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An overview of
WWII & the Holocaust
1933-1945
Leaders of WWII
Country
Leader
Government
Allies/Axis
USA
F.D.R.
Democracy
Allies
Germany
Hitler
Fascism
Axis
France
Petain
Democracy
Allies
Great Britain
Churchill
Democracy
Allies
Italy
Mussolini
Fascist
Axis
Russia
Stalin
Communism
Allies
Japan
Tojo
Militarism
Axis
Government Comparisons
Democracy vs. Dictatorship
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After WWI, these 2 styles of government clashed
head on
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Democracy:
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3 main democracies after WWI:
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“Government of the people, by the people, and for
the people.”
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Most important quality of democracy is:
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Open society:
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Militarism:
World conquest
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Dictatorship:
Define:
Dictator:
DICTATORSHIP
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COMMUNISM
FASCISM
Communism:
Define:
Karl Marx
too late to get out:
Hitler was anti-communist!
Fascism:
Define:
Problems:
Ideals:
“Wave of the future”
Brainwashed
“Just too good to be true!”
Swastika
Review for Quiz……..
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Name the countries which were a part of the
“Big 4”.
Name the date the Treaty of Versailles was
signed.
Name the country which was targeted and
had to bear the label of “War Guilt Clause”.
Which of Germany’s natural resources was
being exported to France & Great Britain, it
helped with manufacturing.
The League of Nations had many
weaknesses, name the country which
refused to join & added to that weakness.
Name the League of Nations main idea on
which it was founded.
Name the organization which replaced the
League of Nations.
Know the chart! 
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Name the person who described democracy
as, “Government of the people, by the
people, and for the people.”
This man is credited with being the “Father
of Communism.”
Name the 3 main democracies after WWI.
What is the most important quality of
democracy?
What is the definition of democracy?
What is the definition of communism?
What is the definition of a dictatorship?
What is the definition of fascism?
What is the definition of militarism?
Which country used the slogan, “Wave of
the Future!”
When did the assassination of Arch Duke
Franz Ferdinand take place?
When do we celebrate Veteran’s Day?
1933-1939:
Dictatorship under the Third Reich
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Adolf Hitler was appointed
chancellor on Jan. 30, 1933 by
President Paul von
Hindenburg.
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Nazi rise to power = In 1933,
Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler
became chancellor of
Germany and quickly turned
the nation's fragile democracy
into a one-party dictatorship.
Hitler believed in racist and
authoritarian principles, thus
eliminating individual freedoms.
The Third Reich = police state
Germans had no:
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Basic rights
SS were above the police
Political opponents were subject
to intimidation, persecution &
discriminatory legislation.
Political opponents: Communist
Party of Germany & Social
Democratic Party of Germany,
& Jews.
1933-1939:
Dictatorship under the Third Reich
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Hitler made sure that political
parties, state gov’t., and cultural &
professional organizations were
brought in line with Nazi goals.
Culture, the economy, education
and the law all came under Nazi
control.
German workers, employees, &
employers were controlled by the
Nazi’s.
Attempted to dominate Christian
denominations and their affiliated
youth groups, not entirely
successful.
By mid-July (1933), the Nazi party
was the only political party left in
Germany.
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Upon Hindenburg’s death in Aug.
1934, Hitler had himself
designated as both Fuehrer and
Reich Chancellor.
As Reich Chancellor, Hitler’s
personal power remained limited
by the laws of the German state.
According to the “Fuehrer
principle,” Hitler stood outside the
legal state and determined
matters of policy himself.
1933-1939:
Dictatorship under the Third Reich
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Hitler had the final say in both
domestic legislation & German
foreign policy.
Nazi foreign policy = racist belief
that Germany was biologically
destined to expand eastward by
military force.
An enlarged, racially superior
German population should est.
permanent rule in eastern Europe
& Soviet Union.
Women played a vital role, the
Reich encouraged “racially pure”
women to bear as many “Aryan”
children as possible.
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This framework caused “racially
inferior” peoples, such as Jews &
Gypsies, eliminated from the
region.
Nazi foreign policy waged a war
of annihilation against the Soviet
Union.
The Nazi regime had prepared
Germany for war.
This war also included &
implemented the Holocaust.
Holocaust = the mass murder of
the Jews, who were considered
the primary “racial” enemy.
1933-1939:
Early Stages of Persecution
