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Converting the Economy:
• FDR was concerned about US preparedness… but
Winston Churchill believed US industrial might
would save the day.
• The US’s industrial might astounded the world…
US workers were twice as productive as German
workers
• In the end, the US fought a 2 front war against two
enormous empires and won! (never done before)
• The economy had begun to rebound prior to Pearl
Harbor, which was helpful to the US and that helped
quick mobilization
• American support for preparedness existed before
the war… Americans, watching German blitzkriegs in
Europe, followed FDR’s lead making 50,000
warplanes
• Secretary of War Henry Stimson set up “cost-plus”
contracts in which the government paid for the cost
to make the product, plus a percentage of the costs
as profit… therefore, the more and faster a company
produced, the more money it made
• The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)
was permitted to make loans so companies could
convert their factories to make war products
Tanks Replace Cars:
• The auto industry was well suited
for the task and began producing
trucks, jeeps, and tanks.
• Modern warfare demanded this
machinery because the faster you
could move troops and supplies, the
more likely you were to win battles
• Automobile factories also produced
artillery, rifles, mines, helmets,
pontoon bridges, cooking pots, and
other material
• Henry Ford’s company built 8,600
B-24 Liberators (a bomber) in Detroit
• The auto industry produced 1/3 of
military equipment throughout the
war
Building Liberty Ships:
• Henry Kaiser’s shipyards also answer the call,
building many ships… most famously they built
the “liberty ship" which was the standard cargo
ship during WWII
• Instead of rivets, the ships were welded, making
them more solid, cheaper to build, and harder to
sink… Liberty ships could sometimes be hit by
torpedoes and still “hobble” to a port
War Production Board:
• Many business leaders were frustrated by the
mobilization process… the government argued
constantly about supplies, contracts, and order
priorities
• FDR tried to improve the system after Pearl
Harbor by creating the War Production Board
(WPB)
• The WPB set priorities, production goals, and
the distribution of raw materials and supplies…
the WPB was often at odds with the military
• In 1943, FDR established the Office of war
Mobilization (OWM) to settle these disagreements
BUILDING AN ARMY
Creating an Army:
• After Poland was attacked, the US expanded the Army to
227,000… later the Selective Service and Training Act was
passed in September 1940
• Many opposed the peace-time draft initially, but most
changed their mind when France fell to Germany
You’re in the Army Now!:
• The flood of recruits initially overwhelmed the Army and
most had to live in tents
• Troops trained with sticks (for rifles), threw stones (for
grenade practice), and used trucks to simulate tanks.
• Troops were given physical exams, vaccinations, issued
uniforms and other supplies.
• The clothing bore the label “G.I.” (Government Issue)
• They took aptitude tests and were then sent for 8 weeks
of basic training
• After the war, veterans complained the training was
useless and they were sent to the front with inadequate
training (some suggested a few GI’s did not know how to
load weapons)
• One important thing basic training did was that it
brought people from many walks live together… this was
essential in combat when troops learned looked out for
their “buddies”
Segregated Army:
•
Basic training promoted unity, it was still segregated
with African American troops completely segregated from
white troops.
•
After training, they were usually organized into their
own units, mostly led by white officers.
•
Most were relegated to non combat units, but not all
Pushing for “Double V”
•
Some African Americans were not supportive of the
war effort, asking why they should fight for a country that
“Jim Crowed” the army, disenfranchised the, lynched
them, and had businesses refused to employ them… was
Hitler worse?
•
But most African-Americans supported the war…
they understood that Hitler was worse! His ideas of
“racial purity” were well known and a Nazi victory would
bring certain genocide.
•
The National Urban League set two goals:
1. To promote participation of blacks in the war
2. To create a plan for a post war US that was a better
place for African-Americans
The African-American newspaper, the Pittsburgh Courier
Launched a “Double V” campaign (Victory of Hitler’s
racism and victory over racism at home)
Under pressure from black leaders and supporters, FDR
called on the Army, Navy, and Marines to begin recruiting
blacks into combat units.
• He also appointed Colonel Benjamin O. Davis (the
highest ranking member of the Army) to brigadier
General.
• One of the most famous Army Air Force units
was the 99th Pursuit Squadron whose pilots,
trained in Tuskegee, AL, became known as the
“Tuskegee Airmen”.
• The Tuskegee Airmen distinguished themselves
in service over Italy during the Battle of Anzio,
and later as bomber escorts over Germany,
Austria, and Hungary.
• The 761st Tank Battalion was also exclusively
African American. The battalion first saw combat
in November 1944, often at the leading edge of the
advance. The unit was to endure 183 days of
continuous operational employment.
• After the Battle of the Bulge, the unit opened the
way for the U.S. 4th Armored Division into
Germany during an action that breached the
Siegfried Line.
