WWII Americans at War

1. WWIIAmericans at War Chapter 18 1941 - 1945

2. How do you gear up for a war? • Boosted defense spending from $2 billion to 10 billion. • Encouraged enlistment. • Selective Training and Service Act • All males 21 – 36.

3. The GI War • “Government Issue” • Applied to all soldiers, sailors and aviators.

4. Diversity in the Armed Forces • 300,000 Mexican Americans • Million African Americans • 25, 000 Native Americans. • 350,000 Women

5. NativeAmericans in the Military • The US needed a code to communicate that the Japanese couldn’t break. • US intelligence bet the Japanese never bothered to learn about Native American languages. • Wind Talkers / Code Talkers • Mostly Navajo

6. African Americans in the Military • At first officials limited African Americans to supporting roles • Cooks, drivers, garbage pick up • After 1942 – gave opportunities to fight. • Separate units • Tuskegee Airmen

7. Women in the military • Personnel shortage allowed women into all positions EXCEPT combat. • Clerks, typists, air traffic control, mechanics, photographers, drivers. • Towed practice targets for anti-aircraft gunners.

8. Preparing an Economy for War • With Japan controlling the Pacific the US was cut off from VITAL raw materials • Rubber • Oil • Tin

9. Preparing an Economy for War • Thanks to the New Deal – the government had tremendous power over the economy. • WPB War Production Board – • Convert peacetime industries to produce war materials. • Cars to building bomber planes

10. Preparing an Economy for War • By 1944 American production levels doubled those of all the Axis powers together. • 1945 • 300,000 planes • 80,000 landing craft • 100,000 armored cars and tanks • 6 million rifles • 41 BILLION rounds of ammunition!

11. Wartime Work Force • War production ended any lasting Depression unemployment. • Wages rose by 50% between 1940 – 1945. • Mostly women workers • “There’s a war on, you know!” • Rosie the Riveter

12. Financing the War • 1939 – US govt. spending was 8.9 billion. • 1945 – US govt. spending was $95.2 billion!!!!

13. How did we pay for the war? • 41% paid for by higher taxes • Urged people and businesses to buy war bonds. • Loans of your money to government. • Pay back date with interest for the loan.

14. How did we pay for the war? • Went further into debt! • 1940 – deficit spending made the US debt $43 billion. • 1945 - $259 billion in debt!

15. Daily Life on the Home Front • Practically every family had someone in the war. • 30-million people moved. • Soldiers moved • Families of soldiers moved • People moved to take jobs • BUT the population grew by 7.5 million 1940 – 1945. • Double the rate of the 1930s.

16. Shortages and Controls • Workers were making $$$$ • But there was really nothing to spend it on.

17. Shortages • Zippers • Typewriters • Rubber • Nylon stockings • Anything that had metal, rubber or nylon was needed for the war.

18. Food Shortages too • Between troop needs and enemy stopping supply lines. • Sugar • Tropical fruits • Coffee • Chocolate

19. OPA: Office of Price Administration • When demand is greater than supply prices go • UP! • INFLATION! • Had to limit prices.

20. OPA decided the prices for • Sugar • Coffee • Meat • Butter • Canned food • Shoes • Gas

21. Ration Books • Coupons with certain values allotted goods for the month. • Based on family size • Did consider distance and needs of farmers

22. Popular Culture • Looking for ways to spend money • Movies • Radio • Books and magazines • Ballgames with female players

23. Enlisting Public Support • Office of War Information • Writers and artists created posters and ads that stirred Americans’ patriotic feelings.

24. What civilians were encouraged to do: • Older men: join the Civilian Defense effort • Kids: Scrap metal drives • Women: • Grow Victory Gardens • Knit scarves and socks for the war • Roll bandages for the Red Cross

25. Motto • “Play YOUR Part” • “Conserve and Collect” • “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

26. Nebraska Note: The North Platte Canteen • December 25, 1941 – April 1, 1946 • Served 6-million servicemen served sandwiches, coffee, cookies and cakes during stops.

28. Retaking Europe (Section 2) • Roosevelt and Churchill met in August 1941 to decide what the goals of their alliance would be.

29. The Atlantic Charter • There would be no enlargement of territories. • Freedom of people to choose their government • Final destruction of the Nazis.

30. Battle of the Atlantic • How to get supplies to the British? • Wolf Packs • 20 U boats that hunted enemy convoys in packs. • Took out 175 allied ships in 1942 alone. • Some in sight of the US coastline.

31. How to combat the wolf packs? • SONAR (kinda worked) • Long range sub hunting aircraft • Better depth charges • Cut off U Boats from their ports in Germany and France.

32. The Major Players of the Atlantic War; Western Front; European Theatre • Churchill – Prime Minister of England • Roosevelt – US President • Josef Stalin – Chairman of Soviet Union

33. Players for the Fascists • Hitler – Germany • Mussolini - Italy

34. The Generals: Allies • Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower (1890 – 1969) • Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces • Excelled at • Staffing issues • Diplomacy

35. The Generals: United States • George Patton : 1885 – 1945. • As a boy knew he wanted to be a hero. • LOVED war. • Early on realized the potential for tanks. • Did NOT have good diplomacy skills.

36. The Generals: Allies • England’s Field Marshal Montgomery – • Not a particularly great general – but he made sure people thought he was great.

37. The BRILLIANT Nazi Generals • Rommel “The Desert Fox” • Erwin Rommel (1891 – 1944) • Great tank commander • Used surprise and bold moves. • Was NOT a member of the Nazi party

38. The BRILLIANT Nazi Admirals • Admiral Karl Donitz • U boat strategy • Sea mine technology • Ice water instead of blood in his veins.

39. The Brilliant Italian Generals

40. The North Africa Campaign • February 1943: US had their butts kicked by the Nazis. • May 1943: US came back, defeated Nazis and took 240,000 German and Italians prisoners. • 2000 ended up in POW camps in Nebraska.

41. Invasion of Italy: Start of Retaking Europe • 7th Army under Patton took Sicily and the English started to invade the mainland of Italy.

42. Invasion of Italy • Mussolini’s Fascists turned against him. • Nazis rescued Mussolini • Set him up in a Puppet Government in northern Italy

43. It sure wasn’t over yet! • Battle of Anzio and Cassino trapped Americans and English and went from January – May 1944. • Allies v. German Nazis • April 1945 Italy was in Allied control.

44. The End for Mussolini • Caught by the Italians as he tried to leave Italy and escape to Germany. • Ended by the Italians.

45. The War in the Soviet Union • The Germans advance in Russia 1941 – 1942. • Blitzkrieg • Nazis were first greeted as liberators by the ethnic nationalities in Russia. • They hated Stalin.

46. The War in the Soviet Union • Nazis turned on the local people. • Executions • Forced labor People engaged in guerrilla actions against the Nazis.

47. Russia’s Fight • Guerrilla Warfare • Scorched Earth Policy • Stalin BEGGED Roosevelt and Churchill to invade Western Europe to take some pressure off the Red Army.

48. Russia’s BEST weapon • The Russian winter

49. Important Soviet Battles • Battle of Stalingrad • September 1942 – January 1943

50. Important Soviet Battles • Siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg today)