Chap25 - A World Conflict: WWII

Which two main European nations was Hitler unable to conquer in WWII?

Great Britian (UK) and The Soviet Union (Russia)

The Allied Powers

This included the alliance of the United States, Britian, and the Soviet Union (Russia)

Enigma

this German machine invented by engineer Arthur Scherbins posed a significant challenge to Allied cryptanalysts. (ciphers = codes)

What helped end the Great Depression in the US?

World War II

Unconditional surrender

"An unconditional surrender is a surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party" A week after Hitler's suicide, General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich.

What was FDR and Churchill's plan to win the war?

(They met in Dec. 1941 and became instant friends) Their top priority was to defeat Germany, and they would only accept the *unconditional surrender* of the Axis Powers

Who were the kamikaze?

(mean divine wind) involving or engaging in the deliberate crashing of a bomb filled air plane into a military target

What was General McAuliffe's reply to the German demand for surrender at Bastogne?

*"NUTS"*

Franklin D. Roosevelt & Harry S. Truman's role in the war

*Roosevelt* took part in being the mediator in the Yalta Conference and in creating the United Nations while *Truman* took part in the decision making of the atomic bombs over Japan

The Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943)

*The first great turning point of the land war in Europe*. Russians were ordered to defend the city no matter what the cost. Soviets counterattacked the Germans and held on into the winter. Feb 1943, German 6th army surrendered. Russians lost 1.1 million soldiers. Despite the death toll the Soviet victory marked a turning point in the war, and the soviet army moved west towards Germany.

What were the effects of World War II?

- United Nations - Germany was divided into 4 zones - Japan was in ruins and was in temporary control of the US military, but the emperor was allowed to retain his position - England was devastated from the bombing by Germany & the economy depended upon the US - US and Soviet Union held status of high power after the war - US economy was greatly stimulated by the war

Establishment of the Selective Service System - peacetime draft

16 million men between ages of 21 and 35 were registered. Of these 1 million were drafted for one year but were only allowed to serve in the Western Hemisphere.

Maginot Line

A system of fortifications built along France's eastern border. French and British sat waiting for Germany to make a move. (Ineffective line)

Harry Truman - successor to FDR

After FDR had a stroke and died, this man succeeded FDR and became the 33rd president of the United States

Battle of Leyte Gulf

After MacArthur returned back to the Philippines with a large army, during this 3 day battle the Japanese used *kamikaze* attacks in which Japanese pilots crashed their bomb planes into Allied ships. Despite the damage done by the kamikazes, this battle was a disaster for Japan, huge losses of planes and ships.

Rebuilding of Japan - Douglas MacArthur & Constitution

After the destruction of Japan, MacArthur was appointed as Japan's military governor and was given emperor like powers to rebuild and reshape Japan's ancient civilization. By doing this he made a constitution for Japan based of the US constitution.

American isolationism

America wanted to stay out of the war bc they believed they were sucked into the First World War by greedy bankers and arms dealers (they made large profits in the war)

Tuskegee Airmen

Among the brave men who fought in Italy were pilots of the all-black 99th Pursuit Squadron. In Sicily, the squadron registered its first victory against an enemy aircraft & went on to more impressive strategic strikes against the German forces throughout Italy.

MacArthur in the Philippines "I shall return"

At the time of the Japanese invasion in Dec 1941 MacArthur was in command of Allies on the islands. When American and Filipino forces found themselves w/ their back on the wall of Bataan, FDR ordered MacArthur to leave. After leapfrogging across the Pacific Allied troops converged on Leyte Island in the Philippines, after 2 years MacArthur announced, "People of the Philippines: I have returned."

Concentration camps/death camps - crematorium

Concentration camps were labor camps for undesirables and crematoriums were ovens that burned the dead. The Germans needed to get rid of the evidence of dead bodies (from harsh conditions/gassing/shooting) so they burned the bodies in crematoriums

What was the significance about the Doolittle Raid in early 1942?

