April 11-16

Monday- Notes

US IN WWII

  • US after WWI 
    • US never signed the Treaty or Versailles 
      • Wilson (Democrat) vs Congress (Republican controlled)
      • Join the League of Nations or go back to isolationism 
    • Republican Warren Harding won the 1920 presidential election with a promise to return to normalcy
    • The US went back to focusing on America in the 1920's and 1930's 
  • 4 Power Pact 
    • US, GB, France and Japan would respect each other’s possessions in the Pacific
  • 5 Power Pact
    • Signed by Great Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy
    • Designed to prevent an arm's race
    • It limited the construction of battleships, battle cruisers and aircraft carriers 
    • Did not restrict cruisers, destroyers or submarines
  • 9 Power Pact 
    • Guaranteed Chinese independence and upheld the Open Door Policy
    • Signed by the United States, Japan, China, France, Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Portugal
  • Kellogg-Brian Pact 
    • The US did sign the Kellogg-Briand Pact denouncing war as a means to settle disputes 
  • Neutrality in General
    • The Neutrality Acts were passed by the US in the 1930s in response to the issues in Europe and Asia that eventually led to World War II
    • They were caused by the desire to be isolationist in the US following WWI 
    • Passed to ensure that the US would not become involved in the war conflicts  (war) 
    • US had very strong history of isolationism 
  • US Nuetrality Acts during 1930's 
    • Neutrality Act of 1935-stop trading with countries at war
    • Neutrality Act of 1936-stop loaning money to countries at war
    • Neutrality Act of 1937-Cash and Carry System-weapons not included
    • Neutrality Act of 1939-Cash and Carry System-weapons included
  • US Neutrality Act of 1935 
    • Signed on August 31, 1935
    • It was designed to last six months
    • Banned US trade of arms and war materials with any country at war
    • It also declared that US citizens traveling on warring ships traveled at their own risk
  • US Neutrality Act of 1936 
    • Signed in February 1936
    • Renewed the provisions of the 1935 act for another 14 months
    • It also forbade all loans or credits to belligerents
    • The act did not cover "civil wars," such as the Spanish Civil War
    • The act also did not cover materials such as trucks and oil 
  • Neutrality Act of 1937
    • Passed in May, 1937
    • Set to expire after two years
    • Included the provisions of the earlier acts this time without expiration date
    • This time it also included civil wars
    • U.S. ships were prohibited from transporting any passengers or items to belligerents
    • U.S. citizens were forbidden from traveling on ships of belligerent nations
    • A “cash and carry” system was set up
    • The President could permit the sale of supplies to belligerents in Europe as long as they paid immediately in cash and transported the goods on their own ships
    • FDR believed that cash-and-carry would help France and Great Britain in the event of a war with Germany
    • FDR chose not to invoke the Neutrality Acts on Japan and China since they had not formally declared war
  • Panay Incident -December 1937 
    • American Gunboat attacked on river in China by Japan 
      • 3 US troops killed
      • 45 wounded 
    • Japan said it was an accident, apologized and paid the US money 
    • Worsened the US-Japanese Relations
  • Neutrality Act of 1939
    • Passed in November, 1939 
    • Allowed for arms trade with belligerent nations on a cash-and-carry basis
    • US citizens and ships were barred from entering war zones designated by the president
  • Bases for Destroyers 
    • Passed in September, 1940 between the US and Great Britain
    • Fifty US destroyers were given to Great Britain in exchange for land rights(for 99 years) on British colonies for naval or air base purposes
    • Newfoundland, eastern side of the Bahamas, southern coast of Jamaica, western coast of St. Lucia, west coast of Trinidad, Antigua, British Guiana and Bermuda were the areas the US received
  • End of US Neutrality-Lend Lease Act
    • The end of neutrality for the US came with the Lend-Lease Act , passed in March, 1941
    • This act allowed the U.S. to sell, lend or give war materials to nations the US wanted to support
    • US gave $50 billion($650 billion today) to Allied nations throughout the war
  • Selective Training and Service Act
    • Passed in September,1940 and ended in 1947 
    • Required that men between the ages of 21 and 35 register for the draft.
    • Extended to all men aged 18 to 45 once US entered war
    • First peacetime draft in US history
  • How did the Draft Work? 
    • Local draft boards were set up from coast to coast
    • Each male registered was given a number between 1-7,836
    • In Washington, papers with the numbers 1 through 7,836 printed on them were put into capsules, one number to a capsule
    • The capsules were dumped into a giant fishbowl and then stirred
    • Finally the capsules were drawn from the bowl one by one to establish the draft order
    • If your number was chosen, you were now officially part of the US military! Congrats!
    • 158 was the first number chosen(6175 young men were drafted with that number)
  • Atlantic Charter 
    • Signed in August of 1941 and between the US (FDR) and Great Britain(CHURCHILL)