• The 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion fought in
Northwest Europe- their soldiers earned 8 silver
Stars, 28 bronze stars, and 79 purple hearts
• By 1943, military bases began integrating and
the roles of African-Americans in the services
became greater.
• President Harry S, Truman fully integrated the
military in 1948.
• Women enlisted in all branches of the
Armed Forces during WWII.
• The recruiting slogan was “release a
man for combat”… women were barred
from combat so the performed
administrative and clerical jobs
• Congress allowed women to join the
military in May 1942 when it created the
Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC).
• Oveta Culp Hobby served as director
• Many women resented being part of an
“auxiliary corps”, wanting to be part of
the regular army.
• A year later, the WAAC was replaced by
the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and
Hobby was given the rank of colonel.
• Other women decided to become
officers and Hobby explained, “You have
a debt and a date… A debt to democracy
and a date with destiny.”
• Other services followed suit
• Initially, Americans were
poorly trained and made a poor
first impression on many allied
troops due to their lack of “spitand-polish” appearance.
• Many of those same allies
later became impressed by the
tenacity and fighting skills of
US troops.
• But, US soldiers, sailors,
marines, and airmen did
exceptionally well in combat.
• In fact, US casualties dwarfed
that of other nations.
Holding the Line Against Japan
• Chester A. Nimitz began planning operations
against the Japanese navy.
• The sparring of the aircraft carriers at Pearl Harbor
was a blessing to the US forces, but nothing could
be done to slow the Japanese advance in SE Asia
The Fall of the Philippines:
• Hours after Pearl harbor was attacked, US airfield
in the Philippines came under assault.
• 2 days later, Japanese ground forces invaded and
overwhelmed the smaller force of Filipino and
American soldiers.
• General Douglas MacArthur ordered his troops to
retreat to the rugged Bataan Peninsula and they held
out for 3 months.
• the troops lacked supplied and were succumbing
to various diseases.
• FDR feared that the capture of General MacArthur
would demoralize Americas, so he ordered him to
evacuate to Australia.
• MacArthur vowed, “I shall return”
• On April 9, 1942, the soldier surrendered and the
78,000 prisoners were forced to march 65 miles
(Bataan Death March).
• A small force on Corregidor held out until May…
after they surrendered, the Philippines officially fell.
• Before the fall of the Philippines, FDR was
searching for ways to boost the morale of Americans.
• He wanted to bomb Tokyo, but that was a difficult
task- Japanese ships would prevent US aircraft
carrier from getting too close to their coast.
• In early 1942, a planner suggested the use of longrange B-25 bombers that could take off from flight
decks… they could land in China after the attack.
• FDR put Lt. Col. James Doolittle in charge and by
the end of March his men were trained and his B25’s were aboard the USS Hornet.
• The next day, the Hornet set sail and on April 18,
American B-25’s dropped their bombs on Tokyo for
the first time.
• The bombing run did minimal damage to Tokyo,
but was a huge psychological boost for Americans
and it damaged the morale of many Japanese.
• Following the Doolittle Raid, most of the B-25
crews that came down in China eventually made it to
safety with the help of Chinese civilians.
• But the Chinese paid dearly for sheltering the
Americans. The Japanese began the ZhejiangJiangxi Campaign to intimidate the Chinese from
helping downed American airmen.
• The Japanese slaughtered an estimated 250,000
civilians while searching for Doolittle’s men.
•The Japanese were horrified by the
bombing of Tokyo and the prospect of
killing or injuring the Emperor.
• Japanese military leaders decided to
change their military strategy.
• There was much debate among Japan’s
naval officers… some wanted to capture
New Guinea and cut off US supply lines to
Australia… Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto,
the mastermind of the Pearl harbor attack
wanted to attack the last US possession
in the North Pacific--- Midway Island!
• He thought that the US naval fleet could
be lured in and destroyed, and after
Doolittle Raid, Japanese military leaders
signed on to Yamamoto’s plan.
• The attack on New Guinea would go
forward, but with only 3 aircraft carriers…
all others were ordered to attack Midway!
• Believing that the Americans were
unprepared for and attack on New Guinea,
the Japanese proceeded with confidence
• What they did not know was that their code
had been broken by the Americans and they
were aware that the attack was coming
• Admiral Nimitz dispatched 2 aircraft
carriers (USS Lexington and USS Yorktown)
to intercept the Japanese fleet in the Coral
Sea
• Both carrier groups entered into a fierce
air strike battle… the USS Lexington was
sunk and the USS Yorktown was damaged
(one light Japanese aircraft carrier was sunk)
• The Japanese decided that landing troops
in new Guinea would be too dangerous and
called off the land assault
• The supply lines to Australia remained
open
• Meanwhile, at Pearl Harbor, code breakers
discovered that the Japanese were also
planning an attack on Midway Island
• Admiral Nimitz saw this as an opportunity
to ambush the Japanese fleet… he carefully
positioned them just outside of Midway
Island so they could not be detected
• One the Japanese launched their first wave
of attacks, US marines met them with antiaircraft guns and some marine aircraft
• The Japanese planned a second wave of
attacks believing they could finish the
Americans off, but the three “hiding” aircraft
carries had launched a counterattack
• The navy aircraft swooped down on the
unsuspecting Japanese aircraft carriers,
many which had bombs on their flight decks
• Within a few minutes, 3 of the carriers were
aflame, and a fourth sunk hours later
• Yamamoto ordered the rest of his fleet to
retreat… the American won a huge victory
• The battle of Midway was considered a
turning point in the war as it halted the
Japanese advance in the Pacific
• 362 Americans and 3,057 Japanese were
killed
• In 1942, the Allies were winning in
Europe too
• The Soviets had been doing most of the
fighting and, despite the help from the
Lend-Lease Act, Stalin needed the
pressure relieved.
