WWII

Dr. Joseph Mengele

"The Angel of Death" performed "medical experiments" on the captives at Auschwitz. The experiments consisted of all forms of mental and physical trauma. He was especially interested in twins, being a geneticist, and after he experimented them to death, he would perform autopsy on the dead bodies, making note of the organs. All of his experiments were kept very carefully secret, and this allowed him to do even more gruesome things. Approximately 3,000 twins died under him, who was trying to further his medical career at Auschwitz by researching hereditary diseases. was known for being the cold, ruthless being that put prisoners to death carelessly, as if Jewish life was not worth considering.

Stalin (totalitarian ruler of the Soviet Union)

1894- read works of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, & Vladimir Lenin. 1899-left school committed to Marxism & revolutionary activities 1903- allied Bolshevik party, led by Lenin. Nov. 1917- Bolsheviks took control of Russian government. Under Lenin, Stalin began to accumulate power 1924- Lenin's death, used chicanery and became the party's leader by 1928. 1930s- purges, eliminated rivals, Red Army, & persecuted citizens June 1941- 'Operation Barbarossa' Oversaw victory at the Battle of Stalingrad, victory over Germany at the Battle of Berlin, and battles fought at Moscow and Leningrad. Maintained iron grip throughout WWII and until death in 1953 Met the 'Big Two', set the stage for Cold War Created a volatile atmosphere Soviet Union became global power (prevented Nazi invasion and forced industrialization)

Ernie Pyle

1900-1945, became "America's most widely read correspondent" as he was famous in the United States and he was known in many European countries as well as in parts of North Africa Articles appeared in 400 daily and 300 weekly newspapers in the United States at one point wrote about all levels in the military, glorified the infantrymen for their courage and resolution, noted that the war could not be won without them Wrote about the men rather than the battles "told the story of the American fighting man as the American fighting men wanted it told." worked in the European theater and then was assigned to the Pacific theater in 1945 Killed by Japanese gunfire on Ie Shima in 1945

Chronological Advances of Germany and Italy

1941-06-22: Operation Barbarossa starts 1941-08-08: Battle of Kiev begins 1941-09-08: Siege of Leningrad begins 1941-09-19: Battle of Kiev ends 1942-09-01: Battle of Stalingrad begins 1943-02-02: Battle of Stalingrad ends 1943-07-05: Battle of Kursk begins 1943-08-01: Battle of Kursk ends 1944-01-18: Siege of Leningrad ends

Bombing of Dresden

35-135k Deaths Although there some factories in Dresden, it was usually referred to as industry free. There were soldiers fleeing from the east and civilians fleeing from the west so Dresden was very busy and packed. After Dresden, Churchill wondered about the conduct and morality of the bombings. 24866 homes were destroyed.

Women in the Workforce

A multitude of new jobs were created at the start of W.W. II, but with men leaving to fight in the war, new opportunities were opened up to women Motivated to join workforce by patriotism, desire for higher wages, and sense of community Worked in shipyards, lumber mills, steel mills, foundries, as welders, electricians, mechanics, boilmakers, lawyers, jour operated streetcars, buses cranes, tractors, and as engineers, physicists, chemists 3,000,000+ worked for the red cross Employers and companies originally met women with skepticism and suspicion, but later began to appreciate them Women workforce went from 12 Million to 18 million by end of the war Sparked a change in the commonly held working roles of women and men

Field Marshall Erwin Rommel

Acted as Hitler's bodyguard as he tried to expand his Nazi empire Nicknamed "Desert Fox" after his military campaigns in North Africa The defeat of the Afrika Corps in El Alamein convinced him to leave North Africa in 1943 Hitler put him in charge of leading the defenses along France's northern coast even though Germans were unsure where the Allies would strike and finishing the Atlantic Wall Germans believed the storm would postpone any Allied invasion so he went back to Germany to visit family German troops suffered confusion due to his absence but he rushed back by late evening of June 6th and tried to push the counterattack

Enigma Machine

Adopted by the German Armed forces to encipher/decipher almost all messages Believed to be "uncrackable" Consisted of a keyboard, a lamp board, and a scrambler unit Using intelligence from captured German submarines and Polish cryptographers, British code breakers were able to break the continuously changing code provided information known as ULTRA which provided insight on what the Nazis knew Allied forces saved countless lives when the Allies received confirmation that the Germans were deceived about the location of the attack on D-Day

