Test questions :
US Homefront:
What you're doing in your home country. To make it better.
1. Selective Training and Service Act 1940 -
- US didn't seem very nuetral now. Roosevelt helped passed the Selective Training and Service Act - draft.
- First peacetime draft in US history.
- