World War II

Kamikaze

"Divine Wind" Japanese suicide pilots. They would sink Allied ships by crash-diving their bomb-filled planes into them.

Kristallnacht

"Night of Broken Glass". When a Jewish boy named Herschel Grynszpan learned that his father was deported from Germany, he shot a German diplomat living in Paris on November 7th 1938. This outraged Nazi leaders and they launched a violent attack on the Jewish community. On November 9th, Nazi storm troopers attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Germany and murdered close to 100 Jews. Kristallnacht marked a major step-up in the Nazi policy of Jewish persecution. After this event, Jews realized that violence against them was bound to increase and by 1939 many had fled to other countries which would soon be conquered by Hitler.

Erwin Rommel

"The Desert Fox" Hitler sends in this German guy to help italy take the Suez Canal. He ended up committing suicide. Accusing him of participating in a failed plot to kill Adolf Hitler, the emissaries offered him a choice: face trial for treason or commit suicide. Aware that death awaited him either way, Rommel popped a cyanide capsule into his mouth in exchange for immunity for his family.

Why did the Soviet-German nonaggression pact fail?

Operation Barbarossa: The German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22 1941. The attack came as a surprise to Stalin because they had a non-aggression pact and thought Hitler wouldn't risk an eastern war as long as the British Empire remained undefeated. German forces had destroyed most of the Red army and Russian air force. The Red Army had sufficient reserves to stop the German army from completing the rout in December 1941, but the following summer German offensives launched far to the south of Moscow to seize the rich oilfields of the Caucasus and to cut the shipping route, created further chaos. Hitler hoped German forces would capture the oil and sweep on through the Middle East to meet up with Axis forces in Egypt. A failed attack at Stalingrad, and the Red Army solidified its defense and against all the odds clung onto the battered city.

Why did so many europeans take to the roads and wander the countryside after WWII

A larger number of people did not stay where they were. Rather, they took to the roads. These displaced persons included the survivors of the concentration camps, prisoners of war, and refugees who found themselves in the wrong country when postwar treaties changed the national borders. They wandered across Europe hoping to find their families or a safe place to live.

Blitzkrieg

The "lightening war". The german invasion of Poland was the first test of Germany's newest military strategy- the blitzkrieg. It involved using fast-moving airplanes and tanks, followed by massive infantry forces, to take enemy defenders by surprise and quickly overwhelm them. In the case of Poland, the strategy worked.

Why do you think so many Europeans favored communism after WWII

After the war, the Communist Party promised change, and millions were ready to listen. In both France and Italy, Communist party membership skyrocketed. The communists made huge gains in the first postwar elections. Anxious to speed up a political takeover, the communists staged a series of violent strikes. Alarmed French and Italians reacted by voting anticommunist parties. Communist party membership and influence began to decline and declined even more as the economies of France and Italy began to recover.

Phony war

After they declared war on Germany, the French and British had mobilized their armies. They stationed their troops along the Maginot. Line, a system of fortifications along France's border with Germany. There they waited for the Germans to attack, but nothing happened. Equally bored, German soldiers stared back from their Siegfried Line a few miles away. Germans jokingly called it "sitzkrieg" or sitting war. Some newspapers referred to it simply as "the phony war" Suddenly on April 9, 1940, the calm ended. Hitler launched a surprise invasion of Denmark and Norway. In just four hours after the attack, Denmark fell. Two months later, Norway surrendered. The Germans began to build bases along the Norwegian and Danish coasts from which they could launch strikes on Great Britain.

Battle of the Coral Sea

Both sides used a new kind of naval warfare. The opposing ships did not fire a single shot. In fact, they often could not see one another. Instead, airplanes taking off from huge aircraft carriers attacked the ships. The Allies suffered more losses in ships and troops did the Japanese. However, the Battle of the Coral Sea was something of a victory, for the Allies had stopped Japan's southward advance.