Dropping of the A-Bomb and the Manhattan Project

American scientists wanted to use a newly discovered fission process for military purposes Persuaded Albert Einstein to present idea to FDR Office of Scientific Research and Development was in charge of the project, until when the United States entered the war, and the War Department took over The U.S. had to work fast, since other countries like Germany, where Einstein was from, were also working on the project J. Robert Oppenheimer headed laboratory in Los Alamos The first test bomb was exploded at Alamogordo air base and was a huge success On August 6, 1945, the first bomb was dropped by a B-29 bomber over Hiroshima, killed 80,000 people and ten thousands more due to the radiation exposure On August 9, 1945, the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing about 40,000 people On August 15, Japan unconditionally surrendered

Battle of Guadalcanal

August 1942-February 1943 Series of land and sea clashes between the Japanese and the Allies Japanese began building an airfield on the island of Guadalcanal, but the Allies seized it in a surprise attack Both sides sent many reinforcements and the Japanese sent many attacks to try to retake the airfield, but the Allied forces held Japanese lost 24,000 men, Americans had 5,800 casualties, many others died due to diseases Major turning point in the war

Tripartite Pact

Berlin, Sept. 27, 1940 1 nation attacked= mutual assistance Made statement to US: Don't join the Allies Recognized 2 spheres of influence: German/Italian power in Europe, Japanese "Greater East Asia"

Concentration camps; Auschwitz

Camps created to serve three main purposes To incarcerate real and perceived enemies of the Nazi regime for an indefinite period of time. To provide forced laborers for deployment in SS controlled commercial and military production and enterprises To be a site to exterminate other smaller targeted victim groups whose death was determined by the SS/police authorities believing that their death was essential to the continuation of the Nazi regime. Killing center camps typically had gas chamber and crematoriums. Sometimes contained areas where medical research was conducted on children. Some camps were only used as temporary stations. Officials typically mistreated and undernourished prisoner despite need of laborers-led to high rates of mortality. Auschwitz concentration camp complex Divided into three main camps-also had other sub camps Auschwitz I- Had about 40 square kilometers reserved exclusively for its use. A place where officials executed thousands of prisoners, and also had areas where medical experiments were performed. Auschwitz II- Largest total prisoner population with groups divided into various sections. It played a central role in plan to exterminate all Jews of Europe. Auschwitz III- more labor camp-like Total deaths numbers - 1,100,000 Jews+200,000 others

Reinhard Heydrich

Chief of SIPO, which allowed him to control the criminal police, security service, and the Gestapo. Essentially, it was the merging of all of these groups. Helped to develop power to the SD (Security Service) before it became part of the SIPO. His leadership allowed for these organizations to become the primary agencies responsible for intelligence analysis and executive measures of suppressing those against the Nazi government both internally and externally. Headed the RSHA (Reich Security Main Office), the official unification of the Security Police and the SD. Considered to be the most ruthless implementer of the Final Solution. Like other Nazi leaders, he believed that the Aryan race was superior to others.

Battle of Stalingrad

Considered to be turning point in the war Battle was unnecessary, but Hitler decided to attack Stalingrad anyways Eventually caused German troops to go into full retreat German 6th Army sent to invade Stalingrad Hitler states that surrender will not be acceptable, but the city is also heavily guarded by Russian troops Paulus, the commander of the German 6th Army, invaded Stalingrad only to be trapped by the Soviet army led by Georgy Zhukov Zhukov used extremely large army to surround the German army and trap them into the city

Victims and Death Toll

Death toll is about 11 million victims. The exact number is unknown. Variety of victims targeted by the Nazis. Some notable ones are the Jews, Roma (gypsies), Jehovah's Witnesses, and Political dissidents. Other victims include Poles (and other Slavic peoples), persons with mental or physical disabilities, and homosexuals.

Internment of Japanese Americans

Despite lack of concrete evidence, there was deep suspicion of Japanese Americans, especially in the West Coast, where there was a large Japanese presence Paranoia was heightened after Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, and Roosevelt signed executive order 9066 in 1942, ordering the relocation of all Japanese Americans All Japanese Americans were immediately evacuated from their homes, had to "register" and receive identification numbers Ten camps built in arid to semi-arid regions in remote western states Spartan housing-tarpaper barracks, communal mess halls, army-style grub, hot summers and cold winters Surrounded by barbed wire and guard posts; if interns tried to escape, they would be shot Interns tried to improve situation, formed self-governing communities Schools established, newspapers, churches, gardens, musical groups, sports teams, writers, musicians, appeared Woes of the Japanese Americans were largely ignored Although Japanese were released after the war, paranoia remained: their lives, especially those of first-generation Japanese, were in pieces after internment Government held internment of Japanese-Americans to be just, until 1988, when Congress tried to apologize to former interns by offering each survivor $20,000

