Download WWII Presentation

WWII
Most costly ever in terms of lives
lost and material destruction
WWII
Began as a European conflict pitting
Germany vs. Anglo-French coalition
Eventually involving nearly every nation
in the world
Resulted in a New World Order—
Dominated by US and USSR—Table set
for the “Cold War”
Why do wars occur?
Nations compete over natural
resources.
Individuals demand greater political and
economic freedom.
We will study 3 aspects of
WWII
The war in Europe against
Germany and Italy
The war in Asia with Japan
The home front
What caused WWII in Europe?
Germany wanted back what she
lost from WWI, and revenge
Appeasement – Great Britain and
France gave Hitler land w/o fighting
for it.
Hitler was racist; he invaded
countries simply to kill the Jews
living there.
The Central issue leading to
WWII is the fallout from the
TREATY OF VERSAILLES
Treaty of Versailles
While the US, France, Great Britain
emerged satisfied, Germany, Italy,
Japan were not
Japan wanted control of China
US developed isolationist policy in
response to Allied (European) failure to
make good on War debts
Treaty of Versailles – end of WWI
The main points of
the Treaty [BRAT]
1. Germany had
to accept the
Blame for
starting the war
2.
Germany
paid
Reparations for
the damage done
during the war.
Versailles cont. .
3.
Germany
was forbidden to
have submarines
or an air
force. She could
have a navy of
only six
battleships, and
an Army of just
100,000 men.
Versailles
4.
Germany
lost Territory
(land) in
Europe (see
map).
Germany’s
colonies were
given to
Britain and
France.
Review Questions
How did WWI help cause WWII?
Changes realized in the Nature
of Warfare
1)Commitment of entire human and
economic resources to the cause
2)Battlefield came to include all of a
Nation’s territory
3)New weapons-long range rocket,
atomic bomb
4)Tremendous advances in aircraft and
tanks
Failure of Peace Efforts
1920-League of Nations formed-Hope
for negotiated settlements
Would prove ineffective in many regions
time and again
1923-Paris Peace Pact-63 nations
including all of the world’s greatest
powers renounce war as a policy
Only USSR does not commit
The peace process will be tested by
expansionist efforts by ambitious
nations like Japan, Italy, and Germany
Japan 1st to Cause Trouble
Limited land mass creates a need to
expand in order to accrue natural
resources and raw materials
Makes use of a minor clash with
Chinese troops to take over Manchuria
China appeals to the League of Nations
Japan is ordered to return Manchuria
Japan withdraws from the League of
Nations
Revelation that the league is powerless
encourages Italy and Germany in their
expansionist ambitions
Italy’s goal was to secure control of
Ethiopia (East Africa)
Italy in Africa
Ethiopian Emperor appeals to the
League of Nations—sanctions issued
were ineffective
Did not include resources vital to Italian
War effort
Both Germany & Italy make use of
participation in the Spanish Civil War to
test their military machines
Spanish Civil War
1931 Spain becomes a Republic
Republican government pursues reform
Redistribution of land/reduce role of the
Catholic Church
Right-wing (conservative) Nationalists
under General Francisco Franco oppose
the Republican loyalists
Gen. Francisco Franco
Soviets, British, France, and US support
loyalists
Germany and Italy support Nationalists
Brings Hitler and Mussolini together
Hitler was interested in Spanish
resources (Iron ore, magnesium)
Herman Goering-Head of German Air
force (Luftwaffe) and tested it in Spain
The alliance between Hitler and
Mussolini came to include Japan in the
Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
Becomes known as the Axis Powers
(1936-1937)
Review Rise of the Nazis
Depression in 1920s Europe
Economy was bad in Europe
WWI killed a lot of workers and
customers
After years of humiliation and
starvation, Germans looked for
a strong leader.
NAZIs elected to power!
Nazis promised to
build up their
army and get
revenge for the
WWI
This is Adolf Hitler
1933.
Totalitarianism
Mussolini (Italy)
Hitler (Germany)
Germany late 1930s
Germany
escaped the
Depression
by
militarizing.
