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WWII-In a nutshell

WWII-In a nutshell. Josef Stalin Communism Leader of U.S.S.R Totalitarianism Gov’t has complete control over its citizens Benito Mussolini Fascism Leader of Italy Stressed nationalism and placed the needs of the state above those of the individual Power rested with a single strong

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WWII-In a nutshell

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  1. WWII-In a nutshell

  2. Josef Stalin Communism Leader of U.S.S.R Totalitarianism Gov’t has complete control over its citizens Benito Mussolini Fascism Leader of Italy Stressed nationalism and placed the needs of the state above those of the individual Power rested with a single strong leader and a group of devoted party leaders New Leaders in Europe

  3. More new leaders • Adolf Hitler • Leader of Germany • Nazi • Extreme form of fascism • Powerful public speaker • Called himself “der fuher” the leader • Wrote Mien Kampf (My Struggle) • Wanted racial purification to an Aryan race • Took control of Germany in 1932 • Established the “Third Reich” Third Empire

  4. Hitler’s Aggression • Part of Nazi plan was expansionism • Hitler invaded and took over Austria in 1937 • Also charged that the Czechs were abusing the German speaking people of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia • Also wanted to expand Germany’s control and resources

  5. Sudetenland • France and Great Britain offered to protect CZ. • Neville Chamberlain was P.M. of G.B. • A conference was called by Hitler to solve the situation • French premier and Chamberlain were invited to Munich • Hitler said that the Sudetenland would be his last territorial demand

  6. Appeasement • Signed “Munich Agreement” Sept. 20, 1938 • Turned Sudetenland over to Germany • Chamberlain came home and pronounced that he had achieved “peace in our time”. • Winston Churchill • Chamberlain’s political rival in parliament • Believed that Chamberlain had appeased Hitler • “Britain had to choose between war and dishonor. They chose dishonor.” • Believed that Hitler would want more-He was right

  7. Poland • Once CZ was conquered, Hitler moved against Poland • Most believed that Hitler was bluffing • Might begin a war with Soviets, French, and British • Wouldn’t risk a two front war • Stalin signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler in 1939 • Secret vow was to split Poland between them

  8. Defenses • The Nazis had control of Poland in three weeks • Allies were not able to set up defenses that quickly • France and Britain set up defenses in Eastern France • Some newspapers called it a “Phony War” • No fighting was going on • Stalin annexed Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania and began to take over Finland in late 1939 • Chamberlain was replaced as P.M. by Winston Churchill

  9. War Expansion • Hitler launched an invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940 • Needed bases to attack G.B. • The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg were next on Hitler’s hit list • End of the phony war

  10. France • Italy began taking Southern France • Germans pushed into Paris • Nazis controlled Northern France • Puppet gov’t was set up in France • “Vichy Government” set up in the south • Gen. Charles DeGualle fled France after it fell • Set up a gov’t in exile in England

  11. FDR’s Support for the War • Roosevelt was willing to help France and England • The country wanted to stay isolated • FDR created a “cash and carry program” • We would sell arms but only if they paid in cash and picked them up themselves (1939)

  12. Axis Powers • Tripartite Treaty • Germany, Italy, and Japan • If war was declared by U.S. it would face a two ocean war. • U.S. began building defenses • 1940 Selective Service Act • 16 million men age 21-35 registered • Drafted 1 million men at a time for 1 year at a time • Poor Army, fat and untrained

  13. Election of 1940 • FDR ran for a third term • Refused to actually say he was a candidate until he was nominated • Ran against Wendell Wilkie • FDR won with 55% of the vote • Led FDR to strengthen aid to Europe

  14. Lend Lease • FDR would lend European allies supplies that would either be returned at the end of the war or replaced. • Saw this as lending a garden hose to a neighbor if his house was burning • Roosevelt believed that, given the chance, Hitler would attack US • Saw this as a measure to try and defeat Hitler

  15. Lend Lease cont. • FDR wanted the US to be the “Arsenal of Democracy” • Also gave aid to Soviets • Hitler invaded USSR in1941 ending the N-A pact of ’39 • “If Hitler invaded Hell, the British would be prepared to work with the devil himself” -Winston Churchill

  16. FDR at home • FDR was keeping the US war prepared on a shoestring • Extension of the draft barely passed the house • Couldn’t ask for a dec. of war but wasn’t doing anything to prevent one • There had been some naval confrontations between U-boats and US ships

  17. What about Japan? • Most of the focus was on Hitler • French, Dutch, and British were fighting for their homeland • Left pacific colonies unprotected • Japan began expanding into East Asia • 1937 Japan invaded Manchuria in China • 1941 invaded French Indochina (Vietnam) • U.S. protested invasions by cutting off oil to Japan

  18. Tojo • Japan was ruled by Emperor Hirohito • Hideki Tojo was the Army Chief of Staff • Held most of the power • Peace talks began between US and Japan in 1941 but broke down

  19. Pearl Harbor • November 1941, Tojo told Navy to prepare for attack • U.S. had broken Japanese code and knew an attack was planned • Expected it last week of November • December 6, 1941 Japanese ambassador told to reject any US peace plan