Stalin's scorched earth policy

Destroying own supplies/factories during retreat, preventing enemy to gain hold of them. Stalin, as his armies retreated from Ukraine and other places, destroyed much of own factories/other militarily stuff, including: Dniprohes Dam (largest hydroelectric dam in Europe) main street of Kyiv collective farms (either destroy or give to retreating forces) left Germany (and the civilians) with little to live on When Germany retreats, it will do the same Because of this, first time more civilians die then soldiers

Heinrich Himmler

Director of the Nazis SS organization (Protection Squadrons), an organization staffed by men who believed that they were the "racial elite" regarding the Nazi future. held all control of Nazi concentration camp plans- the SS controlled the German police force and concentration camp system. Obsessively concerned with 'racial purity'- encouraged Aryan "breeding programs" He enacted the Final Solution, a plan to annihilate all Jewish people.

War Bonds

During the $300,000,000,000.00 war ($4,000,000,000,000 in today's money), U.S. citizens were encouraged to help with the expenses Citizens were encouraged to buy War Bonds - $25.00 bonds were bought for $18.75 That money was used for the war, and in 10 years, the buyer would receive $25.00 in return, making $6.25 Many bought more than one bond Also, children bought $0.25 war stamps for their war bond booklets Celebrities and Superheroes endorsed the buying of war bonds Schools helped by having students donate money and trying to out-donate the other schools

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Education - West Point (United States Military Academy ) Led Allied forces in North Africa (Operation Torch), Sicily and Italy Appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (Dec 1943) and responsible for the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe Approved British General Morgan's choice of the French Normandy coast as the location but increased the amount of troops Set D-Day for June 5 but due to bad weather, the attack was postponed to June 6 Led more than 150,000 troops across the English Channel to the beaches of Normandy

Vrba-Wetzler Report

Eyewitness account by two Auschwitz escapees, Rudolf Vrba [alias Walter Rosenburg] and Alfred Wetzler to Jewish officials in Zilina, Slovakia. Provided accounts of horrific events that occurred within the concentration camps, mainly Auschwitz. Also described the murders of Jewish people in the camps. Slovakian government sends copies of the report to the Allied Forces. However, it sometimes took a couple of months to reach the right hands. Confirmed Allied suspicion of the murders of millions of Jewish peoples.

German Invasion of France

France's plan was to remain defensive until 2-3 weeks after hostilities, therefore France was not prepared for Blitzkrieg Created the Maginot Line to protect France from Germany On May 10, 1940, Germany began invasions of Belgium, Netherlands, and France German bombers hit air bases in France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg With the air forces crippled, Germany dropped paratroopers onto allied forts Invasion of Denmark After the war started, the Nordic States immediately announced their neutrality Neutrality of Nordic States was vital to Germany's trading a lot of materials came from Sweden, through Norway Soviet Union attacked Finland on November 30, 1939 Norway and Sweden feared the spread of Soviet influence Germany feared Norway would turn to Great Britain for help could lead to the British occupation of Norwegian ports April 9, 1940, at 4:15 AM, Germany took over Norway and Denmark

Franklin Roosevelt

Gave financial support to other allied countries before the U.S. actually entered the war Was elected four times to continue to be president during the war (died before fourth term ended) Gave speeches to keep public morale up (Fireside Chats) Three terms as president, and died at beginning of fourth term; did not live to see the end of the war Main focus was keeping the public on the idea that the U.S. should be fighting the war Was already sending tanks and planes to Britain before the U.S. was officially entered into the war (Lend Lease Act) Brought the nation from producing four planes a month to four thousand Public's image of president was mainly brought by Newsreels before movies and his voice, mostly brought by the radio - Fireside Chats Was first elected president the same year that Hitler was elected chancellor Accepted a request from Winston Churchill to form an alliance to confront tyranny, but did not enter the war He had to convince the public that the war was going to come to them so they should develop military technology to be proactive All changed when Pearl Harbor was bombed, and the American Public now thought that the war was necessary Had trouble negotiating with Joseph Stalin

Luftwaffe

German air force Versailles Treaty that ended WW1 prevented Germany from having a military air force Hitler made one anyway configured to serve as a crucial part of the German blitzkrieg dive-bombers would decimate supply and communication lines and cause panic by the start of the war, it had an operational force of 1,000 fighters and 1,050 bombers supposed to be revealed little by little so not to alarm other governments Britain declared it was going to strengthen its Royal Air Force (RAF) Hitler revealed his ______ German fighter, Me-109, was more sophisticated than its counterparts pilots received combat training as they tried out new aerial attack formations on Spanish towns Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, and France fell to the blitzkrieg Battle of Britain, the RAF was the first to successfully drive the ____away (The Blitz) initially won in the USSR, but later began to lose air superiority as America and Britain used more air attacks by D-Day, the _____was not nearly as powerful as it once was