This is
Berlin 1936
Lebensraum (Living Space)
Hitler’s expansion
1936 –The Rhineland is taken without
response
March 1938-Annexed Austria
France and Britain –awed by German
armament-considered it an internal
German affair
Czechoslovakia
Next was Czechoslovakia-had been only
been a democratic state in central
Europe by the late 1930’s
Strong military, high standard of living,
alliances with France and the Soviet
Union
Hitler coveted the western border of
Czechoslovakia
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland home to 3.5 million
ethnic Germans
British Prime Minister, Neville
Chamberlain initiated peace talks (Sept
1938)
Resulted in the Munich Pact
Peace in our Time
He returned home
to the cheers and
adulation of his
people
In reality the
proposal was futile
“Appeasement”
Appeasement
Giving in to someone’s demands in
order to prevent war
Appeasement – Hitler wanted
land, Britain and France let
him have it without war
Less than 6 months later, Hitler invaded
and seized the remainder of
Czechoslovakia
Hitler then threatens Poland, the British
government pledged to defend the
Poles
France already had a mutual defense
treaty with Poland
Hitler and the Soviets
Attention was turned to the USSRJoseph Stalin, Soviet dictator was
courted by both sides.
Hitler offer was more attractive—in
exchange for Soviet neutrality Stalin
was secretly promised claims in Finland,
Estonia, Latvia eastern Poland, &
eastern Romania(Nazi-Soviet Pact1939)
WWII started when Hitler
invaded Poland 1939.
Invasion of Poland
Sept. 1 1939 in the early morning
hours, the German invasion of Poland
began
Sept. 3, Hitler was surprised by the
French and British declaration of war on
Germany
Hitler commits 1.5 million troops
The Poles mustered 1.8 million
Blitzkrieg
“Lightening War”
This paralyzed Poland
German had more firepower
6 panzer divisions to 1 tank or armored
Polish division
1600 modern aircraft to 900 obsolete
Polish planes
Lightning
warfare
German
strategy
1st bomb by
air, then send
in panzer
divisions
(tanks)
Bombers destroyed railroads,
preventing mobilization then used
armored divisions followed by mobile
infantry encircled the Poles
On the 17th, as Germans closed in on
Warsaw The Soviet Red Army lunged
across the border
Final surrender was complete by Oct. 6
The British were too late to prevent the
occupation of Poland, but they may
have delayed its surrender and the
French were more concerned with selfdefense
Holding the Maginot Line
“Phony War”
in the months following the German
invasion of Poland in September 1939
and preceding the Battle of France in
May 1940 – that was marked by a lack
of major military operations in
Continental Europe.
Also known as Sitzkrieg
Invasion of France
Maginot Line
Maginot Line
Heavily fortified French line of defense
fortifications on border with Germany
There was a serious flaw-a 50 mile gap
in the Ardennes
Was built in response to WWI
Because the Ardennes was forested &
swampy they believed an invasion there
would be difficult
Hitler focused German
attention upon the low
countries
Luxembourg
The Netherlands
Belgium
Low countries
because of
elevation
Charles de Gaulle
French
Commander
Called for more
planes & tanks
But the French
command said
the Maginot Line
was sufficient
Finland falls to the Soviets
May 10, 1940 a massive German airlift
caught the Dutch off guard
They surrendered within 5 days of the
invasion
At the same time the French & British
moved to defend Belgium
German Planes swept into the Ardennes
Other panzers broke through
Luxembourg towards France
Hitler demands Norway and Denmark to
accept Nazi protection from Britain
Danes accept but Norway resists
April 9th, 1940 Germans land unopposed
in Norway
Occupied Oslo by noon
The remainder of the country held out
For about a month
This proved costly to the Germans who
lost several ships
Replaces Chamberlain as Prime Minister
After the fall of Denmark and Norway
Winston Churchill
Germany Defeats France
Rather than send its main force through
Belgium as it had done in WWI
Gen. Eric Von Manstein advised an
unexpected attack through the
Ardennes Forest
Attacking from the Northwest and then
moving southeast behind the Maginot
Line
Forces were equal
in strength in areas
of troops and tanks
Germans
maintained a
superiority in
aircraft
The same day The Netherlands
surrendered, the German panzers
emerged from the Ardennes and made
their push behind French and British
forces that were supporting the
Belgians
Dunkirk
Moving toward the Channel, Allied
forces were trapped in the N.W. corner
of France
Evacuation by sea was the only hope
for the allies.