Daring raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities. Doolittle led 16 bombers in the attack. Pulling off a Pearl Harbor-style air raid over Japan lifted America's sunken spirits

Malmedy Massacre

Dec 17 1944 the day after the opening of the Battle of the Bulge. The American and German columns were bound to cross at a road junction just south of the town of Malmedy in eastern Belgium. Germans rounded up Americans and killed them all in a snowfield. (German leader Colonel Peiper)

Inventions from the war

Duct tape, Volkswagen, pressurized cabins, jet engine, V-2 rocket, nutrition, penicilin, radar, operation research and the computer

Internment of Japanese Americans during WWII - Executive Order 9066

Due to the war's outcome, the attacks of Pearl Harbor, and the bombing, panic stricken citizens of the US became in fear of the Japanese. Many frightened people believed false rumors and a wave of prejudice fell upon Japanese Americans, which soon led to the internment (confinement) of them. FDR ordered officials to confine these citizens from along the entire west coast (Washington to California) and inland towards Southern Arizona

Role of American women in the war

During the war, women took many jobs previously held by men. More than 6 million of these new workers were women.

The role and power of the Japanese emperor after the war?

Emperor Hirihito was required to renounce his divinity and encourage democracy. He was also allowed to keep his throne and served as a figure head of Japan.

What was Fat Man and Little Boy?

Enola Gay was the plane that released Little boy over Hiroshima Bock's Car was the plane that released Fat Man over Nagasaki

Battle of Guadalcanal

First Allied offensive began Aug 1942 when 19,000 troops stormed in the Solomon Islands. Japanese abandoned 6 months later, called it the Island of Death. This marked Japan's first defeat on land, but not its last.

Segregation of American service men during the war

For many minority groups (African American, Native American, Mexican Americans, and Asian Americans) the war created new dilemmas. Restricted to racially segregated neighborhoods and reservations and denied basic citizenship rights, some members questioned whether this was their war to fight. Despite discrimination in the military, more than 300,000 Mexican Americans, 1 million African Americans, 13,000+ Chinese Americans, and 25,000 Native Americans served in the military.

Siegfried Line

German line during *Sitzkrieg*, German troops stared back at the French & British waiting for attack

U-Boats

German navy boats/submarines

Use of the atomic bomb against Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Who approved it?

Harry Truman *did NOT* hesitate to use the bomb in order to end the war. "The final decision of where and when to use the atomic bomb was up to me. Let there be no mistake about it. I regarded the bomb as a military weapon and never had any doubt that it should be used." The bombs would be used to save the number of lives if the Allies were to invade the mainland of Japan.

Who was Douglas MacArthur and what was his role?

In the Philippines 80,000 American and Filipino troops battled the Japanese for control, at the time of the Japanese invasion in December 1941, he was in command of Allied forces on the islands. *Pacific Theatre of Operations*

Island Hopping

Island by Island the Allies won territory back from the Japanese

What was the importance of the Battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa?

Iwo Jima (means sulfur island) was critical to the US as a base from which heavily loaded bombers might reach Japan. Also the most heavily defended spot on earth, the greatest number in any battle in the Pacific died here. The island of Okinawa was the final obstacle that stood between the Allies & final assault on Japan. Japanese unleashed 1,900+ kamikaze attacks and the Allies sacrificed many, but were still able to pull through. The taking of Iwo Jima and Okinawa opened the way for an invasion of Japan.

Navajo Code Talkers

Marines secretly recruited 29 young Navajo men and had them create a military code. The men turned to nature for many code words. Many of these words were incomprehensible to speakers of English or Japanese.

The Axis P0wers - Germany, Italy and Japan

Nations that fought against the Allied forces in WWII

What was the importance of radar and sonar in the war effort?

New technological device used during WWII, accurately plotted the flight paths of enemy planes, even in darkness

Who referred to the US as an "arsenal of democracy"?

President Roosevelt

What was Majdanek?