Vasily Zaitsev (Hero of the Soviet Union)

Grew up to become a sharpshooter 1937 - recruited into the Red Army (sent to serve in the Soviet Navy) When Nazi forces invaded, volunteered to be in frontline Beginning of sniper movement in the Red Army. tactic ("sixes"), hide and sting Taught Soviets—his students had over 6,000 kills during WWII Rose from Sergeant Major to Regiment Commander and ended war as Captain (was largely recognized) Fought in Ukraine at the Dnepr and in Odessa Constantly hospitalized Killed over 300 Nazis in Battle of Stalingrad between 10 November & 17 December, 225 verified kills

Nuremberg Laws

Hitler called on several legal officials to translate racial segregation into legal language, so that ostracizing laws could be published. The laws issued on September 15, 1935 Deprived Jews of German citizenship Prohibited any non-Jewish German from marrying a Jew. Hitler claimed during a Reichstag session that this would actually help the Jews by creating "a level ground on which the German people may find a tolerable relation with the Jewish people." Hitler's statement was a "blatant deception, aimed at the outside world." Einsatzgruppen ("mobile killing units") These were squads of SS men or police whose main job was to kill those that were thought to be Jewish or were political enemies of the Nazis. Mostly concentrated on the Eastern Front (Soviets) In Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, Einsatzgruppen followed the main army, carrying out mass-murder operations of the Jews. The groups went directly to the homes of the Jews, and killed them there, instead of sending them to killing centers or labor camps. At first, the squads killed only Jewish men, but later they killed all men, women and children that were suspected of being Jewish. Shooting was used as an execution method at first, but the practice was later abandoned for gassing, because Himmler believed that the shooting was too morale-lowering for his men. Following this observation, Germans also set up mass gassing sites.

Germany's split with the USSR

In 1940, Hitler decides that Germany will invade Russia in about a year Operation Barbarossa: Hitler betrays Stalin and launches a surprise attack (1941-06-22) Hitler created the non-aggression pact as a temporary act and as a tactical maneuver Soviets did not listen to warnings of German troop buildup along the border Over 3.5 million troops attacking the Soviets Germans were not prepared for the weather in Russia, and they started running short on supplies Soviet counterattack begins in December of 1941, when the Germans are vulnerable

Atlantic Wall

In 1942, Hitler ordered the building of a coastal defensive structure in anticipation of an invasion The French portion was heavily reinforced by the order of Erwin Rommel Concrete bunkers were built, some with walls more than 8 ft thick

Kamikaze Pilots

In Japanese culture, it was a considered a disgrace to surrender, so many fought till the death Kamikaze, or "divine wind", were young pilots who gave up their lives for their country Americans were greatly surprised when Japanese pilots flew their planes straight into ships In the battle of Okinawa, over 300 planes attacked American ships, driving some sailors insane By the end of the war, kamikazes had sank over 300 U.S. ships and caused 15,000 casualties Ultimately, the nature of the kamikazes led Truman to drop the A-Bomb

German Defenses

Included minefields, barbed wire fences, obstacles in the water, and what is known as the Atlantic Wall Defending the coast of Normandy were the troops in the German 7th Army Division, which included infantry and artillery divisions Elite German troop formations were placed in bluffs and cliffs The shoreline was well guarded, with over 80 resistance nests each containing two MG42s

Operation Barbarossa

Invasion on Soviet Union by Germans June 22, 1941 Breaks Nazi-Soviet Pact Didn't mean to fight a winter war Hitler sends 2.5 million troops Stalin refuses to accept that Hitler will invade, despite warnings Invasion divided into 3 groups: Army Group North to Baltics and Northern Russia, take Leningrad Army Group Central to Moscow, through Belarus and West-central Russia Army Group South attacks Ukraine, through Southern Russia, to the Volga River Largest land invasion in history Russians, even though numerically superior, are badly trained and have worse equipment Delays in original day of attack force the Germans to have to stand through the cold of winter, bringing them to an halt As more Russians came, the Germans could not advance