May 27 Belgium’s King Leopold III
surrendered
Germany paused and 328,000 men
were rescued from Dunkirk
The Drive to France Begins
June 10, Italy declares war on the Allies
Though the Maginot line was in tact, no
way to protect Paris
June 17, Marshal Henri Petain (WWI
hero) asked for an armistice
Signed June 25, 1940
Terms gave control of Northern France
and the Atlantic coast to Germany
Vichy Government
Petain sets up a capital at Vichy in the
unoccupied Southeast—was a puppet
government of Germany
In Britain, de Gaulle organized a free
French government and the French
resistance operated underground in
France
Hitler in Paris
Fortress Europa
In no
time,
Germany
conquered
most of
Europe
with
tanks,
planes,
railroads.
Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
One significant foe remained for Hitler n
the west—Britain
Churchill vowed to fight to the bitter end
Hitler misjudged the resolve of Churchill
and the British
Expecting Britain to seek peace when
the situation facing them looked so
bleak
The British had left many of their
weapons on the beaches at Dunkirk
Stalin did not seem eager to challenge
Hitler
Though the US, alarmed by the fall of
France began peacetime conscription
1st time ever—public opinion opposed
the war
Battle of the Atlantic
Germany hope to
starve Great Britain
out
Using submarines
warfare to cut
British overseas
lifelines
Subs were based in
both France and
Norway
The best way to force Britain’s
surrender would be an invasion across
The English Channel
Hitler would not risk this however
unless the British Air Force could be
neutralized
Thus the Battle of Britain was fought in
the air not on the beaches
August 1940, the Germans launched
daylight raids against airfields and
inland cities in Southern Britain
The objective was to draw out British
fighters and destroy them
Royal Air Force (RAF) were superior
“So much owed by so many to so few”
Speech by Churchill
German casualties were too high, by
September they were forced to resort
to night bombings raids—57 nights
Goering sent more that 1,000 planes at
a time
Between this time and May 1941, the
Germans conducted 71 major raids
against London and 56 other cities
In 1 night the Luftwaffe dropped
70,000 fire bombs
The damage inflicted, though severe,
was not militarily decisive
Children in East End of
London
Newbury, England
On September 17, 1940 Hitler
postponed the invasion of Britain
indefinitely, thereby conceding defeat in
The Battle of Britain
1,700 German aircraft lost
Hitler shifts his focus to the Soviet
Union—July 1940—still looking for living
space
Russia’s Next
Hitler believed Britain was holding out
for a falling-out between Germany and
Russia
Once the Soviets were defeated, he
expected Britain would make peace
Hitler wanted to begin the invasion in
the fall of 1940
His advisers warned against a winter
campaign in Russia—(Napoleon)
He waited for spring
Meanwhile Germany’s ally Mussolini
staged an unsuccessful attack on British
occupied Egypt and Greece
Britain responded by occupying airfields
on Crete and in Greece
Hitler feared British planes within
striking distance of his one major oil
source, Ploiesti (Ployisht) fields of
Romania
He dispatched Erwin Rommel (the
Desert Fox) and his tanks to support his
allies—He would all but push the British
out of Africa
Because he would need to cross their
territory to get to Greece and the Soviet
Union, Hitler brought Romania and
Hungary into the Axis in November
1940, Bulgaria joined in March 1941
When Yugoslavia refused to follow suit,
Hitler ordered the invasion of that
country
Events which caused the U.S. to
become involved…
Meanwhile, in the USA. . .