• Stalin urged FDR and Churchill to open
a second from in the west, therefore
taking some of the Soviet Union
• FDR wanted to launch an all out attack,
but Churchill, who had significantly more
military experience, suggested the British
and Americans were not ready and
needed to attack the periphery of the
German Empire
• FDR agreed and in June of 1942 he
ordered the invasion of Morocco and
Algeria (2 French territories in northern
Africa captured by the German army)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Roosevelt wanted to attack Morocco and
Algeria for two reasons:
1. The invasion would test the battle skills of
Americans
2. The US would be able to help the British
fight the Germans in Egypt one they
secured North Africa
The British desperately needed to capture
Egypt so the could use the Suez Canal which
connected them with the rest of their empire
(India, Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, and
Australia)
But the German “Afrika Korps” was
commanded by the very talented Erwin Rommel
(“The Desert Fox”)
The British were able to drive Rommel back at
the Battle of El Alamein … but they still
remained a threat
North Africa was invaded by the Americans in
November of 1942 under the command of
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
General George S. Patton was assigned the task
of taking Morocco- and he quickly captured
Casablanca
The Algerian cities of Oran and Algiers were
also captured
• After the victories in Algeria and
Morocco against French Vichy troops
(loyal to Germany), US troops headed
east toward Tunisia, and British forces
headed west to Libya hoping to trap
Rommel in between the two
• US troops advanced into the
mountains of western Tunisia and
fought the German Army for the first
time
• At the Battle of the Kasserine Pass,
US troops did poorly, suffering 7,000
casualties and lost 200 tanks
• Eisenhower was outraged and fired
the commanding American General,
Lloyd Fredendall, and replaced him with
General Patton.
• The British and the US troops pushed
the Germans back, and on May 13, 1943
the last of the German forces in North
Africa surrendered
• The battle on the sea continued to be difficult as Uboat attacks intensified
• After Germany declared war on the US, they sent Uboats cruise the American coastal waters
• Cargo ships became easy targets, and the glow of
city lights made their job easier… so citizens along
the east coast bought “blackout” curtains, drove with
headlights off, and dimmed their lights at night
• By August 1942, German submarines had sunk 360
US ships along the coast… so much oil (from sunken
oil tankers) was destroyed fuel had to be rationed
• As a result, the US built the first long distance
pipeline from TX to PA
• The Us employed a convoy system in which cargo
ships traveled in groups and were escorted by navy
warships
• The spring of 1942 was the high point of the German
U-boat campaign… In May in June they sunk 1.2
million tons of shipping
• After July, US shipbuilders were producing more
ships than the Germans could sink
• With the technologies of radar, sonar, and effective
depth charges, German submarines became less
effective and the Battle of the Atlantic began to favor
the Allies
• By the Spring of 1942, Hitler had great confidence
that he would win the war
• Rommel was beating the British in Egypt
• American ships were being sunk by U-Boats
• The German’s were ready for their next step…
knock the Soviets out of the war
• German troops were ordered to capture oil fields,
industries, and farmlands in southern Russia and
Ukraine
• The key was Stalingrad which controlled the Volga
River and was a major railroad junction… taking
Stalingrad would cut the Soviets off from their most
important resources
• When German troops entered Stalingrad, Soviet
troops were ordered to hold the city at all cost- NO
REATREAT!
• The Germans had to fight house to house and were
subject to well placed sniper fire… they lost
thousands of soldiers
• On November 23, 1942 250,000 Soviet
reinforcements arrived and surrounded the Germans
in Stalingrad… 91,000 Germans surrendered (only
5,000 survived Soviet POW camps.
• Stalingrad was a turning point that now put the
Germans on the defensive!
• World War II officially ended the Great
Depression… the devastation in Europe did not help
their economy, but the mobilization in the US created
19 million new jobs nearly doubling family incomes.
• When the war began, only white men were hired
in industry, but with the military draft woman and
minorities began to fill factory jobs.
• Prior to the war, the only women who worked were
the ones who were young, single, and employed…
most played the traditional role of homemaker.