Pearl Harbor

Japanese wanted resources in Southeast Asia, but knew that attacking it would bring U.S. to war with them, and the main problem was the Pacific fleet Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto created a plan to destroy the force, using 6 aircraft carriers and 24 accompanying vessels The first wave of 181 planes came in, but radar officers thought that they were a returning U.S. force Navy air bases at Ford Island and Kaneohe Bay, the Marine airfield at Ewa and the Army Air Corps fields at Bellows, Wheeler and Hickam were all bombed- objective was to destroy American planes before they could take off 2403 were killed, including 68 civilians, 1178 wounded 29 Japanese planes downed Unfortunately for Japanese, aircraft carriers were absent from the harbor The U.S. were able to raise all but 3 ships- U.S.S. Arizona as it was too badly damaged, U.S.S. Oklahoma as it was old, and U.S.S. Utah as it was obsolete Resulted in a complete American commitment to the war Heavy losses: Battleships U.S.S. Arizona (B.B.-39), U.S.S. California (B.B.-44), U.S.S. Maryland (B.B.-46), U.S.S. Nevada (B.B.-36), U.S.S. Oklahoma (B.B.-37), U.S.S. Pennsylvania (B.B.-38), U.S.S. Tennessee (B.B.-43) and U.S.S. West Virginia (B.B.-48) Cruisers U.S.S. Helena (C.L.-50), U.S.S. Honolulu (C.L.-48), and U.S.S. Raleigh (C.L.-7) Destroyers U.S.S. Cassin (D.D.-372), U.S.S. Downes (D.D.-375), U.S.S. Helm (D.D.-388) and U.S.S. Shaw (D.D.-373) Seaplane Tender U.S.S. Curtiss (A.V.-4) Target Ship U.S.S. Utah (A.G.-16) Repair Ship U.S.S. Vestal (A.R.-4) Minelayer U.S.S. Oglala (C.M.-4) Tugboat U.S.S. Sotoyomo (Y.T.-9) Floating Drydock Number 2 Aircraft losses were 188 destroyed and 159 damaged

Mulberry Harbors

Landing craft weren't always enough So Britain and America began to tow pre-arranged ports to areas on the French shores One harbor was wrecked, but most stood and troops could use them to get onto shore Consisted of three elements: The breakwater (A)- a chain to form shelter for cargo ships Pierce heads (B)- where the cargo unloads Shore ramps (C)

Siege of Leningrad

Lasted almost 900 days from 1941-09-08 to 1944-01-27 Hitler believed that they could wait for Leningrad to fall without actually invading More than 1 million residents died Very low on oil, coal and food Some resorted to eating things such as cat intestine, rats, and sometimes other humans Streets covered with corpses

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Lasted from April 19 to May 16, 1943. Occurred after a deportation delay - after a mass struggle against a surprise deportation. Combination of military battle groups- most notable were the Jewish Combat Organization and the Jewish Military Union, both armed via secret activities. Main point -fight back against deportation from the ghettos. German plan-raze and destroy the ghetto, defeat or kill all persons within the ghetto. Jewish plan- hold out as long as possible. Resistance forces ultimately lose to the Nazis. The Great Synagogue on Tlomacki Street bombed and destroyed -sign of German victory Largest and most symbolically important uprising- inspired other smaller uprising in other ghettos and death camps.

Joseph Goebbels

Master of psychology, and therefore was very valuable for Hitler Was appointed to the propaganda chief in 1928 After the Nazis came to power, began to clamp down on artistic expression After a German diplomat was killed by a Jewish teenager, he authorized "spontaneous demonstrations," known as Kristallnacht, which led to the deaths of 91 Jews, 30000 more Jewish people in concentration camps, the destruction of 7000 Jewish businesses and 900 synagogues Worked hard to boost the morale of the German people

V.E. Day

May 8th 1945 German General Jodi signed the unconditional surrender document that formally ended the war in Europe In America, victory was dedicated to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died a month earlier, by president Hoover; flags ran half-mast for 30 days Massive celebrations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York

Amphibious Warfare

Military operation launched from sea Land+Sea combined operation. Usually to capture a defended position so further assaults can be made Requires different types of vehicles, including helicopters, planes, landing craft, and amphibious assault ships which can launch planes and dock boats. Helicopters are also used to carry supplies

T-34

Most produced Soviet tank in war, 2nd in history Created because of serious need to replace the BT series of light tanks and failings in the Winter War against Finland Highly balanced in speed, armor, and firepower, it was an very capable tank Commander as loader because of cramped turret Low visibility Famously sloped and thick armor Wide tracks to help carry more weight (and helped with dealing with the dirt, too) Because of bad training and frequent mechanical problems, the ___ wasn't effective at the start of Operation Barbarossa But Germans have serious trouble trying to penetrate the armor Germans develop Panther and Tiger, along with new tank destroyers and upgraded Pz.IV's