    • Defined the Allied goals for the Post-war world 
    • Many similarities to Wilson's 14 pointss 
  • WWII Major Battle Timeline Vs Japan 
    • Pearl Harbor-December 7, 1941
    • Battle of the Philippines(1942 and 1944)
    • Doolittle’s Raid-April, 1942
    • Battle of Coral Sea-May, 1942
    • Battle of Midway-June, 1942
    • Battle of Guadalcanal-1942-43
    • Battle of Saipan-1944
    • Battle of Guam-1944
    • Battle of Iwo Jima-1945
    • Battle of Okinawa-1945
    • Hiroshima/Nagasaki Bombing-August, 1945
  • USS Arizona Memorial 
    • The names of the Arizona's dead are engraved ion this white marble wall at the memorial
  • FDR's War Message 
    • Pearl Harbor was not the only area Japan attacked on December 7
    • “Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.”
    • “Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.”
    • “Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.”
    • “Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.”
    • “Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.”
    • “This morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.”
  • Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
    • After Japan invaded French Indochina in 1940, US stopped trading with Japan
    • Japan signed the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in April, 1941 guaranteeing that Japan and USSR would not go to war
    • Japan realized they needed US trade to be successful in war
    • Only way to force US’ hand was to hit them hard in a surprise attack forcing them out of the war
    • Japan knew that this plan was a huge risk, but thought it was the only way to defeat US
    • Plan backfired. Instead, Japan “awoke a sleeping giant”
  • Bataan Death March- Philippines-1942
    • up to 10,000 Filipino and 650 American POW;s died during the march 
  • Battle of Coral Sea-First Turning Point in Pacific 
  • Battle of Midway- June 1942-Major Turning Point in Pacific
  • Island Hopping
  • Guadalcanal- August,1942- February,1943 
  • Kamikazes
  • Battle of Leyte- Philippines
  • MacArthur's Return to the Philippines
  • Iwo Jima February-March,1945
    • 8,821 US deaths at Iwo Jima
  • Raising the Flag on Mt. Suribachi 
  • Battle of Okinawa- April-June, 1945
  • Summer 1945- Preparing for the Invasion of Japan
    • Operation Downfall
    • Planned for October, 1945
    • Estimated to have over 1 million casualties
    • Estimated to have 267,000 deaths
    • Why did this never take place?
  • The Manhattan Project
    • 1939-1945
  • Trinity Test-July 16,1945
  • Enola Gay 
  • Paul Tibbits 
  • Hiroshima Bombing
    • "Little Boy"
  • Radiation Sickness
  • The Atomic Shadow
  • Nagasaki Bombing
    • "Fat Man"
    • "Bock scar"
  • VJ Day (Victory in Japan Day
    • August 14/15, 1945 (Official UK)
    • September 2,1945(Officical for the US)
      • When Japan officially signed the USS MissourI
  • Potsdam Conference
    • On July 26, the United States, Great Britain, and China issued the Potsdam Declaration
    • Announced the terms for Japan's surrender
    • "We will not deviate from them. There are no alternatives.”
  • Potsdam Declaration- July, 1945
    • Dismantle the current government of Japan(excluding Emperor Hirohito)
    • The Allies(US) will occupy Japan
    • Japan will consist only of the major islands(Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku). It will lose all territory gained in WWII and years leading up to it.
    • Japanese military forces will be disarmed and allowed to return home
    • There will be war crimes trials for the atrocities committed by Japan throughout WWII
    • Democracy will be promoted as well as Freedom of speech, religion, and of thought, as well as respect for fundamental human rights(Universal Declaration of Human Rights-1948)
    • Japan will be allowed to have industry so they can make money to pay for reparations. World trade will also be enabled at some point.
    • Allied(US) occupation of Japan(1945-1952) will end once Japan accomplishes all the above points.
    • "We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction.” President Harry Truman
  • WWII Major Battle/Operations Timeline Vs Germany
    • Battle of the Atlantic-1941-45
    • Operation Torch(Invasion of Morocco)-1942
    • Operation Avalanche(Invasion of Italy)-1943
    • Battle of Salerno(1943)
    • Battle of Anzio(1944)
    • Battle of Monte Cassino(1944)
    • Operation Overlord(D-Day)-June 6, 1944
    • Operation Dragoon(Invasion of southern France)-August, 1944
    • Battle of the Bulge(Hitler’s last major offensive)-Winter 1944-45
    • Operation Varsity(Invasion of western Germany past the Rhine River)-March 1945
    • Fighting in Germany-Issues with the Siegfried Line(WestWall)
  • The German West-wall Siegfried Line
  • German U-Boats
    • After repeated attacks by German U-Boats on U.S. ships in the fall of 1941, FDR announced that he had ordered the U.S. Navy to attack German and Italian war ships in the "waters which we deem necessary for our defense 
    • War was imminent 
  • Convoy system 
  • Allied Intelligence 
    • Churchill and Roosevelt knew the importance of intelligence in safeguarding Allied commerce to defeat the Axis powers.
    • The Allies shared information from RADAR and High Frequency Radio Direction Finding (HF/DF or "huff duff").