Soviets found this "concentration camp" in Poland and liberated the thousands of starving prisoners barely alive, *the world's largest crematorium*

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Research directed by this American scientist, the development of the atomic bomb was not only the most ambitious scientific enterprise in history, but also best kept secret of the war

What was Operation Overlord?

The Allied invasion originally set for June 5, but bad weather forced a delay. (day before DDay) *organized by Eisenhower to invade Normandy*

What was the importance of the Battle of the Coral Sea and Midway?

The Allied nations wanted to prevent against Japanese invasions in the Pacific Islands. At the battle of Coral Sea the Allies succeeded in stopping the Japanese drive toward Australia in this 5 day battle, most of the fighting was done by airplanes. For the first time since Pearl Harbor, a Japanese invasion had been stopped and turned back. Japan next tried taking over Midway, and again the Allies succeeded in taking them down. Americans broke the Japanese code & knew Midway was the next target, Nimitz moved to defend the island. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War.

What was the original Allied strategy in waging this "two front war"?

The Allies would fight Germany on 2 fronts to weaken it. For example: The Allies, especially the US, also fought a 2 front war, splitting their forces between the European Theatre against the Nazi Germany and the Pacific War against Japan.

Who was Dwight Eisenhower and what was his role?

The American General who commanded Operation Torch and arranged *the invasion of Normandy*

Where did Hitler originally believe the Allied invasion would occur at?

The French port of Calais - 150 miles away from Normandy - where the English Channel is narrowest. (across the Strait of Dover)

How were the Holocaust and Hitler's Final Solution related?

The Holocaust was the *systematic murder of 11 million people* across Europe, more than than half was Jews. Hitler's Final Solution was *a policy of genocide* with the belief that Aryans were superior race and that strength and purity of this "master race" must be preserved. Both included mass murder of millions of people across Europe.

GI (Government Issue) - The American fighting man

The Selective Service System drafted 10 million soldiers and trained them to meet the arm forces' needs

War crimes trials after the war - at Nuremberg, Germany and in Japan

The discovery of Hitler's death camps led the Allies to put 24 surviving Nazi leaders on trial for crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, and war crimes. The trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany. In the end 12 of 24 defendants were sentenced to death, and the remaining sent to prison. The trials establish *the idea that individuals are responsible for their own actions, even in times of war.*

What happened at Alamagordo, New Mexico - July 1945

The first test of the new bomb took place on this morning, in an empty expanse of desert.

Who were the Monuments Men? (Venus Fixers)

These men and women were incredibly great letter writers, and they shared their letters and experiences with historians and movie directors. They found mines, caves and castles throughout Europe filled with hundreds of thousands of stolen art objects from the Germans. They recovered over 5 millions works of art.

The Axis Powers

This included the alliance of Germany, Italy and Japan

What was Bock's Car?

This plane was a bomber that released the atomic bomb *Fat Man* over Nagasaki

Hideki Tojo

this former prime minister was arrested along with more than 1,100 Japanese and put on trial. 7 including this official were sentenced to death.

Theories concerning the attack on Pearl Harbor

Was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor unprovoked, and did it come w/o warning as the FDR administration claimed at the time? Or was it part of a deliberate plan by FDR to have the Japanese force a reluctant US into the war? Did the administration know of the attack in advance? Did Roosevelt deliberately refrain from warning the commanders in Hawaii so that the air raid's effect on the American public would be more profound?

"..Never in the field of human conflict, was so much owed, by so many, to so few.."

Winston Churchill, he was referring to the ongoing efforts of the RAF (Royal Air Force) pilots who were at the time fighting the Battle of Britain

How did civilians in the US join in the war effort?

Women and African Americans took the old jobs of the men that had went off to war, despite the draft 18 million workers were laboring in war industries. Americans at home also accepted rationing as the contribution to the war.