• The war forced societal norms to change.
• The government hired 4 million women to do
clerical jobs, but their work in factories captured
the attention of the nation.
• The great symbol of the these factory women
was “Rosie the Riveter” (based on a song by the
Four Vagabonds).
• The song told of a woman who worked in factory
while her marine boyfriend fought overseas.
• Her image appeared on posters, in newspapers,
and magazines helping to lead 2.5 million women
into the workforce.
• As a result of their work, women gained a greater
sense of independence and a firmer believe in their
equality to men.
• Although factories were hiring
women, many in the defense
industry refused to hire blacks
• President of the Brotherhood of
Sleeping Car Porters, A. Philip
Randolph, threatened FDR that his
organization would march on
Washington with 10-50 thousand
men to protest this type of
discrimination
• FDR acted quickly and on June
25, 1941, he issued Executive Order
8802 demanding no discrimination
based of “race, creed, color, or
national origin”
• FDR also created the Fair
Employment Practices Commission
(first civil rights agency since
Reconstruction) to enforce the
order
A crowd of Mexicans in Mexico City
wait to register for the U.S. Bracero
program, circa 1943.
• The US government desperately
needed farm workers, so they
arranged a deal with Mexico to
allow migrant farmers to come to
the US to work in the SW were
there were sever labor shortages.
• This became known as the
Bracero (“worker”) Program in
which over 200,000 Mexicans came
to the US help harvest fruits and
vegetables.
• Some helped build and maintain
mountain railroads.
• The Bracero Program stayed in
effect until 1964 and they provided
a great service to the US war effort
in WWII.
• The “Sunbelt” was created as men looked
for jobs in southern California and in the Deep
South… for the first time since the Industrial
Revolution began in the US, the South led the
way in manufacturing and urbanization.
• In all, about 15 million Americans moved in
search of jobs with some also going to the
Midwest and northeast.
Housing Crisis:
• Where to put the hoards of new workers
became a tremendous problem.
• Many had to live in tents and small trailers.
• To help, the federal government allocated
$1.2 billion to build public housing, schools,
and community centers during the war
• The housing had thin walls, tiny rooms, little
privacy… but it was better than tents and
trailers.
• About 2 million people lived in government
built houses.
Racism explodes into violence:
• During WWI, African American moved
North, but the “Great Migration” slowed
during the Depression.
• When WWII began and factory jobs opened
to African Americans, the migration
resumed… but they were often greeted with
hostility that occasionally erupted into
violence.
• The worst violence happened in Detroit on
June 20, 1943 on a terribly hot day
• Many people congregated near the Detroit
River at Belle Isle Park where fights erupted
between a gang of African American teens
and white teens.
• This led to a domino effect of other fights
breaking out, and ultimately, into full scale
riot.
• 25 African Americans and 9 whites were
killed.
• Despite the riot, African American leaders
remained committed to the Double V
campaign.
• In southern California, racial tension
heated up among youths, and juvenile crime
rates skyrocketed.
• In Los Angeles, racism targeted at Mexican
Americans and fear of juvenile crime were
linked to the “zoot suit” (baggy, pleated
pants, overstuffed knee-length jackets, wide
lapels).
• The US was rationing cloth and many work
“victory suits” (no vests), whereas the zoot
suit seemed unpatriotic.
• Rumors spread in CA that zoot suiters had
attacked several sailors… in retaliation,
2,500 soldiers and sailors stormed into
Mexican American neighborhoods in LA
where they tore off their zoot suits and cut
their hair (which was often long).
• The authorities did nothing.
• Regardless, 500,000 Hispanic Americans
served in the military (400,000 Mexican,
65,000 Puerto Rican)… They fought in every
theater and 17 Mexican Americans won the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
WRA Relocation Centers
Manzanar California March 1942 10,046
Tule Lake California May 1942 18,789
Poston Arizona May 1942 17,814
Gila River Arizona July 1942 13,348
Granada Colorado August 1942 7,318
Heart Mountain Wyoming August 1942 10,767
Minidoka Idaho August 1942 9,397
Topaz Utah September 1942 8,130
Rohwer Arkansas September 1942 8,475
Jerome Arkansas October 1942 8,497
• After Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were
the subject of attacks against their homes and
businesses.
• Banks refused to cash their checks, grocers
refused to sell them food, newspapers printed
rumors about spies…
• As a result, politicians began to demand their
removal from the west Coast, believing they
would not remain loyal to the US.
• On February 19, 1942, FDR gave into pressure
and allowed the ware Department to declare any
part of the US a military zone, allowing them to
evacuate all people of Japanese ancestry to 10
interment camps.
• Japanese Americans like Fred Korematsu
argued that internment violated his Constitutional
rights… but the Supreme Court found in
Korematsu v. the United States (1944), due to
“military urgency” internment was acceptable.