Enola Gay

Name of the B-29 bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb, "Little Boy", on Hiroshima The plane was named after the pilot's mom Currently, the Enola Gay is stored in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

Kristallnacht

On November 9, 1938, the Nazis orchestrated a wave of pogroms against Jews throughout the German Reich. In the space of a few hours, 30,000 Jews were transported to concentration camps. "Night of Broken Glass" for the shattered store windowpanes that carpeted German streets. The rioters destroyed 267 synagogues, vandalized or stole from over 7,500 Jewish businesses and damaged other property. In the aftermath of the violence, the Nazi regime fined the German Jewish community one billion reichsmarks for the pogroms, drove them from the German economy and society, and accelerated forced emigration. After this, the Anti-Jewish policy was more concentrated with the Nazis. first instance that the Nazis have mass-imprisoned Jews, based solely on their ethnicity. The passivity of the public response to this showed the Nazis that the public was ready for more violent action. Considered to be a turning point in Nazi policy.

Three waves of Allies attacks

Paratroopers/Airborne Assault Disrupt and confuse Germans to prevent a harsh counterattack against the navy coming in at dawn Heavy casualties (dark, farm fields, flooded areas) Naval Activity Supported the landings with shore bombardment Isolate German Navy from invasion routes and beaches Troops & Landing Beaches Britain & Canada: Gold, Juno, and Sword America: Omaha (heavy German fire, most casualties of the beaches); Utah (lightest)

Blackouts

People would collectively eliminate outdoor light so that the bombers couldn't navigate by sight only, and this was in Public Information Leaflet No.2, which was part of the Air Raid Precaution or ARP training literature regulations stated that all windows and doors at night should be covered by a suitable material Streetlights were dimmed or off, and if on, the light was directed down Headlights of cars were fitted with covers that directed the light down ARP officers patrolled to make sure that every light was covered Though an increase in crime was expected, it did not occur

Wartime Propaganda

Propaganda never had any plans for war on them We're going to tell people to save materials and turn them in Supposed to keep morale up Others give people reasons to join the workforce Made you think you were directly a part of the war Put up the thought that Nazis and Japanese were "Sub-Human" Said never to think twice about ending the war We're going to censor everything the public saw Meant to increase production of war machines Never let any pictures of Roosevelt in his wheelchair Made you think Roosevelt was healthy to not bring public morale down

Rosie the Riveter

Propaganda of a muscular woman saying, "We can do it!" Showed women men were not needed to build tanks and planes Women were needed to be factory workers because men were fighting in the war First shown on Saturday Evening Post Movement increased production of war machines Helped recruit more than two million women to the workforce

Winston Churchill

Served as the leader for Britain in WW2 Hoped to join Americans in rebuilding Europe. When Britain first declared war on Germany, was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and as a member of the war cabinet. He wielded a lot of power in Britain and in Europe. had outstanding relations with the United States and Roosevelt. Used propaganda to attract British support.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Soviets have many times more tanks and airplanes than Germans, but mainly obsolete Germans underestimate amount of Soviet troops Germans are more skilled and caught Soviets by surprise However, the Soviets were surprisingly stubborn in their defense, slowing the Germans down German lack of resources because of scorched earth policy

Liberation of Concentration Camps

The Soviets were the first to march on the concentration camps in 1944. The Germans, surprised by the rapid advance, quickly evacuated the concentration camps, hoping to hide the evidence of their crimes of mass murder. The Soviets later liberated Auschwitz, but German troops had ordered the majority of the surviving prisoners on a "death march," which consisted of the emaciated prisoners having to march in the bitter cold, often without food, water or rest. During the march out of Auschwitz, almost a quarter of the prisoners died. It was not until the Allies began liberating camps that anybody besides the Axis had any idea of the horrors of the Holocaust. The Soviets, British, French and American troops came at Poland from all directions and Germany had to mass evacuate the prisoners (who were just sent to other concentration camps). Liberators found corpses unburied at the camps, as well as pounds of hair that were shaved off of the prisoners' heads when they first arrived.