Wanted to stay
neutral
Cash & carry
Lend-Lease–
U.S. “lent” $,
materials to the
Allies for “leases”
to military bases
Lend-Lease Act cont’
$7 billion to lend or lease weapons and
other aid to countries the president may
designate
Could assist in defeating the Axis w/o
using US Troops
By late summer 1941 we were in an
undeclared war with Germany
US Marines occupied Iceland, replacing
the British
Atlantic Charter
August 9, 1941 Churchill and Roosevelt
meet
They issue the Atlantic Charter
Freedom of trade
The right of people to choose their own
government
Called for the final destruction of Nazi
Tyranny
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor.
America enters WWII.
December 7, 1941
Axis Powers
Germany and Italy declared war
immediately after Pearl Harbor.
Germany, Italy and Japan made a deal
to help each other in case on was
attacked.
Allied Powers
The Allies were the USA, Great Britain,
and the Soviet Union (USSR). These are
called the “big three.”
In addition were the colonies and
territories of these countries.
These include China, Canada, Australia,
France, Poland and others.
USA’s contribution was
production, not blood.
Women in workforce
Rosie the Riveter
People rationed goods for war
use.
The Army was segregated,
but African Americans served.
Tuskegee Airmen
Women in the Forces
Women in Forces
How did USA pay for this war?
Internment of Japanese
Americans
USA was afraid if
Japan were to
attack the Pacific
coast, Japanese
Americans would
help them.
The Government
ordered them to
move to camps.
Internment camp
Strangely, Japanese
Americans served in the Army
Any questions before the
quiz?
Home Front Quiz
1. How did USA pay for WW2?
2. Who were the Allied powers besides
the USA?
3. Why did the USA intern the
Japanese Americans?
4. What was the Lend Lease Act?
5. When was the Pearl Harbor attack?
Meanwhile, in Asia. . .
Japan wanted China and the
USSR.
Japan is an island,
and not a big one.
They wanted more
living space and
resources for their
“superior” people.
Japan wanted oil reserves
Japan wanted more
oil to invade
China.
America
embargoed their
oil in Indonesia
Japan considered
this an act of war.
Japan joins Axis Powers
Germany was sick
of the U.S. helping
Britain with its lend
lease program.
Japan agreed to
attack Pearl Harbor
and distract the
U.S. from Europe
war.
Battle for Midway Island
If won,
Japanese
could have
bombed
Hawaii more
from here.
Major
turning
point
Island Hopping – US fought to
gradually reach Japan
Battle for Iwo Jima
Island hopping
became fact of the
war with Japan.
Died: 6800 US 20000
Japanese.
This flag raising was a
serious morale boost
to soldiers on the
island.
Kamikaze attacks
This plane dropped an atom
bomb on Hiroshima
Atomic bomb
Hiroshima-”Little Boy”
Nagasaki- “Fat Man”
Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1945
Victims in Hiroshima
Why drop the Atomic Bomb?
The Japanese had shown they would
fight to the last man, woman and child.
The atomic bomb saved as many as 1
million U.S. lives, and possibly many
Japanese.
Harry Truman said he dropped the
bomb to end the war.
Japan surrenders 1945
World War II deaths
USSR
China
Germany
Poland
U.S.
Great Britain
Japan
22 million
11 million
7 million
7 million
0.5 million
0.3 million
1.5 million
Asia WW2 Quiz
1. What cities were nuclear bombed?
2. Define island hopping?
3. What was the importance of Midway
Island battle?
4. Why did Japan want war with the
USA?
5. What ocean protected USA from
Japan?