Churchill

British Prime Minister during WWII "never give up" motto helped Britain win the Battle of Britain

Nonaggression pact

Hitler signed this pact with Soviet Union. To split up poland, the balkans, and finland. To get more time. So Hitler would not have to face a two front war like he did in WWI. t was meant so that if there were ever a problem it would be handled peacefully. It also had terms that if Germany attacked Poland, then the Soviet Union would not come to Poland's aid. Thus, if Germany went to war against the West (Especially France and Great Britain) over Poland, the Soviets guaranteed they would not enter the war and not open a second front for Germany. But the secret protocol was if they did not join the possible future war, Germany was giving the Soviets the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). Poland was also to be divided between the two. Because of this pact, the Soviets did not doin the fight against Germany, thus Germany was successful in its attempt to safeguard itself from a two front war.

final solution

Hitler soon grew impatient waiting for Jews to die from starvation or disease. He decided to take direct action and this plan was called the "Final Solution". It was a program of genocide. Nazi troops and Units from the SS (hitler's elite security force) hunted down and rounded up the men, women, children, and even babies and took them to isolated spots then they shot their prisoners in pits that became the prisoners graves. Jews in communities not reacher by the killing squads were rounded up and taken to concentration camps, or slave labor prisons. Hitler hoped that the horrible conditions in the camps would speed the total elimination of the Jews. The prisoners were treated horribly and worked as slaves. The Final solution reached its last stage in 1942. Huge gas chambers were built in the concentration camps and could kill as many as 6,000 human beings in a day. When they arrived at the camps they were separated by SS doctors. Those labeled as weak would die that day in most likely the gas chambers. Later, the Nazis installed crematoriums (ovens) to burn the bodies.

Battle of the Bulge

Hitler was faced with a two front war and decided to counter-attack in the west. On December 16, German tanks broke through weak American defenses along a 75 mile front in the Ardennes. The push into the Allied lines gave the campaign its name- Battle of the Bulge. Although caught off guard, the allies eventually pushed the Germans back. The Germans had little choice but to retreat, since there were no reinforcements available. After the battle of the bulge, the war in Europe rapidly drew to a close.

genocide

Hitler's "Final Solution" was a program of genocide, or the systematic killing of an entire people.

Roosevelt

In 1932 he was elected the new President after the depression had begun. His confident manner appealed to millions of Americans who felt bewildered by the Depression. He immediately began the "NEW DEAL". Roosevelt and his advisors believed that government spending would create jobs and start a recovery. His leadership preserved the country's faith in its democratic political system and also established him as a leader of democracy in a world threatened by ruthless dictators. Stalin had asked his allies to relieve German pressure on his armies in the east. He wanted them to open a recond front in the west. This would split the Germans' strength by forcing them to fight major battles in two regions instead of one. Churchill agreed with Stalin's strategy. The allies would weaken Germany on two fronts before dealing a deathblow. At first Roosevelt was torn, but ultimately he agreed. Roosevelt and Churchill's secret declaration to confirm free trade among nations and the right of people to changer their own government. This started a naval war between the U.S. and Hitler. this later served as the allies peace plan to end WW2.

Pearl Harbor

The reason USA entered WWII Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Japan's greatest naval strategist, also called for an attack on the U.S. fleet in Hawaii. On December 7th, 1941, American sailors at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii awoke to the roar of explosives- a Japanese attack was underway. They had sunk or damaged 19 ships and killed more than 2,300 Americans and wounding 1,100.

How did the US strike back against Japan? How successful was US retaliation?

They gave warnings, but they were ignored. Finally, USA dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is what forced Japan to surrender and ended the war in the Pacific.

Nagasaki

Three days after Hiroshima, on August 9, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, a city of 270,000. More than 70,000 people were killed immediately. Radiation fallout from the two explosions killed many more.

Battle of Britain

With the fall of France, GB stood alone against Nazis. Winston Churchill kept his people motivated not to give up. Hitler turned his mind to an invasion of GB. In the summer of 1940, the Luftwaffe began bombing GB. An Enigma machine had been smuggled into gb and enabled the British to decode German secret messages. With info from this they could quickly launch attacks on Germany. The germans gave up daylight raids in oct 1940, and favored night bombings. GB civilians flocked to subways which served as air raid shelters. It continued until May 10, 1941. Stunned by British resistance, Hitler decided to call off his attacks and instead focused on the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. The Battle of Britain taught the Allies a crucial lesson: Hitlers attacks could be blocked. The bombings of British cities backfired on Hitler and the Germans because the British Air Force (RAF) was able to rebuild.