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Anti-semitism was the main
component of Nazi ideology.
From 1933-1939 Jews felt the
effects of more than 400
decrees & regulations that
restricted all aspects of their
public & private lives.
No corner of Germany was left
untouched.
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1933-1934
 Limited the participation of
Jews in public life.
 Restricted the number of
Jewish students at schools
& universities.
 Revoked licenses of all
professionals (ex: doctors,
tax consultants, etc.)
1933-1939:
Early Stages of Persecution
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About two out of every three Jews living in Europe before the
war were killed in the Holocaust.
When World War II ended in 1945, six million European Jews
were dead; more than one million of the victims were
children. Even this statistic is misleading, because most of
those who survived resided in areas of Europe not occupied
by Germany during the war: eastern areas of the Soviet
Union, Great Britain, Bulgaria, and neutral states like Spain,
Portugal, Switzerland, and Sweden.
Tens of thousands of Jews also survived in Germanoccupied Europe mostly in hiding or as prisoners in
concentration camps until liberation. The Germans and their
collaborators were relentless in hunting down and killing
Jews in the areas of Europe that they controlled.
1933-1939:
Early Stages of Persecution
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While it classified Jews as the
priority “enemy” ,
The Nazi ideological concept of
race targeted other groups for
persecution, imprisonment, and
annihilation, including Roma
(Gypsies) people with disabilities,
Poles, Soviet prisoners of war,
and Afro-Germans.
Also identified political dissidents,
Jehovah’s Witnesses, &
homosexuals as enemies and
security risks.
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They sought to eliminate domestic
non-conformists and so-called
racial threats through a perpetual
self-purge of German society.
1933-1939:
Early Stages of Persecution
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1935
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“Nuremberg Laws” revoked
Jews German citizenship
Revoked political rights, couldn’t
hold public office
Prohibited Jews from marrying
Germans
Defined anyone who had three or
4 Jewish grandparents as a Jew,
didn’t matter if they were
practicing Judaism
“Aryanization” excluded all Jews
from the economic sphere of
Germany, their businesses were
sold at prices fixed by the gov’t.
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1936
 Olympics : In August 1936,
Adolf Hitler’s Nazi dictatorship
scored a huge propaganda
success as host of the
Summer Olympics in Berlin.
The Games were a brief, twoweek interlude in Germany’s
escalating campaign against
its Jewish population and the
country’s march toward war.
 Nazi leaders wanted the
revenue that the Olympics
would bring.
1936 Olympic Games: Jesse Owens
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Born September 12, 1913,
Oakville, Alabama, U.S.—died
March 31, 1980, Phoenix, AZ
American track-and-field athlete,
who set a world record in the
running broad jump (also called
long jump) that stood for 25 years
and who won four gold medals at
the 1936 Olympic Games in
Berlin.
His four Olympic victories were a
blow to Adolf Hitler’s intention to
use the Games to demonstrate
Aryan superiority.
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Jesse Owens at the 1936
Berlin Olympics
1933-1939:
Early Stages of Persecution
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1937-1938
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Kristallnacht = “Night of Broken Glass” = Nov. 9-10, 1938
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Kristallnacht owes its name to the shards of shattered glass that lined German
streets in the wake of the pogrom-broken glass from the windows of
synagogues, homes, and Jewish-owned businesses plundered and destroyed
during the violence.
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outward appearance of spontaneous violence, but it was the Security Police, the
orders also indicated that police officials should arrest as many Jews as local
jails could hold, preferably young, healthy men
Kristallnacht marks the first instance in which the Nazi regime incarcerated
Jews on a massive scale simply on the basis of their ethnicity
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the passivity with which most German civilians responded to the
violence signaled to the Nazi regime that the German public was
prepared for more radical measures
1933-1939:
The First Concentration Camps
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The term concentration
camp refers to a camp in
which people are detained or
confined, usually under harsh
conditions and without regard
to legal norms of arrest and
imprisonment that are
acceptable in a constitutional
democracy.
The first concentration camps
in Germany were established
soon after Hitler's appointment
as chancellor in January 1933.
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The SA (Storm Troopers), the
SS (elite guard of the Nazi
party), the police, and local
civilian authorities organized
numerous detention camps to
incarcerate real and perceived
political opponents of Nazi
policy.
Est. in March 1933, the
Dachau concentration camp
was the first concentration
