Download First World War Second World War Explain the use and impact of

Explain the
use and
impact of
naval power
during the
war
First World War
I.
Naval Power was very important during WW1
Allied Naval Blockade
 Allied Navy blockaded German ports
 Only 642 ships managed to reach Germany during the whole
war
 Cut off imports of food, coil, and chemicals causing cold,
hunger, disease in Germany
 An estimated 250,000 deaths occurred in the Central Powers due
to hunger and disease (figures are disputed)
 Led to the lowering of German morale and to bread riots in 1918
due to the shortage of food
 Italian and French navies also successfully blockaded Austro,
Bulgarian and Ottoman Coasts.
Battle of Jutland 1916
 Admiral Scheer of the German navy led to 16 ships to the North
Sea in an attempt to break the Allied Naval Blockade
 British lose 14 ships and 6,094 men, while Germany loses 11
ships and 2,551 men. Tactical victory for Germany, strategic
victory for Britain as the Allied Blockade remained
German Submarine Warfare
 In 1915, German U-boats torpedoed ships trading with Britain,
sunk 242.8 ships monthly in 1917
 Sinking of Lusitania (1915) caused a crisis between Germany
and the USA, resulting in Germany ending the Warfare
 In 1917, Germany resumed the submarine warfare which led to
America’s entry to the war 2 months later
 In 1917, British had to accept rationing, but effects weren’t as
dreadful as the Allied naval blockade on Germany
 Allies started using convoys of merchant and warships to be
able to defend the merchant ships, reduced losses to 147.8 a
month
Conclusion: Allied Naval Blockade had a dreadful impact on
Germany. German Submarine Warfare affected Britain as well but it
more importantly led to America’s entry to the war. Therefore, naval
power was extremely important.
Second World War
The Pacific Theater
 Aircraft carriers were part of all fleets. (primary naval ship)
 Submarines were used to destroy enemy warships as well as
merchant vessels.
 Destroyers were used to destroy submarines
 Japan, a series of islands, depended upon its navy to defend
it and merchant ships to supply it was essential raw
materials and food to keep the country functioning.
 The US used submarines against Japanese merchant ships.
(similar to what Germany did to Britain in 1917)
 While naval strategy in the First World War in Europe focused on
using battleships to overwhelm enemy ships with as much firepower
as possible, the Second World War in the Pacific focused on the use
of aircraft. Battleships were all but obsolete by the Second World
War in the Pacific as aircraft could bomb and torpedo battleships,
and all other surface naval vessels, from great heights with great
effect. Aircraft used aircraft carriers, essentially floating airports, to
launch these attacks great distances from their own fleets. The only
effective weapon against aircraft attack was other aircraft which
meant that more aircraft carriers were built by the US and Japan than
battleships. Aircraft were cheap to build and could be produced in
large numbers, while a battleship took up to three years to complete,
yet could be potentially destroyed by a single torpedo launched from
a carrier-based aircraft. While First World War fleets in Europe had
to be within sight of each other to attack, with the use of aircraft in
the Second World War in the Pacific, this was rare since aircraft
attacked enemy ships from hundreds of kilometers away.
US Naval Strategy

The US naval strategy against Japan did include the idea of a
blockade through its use of submarine’s to destroy Japan’s merchant
ships, but also the strategy of “island-hopping”. This strategy called
for using the navy to support the capture of various islands in the
Pacific Ocean while ignoring others so that airfields could be built on
these islands, bringing Japan within aircraft bomber range. The US
navy during the Second World War in the Pacific better integrated
the use of marines, troops who conducted amphibious landings and
aircraft than did the British in the First World War in Europe.
Explain the
use and
impact of air
power during
the war


Mainly used for reconnaissance and
ground attacks. (Observation balloons used near trenches)
 Strategic bombers were created, principally by the Germans
and British, though the former used Zeppelins as well
 Anti-aircraft an fighter aircrafts were developed
Used to transport goods on the Western Front
 Paratroopersused to transport troops
 The Germans conducted air raids on England during 1915 and
1916 with airships, hoping to damage British morale failed.
 Aircraft had no significant impact on the outcome of war