WAACs

Women's Auxiliary Army Corps, U.S. army unit created during World War II to enable women to serve in noncombat positions

I. Yamamoto

a Japanese naval marshal general and commander in chief of the combined fleet during WWII. Was the commander in chief of the early years of the pacific war and so was responsible for major battles such as Pearl Harbor and Midway

Oveta Culp Hobby

a Texas newspaper executive and the first director of the WAAC, put out a call for recruits

Battle of Midway

a World War II battle that took place in early June 1942. The Allies decimated the Japanese fleet at Midway, an island lying northwest of Hawaii. The Allies then took the offensive in the Pacific and began to move closer to Japan.

Erwin Rommel

a conspirator accused this war hero of involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler. He was ready to bypass Hitler and negotiate for peace with the Allies, but he knew nothing of the plot. Hitler believed that he did & offered him trial or suicide. Oct 14, 1944, he took poison and died.

Dear John Letters

a letter written, originally to a soldier overseas, by his significant other to inform him their relationship is over, usually because the author has found another lover

What was the Battle of the Bulge?

a month long battle of World War II, in which the Allies succeeded in turning back the last major German offensive of the war

The London Blitz

a period of intense bombing of London and other cities that continued until the following May. For the next consecutive 57 days, London was bombed either during the day or night by the German Luftwaffe

Who was Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose?

a pro-Nazi American actress (Axis Sally) , targeting scared, lonely soldiers with what they were often desperate to hear: a female's voice. Turned fears of cheating girlfriend's into weapons of war. Served 12 years in prison. (Tokyo Rose was Japanese versions of Axis Sally, and there were several Tokyo Roses and most of them were Japanese-Americans)

Who was George "Blood and Guts" Patton?

advanced with his Third Army past a gap in the German line of defense and on August 23 they reached the Seine River south of Paris. French & American troops liberated French capital from 4 years of German occupation. "Dear Ike: Today I spat in the Seine." *Overcame Germans in France*

Millard Gillars

aka *Axis Sally*, a pro-Nazi American actress, targeting scared, lonely soldiers with what they were often desperate to hear: a females voice. Turned fears of cheating gf's into weapons of war. Served 12 years in prison.

United Nations

an international peacekeeping organization to which most nations in the world belong, founded in 1945 to promote world peace, security, and economic development

Who was colonel Paul Tibbetts?

he was the pilot for the Enola Gay and released Little Boy over Hiroshima

What was Hitler's "Fortress Europe?"

military propaganda term which referred to Nazi/German occupied land in Europe.

Dorie Miller

navy cook at Pearl Harbor, won the Navy Cross for his actions

Nisei

refers to American citizens whose parents had emigrated from Japan

Significance of DDay - June 6, 1944

the Allies gathered a force of 3 million British, American and Canadian troops to attack Normandy in northern France. DDay was the first day of the invasion, the largest land-sea-air operation in army history. It paved way for the Allies to liberate all occupied countries of Europe. Despite the heavy casualties, by September 1944 the Allies freed France. Marked the beginning of the end for Hitler and the Nazis.

Operation Torch

the Allies invasion of Axis-controlled North Africa, commanded by General Dwight Eisenhower

Define: ETO & PTO

the European Theatre of Operations was led by Dwight Eisenhower and the Pacific Theatre of Operations was led by Douglas MacArthur

What was the Manhattan Project?

the U.S. program to develop an atomic bomb for use in World War II

Segregation

the separation of people on the basis of race

What was the Enola Gay?

this B-29 bomber released an atomic bomb named Little Boy over Hiroshima

Alan Turing

this British cryptanalyst and team at Bletchley park designed the Bombe, an electromechanical device used to determine the Nazis' daily rotor settings

What was the 442nd Infantry regiment and their role in the war?

this was a combat team of the US Army composed of almost entirely of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who fought in World War II, despite the fact that many of their families were subject to internment. They fought in Italy and suffered nearly 350 casualties and rescued 211 remaining lost Battalion soldiers along side the 100th Infantry Battalion.

Hirihito

was horrified by the destruction wrought by the bomb so he ordered Japan's leaders to end the war. After Japan's surrender to the US he was still allowed to keep the throne of Japan.