camp established by the
National Socialist (Nazi)
government.
1933-1939:
The First Concentration Camps
1933-1939:
The First Concentration Camps
1933-1939:
The First Concentration Camps
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Hitler authorized SS leader,
Heinrich Himmler, as the
administrator of the
concentration camps and
formalize them into a system.
Special “political units on alert”
originally guarded the SS
concentration camps.
They were renamed “SS
Death's-Head Units” in April
1936.
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By the time the Germans
invaded Poland in September
1939, unleashing World War
II, there were six concentration
camps in the German Reich.
One of these camps was
Buchenwald.
Buchenwald
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Buchenwald was one of
the largest concentration
camps established within
the old German borders of
1937.
An electrified barbed-wire
fence, watchtowers, and a
chain of sentries outfitted
with automatic machine
guns, surrounded the main
camp.
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Forced Labor: The Nazis
subjected millions of people
(both Jews and other victim
groups) to forced labor under
brutal conditions. Forced labor
-- often pointless and
humiliating, and imposed
without proper equipment,
clothing, nourishment, or rest - formed a core part of the
concentration camp regimen.
1933-1939:
The First Concentration Camps
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WWII – Sept. 1939, rapid expansion of camps to the
east.
Economic considerations on sites (ex: stone quarries,
coal mines, & industrial sites)
Became centers for killing targeted groups of people
Holding centers for real or perceived enemies of Nazi
Germany
Deliberately undernourished, mistreated, no regard for
safety, high mortality rates
1939-1945:
WWII in Europe – Invasion of Poland
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Germany & Russia signed a
non-aggression pact valid for
10 years, Russia was still
recovering from WWI
Poland was invaded w/out
warning on Sept. 1, 1939
First domino to fall in the chain
of events that lead to WWII
Britain & France responded by
declaring war on Germany on
Sept. 3 but offered no
immediate assistance to
Poland
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Polish forces did their best to
defend but couldn’t stop the
German blitzkreig
Blitzkreig = lightening war
Hitler used firing squads on
anyone speaking out
Russia offered its aid to but
Poles, afraid of Communism,
declined. By the end of Sept.
Poland was handed over
The Red Army began moving
in on the east.
Red Army = Russian forces
1939-1945:
WWII in Europe – Invasion of Poland & beyond
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World War II i Europe | maps
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1940 - Germany invaded
Norway & Denmark
Hitler’s war machine ran on
steel for tanks, planes, & ships
The ingredient to make steel –
iron ore – came from Norway
British Navy blocked iron ore
shipments to Germany so
Hitler invaded Norway
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On the way, he invaded
Denmark.
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They next invaded the
BENELUX countries (neutral
countries)
This left France very
vulnerable, despite the
Maginot Line
The Nazis humiliated the
French Army. It took them
only 6 weeks to roll into the
capital city, Paris.
When Paris fell, all of France
surrendered.
June 22, 1940, France signed
an armistice with Germany
after German occupation
1939-1945:
WWII in Europe – Invasion of Poland & beyond
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As part of the armistice
agreement, Germany occupied
northern France and all of
France's Atlantic coastline down
to the border with Spain.
A new French government was
established in the town of Vichy,
which was in the unoccupied
southern part of France. The
Vichy government, under Marshall
Henri Petain, declared neutrality
in the war between Germany and
Great Britain, but was committed
by the armistice provisions to
cooperate with Germany.
1940:
The Miracle of Dunkirk
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Nazi blitzkrieg (lightning fast tank
warfare) moved into northern France.
At Dunkirk, they cornered 300,000
British troops.
Nazi’s were taking no POW’s,
intended to slaughter the troops
“A miracle” – is the best description of
happened at Dunkirk
The British troops were needed back
home to protect against Hitler’s attack
on Britain
The Germans cut off all escape routes
& were bombing the harbor. Hitler
wanted the Luftwaffe to gain some of
the glory.
1940:
The Miracle of Dunkirk
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G.B. sent destroyers & transport ships
to evacuate the troops, but only hoped
to save 30,000 men.
Anyone with a boat volunteered to
help. Motor boats, lifeboats, paddle
steamers, sailboats anything could
float was used.
For 5 days the boats braved bombs to
save the troops.
The billowing clouds of smoke
covered Dunkirk & the beaches.
The Luftwaffe returned to their bases
with bombs as they could find no
targets.
1940:
The Miracle of Dunkirk
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Before long, the harbor became
partially blocked by ships sunk
from enemy aircraft.
This is when the little boats came
to play their part.
Small boats ferried troops from
the beaches to the destroyers