Operation Barbarossa
Invasion of USSR
Begins June 22, 1941 More than 3
million German soldiers move into The
USSR
German preparation for this had been
obvious for months, but Stalin,
concerned about his military’s
performance in the Finnish War had
refused counteractively that might
provoke Hitler
The Soviets are Unprepared
The Soviet military leadership concluded
that blitzkrieg would not be possible on
the scale of a German-Soviet War
Soviets had 2.9 million soldiers on the
border
Outnumbered German tanks by 2 to 1
and 3 to 1 in aircraft
Large numbers of soviet aircraft
destroyed on the ground the first day of
fighting
Soviet tanks are scattered among the
infantry (like the French) proved
ineffective against German Panzer
groups
Soviet infantry had been ordered to
counter-attack which was impossible,
and then forbidden o retreat which
insured their wholesale destruction or
capture
Germany three-pronged
attack
Designating army groups in the North,
Center, and South to drive towards
Leningrad
Moscow
Kiev
The objective was to lock the Soviet
Army in battle and defeat it before it
could disappear into the interior
War games had predicted a victory in
about 10 weeks
Essential because the Russian summer
is short
By the end of the first week (July)army
group center had taken 290,000
prisoners-another 300,000 by Aug.5th
Was 2/3 of the way to Moscow
Winter comes to Russia
The wet fall and cold of winter slowed
and then stopped German progress
50km. From Moscow in December
Soviets counter-attack with reserves led
by Gen. Zhukov and began rolling back
the German Army which abandoned
vehicles and weapons
Tough cold winters killed
many NAZI troops in USSR.
Russian
people are
tough! 21
million
dead, yet
no
surrender!
German Low Point
Hitler consolidate to two armies pushing
toward Stalingrad
A mistake separating armies and
making resupply for both over damaged
RR impossible—Stalin ordered his
retreating army “not another step back”
Battle of Stalingrad
Turning Pt. in the War
Bloodiest in Modern History
The battle took place between 17 July,
1942 and 2 February, 1943.
Russian Victory
Hitler needed to redeploy troops in
Italy—The Americans had landed on
Sicily in July
Hitler anticipated an European
invasion—feeling he could repel it
The allies would abandon the effort—He
could then concentrate on the USSR
Operation Overlord
Normandy Invasion
June 6, 1944—D-Day at Normandy
under Omar Bradley
Eisenhower was the ETO Commander
An unsuccessful attempt on Hitler’s life
to save Germany (Valkyrie)
Invasion of Normandy, France
Tank!
Anti-tank weaponry
English
Channel
protected
England
Britain
resisted
German
air force
Hitler thought the
invasion of Normandy
was a feint—no counteroffensive—he expected
an assault North of the
Seine River
August 3, Americans
w/de Gaulle and the
Free French Resistance
forces liberate Paris
Race to Berlin
US and allied forces crossed the
German border on September 11—
difficulty in maintaining the supply line
slowed progress
Needed the port of Antwerp to be made
operational again
In a race with Russia (Stalin
underestimates speed of US Troops)
Beginnings of Communism
German allies surrendering in the east
and communist regimes installed by the
Soviets (Cold War)
The fall of 1944 saw air offensive
against Germany until
Battle of the Bulge
German counter offensive in the
Ardennes in December
Yalta Conference
Feb. 1945—Stalin agrees to fight Japan
after Germany surrenders
Dates to Remember
Roosevelt dies April 12
Hitler commits suicide April 30 in his
bunker
German surrender May 7
May 8 – V/E Day
Japan surrenders Aug 15, 1945
Germany’s end
Germany invaded the Soviet Union and
lost a million troops due to the cold and
Russian bravery.
Germany spent too many resources
trying to kill Jews and not supporting
his troops
Germans fought Russians in the east
and Americans and Brits in the West.
Germany surrenders April ‘45
Mussolini killed
while trying to
escape Italy
dressed as Nazi
officer
Hitler committed
suicide in late
April 1945
Victory in Europe
Day (V-E Day) –
5/8/45; Germany
surrendered
V-J Day
9/2/45 –
representatives of
Hirohito signed
surrender terms
aboard USS Missouri
Japan lost all land
taken after 1875
Hirohito became a
constitutional
July of 1945 – Potsdam
Conference
Big Three met
USSR would
declare war on
Japan & invade
Manchuria
a.s.a.p.
Japan – US
occupied
Potsdam Cont’
Korea would be occupied by
Soviets N. of 38th parallel, by US
S. of 38th parallel
Japan – US occupied
The Settlement of WWII
will lead to the
Cold War