Do you think it was right for the Allies to try only Nazi and Japanese leaders for war crimes?

Yes because they lost the war. Although both sides did it, it does not mean it was right for anyone to do it, but because they lost the war they had to pay the price. They gave them fair trials and some were even found not guilty while others were sentenced to death.

Nisei

a person born in America of parents who immigrated from Japan. Nisei is a Japanese word meaning second generation. They were forced into internment camps Many of them fought in the war for the country

Besides Jews, what other groups were targeted by the Nazis for extermination?

all "sub humans" like Gypsies, Poles, Russians, homosexuals, the insane, the disabled, the incurably ill, and especially the Jews.

In addition to Pearl Harbor, what other targets did Japan attack between December 1941 and January 1942? How successful were these attacks?

as a reward for Japanese soldiers for taking a Chinese town were normally given three days to do as they pleased, including raping and pillaging the most disturbing. It is horrible that many Chinese civilians including women and children had to suffer through traumatic events like this and had no rights or say in any torture they were put through, especially the act called "Rape of Nanking" where close to 0.3 million Chinese were killed. they also had pleasure women.

Fascism and communism/ how do they rely on Totalitarianism?

communism is a system based around a theory of economic equality and advocates for a classless society, fascism is a nationalistic, top-down system with rigid class roles that is ruled by an all-powerful dictator. In this form of government, a one party dictatorship attempts to regulate every aspect of the lives of its citizens. To ensure obedience; secret police, censorship, violent purges, and terror is used.

Battle of Stalingrad

On August 23, 1942, Hitler sent his troops to seize the oil fields in the Caucasus Mountains and capture Stalingrad, a major industrial center named after Stalin. There were nightly bombing raids by the Luftwaffe which turned the city into rubble, but Stalin told his commanders to defend the city named after him to the death. By November, Germans ruled about 90% of the ruined city, but then another Russian winter set in and the Soviets had a counter attack. Closing in around Stalingrad, the trapped the Germans inside and cut off their supplies. General Paulus begged Hitler to order a retreat, but he refused. On February 2nd, 1943, the frostbitten, starving Germans surrendered. The Germans were now on the defensive with the Soviets pushing them steadily westward.

VE Day

On may 7th, 1945, General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich from the German military. On may 9th, the surrender was officially signed in berlin. The US and other Allied powers celebrated VE day- *Victory in Europe Day*. After nearly six years of fighting, the war in europe had ended

What three programs did General Douglas McArthur introduce during the US occupation of Japan?

-Government democratized -Army disbanded -Land ownership expanded -Labor unions formed

While the Holocaust is widely agreed to have been the worst mass killing of innocents during WWII, there were other incidences of mass murder, genocide, and atrocity in both the European and Pacific theaters. Discuss at least two other events and explain how they compare the extermination of Jews by the Nazis. Which atrocity is worse than another and why.

-Japanese terror bombing raids civilian populations, mostly undefended Chinese cities such as Shanghai -Japanese soldiers as a reward for taking a Chinese town were normally given three days to do as they pleased, including raping and pillaging (led to Rape of Nanking 1937-38, and the widescale killings after the Doolittle Raid 1942) -Japanese Army conscripted civilian women to serve as prositutes for Japanese soldiers *Because of this the Japanese were responsible for 10-30 million deaths in China- mostly innocent civilians* -The Bataan Death march and the building of the eastern railroad killed many Americans and Filipinos and an estimated 40% of allied POW died in the Japanese camps -Their aim was to eliminate a military and intellectual elite that would have put up stiff resistance to Soviet control. *The Massacre at Katyn* was when the US deliberately helped Russia cover up this atrocity to gain favor with Stalin. More than 22,000 captured Polish officers and other prisoners were systematically murdered in the Katyn forest on the western edge of Russia in 1940. The truth about the massacre was hidden for so long because they were left in classified documents that Roosevelt did not tell anyone about because he did not want to anger Stalin. Also, they thought it would have added to political tensions with Soviets during the cold war. -Critics believe that the Allied firebombing of Dresden and Tokyo count as war crimes because the end of the war was approaching and it killed many of thousands of people- refugees and civilians. The bombs created so much fire that a firestorm developed and the oxygen was sucked in. -Dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Democratization

After demilitarization ,He then turned his attention to democratization, the process of creating a government elected by the people. He was told to not revive the Japanese economy, but was instructed to broaden land ownership and increase the participation of workers and farmers in the new democracy. Other reforms pushed by MacArthur gave workers the right to create independent labor unions.

Nuremburg trials

A way the allies dealt with the holocaust was the Nuremberg trials. 1945-1946 Nazis were tried for "crimes against humanity" and waging a war of aggression. They executed many high ranking Nazi leaders and burned their bodies in the same ovens that cremated and burned so many of their victims in the concentration camps.

VJ Day

About a month after they dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The day (August 15) in 1945 on which Japan ceased fighting in World War II, or the day (September 2) when Japan formally surrendered to General Douglass MacArthur. The ceremony took place aboard the US battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. With Japan's surrender, the war had ended.

Yamamoto

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Japan's greatest naval strategist, also called for an attack on the U.S. fleet in Hawaii. He planned Pearl Harbor. He warned his country though that if they did this, America would rebuild and the other side would have another side fighting for them.

Manhattan Project

After Okinawa, the next stop for the Allies had to be Japan. President Truman's had informed him that an invasion of the Japanese homeland might cost the Allies half a million lives. Truman had to make a decision whether to use a powerful new weapon called the atomic bomb or not. Most of his advisers felt that using it would bring the war to a quickest possible end. The bomb had been developed by the *top secret Manhattan Project* headed by General Leslie Groves and chief scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer. Truman first learned of the bomb when he became president. The first atomic bomb was exploded in a desert in New Mexico on July 16, 1945.

Aryan

As a part of their vision for Europe, the Nazi's proposed a new racial order. They proclaimed that the Germanic peoples, or Aryans, were a "master race". The Nazis claimed that all non-Aryan peoples, particularly Jews, were inferior. This racist message would eventually lead to the Holocaust. Hitler believed that his plan of conquest depended on the purity of the Aryan race. To protect racial purity, the Nazis had to eliminate other races, nationalities, or groups they viewed inferior- as "subhumans".

DDAY

Code named Operation Overlord. Led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the allies planned to strike on the coast of Normandy. The allies set up a huge dummy army with its own headquarters and equipment This make-believe army appeared to be preparing to attack to French seaport of Calais. The invasion began on June 6, 1944. There were many casualties, and within a month more than 1 million troops had landed. They had liberated France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. They then set their sights on Germany.

Guadalcanal

At dawn on August 7, 1942, several thousand US marines with Australian support, landed on Guadalcanal and the neighboring island of Tulagi. The marines had little trouble sezing Guadalcanal's airfield. But the battle for control of the island turned into a savage struggle as both sides poured in fresh trooops. In Feb 1943, after six months of fighting on land and at sea, The Battle of Guadalcanal finally ended. After losing more than 24,000 of a force of 36,000 soldiers, the Japanese abandoned what they came to call the "island of death". It was the first major offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan.

Aushwitz

Auschwitz concentration camp was a network of German Nazi concentration camps and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II. Late in 1944, prisoners at Auschwitz revolted too, like before, they were also caught and killed. Young women like Ella Gartner and roza robota made the Auschwitz uprising possible. Gartner smuggled gunpowder into the camp from the munitions factory where she worked. Robota helped organize resistance in the camp. They were both executed on Jan 6, 1945. Less than a month later, Auschwitz was liberated.

What sacrifices did civilians on the home front have to make during the war?

Defeating the Axis powers required mobilizing for total war. In the United States, factories converted their peacetime operations to wartime production and made everything from machine guns to boots. Automobile factories produced tanks. A typewriter company made armorpiercing shells. By 1944, between 17 and 18 million US Workers- mostly women- had jobs in war industries With factories turning out products for the war, a shortage of consumer goods hit the United States. From meat and sugar to tires and gasoline, from nylon stockings to laundry soap, the American government rationed scarce items. Setting the speed limit at 35 miles per hour also helped to save gasoline and rubber. In European countries directly affected by the war, rationing was even more drastic. To inspire their people to greater efforts, Allied governments conducted highly effective propaganda campaigns.

How did the aftermath of the war in Europe differ from the aftermath of the war in Japan

Europe: Europe lay in ruins. close to 40 million dead, 2/3 of them civilians. Constant bombing and shelling had reduced hundreds of cities to rubble. The ground war had destroyed much of the countryside. Displaced persons from many nations were left homeless. The fighting had ravaged Europe's countryside and agriculture had been completely disrupted. -Destroyed cities, factories, and utilities -Poor economy, high unemployment -Famine and disease -Displaced peoples: Refugees, POW, survivors of concentration camps -Discredited government -Lack of political leadership -Threat of communist takeovers -Nuremburg Trials Japan: The defeat suffered by Japan in WWII left the country in ruins. Two million lives had been lost. The country's major cities, including the capital Tokyo, had been largely destroyed by bombing raids. The atomic bomb had turned Hiroshima and Nagasaki into blackened wastelands. The allies had stripped Japan of its colonial empire. -Destroyed cities -Shattered the economy -2 million dead -government democratized -army disbanded -land ownership expanded -labor unions formed -2 house parliament (DIET) formed -Prime minister chosen by majority of Diet as government head -Vote for all citizens over 20 yrs old -Could no longer make war/ could only fight if they were attacked

What led to the rise of Fascism in Italy and Germany

Fascism's rise in Italy was fueled by bitter disappointment over the failure to win large territorial gains at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Rising inflation and unemployment also contributed to widespread social unrest. To growing numbers of Italians, their democratic government seemed helpless to deal with the country's personal problems. They wanted a leader who would take action.

Charles de gaulle

French general "(under german control)" fled to London to tell the French to never give up. he organized the Free French military forces until France was liberated from the Nazis in 1944

Douglass MacArthur

General Douglas MacArthur believed that storming each island would be a long, costly effort. Instead, he wanted to "island hop" past Japanese strongholds. He would then seize islands that were not well defended but were closer to Japan. He had accepted the Japanese surrender and took charge of the US occupation of Japan. He was determined to be fair and not to plant the seeds of a future war. Nevertheless, to ensure that peace would prevail, he began a process of demilitarization, or disbanding the Japanese armed forces. He achieved quickly leaving the Japanese with only a small police force. He also began bringing war criminals to trial. He then turned his attention to democratization, the process of creating a government elected by the people. He was told to not revive the Japanese economy, but was instructed to broaden land ownership and increase the participation of workers and farmers in the new democracy. Other reforms pushed by MacArthur gave workers the right to create independent labor unions.

Island hopping

General Douglas MacArthur believed that storming each island would be a long, costly effort. Instead, he wanted to "island hop" past Japanese strongholds. He would then seize islands that were not well defended but were closer to Japan. This was a very successful tactic

Demilitarization

General Douglass MacArthur had accepted the Japanese surrender and took charge of the US occupation of Japan. He was determined to be fair and not to plant the seeds of a future war. Nevertheless, to ensure that peace would prevail, he began a process of *demilitarization*, or disbanding the Japanese armed forces. He achieved quickly leaving the Japanese with only a small police force. He also began bringing war criminals to trial.

Iwo Jima

In march 1945, after a month of bitter fighting and heavy losses, American marines took Iwo Jima, and Island 760 miles from Tokyo.