Identify major
technologies
and weapons
used in the
war
First major war that fully utilized the advances of the industrial
revolution
 Weapons used: machine guns, high explosives,
shrapnel, rifles, and hand grenades
o Machine guns caused the highest causalities
 Somme Offensive British suffered 60,000 on
first day
 Poison gas {phosgene gas, mustard gas (1917)}
 New construction of railway was a technical
innovation that allowed troops to be easily mobilized
 Some trucks were used to mobilize troops
 The Dreadnought and other new military ships were
also essential in the war (Britain and Germany)
 Spies and double agents were used to spy on the
enemy ( Mata Hari)
 Radio was used to send messages
Blitzkrieg— Used as one of the most important aspects of
Blitzkrieg. Initiated attack by bombing the enemy and
destroying railways, armies, depots, etc.…
The Battle of Britain— A battle in the skies of Britain between
the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force (RAF). Since the Germans
needed to invade Britain with their navy, they needed to
protect the skiesattacks Britain by the Luftwaffe. Even though
Germany had numerical superiority, her planes were
vulnerable. It was a victory for Britain.
Strategic Bombing— It was a tactic in which the RAF and the
USAAF bombed certain industrial and civilian targets to harm
production in Germany.
Impact—Air power had a huge impact on the war since it
diverted Germany’s Luftwaffe and weakened it, allowing for a
victory by the Allies.
Technologies from the First World War developed and increased
 Radar, originally adopted by the British, had significant
impact in air battles
 Sonar and HF/DF, along with long-range Liberate aircraft,
were used to detect and eliminate U-boats in the Atlantic
 Surgical innovations, chemical medicines and techniques
improved
 German development of rocket propulsions- long range
missiles
 Tanks were adopted by all belligerents. They were most
effectively used by Germany early in the war. However,
toward the end of the war Allied models proved superior and
more numerous. (Tiger, Panzer, T-34, Sherman) Tanks were a
crucial component of blitzkrieg.
 Atomic Bomb, developed by US, Little boy and Fat man
having the most significance towards the end of the war.
 Aircraft carriers replaced battleships as the centerpiece of
naval warfare doctrine. Held responsibility for Japanese
defeat.
 Computers and Code breaking. British used Collosus, first
computer, to help break codes. Helped greatly in naval
warfare.
 Mass produced sub machines guns, gas chambers, sea mines
and torpedoes, mortars and guns.
 Strategic bombing and jet aircraft air power. Germany adopted
the Luftwaffe, Britain the RAF and US the USAAF
Explain tactics
or practices of
warfare used
in the war




Give evidence
that
belligerents
engaged in
“total war”
Schlieffen Plan: designed to avoid a two-front war with France
and Russia; Germany would make a surprise advance on Paris
through neutral Belgium and capture it in 6 weeks, assuming it
would take Russia 6 weeks to mobilize
Trench warfare: trenches were dug in the ground where troops
would hide and be shielded from enemy artillery, surrounded
with barbed wire and stationed machine guns
War of Attrition: attempting to win war by wearing down enemy
through continuous surprise, maneuver, and superior numbers
(i.e. Britain in the Battle of Somme)
War of Annihilation: military strategy aimed at piercing and
destroying the enemy in one critical battle by applying
overwhelming force, but risking the loss of many troops (i.e.
Germany vs. USSR in Battle of Tannenberg 1914)
 Young men were removed from production jobs to serve in military
roles, and were replaced by women at work.
 Bulgaria mobilized 800,000 people, a quarter of its population
 All belligerents drafted people into the army and had conscription
 France mobilized 76% of adult males
 In Britain, the government used all media outlets for propaganda. It
aimed to divert all attention to the war.
 Britain instituted a 70% profits tax on all companies in order to
finance the war.
 Britain and Germany introduced a rationing system for the civilian
population
 All factories and industry were forced to switch to war production
 In Britain in 1914, the Defence of the Realm Act decree was passed. It
allowed the government to interfere in people’s everyday lives in
order to satisfy war demands.
 France set up 33 new departments to centralize and control the
economy and society
 Tsar Nicholas II reasserted autocratic rule
 British colonies were involved in the war. For example, New Zealand



