3/31/2011

US Homefront:

1. 1940 Selective Training and Service Act:

First peacetime draft in U.S. History
Passed by FDR who really wanted the U.S. to get into the war
Even though we were officially a neutral country, FDR knew that we would eventually get into the war
Congress passed this act so that we would fill our military needs
When a draft comes around and your name is called, you would have to go and serve in the war
This was used until 1973
After 1973, the U.S. military used volunteers instead

2. Women's Role in WWII

Rosie the Riveter represented women workers in WWII
She was the poster child for women--"We Can Do It!"
This encouraged them to keep working in the factories because they were afraid that they would lose their feminine side
Women were very much needed so working in the factories helped them to get more rights
Another popular job for women was being a nurse
This was also a very important role for them and many of them met their future husbands in this way
Women were also needed as waitresses, elevator operators, messengers, teachers, conductors and many other jobs that men would typically do
Propaganda posters told the women that we would win sooner if they got involved
WAC: the Women's Army Corps worked with testing things, typing, and desk jobs such as making maps and producing photography
WAVES was the women's navy, they would become secretaries and answer phones
WASP was the women's equivelant of the airforce
They would test out new airplanes and transport them from place to place
Every branch of the military had their own form for women

3. African-American's role in WWII:

African Americans were segregated from Whites in WWII
All other races were seen as inferior to the whites
Many African Americans joined the war and became pilots and fought on the front lines against the enemy
The Tuskegee Airmen were black pilots

4. Asian's role in WWII:

5. Hollywood's role in WWII:

Hollywood made propaganda films and entertained troops
This encouraged people to buy war bonds and go overseas to entertain troops
Bob Hope and other comedians went over and did just that. Called the USO tour.
J.J. Killroy would write "Killroy was here," with an accompanying cartoon figure. People would start doing this EVERYWHERE.

6. Office of Price Administration:

Established in 1941 to administer price controls
8000 rationing boards were created 200,000 volunteersto assist the 60,000 employees of the angency.
Food Rationing included restrictions on sugar and meat as well as silk and cotton
People were limited to 5 gallons of gas/week (eventually only 4)
Doctors or war workers were allowed unlimited gas. Also, truckers. They would have stickers displayed on their cars
Black market for these stickers would arise.
32,500 motorists were arrested for this.

7. War Production Board:

8. National War Labor Board:

Organization that tried to bring owners and workers together to prevent strikes.

9. Why the Homefront helped win the war

10. How US/Allies fought back against U-boats

Just do what they can to outrun them
First they must have detected them
Above water, U-boats were sitting ducks, but below the water they were surprise attacks.
When they intercepted radio transmissions, the lingo would always be in code
To prevent merchant ships from being destroyed, they would surround them with battleships, called the wolf pack or "convoy" system.

11. Intelligence gathering--Ultra/Magic

This was our code name for incepting and deciphering codes and we would share the information amongst our allied friends. ULTRA MAGIC.
we would know where U-boats would be coming due to this, and we would alter our routes to prevent attacks
Enigma machine was Germany's system in which German transferre their information through codes
Solving the Enigma system remains one of the great Allied triumphs of WWII.
Hunter-killers were ships and airplanes were made to find and destroy U-boats.
A depth charge attack is where you can decide how far under the water when it explodes, just another attempt at fighting back against U-boats.

12. Operation Barborossa(USSR vs Germany)

Hitler invaded the Soviet Union because he despised the ethic Slavsruled b their "Jewish Bolshevik" masters.
Wanted Ukraine for the farmland
They could use the people in Russia that weren't killed as slave laborers
The defeat of the USSR would further isolate the Allied Powers. He also wanted the oil fields in the Caucasus mountains
He did not trust Stalin at all. He also invaded because there was no Western front fighting except GB, so they had a lot more of forces to focus on the USSR.
Operation Barborossa was the greatest land war in recorded history in terms of man power and casualties.
The main front would eventually expand to 1490 miles.
German Army in USSR was split.
The three groups were out to take our Stalingrad, Moscow and Leningrad.

13. Battle in Africa and Italy

14. US Generals-Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, MacArthur, Nimitz, Bradley

15. D-Day-Operation Overlord

16. Battle of the Bulge

17. FDR Dies-Truman takes over

18. VE Day

19. Battle in the Pacific-Island Hopping, Philippines, Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa,

20. Navajo Code Talkers

21. Doolittle's Raid

22. Manhattan Project

23. Hiroshima bombing

24. Nagasaki bombing

25. VJ Day

26. Yalta Conference

27. Nuremburg Trials

28. Japanese Internment Camps in US

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