  20. Pearl Harbor cont. • US sent warnings to Pacific bases: • Philippines • Panama Canal • Pearl Harbor • Attack came at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 @7:55 am • Battleships were lined up perfectly to be destroyed by bombs and torpedoes

  21. Pearl Harbor cont. • 180 planes from 6 carriers • Less than 2 hrs. 2,403 Americans were wounded 1,178 killed • Larger scale damage than the navy incurred in all of WWI

  22. WAR!! • FDR asked Congress for a declaration of war on Dec. 8 • Called Dec. 7th “A day of infamy” • Germany, honoring the Tripartite Pact of 1941, declared war on US Dec. 11, 1941

  23. New Kind of War • Past battles had focused on using battleships • Most were destroyed at PH • Aircraft carriers had pulled out of PH prior to the attack • Dawn of depending on navel airplanes • “I fear all we have done is awoken a sleeping giant and filled it with a terrible resolve” -Admiral Yamamoto

  24. Battle of the Atlantic • Hitler began to attack ships on the Atlantic to try to stop goods from getting to the allies • “wolf packs” began to attack Allied ships • Allies brought back the convoy system from WWI • Ships carrying goods were surrounded by a group of military ships, submarines, and planes • Traveled in large groups

  25. Battle of the Atlantic cont. • Convoy system also included ships with sonar and radar • U-boats were being destroyed faster than they could be replaced • US was producing 140 “liberty ships” each month • Not really well built, but easily replaceable • Allies were winning the Battle of the Atlantic by mid-’43

  26. Battle of Stalingrad • Germans took the offensive in southern Soviet Union • Wanted to wipe out Stalingrad • Major industrial city • Stalingrad was attacked for weeks • Winter set in and the Soviets surrounded the mostly German controlled city

  27. Stalingrad cont. • Soviets cut off German supply lines • Hitler ordered his troops to stay and fight • Germans surrendered Jan. 31, 1943 • Soviets lost 1,100,000 troops • During the battle, Stalin wanted a second allied front opened up to take some of the pressure off of him

  28. Operation Torch • Tried to take pressure off of Stalin • Allies invaded North Africa • Dwight Eisenhower commanded the Allied troops • American General • Would command the Allies in Europe for the rest of the war • Gens. George S. Patton and Omar Bradley along with Field Marshal Montgomery defeated Rommell’s Afrika Korps

  29. Operation Torch cont. • Following success in North Africa, the allies landed in Sicily and moved north into Italy • Mussolini was forced in July ’43 to resign and was beaten to death by his own people • Allies got caught up just outside Rome • “Bloody Anzio” • Lasted 4 months • 25,000 Allies dead • 30,000 Axis dead

  30. Race War • Tuskegee Airmen • All black squadron fought with distinction in Sicily and Italy • Thought to be too unintelligent to fly • Japanese Americans also fought in Italy • Were not allowed to fight in the Pacific • 442nd Regimental Combat Team • All 2nd gen. Japanese Americans • Most decorated unit in U.S. History

  31. Douglas MacArthur • After P.H. Japan took control over a major area of the Pacific • Japanese forced Gen. Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines • Left some US troops there to fight w/ Filipino rebels (March 1942) • “I shall return”

  32. Doolittle’s Raid • Lt. Col. James Doolittle led a raid of bombers off carriers and bombed Tokyo in April ’42 • Japanese moral was damaged • Believed that they were safe

  33. Battle of Midway • Americans had broken the code of Japanese • Knew about where next attack would come • Admiral Chester Nimitz was the commander of US naval forces • Found the Japanese fleet and bombed it before it could inflict too much pain on Midway Island

  34. Midway cont. • US planes were able to attack while the Japanese planes were still on the decks of their carriers • Japanese lost 4 carriers, a cruiser, 250 planes • Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war in the Pacific

  35. New War Plan in Pacific • MacArthur created a hopscotch plan to defeat the Japanese • Attack some islands while leaving others behind • Plan was to cut off supplies to those islands not attacked and let them “wither and die”

  36. Europe-Operation Overlord • Planned invasion of Normandy • 3 million US, British, and Canadian troops • Some dropped by air, others came by sea • D-Day • June 6, 1944 • Largest air-sea operation in history • Utah and Omaha beaches (US) • Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches (British)

  37. Europe - D-Day • Heavy casualties on beaches, but not as much as planned • 70% casualty rate planned • 30% actual • 1 million troops crossed through Northern France within a month of D-Day

  38. Europe – Post D-Day • After D-Day Gens. Bradley and Patton advanced through France • By Sept. ’44 France, Luxembourg, and Belgium were free • Helped to elect FDR to a fourth term • New running mate: Harry Truman

  39. Europe-Battle of the Bulge • Allies began to invade Germany • Took Aacher in October ’44 • Nazis responded by an offensive against the Allies • Nazi tanks drove 60 miles into Allied lines • Last ditch offensive on the Nazi’s part • Lasted 1 month – turned the war

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