Blitzkrieg: tactic that requires the coordination of land and air
forces. Motorized divisions would punch a hole through enemy
lines and rapidly advance while destroying enemy centers of
communication, railways and roads. Intended to take the enemy
off guard and ensure short wars. Ineffective in large areas b/c
coordination falls apart. (Barbarossa)
Strategic bombing: bombing of industrial cities, factories and major
sources of enemy raw material/weapons.
Espionage: the Allies saw espionage and deception as a decisive
advantage and tactic in war. Operational deception was used to
deceive the enemy as to the location of an offensive and espionage
was used to find the location of enemy bases, time/place of
offensives, etc.
In many countries political factions set aside difference to support the
govt and the war effort
- German, Italian, Soviet and Japanese dictatorships
experienced little opposition
- In Britain Parliament formed a united coalition behind
Winston Churchill
- In the US Franklin Roosevelt was allowed to break the longstanding tradition of 2 presidential terms
Many govts raised spending:
- US budget grew by 1844% from 1939-45
Govts drastically increased armaments production through direct
govt controls
- Axis munitions production grew by 821% from 1937-44
- Allied munitions production grew by 1000% from 1937-44
- Consumer spending fell by 15% in Germany and 22% in
Japan (grew by 22% in the US)
- Britain harvested old buildings for scrap metal
- US created a committee of armaments industry CEOs who
oversaw a centrally directed effort to raise munitions
and Australia sent troops to fight in Europe. Also, the Irish ignored
the issue of Home Rule and fought with the British.
Whole populations were involved in the war. Belgian citizens were
bombed and attacked.
 Britain devoted 26% of its budget to war costs while Germany
devoted 82% to war costs.
production
o Armaments production rose 96% from 1939-45
o Supplied Britain and the USSR with 66% of all Allied
armaments
Govts made efforts to relocate munitions production away from war
zones and bombing
- In 1941 the USSR evacuated 1523 factories east beyond the
Urals
- In Germany most factories were relocated underground
during 1944-45
Efforts were made to focus arms production on relatively few
efficient models in order to optimize production
- Britain raised aircraft production by 82% in 5 months in 1940
in this way
All govts introduced strict rationing
- Food, clothing, oil and leather
- Soviet and Japanese food rations were below starvation levels
Govts promoted patriotism and religion in order to rally morale
- USSR toned down communist rhetoric and focused
propaganda on themes of nationalism and Russian history
- USSR eased anti-religion regulations
Govt encouraged civilians to make sacrifices for the war effort
- Families encouraged to grow “victory gardens”
- Families were asked to save cooking grease and fat which
could be made into nitroglycerin
- In Britain many children were sent to live with strangers in
the countryside or even to the Dominions, away from
bombing
Women contributed to the war in many ways
- Encouraged to recycle a wide variety of goods and to train
others to do so
- Prepared car packages for soldiers or for POWs in Axis
camps
Many countries experienced high civilian casualties
- 19 million Soviet civilians (7.5 million soldiers)
- 10 million Chinese civilians
Give evidence
that
belligerents
did NOT
engage in
“total war”
Country
Ttl. Pop.
(million)
Ttl
Mobilized
% of pop
mobilized
Defense
spending
(£ mill)
117.8
42.4
75.7
65.9
101.8
Germany
65
11
16%
Austria
52
7.8
15%
UK
45
8.9
19.7%
France
39
8.4
21.5%
Russia
171
12
7%
*Pop=population
*Ttl=total
(Refer to page 16 in Vyvyen Brendon’s The First World War)
 No country mobilized more than 20% of its population
 Ammunition had to be used wisely due to transportation
difficulties between the munitions factories and the front
 Uboat campaign and British Blockade was put in place to
decrease the war making capacity of each country, UK and
Germany were not able to reach total efficiency (or Total War)
due to the naval blockades on each country.
 Spending at the beginning of war was extremely little
compared by the end of the war.
 Countries expected that the war would be over by Christmas
of 1914, meaning that they thought they would not need to
move into Total War.
 Britain did not initiate conscription until 1916 or rationing
until 1918
Germany deliberately delayed full economic mobilization until 1943
- Devoted 27% of labor force to agriculture since imports were
cut off
- Constructed 12 synthetic oil plants because since imports were
cut off
- Employed 7.13 million slave laborers or POWs in work camps
- Maintained high food rations for Aryans by mandating
starvation rations for non-Aryans (in Poland 2310 calories per
day for Germans, 654 for Poles and 184 for Jews)
- Certain foods were totally unavailable due to import
restrictions (coffee, chocolate, whipped cream, citrus fruit,
bananas)
- Many women were brought into the labor force in spite of
Nazi ideology
- Germany was still manufacturing several tons of wall paper in
late 1944
Japan avoided full mobilization for ideological reasons
- Govt avoided measures to enroll women in the workforce out
of a commitment to strict gender roles and to encourage a high
birth rate
- Over 10 million evacuated from large cities because of
bombing in 1944-45
- Rise production and imports fell by 45% from 1937-45
Italy made almost no attempt to move to a total war footing
-
Lack of political will and strong popular resistance
Troops were consistently undersupplied even under the most
favorable circumstances
- Theft, disorganization and corruption siphoned off many
critical supplies
US did not fully mobilize
-

Pre-war production levels were so low that even the wartime
boost did not fully use the slack
Exemptions from military service were granted for a wide variety
of minor reasons