• In 1945, the Court ruled in Ex Parte Endo, the
government could not hold loyal Americans
against their will, and they began to release
interned Japanese Americans.
• Despite the hysteria, no Japanese
American was ever tried for espionage
• In fact, many Japanese American
volunteered to serve in the war- many
becoming translators
• The most famous was the allJapanese 442nd Regimental Combat
Team, which was instrumental in the
liberation of Italy… they were most
highly decorated unit in WWII!
• After the War, the Japanese American
Citizens League (JACL) tried to help
Japanese Americans regain lost
property during their relocation.
• Not until 1988 did they get any
reparations… President Ronald Reagan
officially apologized for internment for
the US Government and signed
legislation granting all surviving
Japanese Americans who were
interned $20,000
Wage and Price Controls:
• The key concern during mobilization was
inflation because wages and prices were
rapidly rising… if wages slowed and prices
continued to rise, inflation would hit.
• To stabilize wages and prices, FDR
created the Office of Price Administration
(OPA) and the Office of Economic
Stabilization (OES)
• The OES regulated wages and the price
of farm product… the OPA regulated other
prices
• Both agencies were unpopular with labor
unions, but ultimately, both kept inflation
in check
• The War Labor Board (WLB) worked to
prevent strikes that could endanger the
war effort
• But, the labor union were very
supportive of the war effort and asked the
WLB to settle disputes… it settled 17,000
during the war
• The demand for raw materials caused great
shortages, so the OPA began rationing (limiting
availability) of many products
• meat, sugar, gasoline, rubber, silk
• Driving was restricted and speed limits maxed
out at 35mph
• Each month, Americans would use ration
coupons to by food
• Red coupons (red points): meats, fats,
oils
• Blue Coupons (blue points): processed
foods
• Other coupons: coffee, sugar, etc.
Victory Gardens:
• As in WWI, Americans planted gardens to
produce more food for the war effort
• land on schools, backyards, city parks, vacant
lots, etc were used and praised as “victory
gardens by the government in newsreels,
pamphlets and official statements
• There were also “scrap drives” were Americans
collected and donated spare rubber, tin,
aluminum, and steel
• The items included pots, tires, tin cans, car
bumpers, broken radiators, old bicycles…
• Americans could also exchange bacon grease
and meat drippings (fat) for extra ration coupons
• These drives became vital to victory
• The US spent more than $300 billion
on the war during WWII… more than
was spent from Washington’s
Administration to WWII!
• The government raised taxes, but
that only covered 45% of the cost of
the war
• The government issued War Bonds
were used to raise money for the rest
• The most common bonds were E
bonds, which sold for $18.75 and
could be redeemed for $25.00 after 10
years
• Individuals bought $50 billion worth
of bonds and banks and other
financial institution bought over $100
billion
V for Victory:
• Despite hardships Americans got
behind the cause and were confident
they would win!
• FDR was confident that the US was ready to plan
the next stage of the war, so he called for a meeting
with Churchill… they met in Casablanca , Morocco in
January 1943
• At the Casablanca
Conference FDR and
Churchill agreed to step up
their bombing of Germany
and destroy their military
infrastructure and morale
• They also agreed to attack
Italy- Churchill was
convinced the Italians would
surrender if invaded
Casablanca Conference
• Prior to the Casablanca Conference, the
RAF was dropping an average of 2,300
tons on Germany per month over 3 years…
the US Eighth Army Air Force joined the
campaign during the summer of 1942 and
added another 1,500 tones by the end of
the year.
• Between January 1943 and May 1945 the
combined efforts of the RAF and the
USAAF dropped about 53,000 tons of
bombs on Germany each month
• It did not break German morale or ruin
the economy, but it did knock out
important production plants and
effectively destroyed much of their railroad
system as well as causing a severe oil
shortage
• Germans had as particularly difficult time
replacing their airplanes at a the same rate
that they were being destroyed by the
Allies
DUKW
Sicily
• With the bombing of Germany well in
hand, the invasion of Sicily could
begin…
• General Eisenhower was put in
charge of the invasion , while General’
Patton (US) and Montgomery (Great
Britain) were put in charge of the actual
forces on the ground
• The invasion began on July 10, 1943,
and went well with few casualties
• 9 days later, Patton’s troops captured
the Western part of Italy relying heavily
on his tanks… he then headed east and
did a series of daring end runs around
the enemy while the British attacked the
South
• On August 18, the Germans
evacuated from Sicily and the stage
was set for the invasion of Italy!