B-17s

The ____was the alternative to the Douglas DB1 after it was found out that the Douglas plane was underpowered. They were originally turned away from the ____ because the older version crashed. The ____was sent to Britain but the first one crashed and when 2 were sent to attack, they dropped the bombs off target and their guns froze. The attack on pearl harbor was one of the most important moments in the ____history because it forced Boeing to go into full ____production. Almost all of the factories destroyed in Germany were destroyed by _____

Rationing

The goal of rationing was to use less resources so that military troops could have enough, and to make sure that limited supplies were doled out fairly to citizens Huge range of rationed products The U.S. employed multiple types of rationing Uniform coupon rationing: equal shares Point rationing: equivalent shares Differential coupon rationing: shares of a single product according to varying need Certificate rationing: allowed individuals products only after an application demonstrated need "Voluntary rationing" was also encouraged, (carpooling, driving slowly in order to save gas, etc.) which ultimately failed

Battle of the Bulge

The result of bombing was fought over the winter months 1944-1945 Was the last major Nazi offensive against the Allies in World War II Started on December 16, 1944 Hitler thought that the alliance between France, Britain, and the USA were not strong, and would break if he attacked them He ordered a massive attack on a primarily American part of the Allies this attack caused a bulge in the Allied front line One army was to capture Antwerp, another to attack the center of American forces, another to act as a buffer zone, and another to stay back as defenses Germans were originally winning because of the weather preventing the Allies from using their air force, the element of surprise, and Germans dressed as Americans (spreading misinformation, changing road signs, cutting telephone lines) After the bulge had been made, a stalemate took place The Nazis could not supply their vehicles with fuel, and many had to be abandoned, and the lack of fuel eventually resulted in the loss of the battle

Charles de Gaulle

Took over command of the 5th Army's tank force in Alsace German Army broke through at Sedan given command of the recently formed 4th Armoured Division May 17, 1940, attacked the German panzers at Montcornet with 200 tanks lacking air support, made little impact on the Germans more successful at Caumont only French commanding officer to make the Germans retreat during the invasion June 5, 1940, the French prime minister, Paul Reynaud, appointed him as his minister of war went to London, came back, discovered Henri-Philippe Petain was forming a government seeking an armistice with Germany ___, in danger of arrestment by the new government, went back to England wanted to keep fighting the Germans Winston Churchill backed him as leader of the "Free French" July 4, 1940, Henri-Philippe Petain responded by denouncing him French Committee of National Liberation (FCNL) was made with him and Henri Giraud as co-presidents May 26, 1944, he announced the FCNL will be called the Provisional Government of the French Republic Roosevelt and Churchill refused to recognize his action excluded him from the planning of Operation Overlord Provisional Government was recognized by Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia and Norway 13th July, 1944, the governments of Britain and the USA agreed that he can help administer the free chunks of France decided the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) would be integrated into the French Army offered posts in his government to leaders of the resistance not invited to the Yalta Conference 13th November, 1945, the 1st Constituent Assembly elected him as head of the government

Battle of Kursk

Unsuccessful German offensive Germans tried to attack from different directions Soviets were able to hold off the attack while preparing for a counterattack Soviets eventually captured the cities of Orel and Kharkov One flaw of the Germans was that Hitler postponed the attack from March to July, allowing the Russians to build up defenses and bring in reinforcements Additionally, they were able to create minefields and defensive structures

Maginot Line

Vast fortification that spread along the French/German border France suffered damage to men and buildings in WW1 thought France should never have to suffer such a catastrophe again favored a military strategy that would stop German invasion believed Germany would seek revenge over the Treaty of Versailles Maginot, the minister of war, had sound military arguments Line would stop any German attack for so long that the bulk of the large French army could be fully mobilized to counter the attack troops in the Line could also be used to fight against invading Germans if they get through any part of the Line and attack them from behind the fighting would take place near to the border so there would be minimal damage to property the Ardennes in the north would be a natural continuation considered impenetrable, so the Line wouldn't need to go all the way up comprised of over 500 separate buildings and was dominated by large ouvrages 50 ouvrages along German boundary between ouvrages were smaller forts the _____was able to create a massive continuous line of fire that should have devastated any attack, in theory obviously not mobile assumed the Ardennes were impenetrable Germans went around the entire line Line was isolated now had little military importance many of the ouvrages surrendered with the government

The Sinking of the HMS and the Bismarck

_____new kind of battleship that was made by the Germans, had protection in crucial points, and had very accurate and rapid firing guns _____ was not fully protected, and had guns that could severely damage the ____but were worse _____could take more damage and give more damage than the _____ Britain knew about the ______and was patrolling the Denmark Strait using the Norfolk and Suffolk, and Suffolk spotted the ______and Prinz Eugen The accompanying destroyers were too slow, and so the Prince of Wales and ______went forward on their own The _____and Prince of Wales engaged the two ships, but had originally misidentified them, targeting the Prinz Eugen before retargeting the ______ The ____ began firing as well, and a shell hit the _____, lighting it on fire close to the ammunition locker, which started to ignite A big explosion erupted on the ____, and the ____sunk The Prince of Wales then retreated, taking heavy damage

