese managed to sneak
off the island.
 U.S. gained full control.
 1st step in a campaign to take Pacific back
from Japan.
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War in Europe
Despite attack on Pearl Harbor, U.S.
adopted a “Europe first” policy.
 Meant all war material priority went to
Europe.
 By December 7th much of Europe under
Axis control.
 Through 1942 Axis- victorious.
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El Alamein
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1940 Italy sent troops into North Africa.
British Forces under General Bernard
Montgomery opposed.
Hitler sends General Irwin Rommel “The Desert
Fox” to command Afrika Korps to fight British.
Axis advances to El Alamein, Egypt by July ‘42
Weakness: supply lines stretchedshortage of men, supplies.
 Montgomery uses this weakness, goes on
the offensive.
 Pushes Rommel out of Egypt into Libya.
 Victory helped turn the war in Africa
toward Allies.
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Stalingrad
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June 1941 Germany attacks Soviet Union
Winter ’41 Germany set to take Moscow/
Leningrad.
Summer ’42 advance to Stalingrad
Object: rich oil fields beyond.
By Fall, fighting for the city.
Ferocious fighting.
Soviets refused to surrender.
Hitler refused to allow Germans to
surrender.
 German supply lines stretched, army low
on food, supplies.
 Surrendered 1/ 43.
 Turning point in the War in Europe
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