They were able to rescue all of
the troops, they didn’t have to
leave any behind!
It seemed like a victory getting the
troops back – to fight another day.
It captured the minds & hearts of
the British at a time when it
looked probable they, too, would
soon be invaded.
1939-1945:
WWII in Europe – Battle of Britain
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July 10 – Oct. 12, 1940
Nazis waged & lost an air war
over England.
A day after France’s surrender
to Germany, Churchill
addressed the House of
Commons, declaring: “Let us
therefore brace ourselves to
our duties, and so bear
ourselves that, if the British
Empire and its Commonwealth
last for a thousand years, men
will say, ‘This was their finest
hour.’”
1939-1945:
WWII in Europe – Battle of Britain
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Preparing for an invasion of
England, Germany attacked
British coastal defenses, radar
stations, and shipping.
RAF = Royal Air Force
(British)
Though heavily outnumbered,
the RAF put up a gallant
defense. Radar, used for the
first time in battle by the
British, played an important
role.
Germany didn’t feel radar was
necessary.
1939-1945:
WWII in Europe – Battle of Britain
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Hitler was afraid to
invade England.
Amphibious landing – to
attack by sea, landing
troops on the beach
This is the most
dangerous type of
invasion
Every night for 90 days,
he bombed London & all
major cities.
1939-1945:
WWII in Europe – Battle of Britain
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British send their children into the
countryside or hid in subway
tunnels during the raids.
The people listened to Prime
Minister Winston Churchill for words
of encouragement.
Unlike the French, the British
refused to surrender.
Hitler gave up the idea of invading
England.
Oct 12, 1940 - Germans postpone
Operation Sea Lion until Spring of
1941
He invaded Russia instead.
1939-1945:
Nazi invasion of Russia
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1939, Hitler made a deal with
Russia: Don’t attack me & I won’t
attack you. He lied!
Used 4 million troops to invade
Russia
Wanted Russia’s wheat & oil to
feed his troops & tanks
Invasion began on June 22, 1941,
longest day of the year
Needed 16 hrs. of daylight to
invade world’s largest country
1939-1945:
Nazi invasion of Russia
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The destruction of the Soviet
Union by military force, the
permanent elimination of the
perceived Communist threat to
Germany, and the seizure of
prime land within Soviet borders
had been a core policy of the Nazi
movement since the 1920s.
Adolf Hitler had always regarded
the German-Soviet
nonaggression pact, as a
temporary tactical maneuver.
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Hitler’s tanks swept through
Lithuania, Latvia, & Estonia like a
hurricane.
The Russian troops never knew
what hit them. Taken by surprise,
whole units of the Red Army were
asleep in their barracks when they
were encircled by the enemy.
Hitler took no prisoners!
Hitler waited for the Ukraininan
peasants to plant the year’s
wheat, then his troops swept in
locusts. This was Russia’s
breadbasket & he needed food to
feed his army.
1939-1945:
Nazi invasion of Russia
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By Christmas, German tanks
surrounded Moscow on 3 sides
and were ready for the kill.
But temperatures fell to -40
degrees, freezing the oil in their
tanks.
The Nazi army bogged down in
the harsh Russian winter.
The Nazis attacked the city for
900 days – from Sept. 1941 to
January 1944.
Over 1 million residents died
either from starvation or freezing
to death.
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To help the Russian people fight
Hitler, the U.S. send food,
ammunition, trucks, tanks, and
planes to the Red Army.
Stalin was the communist dictator
of Russia.
He moved all of his war factories
to the east.
When his generals didn’t win
battles, he had them shot.
1939-1945:
Nazi invasion of Russia
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Hitler ordered 500,000 troops
to capture Russian’s oilfields
on the Caspian Sea, but they
never made it.
The Russian Army, with their
backs against the Volga River,
made their stand.
They fought for 5 months
block by block, street by
street, often hand-to-hand
against the Nazis.
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They finally surrounded &
captured the Germany Army –
300,000 Nazi soldiers.
1943 was the turning point in
the war: for the first time the
Nazis were on the defensive!
1939-1945:
Nazi invasion of Russia
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For the next 2 yrs., the Russian
Army forced the Nazis out of
Russia – and pursued them all the
way back to Germany.
Russian troops joined American
troops just south of Berlin, the
capital of Germany.
The Russians got to Berlin first –
100,000 Russian soldiers died
taking the city. Rather than be
captured by angry Russians,
Hitler committed suicide on April
30, 1945.
From D-Day….to the defeat of Germany
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Staging area for the Allies –
Amer., British, & Canadian
troops.
Nazis knew the Allies were
going to land somewhere
along the French coast, they
built concrete forts on the cliffs
above the beaches.
Normandy Beach, scene of
the largest amphibious landing
in the history of the world.