Adolf Eichmann

began being involved with Jewish emigration when he led a raid on the Jewish Cultural Community offices. He later organized a Central Office for Jewish emigration that opened in Vienna, in 1938. This created a template for the Reich Central Office for Jewish Emigration. rose to the rank of director of Jewish Affairs in the RSHA, and deported mass quantities of Jewish people to concentration and labor camps. In 1941, took part in the discussion of the annihilation of Jews from Germany that resulted in Hitler's "Final Solution". In 1942, he organized the deportation of Jews from Slovakia, the Netherlands, France and Belgium. From 1943-44, he deported the Jews from Greece, Italy and Hungary. He deported around 440,000 Jews from Hungary alone.

Bombing of Hamburg

city was seriously injured. Total of 4 raids on Hamburg by the Allies. The Allies used high explosives, incendiary, phosphorous, and napalm bombs. Total affected area is approximately 22sq km and 8.5 sq m. The bomb mainly affected the civilian population and the industry, the industry never fully recovered to its prime. 60k to 100k Germans killed. Basically the British were extremely happy with the result. They said it was extremely humane, false.

Anne Frank

goes into hiding in a "Secret Annex" in a warehouse in Amsterdam. While in the Secret Annex, keeps a diary of her stay. It describes the experience of hiding away during WWII. Stays in the Secret Annex for over two years. She grows as a person and is weathered by hardship and pity for the Jews that are much worse off than she is. The members of the Secret Annex are betrayed and Anne is sent to Auschwitz. Later, she is moved to Bergen-Belsen, where she dies of typhus, only a few weeks before the British troops liberate Bergen-Belsen. diary was published by her father, Otto Frank. becomes a symbol of the children of the Holocaust all over the world.

Kriegsmarine

marine strategy. Originally ____was very effective in taking down Allied ships but later in 1943 the German U-Boats were absolutely destroyed and the Allied tech was too powerful. The strategy was used in all of German marine battles but probably the most famous example was the invasion of Norway. _____was in over its head, but it still won some battles, it is believed that the ___lucky time ended in 1941 when the ship Bismarck sank.

Erich von Manstein (German field marshal)

most talented German field commander in WWII 1939- chief of staff to General Gerd von Rundstedt in invasion of Poland plan to invade France adopted by Hitler June 1940-led assault on France, promoted to general 1941- commanded 56th Panzer Corps in invasion of Soviet Union & nearly captured Leningrad Sep. 1941-promoted to command of 11th Army, took 430,000 Soviet prisoners July 1942- withstood Soviet counteroffensive & captured Sevastopol Promoted to field marshal Dec. 1942- Jan. 1943- almost relieved beleaguered 6th Army in Stalingrad Feb. 1943- forces recaptured Kharkov 945- Captured by the British after dismissed by Hitler memoir-Verlorene Siege (1955; Lost Victories)

The Battle of Caen

opened a direct route to Paris, and was thus very important to the Germans On June 6th, German tanks formed a barrier in front of Caen After abandoning frontal assault, Montgomery launched offences to try to envelop the city from the west, and capture through the rear. The British tried large offensive attacks, but were met with SS armored divisions The battle was long with attack and counter-attack Montgomery reverted back to a direct assault, and sent air forces to bombard the city On July 7th, the Canadians and British broke down all defenses and flushed out the SS. Soon, the British advanced through the now-unrecognizable streets

The Blitz

period of intense bombing of London and other cities goal was to demoralize the people/force Britain to surrender started on September 7, 1940 348 German bombers escorted by 617 fighters bombed London for 2 hours from 4-6 AM next 57 days, London was bombed either during the day or night residents fled to underground stations sheltered as many as 177,000 people during the night ended on May 11, 1941 Hitler called off the raids so he could move his bombers east in preparation for Russia's invasion

Forced Suicide

wanted to pull back from Normandy but Hitler rejected any form of retreat Led to his idea of opening secret talks with the Allies to remove Hitler Wounded when an Allied aircraft attacked his car While he was hospitalized, a bomb was set off during a conference between Hitler and his advisors, but failed to kill Hitler; was implicated in the plot given the choice of committing suicide by cyanide capsules or a most likely rigged trial died from the cyanide while publicly stated to have died in an automobile accident

Waffen-SS (armed protective squadron)

was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel, commanded by Heinrich Himmler 1943-44, Cauldron battles- Manstein went against Hitler's orders, escaped destruction from Soviet Manstein made Waffen-SS commanders that they were more similar to higher army commanders than Hitler's men