    • RADAR provided a means of detecting vessels and aircraft above the surface
    • HF/DF was used to locate the sources of enemy radio transmissions such as submarines.
    • Allied intelligence leaders began sharing code-breaking secrets, known as "very special intelligence" and classified under cover-names like "ULTRA" and "MAGIC".
  • Enigma
    • System in which Germany transferred their information through codes
    • Solving the Enigma system remains one of the great Allied triumphs of World War II
    • During periods when Allied cryptanalysts were unable to solve Enigma, U-boats caused great damage to Anglo-American commerce
  • D-Day Facts 
    • June 6, 1944
    • The D in D-Day stands for “day” since the final invasion date was unknown and weather dependent 
    • 156,000 Allied troops  from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Free France and Norway
    • The Allied code names for the beaches along the 50-mile stretch of Normandy coast targeted for landing were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.
    • Omaha was the costliest beach in terms of Allied casualties.
    • 5,000 ships and landing craft
      50,000 vehicles
      11,000 planes
    • Major Generals:
    • United States – Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley
    • The United Kingdom – Bernard Law Montgomery
    • Germany – Erwin Rommel
    • Casualties:
      • US-6,603 (1,465 killed)
      • UK- 2700
      • Canada- 1,074 (259 fatal)
      • Germany- Estimated between 4,000-9,000
    • By June 11, with the beachheads firmly secured
    • More than 326,000 troops had crossed with more than 100,000 tons of military equipment
    • Paris was liberated on August 25
    • Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945.
    • But not before…….. BATTLE OF THE BULGE
  • Battle of The Bulge Facts 
    • The coldest snowiest weather "in memory" in the Ardennes Forest on the German Belgium border
    • Over a million men, 500,000 Germans, 600,000 Americans and 55,00 British 
    • The Malmedy Massacre was the worst atrocity commuted again American Troops 
    • The Battle of the Bulge was the worst battle in the terms of losses to the American forces in WWII
  • Yalta Conference 
    • Before the end of WWII, Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met at the Yalta, USSR to plan what hould happen when the war ended.
    • They agreed on the following
      • The establishment of the United Nations
      • Germany to be divided into 4 zones
      • Free election allowed in the states of eastern Europe
      • The USSR promised to join the war again Japan
  • FDR Dies and Harry Truman is sworn on April 12, 1945 
  • Women in WWII 
    • Rosie the Riveter 
      • Represented women workers in WWII 
  • Tokyo Rose Iva Toguri 
    • Forced to broadcast propaganda to the Allied troops for Japan 
    • In these radio programs, she taunted the troops ad played music from home
    • She was a US citizen in Japan 
    • Convicted of treason 
  • OPA and Rationing 
    • The Office of Price Administration was establish in 1941
    • Food rationing included
      • sugar 
      • meat 
    • Clothing rationing included 
      • Silk and Nylon
    • Gasoline Rationing began in May 1942 limiting 5 gallons per week 
    • By the end of 1942 automobiles were issued an A sticker allowing 4 gallons 
    • The other half had a B sticker allowing them supplementary allowance for war workers 
    • C sticker (vital occupation such as a doctor)
    • Truckers had a T sticker 
    • Stickers were used 5-30% of the time
    • But then people started making false stickers and 32,500 motorist were arrested for false stickers 
  • War Finance Committee and War Bonds fr
    • Over the course of the war 85 million Americans purchased bonds totaling approximately $185 billion
    • Helped pay for the war
    • It was an investment for US citizen
    • As low as $18.75 per bond
    • Ten years later gov’t paid out $25

WWII Review 

  • Causes of WWII
    • In Europe
      • Treaty of Versailles
      • The Great Depression
      • Hitler’s actions in the 1930’s
      • Mussolini’s actions in the 1930’s
      • Failure of the League of Nations
      • Policy of Appeasement
      • Hitler’s invasion of Poland
      • Rise of nationalism
    • In Asia 
      • The Great Depression
      • Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931
      • Japanese invasion of China in 1937
    • For the US 
      • Quit trading supplies(oil) with Japan in the summer of 1941
      • Tough policies towards Japan in Fall 1941
      • Pearl Harbor attack
    • Effects of WWII on Us 
      • Stimulated economy
        • 17 million new jobs created
        • average wages increased 30%
        • middle class greatly expanded
      • Federal power during the war increased
        • shifted from state laws to federal laws- important during civil rights era and Vietnam war
      • Women involved in the workforce
      • More rights for African Americans- integrated troops
      • German Nazi party was completely destroyed and Germany was broken up into 4 zones
      • Japanese cities were destroyed from bombing and Japan was placed under military rule
      • Most deaths ever in a war
      • United Nations starts
      • Major Powers of the world were discovered
      • Cold War-US vs USSR
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