From D-Day….to the defeat of Germany
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3,000 ships carrying 200,000 soldiers
crossed the English Channel
At dawn, Higgins boats carried them
to within 200 yards of the shore.
Many died before reaching the shore
– underwater mines exploded, sinking
their landing craft.
High waves drowned men who were
up to their noses in water & carrying
60 lb. Backpacks.
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Barbed wire in the water caught many
men, who were then cut down by Nazi
artillery. Any man who made it to the
beach was a hero!
From D-Day….to the defeat of Germany
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Many Allied paratroopers who
parachuted behind the
German lines landed in deep
swamps & drowned.
Some landed right above the
German camps and were shot
while still in the sky.
One crafty parachutist ended
up hanging from a church
spire; he played dead so the
Nazis wouldn’t shoot him.
Many, however, survived this
nightmare to do their job –
dynamite Nazi railroads and
bridges.
From D-Day….to the defeat of Germany
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General Patton,
commander of the Allied
tank divisions, moved his
tanks even faster than
the German blitzkrieg.
He didn’t wait for his
supply trucks to catch up
and this created a
problem: just as he
crossed into Germany,
his tanks ran out of gas!
From D-Day….to the defeat of Germany
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Toughest fighting in Germany
took place at the Battle of the
Bulge.
Just before Christmas 1944, Hitler
launched a surprise offensive in
the Ardennes Forest.
Nazi tanks blew a hole in the
Allied lines & broke through.
When the Allies were surrounded
at Fort Bastogne, the Nazis
demanded their surrender.
The American commander
answered, “Nuts!”
After 2 weeks of fighting, they
were rescued by General Patton’s
tanks!
From D-Day….to the defeat of Germany
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When the mighty Russian Red
Army crashed into Berlin,
Hitler was hiding in an
underground bunker with the
few top aides who stuck by
him in defeat.
Hitler was angry because
every last German did not fight
to their death.
After a brief marriage to his
longtime girlfriend, the
newlyweds committed suicide
by drinking poison.
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The German General Staff
surrendered a week later.
The Allies declared
May 8, 1945 as V-E Day,
(Victory in Europe)
After six horrible years, the
war was over in Europe.
From D-Day….to the defeat of Germany
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As the American & Russian
troops liberated these regions,
they came across Nazi
concentration camps: Auschwitz,
Birkenau, Belsen & Dachau.
It is estimated that 11 million
people were killed during the
Holocaust.
The troops discovered that Hitler
had put to death 6 million Jewish
men, women, & children.
In what became known as the
Holocaust, 70% (2/3) of all the
Jews living in Europe were
slaughtered.
An estimated 1.1 million children
were murdered in the Holocaust.
The North African Campaign
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Gen. Rommel (Germany) had
captured the port city Tobuk in
June 1942.
The Allies knew they needed
to regain this region to cut off
shipping supply lines to
Germany.
Gen. Montgomery (G.B.)
caught the Axis soldiers totally
by surprise, but they fought
back & held their ground for 2
weeks before retreating.
The North African Campaign-Operation Torch
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The goal of Operation Torch
was to force the Axis armies
out of Africa, and also to
relieve pressure on the
Russian forces, which were
reeling under a new German
offensive.
The attack was led by both
Montgomery & Eisenhower.
Lasted about 7 months before
Rommel’s Afrika Korps were
finally crushed!
General Eisenhower &
General Montgomery
Operation Valkyrie:
Plot to kill Hitler-July 20, 1944
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The plot was developed as a
modification of Operation
Valkyrie which was approved
by Hitler for use if Allied
bombing of German cities or
an uprising of forced laborers
from occupied countries
working in German factories
resulted in a breakdown in law
and order.
Members of the Reserve
Army, modified the plan and
decided to assassinate Adolf
Hitler, Hermann Goehring and
Heinrich Himmler.
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Afterward, they planned for
troops in Berlin to seize key
government buildings,
telephone and signal centers
and radio stations.
Hitler's death was required to
free German soldiers from
their oath of loyalty to him.
Operation Valkyrie was meant
to give the plotters control over
the government so they could
make peace with the Allies
and end the war.
This was one of many
attempts made on Hitler’s life.
President F.D. Roosevelt’s death
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President Franklin D.
Roosevelt served 4
presidential terms
Suffered from Polio
Brought about the New Deal
during the Great Depression
Proposed the basis for the
United Nations – using ideals
from the League of Nations –
but with United States
involvement
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As the war drew to a close,
Roosevelt's health
deteriorated, and on April 12,
1945, while at Warm Springs,
Georgia, he died of a cerebral
hemorrhage @ 3:35 pm.
Harry S. Truman