• The capture of Italy caused a crisis in the Italian
government and the King of Italy had Mussolini
arrested… the new government began talk of
surrender with the Allies
• On September 8, 1943, Italy publicly announced it’s
surrender and American troops landed at Salerno the
next day
• Hitler was stunned and was not about to let he
longtime ally slip through his fingers
• German troops seized northern Italy (including
Rome), attacked Americans at Salerno, and put
Mussolini back in power
• The Germans fortified the town of Cassino which had
awful terrain
• So, the allies conducted an amphibious assault of
Anzio, behind German lines, hoping the Germans
would retreat
• Instead, the German Army surrounded the Allied
troops and it took 5 months of fighting through their
lines at Cassino and Anzio until the Germans retreated
• 2 weeks later, the Allies captured Rome, but fighting
continued in Italy until My 2, 1945… Allied casualties
numbered more than 300,000 at the end of the
campaign
• Before the Allied invasion of France, FDR wanted to meet with Stalin
• In late 1943, he agreed and proposed FDR, Churchill, and he meet in
Tehran, Iran
• The agreed on several things
• When the Allies
invaded France,
Soviet troops would
launch an all out attack
from the East
• Germany would be
broken up to avoid
future wars
• Once the Germans
•were beaten, the
•Soviets would help
•the US defeat Japan
• An international
organization would be
formed to keep the peace
after the war
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
• After the Conference in Tehran, FDR and
Churchill began planning the invasion of
France--- Operation Overlord.
• FDR chose General Eisenhower to lead the
assault, although he originally wanted George
C. Marshal who served as his chief military
advisor.
• Hitler had predicted an Allied invasion for
quite some time and had been building coastal
defenses in France
• The German believe forces would land at Pasde-Calais… and the Allies knew they thought
that.
• So, the Allies developed a rouse in which they
set up inflatable tanks, empty tents, and dummy
landing craft across the channel from Pas-deCalais
• The real allied target was Normandy… 1.5
million US troops were ready, 12,000 aircraft
was standing by, as was 5 million tons of
equipment
• The US needed to pick a date, and
that would be difficult
• They needed a low tide for landing so
beach obstacle could be seen
• Low tide had to come at dawn so
naval guns could see their targets
• Prior to landing troops, paratroopers
would drop behind enemy lines and this
would require a moonlit night
• Finally, the weather had to be good
• Due to the difficult criteria, only a few
days per month could be chosen
• Eisenhower chose June 5, 1944 and
his staff referred to it D-Day… but
terrible weather on June 5 postponed
the invasion and Eisenhower had to
wait
• On June 6, 1944 the weather had
improved and Eisenhower gave the
order, “OK, we’ll go.”
• About 7,000 ships carried more than 100,000 troops to the
beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944
• Meanwhile, 23,000 paratroopers were dropped inland
• fighter bombers raced
up and down the coast
hitting bunkers, bridges
and radar sites
• When dawn broke, and
•enormous naval bombardment of the beach let loose,
clearing the way for troops
to land on 5 designated
beaches:
• Utah
• Omaha
• Gold
• Sword
• Juno
• The US landing at Utah Beach went
well… it was taken in less than 3 hours
and there were only 200 US casualties
• The British and Canadian landings
also went well, and their troops were
several inland by days end
• The US landing Omaha Beach was
the most tragic… 2,500 casualties
were reported and Omar Bradley was
close to calling a retreat, but his
troops slowly made progress
• More landing craft arrived and the
beach obstacles were cleared
• By early afternoon, troops had
advanced behind the beaches,
securing the area
• 35,000 US troops landed at Omaha,
and another 23,000 at Utah
• The British and Canadians landed
over 75,000 troops
• The D-Day Invasion was a success!
• At the same time plans were
being devised for the invasion
of France, a strategy was being
developed to bring about the
defeat of Japan
• They decided on a two
pronged attack:
• Admiral Nimitz would lead
an “island hoping”
campaign, using mostly US
marines to capture islands
along the route to Japan
• General Douglas
MacArthur would retake the
Philippines by launching an
attack from New Guinea
Tarawa:
• The amphibious assault was on
Tarawa, which was surrounded by
a large coral reef, meaning the
marines had to wade through the
water several hundred yards to
get to the beach
• Only 1 in 3 marines made it to
shore, as they were easy targets
for the Japanese
• When they arrived onshore, the
battle was ferocious, and often
hand-to-hand
• Over 1,000 Marines were killed
and the pictures of their dead
bodies horrified Americans on the
home front, many Americans
began to wonder how many lives
would need to be sacrificed to
beat Japan
• One vehicle during Tarawa proved to be
priceless- The LVT (the Alligator) which was a
boat with tracks, called an amphtrac, that could
ride over coral reefs and drop troops on the
shore
• If more had been used at Tarawa, many more
US marines would have lived
• The next major assault was the Kwajalein Atoll
in the Marshall Islands… the Japanese resisted
fiercely, but the marines used more amphtacs,
and won with far fewer casualties
• The next hop was to the Mariana Islands which
Americans wanted to use as a base for the new
heavy bomber, the B-29 Superfortress… using
the Mariana Islands would allow bring the planes
close enough to bomb Japan
• Nimitz continued his campaign capturing
Saipan, Tinian, and Guam… despite strong
Japanese resistance, all were taken by August
1944
• a few months later, B-29’s were bombing
targets in Japan
• MacArthur began his campaign
with the invasion of Guadalcanal in
August 1942… it ended in early 1944
when his troops captured enough
islands to surround the Japanese
main base at Rabaul
• The Japanese withdrew ships and
aircraft from Rabaul, but left 100,000
troops to defend it
• MacArthur feared the Navy was
getting to far ahead of him, so he
bypassed Rabaul, and leapt 600
miles to capture the Japanese base
at Hollandia (north coast of New
Guinea)
• After securing New Guinea, he took
the island of Morotai…
• MacArthur was now ready to fight
for the Philippines.
