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The 1940s:
A Time of War
An 8th Grade Exit Project
by Riley Black
1940-1949: A Quick Summary
The 1940s were known primarily for
being a time of war. World War II,
only 30 years after World War I,
shook the world in the worst of ways.
Masses of people died, both soldiers
and civilians. While World War II is
the centerpiece of this project, there
were other events worth putting on
paper.
1940: Germany’s “Warm Welcome”
On April 9, Germany’s decision to invade
Norway was executed. Hitler aimed to
take Norway for its ports, making
transportation of goods easier. Five attack
groups invaded the five major ports,
snuck past mines on the coasts,
and fought against
Norwegian and
British soldiers.
1940: Germany’s “Warm Welcome”
Unfortunately, the British in Norway were
transported to France, causing an
immediate victory for Germany. It was the
second country taken by the German
supremacy.
1941: A Shattered Pearl
Only one year after Germany’s invasion,
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the United
States’ military harbor in the Pacific
Ocean. Japanese pilots bombarded the
harbor, destroying battleships and killing
people. At the end, 188 planes were
destroyed and 2,430
people died in a matter
of two hours.
1942: Battle for a City
During the last few months of 1942,
Germany attempted to take Stalingrad.
During the battle, Germans took parts of
the city by day while the Russians took
areas by night. On November 9, the
Russians trapped Germany in the city, left
to face the winter. The Germans lost
91,000 soldiers and failed
to take a major city.
1943: Warsaw
The Jews in Warsaw tried to prevent the
Germans from destroying the city and
killing everyone in it. Using makeshift
weapons and pistols, they fended off the
Germans invading. Germans eventually
burned down the buildings and killed any
fleeing Jews. The city was
finally destroyed.
1944: D-Day
On June 6, 1944, D-Day was launched. With
previous preparations, the American and
British attacked a major German outpost
in France. They attacked from the front
and back, taking the fortress from all
sides. At nightfall, the
American and British,
along with a Canadian
division, took the
outpost from the
Germans.
1945: Little Boy and the Fat Man
To end the war, the U.S. told Japan to
sign the Potsdam Declaration to Japan,
or face “prompt and utter destruction”.
When Japan refused, an atomic bomb
named Little Boy was dropped by the
U.S. on Hiroshima,
killing 70,000.
1945: Little Boy and the Fat Man
Japan still refused, and the U.S.
dropped another bomb named Fat
Man, hitting Nagasaki and killing
another 74,000. Japan finally signed
the Declaration,
ending the war.
1946: The Iron Curtain
Winston Churchill was invited by
President Harry S. Truman to give a
speech at Westminster College.
Churchill talked about an “Iron
Curtain” across Europe,
and about a “special
relationship” between the
U.S. and Britain.
1946: The Iron Curtain
While the U.S. and Britain weren’t as
excited about the idea, and Stalin
thought part of the speech was
imperialist racism, most took the
speech warmly.
1947: The Sound Barrier
In the October of 1947, Chuck Yeager flew
the Bell X-1, a test plane used for
research by the government, past the
speed of sound. It was the first plane to
ever do this in history. Other planes were
made and
went far past the
speed of sound,
even up to
hypersonic speeds.
1948: Gandhi’s Mourning
Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by a
Hindu extremist, using a .38 cal pistol
from point blank. After his death, a
mourning of 13 days lasted, with halfmast flags and no public
entertainment and
celebration. Even the King,
the U.S. President, and
others sent messages of
sympathy. It was a sad
time for India.
1949: NATO
To protect including the U.S., formed NATO,
known as the Brussels Pact before the
U.S. joined. The pact stated that if one
country was themselves, several countries
in Western Europe, attacked, then it was
considered a threat to all
the other countries. NATO
still exists today.