During his few weeks as Vice
President, he rarely saw the
President, and wasn’t aware of
the atomic bombs being
developed – known as the
Manhatten Project.
Suddenly these and a host of
other wartime problems
became his to solve when he
became President of the
United States at 7:08 pm on
April 12, 1945.

The Axis powers cheered and
were excited at the loss of
FDR because they thought it
would shut down the United
States & we would no longer
be a threat.

They were wrong!
The War in the Pacific-Japan’s expansion




During WWII, Japan was an
ally of Adolf Hitler.
Japan’s job was to keep the
U.S. army and navy busy in
the Pacific Ocean.
Without a declaration of war,
the Japanese attacked N. & S.
Korea and China.
While WWII was raging in
Europe, Japan occupied
Southeast Asia.
The War in the Pacific-Pearl Harbor


In 1941, General Tojo planned
to make war on the United
States – only remaining power
in the Pacific Ocean.
December 7, 1941 – without a
declaration of war – Japanese
dive-bombers made a surprise
attack on the U.S. naval base
at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
The War in the Pacific-Pearl Harbor


At 7:55 on the sunny morning
of Sunday, December 7, 1941,
183 Japanese warplanes
swooped out of a cloudless
sky and demolished the US
Pacific fleet docked at Pearl
Harbor.
It was this single catastrophic
event, not the invasion of
Poland, the Battle of Britain or
the persecution of the Jews,
that finally dragged the United
States into World War II.
The War in the Pacific-Pearl Harbor


Began @ 7:55 & ended shortly
before 10:00. Quickly
recovering from the initial
shock of surprise, the
Americans fought back
vigorously with antiaircraft fire.
Devastation of the airfields
was so quick and thorough
that only a few American
planes were able to participate
in the counterattack. The
Japanese were successful in
accomplishing their principal
mission, which was to cripple
the Pacific Fleet.


The Navy and Marine Corps
suffered a total of 2,896
casualties of which 2,117 were
deaths and 779 wounded.
The Army lost 228 killed or
died of wounds, 113 seriously
wounded and 346 slightly
wounded. In addition, at least
57 civilians were killed and
nearly as many seriously
injured.
The War in the Pacific-Pearl Harbor

The Japanese lost 29 planes
over Oahu, one large
submarine and all five of the
midget submarines. Their
personnel losses (according to
Japanese sources) were 55
airmen, nine crewmen on the
midget submarines, and an
unknown number on the large
submarines. The Japanese
carrier task force sailed away
undetected and unscathed.