•In October 1944, over 700 ships carried 160,000
men into the Leyte Gulf… October 20, troops began
to land on Leyte
• Hours before the invasion, MacArthur strode onto
the Filipino shore and proclaimed, “People of the
Philippines. I have Returned”
• The Japanese quickly dispatched 4 aircraft carrier
to the Leyte Gulf from the North and sent another
fleet to the west
• The US carriers, believing the Japanese carriers
were leading the main attack, headed north to meet
them
• The other Japanese fleet took advantage of
situation and attacked the reaming ships in the gulf
• The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval
battle in history
• It was also the first time the Japanese used
kamikaze (divine wind) pilots
• Luckily, as the US situation became grim, the
Japanese commander feared that more US ships
were on their way and he called for a retreat
• The capture of the Philippines was long and
grueling… over 80,000 Japanese killed; less than
1,000 surrendered
• Manila was not taken by the US until March 1945,
but Japanese soldier continued to fight from the
rugged terrain surrounding Manila until August
1945 when the war ended
• Although D-Day was over, it was
only the beginning of the fight to
liberate Europe
• The hedgerows of France (dirt wall
with thick shrubbery) allowed
Germans to defend their positions
• Finally, 2,500 bombers blew a hole
in the German lines allowing
American tanks to race through the
gap
• As the Allies broke out of
Normandy, the French Resistance
began major revolt in Paris
• On August 25, 1944 Allied forces
entered Paris and were pleased to
see celebrating French citizens
• Three weeks later, US troops would
be 25 miles from the German border
• Hitler decided to order a desperate offensive to cut
off Allied supplies from the port of Antwerp, Belgium
• It began on December 16, 1944 when there was a
great deal of snow covering the ground… as the
Germans raced west, their lines bulged outward
(hence the name)
• The Germans knew they needed to take the town of
Bastogne, or the Americans would delay their
offensive… but Us troops got there first
• When the Germans arrived, they surrounded the
town, and demanded their surrender… the US
commander replied, “Nuts!”
• General Eisenhower quickly sent in General Patton
to rescue them, and after 3 days his troops slammed
into German lines
• When the weather cleared, the Allies began hitting
German fuel depots causing them to halt their
advance on December 24.
• Two days later, Patton’s troops broke through to
Bastogne
• On January , the Germans began to withdraw after
suffering 100,000 casualties and losing many tanks
and aircraft… the was no stopping the allied march to
Germany
• By the time the Battle of the Bulge
ended, the Soviets had pushed the
Germans out of their country and
pursued them through Poland… By
February 1945, they had reached the
Oder River (35 miles from Berlin)
• By the end of February, US troops
had fought their way to the
Rhine…and shortly thereafter, they
captured the heights above Remagen
• Amazingly, the Germans had left the
Ludendorff bridge intact, allowing US
tanks and troops to race into Germany
• German defenses crumbled, and by
days end they were 70 miles from
Berlin
• On April 16, the Soviets punched
through the German lines and were at
the outskirts of Berlin 5 days later
• Hitler hid in his bunker during the
assault of Berlin realizing all was
hopeless
• There, on April 30, 1945, he and his
longtime mistress, Eva Braun, whom he
had married 2 days earlier, both
committed suicide taking a cyanide
tablet- Hitler also shot himself with a
pistol before succumbing to the poison
• Prior to his suicide, he gave orders that
his and Eva’s bodies be doused with
gasoline and burned
• He chose Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz
to be his successor… Doenitz tried to
surrender to the US and British while still
battling the Soviets, but Eisenhower
demanded an unconditional surrender
• On May 7, 1945 surrendered
unconditionally
• May 8, 1945 was proclaimed “V-E Day”
(“Victory in Europe”)
• Just before V-E Day, FDR
suffered a stroke and died
in Warm Springs, GA… his
VP, Harry S. Truman, was
sworn in as the new
President
• Truman felt overwhelmed
by his unexpected
ascension to power
• Truman would end up
making some of the most
difficult decisions of the
war
• American military planners decided they
needed an airfield closer to Japan because
the Mariana Islands were too far away
• They decided that the small island of Iwo
Jima was the answer… it was halfway
between the Marians and Japan, but its
geography was harsh
• On February 19, 1945, 60,000 US Marines
landed on Iwo Jima and found their feet
falling into the islands volcanic ash
• Despite tons of naval artillery preps, the
Japanese were well dug in and had zeroed
in on marine positions with pinpoint
accuracy… But marines took the ground
inch by inch, suffering almost 6,000 men
killed in the 36 days of fighting
• Of the over 22,000 Japanese soldiers,
20,703 died, and 216 were captured.