In what ways was WWII a contest over geopolitical goals? give two examples of how each side fought to obtain a geopolitical advantage. In your view were these goals worth all the sacrifice of human life they required? Why or why not

In the summer of 1942, Hitler sent the Nazis to seize the oilfields in caucasus region of the Soviet Union. Stalingrad was a major industrial, port city on the Volga river. Led to battle of Stalingrad=bad move for Hitler Hitler and Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact along with dividing poland. Hitler did not want a two front war, and poland would give his people lebensraum, in which Hitler became convinced that germany needed more space to be able to survive as a country and for its population to thrive. Taking over other countries (especially in eastern europe) would provide the germans with land and raw materials and also slave labour, which would benefit them materially

Hiroshima

President Truman warned the Japanese that unless they surrendered, they could expect a "rain of ruin from the air". The japanese did not reply. So, on August 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a Japanese city of nearly 350,000 people. Between 70,000 and 80,000 people died in the attack.

Atlantic Charter

Roosevelt and Churchill's secret declaration to confirm free trade among nations and the right of people to changer their own government. This started a naval war between the U.S. and Hitler. this later served as the allies peace plan to end WW2.

ghetto

Segregated Jewish areas. At first hitler favored emigration as a solution to the "Jewish problem", but soon France, Britain, USA and other countries couldn't take any more refugees. When hitler found out that he could not get rid of Jews through emigration, he put another plan into effect. He ordered all Jews in all countries under his control to be moved to designated cities. In those cities, the Nazis herded the Jews into dismal, overcrowded ghettos. These were then sealed off with barbed wire and stone walls. They hoped that the Jews inside would starve to death or die from disease. Even under these horrible conditions, the Jews hung on. Some formed resistance organizations within the ghettos. They also struggled to keep their traditions. Ghetto theaters produced plays and concerts. Teachers taught lessons in secret schools. Scholars kept records so that one day people would find out the truth.

How did Jews resist Nazi persecution?

Some formed resistance organizations within the ghettos. They also struggled to keep their traditions. Ghetto theaters produced plays and concerts. Teachers taught lessons in secret schools. Scholars kept records so that one day people would find out the truth. Even in extermination camps, Jews rose up and fought against the Nazis. At Treblinka in August 1943, and at Sobibor in October 1943, small groups of Jews revolted. They killed guards, stormed the camp armories and stole guns and grenades and then broke out. In both uprisings, about 300 prisoners escaped. Most were killed soon after. Of those who survived, many joined up with partisan groups and continued to fight until the end of the war. Late in 1944, prisoners at Auschwitz revolted too, like before, they were also caught and killed.

Which of the Allied powers most wanted to open a second front against Germany in western europe? why?

Stalin had asked his allies to relieve German pressure on his armies in the east. He wanted them to open a recond front in the west. This would split the Germans' strength by forcing them to fight major battles in two regions instead of one. Churchill agreed with Stalin's strategy. The allies would weaken Germany on two fronts before dealing a deathblow. At first Roosevelt was torn, but ultimately he agreed.

Dwight D Eisenhower

The American general who led the force in Operation Torch. As Rommel retreated west, the Allies launched Operation Torch on november 8th, and nearly 100,000 allied troops- mostly americans- landed in Morocco and Algeria. Caught between Montgomery's and Eisenhower's armies, Rommel's Afrika Korps was finally crushed in May 1943. He was also the commander of D-Day, planning to strike on the coast of Normandy.

Midway

The Battle of Midway, fought in World War II, took place on June 5, 1942 (June 4-June 7 in US time zones). The United States Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll, marking a turning point in the war in the Pacific theatre.The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War. Before the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7-8 May 1942, the Imperial Navy of Japan had swept aside all of its enemies from the Pacific and Indian oceans.

J. Robert Oppenheimer

The bomb had been developed by the top secret Manhattan Project, headed by General Leslie Groves and chief scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Home Front

United States home front during World War II supported the war effort in many ways, including a wide range of volunteer efforts and submitting to government-managed rationing and price controls. Everyone agreed that the sacrifices were for the national good "for the duration." The labor market changed radically.

Why did allies invade north africa and Italy before opening a second front in france?

We waited to invade france because we attacked africa to fight rommel then invade italy. We waited because stalin wanted to stay where the oil rich territory is. We kept the stuff for ourselves but helped Russia by giving them weapons etc.