On December 8, 1941, within
less than an hour after a
stirring, six-minute address by
President Franklin D.
Roosevelt, Congress voted,
with only one member
dissenting, that a state of war
existed between the United
States and Japan, and
empowered the President to
wage war with all the
resources of the country.
The War in the Pacific-Pearl Harbor


Four days after Pearl
Harbor, December 11,
1941, Germany and Italy
declared war on the
United States.
Congress, this time
without a dissenting vote,
immediately recognized
the existence of a state of
war with Germany and
Italy,
The War in the Pacific-Pearl Harbor

Stress has a magical way of
evaporating from your body. And the
last thing you can imagine, as you
close your eyes and stretch out on a
balmy Oahu beach, is the thought of
hundreds of killing machines suddenly
screaming down upon you. It is this
horrible paradox that will forever haunt
Pearl Harbor and leave its indelible
mark upon your soul.

The Japanese dive bombers are long
gone, but the wondrous allure of this
tropical island remains. And so do the
bodies of over 1,000 American sailors
- still entombed in the hull of the
U.S.S. Arizona.
Japanese-American Internment Camps




Anti-Japanese hysteria swept
the U.S. after Pearl Harbor.
Much of it was directed toward
Japanese Americans.
Fear of a Japanese invasion of
the West Coast, which had
been declared a war zone
under military control.
This map shows many of the
internment camps in the
United States
Japanese-American Internment Camps



On February 19th 1942
Roosevelt signed
Executive Order 9066.
Under the terms of the Order,
some 120,000 people of
Japanese descent living in the
US were removed from their
homes and placed in
internment camps.
The U.S. justified their action
by claiming that there was a
danger of those of Japanese
descent spying for the
Japanese.
Japanese-American Internment Camps




However more than two thirds of
those interned were American
citizens and half of them were
children.
Many of the people rounded up
had family members which were
bravely fighting for the U.S.
None had ever shown disloyalty
to the nation. In some cases
family members were separated
and put in different camps.
During the entire war only ten
people were convicted of spying
for Japan and these were all
Caucasian.
Japanese-American Internment Camps



They were detained for up to 4
years, without due process of
law or any factual basis.
They were forced to live in
bleak, remote camps behind
barbed wire and under the
surveillance of armed guards.
Japanese American
internment raised questions
about the rights of American
citizens as embodied in the
first ten amendments to the
Constitution.
War in the Pacific-Navajo Code Breakers


Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu, Iwo
Jima: transmitting messages by
phone & radio in their native
language a code that the
Japanese never broke.
In May 1942, the first 29 Navajo
recruits attended boot camp.
Then, at Camp Pendleton,
Oceanside, California, this first
group created the Navajo code.
They developed a dictionary and
numerous words for military
terms. The dictionary and all code
words had to be memorized
during training.
War in the Pacific-Navajo Code Breakers


At Iwo Jima, Major Howard
Connor, 5th Marine Division
signal officer, declared, "Were
it not for the Navajos, the
Marines would never have
taken Iwo Jima."
In 1942, there were about
50,000 Navajo tribe members.
As of 1945, about 540 Navajos
served as Marines. From 375
to 420 of those trained as
code talkers; the rest served in
other capacities.
The War in the Pacific- Philippines




9 hrs. later, the same Japanese
bombers destroyed the U.S. Navy
in the Philippines.
General MacArthur and his
75,000 troops retreated to the
Bataan Peninsula where he
refused to surrender.
Humiliated, he intended to see it
to the bitter end.
By a direct order from Pres.
Roosevelt, MacArthur left the
Philippines.