• the most memorable moment of Iwo Jima
was the (second) raising of the US flag on
Mount Suribachi.
Firebombing of Japan:
• General Curtis LeMay,
commander of the B-29 fleet,
decided to change strategy
• He ordered his bomber crews to
drop napalm on their targets… the
use of this type of “firebombing”
was controversial because it
guarantee the deaths of civilians
too
• On March 9, 1945 the B-29’s
dropped their payload on Tokyo
with devastating results… the
firestorm was so intense that it
sucked the oxygen out of the air,
asphyxiating thousands (80,000
were killed in all)
• By the end of the war, 67 cities
had been firebombed
Invasion of Okinawa:
• Despite clear US successes, there was
no evidence that the Japanese intended
to surrender
• To many, the only option the US had
was t invade Japan… so to prepare for
this, the Us needed a base that was very
close to the Japanese mainland
• Okinawa was chosen, as it was only
350 miles from Japan
• American troops landed on April 1,
1945 and found little initial resistance
because the Japanese had taken up
positions in the mountains
• US troops had to fight up the
mountain against unrelenting
machinegun fire and artillery.
• More than 12,000 US soldiers, sailors,
and marines lost their lives, but Okinawa
was officially secured on June 22, 1945
• In 1938, Leo Szilard learned that
Germany was working on an atomic
bomb, so he and his fellow physicist
Albert Einstein, penned a letter to FDR
encouraging him to do the same
• FDR responded by setting up a
scientific committee to study the
issue… they were skeptical until they
met British scientist in 1941 who had
already begun work on an atom bomb
and showed progress
• As a result, the Manhattan Project
began, headed by General Leslie R.
Groves and Robert Oppenheimer
• They had a breakthrough in 1942
when Szilard and Enrico Fermi created
the first nuclear reactor at the
University of Chicago
• On July 16, 1945, the first atomic
bomb was detonated near Alamogordo,
New Mexico
• There were a variety of opinions among
Truman’s advisors as to whether to use
the atom bomb
• Ultimately, Truman believed he needed to
save as many US lives as possible…
experts had predicted up to 1 million
casualties if the US invaded mainland
Japan
• To Truman, dropping the bomb was not
a difficult decision… The Japanese did
not know we possessed a nuclear bomb,
but we did warn them with “prompt and
utter destruction”
• On August 6, 1945, the B-29 the Enola
Gay lifted off and dropped the atomic
bomb name “Little Boy” on Hiroshima
destroying 76,000 building and killing
between 80,000 and 120,000 people
• On August 9, the USSR declare war on
Japan as we dropped the second bomb
(Fat Boy) on Nagasaki killing between
35,000 and 74,000 people.
• The Japanese were
terrified by the massive
destruction as well as the
Soviet entrance into the war
• On August 15, 1945,
Japanese Emperor Hirohito
ordered his government to
surrender bringing about
V-J and an end to World War
II
• The formal surrender was
signed aboard the USS
Missouri on September 2,
1945
• General Douglas
MacArthur presided over the
surrender
• FDR hoped to prevent future wars and thought
it could be done with an international political
organization
• In 1944, delegates from 39 nations met to
discuss the creation of the United Nations (UN)
• They agreed it would have a general assembly
where all nations would have 1 vote
• They would have a Security Council with 11
members- 5 would be permanent (Britain,
France, China, the USSR, and the US) Each of
the members of the five big powers would have
veto power
• On April 25, 1945, representatives from 50
countries came to San Francisco to officially
organize the UN and design its charter.
• The General Assembly: could vote on
resolutions, choose no permanent members of
the Security Council, and vote on the UN budget
• The Security Council: international peace and
security, investigate international problems and
propose settlements, and it could preserve
peace by proposing a resolution and getting
approval for military force
• By the summer of 1945, the Allies
worked out how they intended to
charge their enemies with war crimes
• The US, Britain, France, and the
USSR created the International Military
Tribunal (IMT)
• At the Nuremberg Trials, 22 Nazis
were prosecuted… 3 were acquitted; 7
were given prison sentences; 12 were
sentenced to death by hanging
• Trails of lower ranking government
and military leaders continued until
1949 and resulted in 24 more
executions and 107 were given prison
sentences
• In Tokyo, 25 Japanese leaders were
put on trial with 18 getting prison
sentences and the rest were executed
by hanging