In early 1942, the Japanese
captured the Philippines and
sent the Amer. Soldiers on the
Bataan Death March.
The Bataan Death March
began on April 10, 1942. Any
troops who fell behind were
executed.
Japanese troops beat soldiers
randomly, and denied the
POWs food and water for
many days.
The War in the Pacific- Philippines


They marched for 9 days, 75
miles with no food/water in
intense jungle heat.
Approximately 10,000 of the
75,000 POW’s died.
The War in the Pacific-Battle of the Coral Sea




February, 1942: the Japanese
began bombing Australia, the
last stronghold of British &
American troops.
They sailed into the Coral Sea
expecting to invade Australia.
To their surprise, they were
stopped at the Battle of the
Coral Sea.
The U.S. Navy fought them to
a draw. This was Japan’s first
major setback, they called off
the fighting after 2 days.
The War in the Pacific-Battle of Midway




Midway is an island that lies
halfway between Hawaii &
Japan.
In June 1942, Admiral Nimitz,
fought the Battle of Midway.
Most of the battle was fought
in the air, by planes that took
off from air craft carriers.
This was the first victory over
Japan & was the turning point
in the war.
The War in the Pacific-Guadalcanal





Aug., 1942: U.S. Marines
landed on this island.
Jungle warfare was a
nightmare!
Lived in trenches with leeches,
scorpions, and snakes.
Soldiers caught malaria &
Japanese snipers shot at
them.
After 6 months of fighting, the
Marines starved the Japanese
into abandoning the island.
The War in the Pacific-General MacArthur


When Gen. MacArthur
fled the Philippines, he
promised his men, “I
shall return.”
Nobody really believed
him – after all, the
U.S. was 100%
engaged against Hitler
in Africa & Europe.
The War in the Pacific





General MacArthur spent his time
after leaving the Philippines
studying culture.
He knew he had to keep his
promise, “I shall return!”
Figured out a strategy that would
scare them to death: Take them
by surprise!
He began to leapfrog his way to
Tokyo, avoid the most heavilyfortified Japanese islands, cut off
supply lines, and leave the
Japanese dishonored.
They would never know where he
would strike next.
The War in the Pacific- “I shall return!”





Had to make a full-scale
amphibious landing taking
back the Philippines.
Land in waste-deep water, run
like heck onto the beach-all
the while under fire!
Japanese troops fought to the
last man.
The remaining Japanese
bomber pilots used kamikaze
raids to sink ships.
As promised, Gen MacArthur
liberated the Philippines!
The War in the Pacific-Iwo Jima



Island lies 750 south of Tokyo
7 months the U.S. Air Force
bombed the island, but never
harmed the 20,000 Japanese
troops hiding in their fortified
caves.
Four miles long, shaped like a
pork chop, covering eight
square miles, Iwo had no front
lines, no rear, every inch a
battleground.
The War in the Pacific-Iwo Jima



75,000 Marines landed on the
beach, the Japanese rolled
their tanks out of the caves,
blasted them, then rolled back
into mountain caves.
The G.I.’s had to fight their
way up the mountain.
1 in 3 Marines died or were
wounded trying to climb Mt.
Suribachi.
The War in the Pacific-Iwo Jima

Original photo of flag-raising.

After 36 days of fighting, the
Marines finally made it to the
top!
Second photo.
The War in the Pacific-Atomic Bomb





The Allies were closing in on
Japan.
U.S. officials estimated
100,000 Allies would die
taking Tokyo.
Another 90,000 Allied troops
would die taking the rest of
Japan.
An ultimatum to surrender was
issued to Emperor Hirohito.
Japan ignored the order.
The War in the Pacific-Atomic Bombs






Aug. 6, 1945
Atomic bomb was dropped on
Hiroshima
“Little Boy”
60% of the city was killed
(approx. 150,000 people)
Still Japan wouldn’t surrender!
Another ultimatum was issued
The War in the Pacific-Atomic Bombs







Aug. 9, 1945
Atomic bomb dropped on
Nagasaki
“Fat Man”
Killed 40,000
70,000 badly burned
Sept. 2, 1945 Japan
surrendered
V-J Day (Victory in Japan)
Sources cited:

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. "The
Holocaust." Holocaust Encyclopedia.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/index.php?ModuleId
=10005143 (accessed September 8, 2006).

David J. Knowles is the author of Escape From
Catastrophe, 1940 Dunkirk.

Japanese-American Internment: A historical reader,
copyright 2000 by Nextext, an imprint of McDougal
Littell

The Atomic Bomb, A historical reader, copyright
2000 by Nextext, an imprint of McDougal Littell

Poster Education, copyright 1996.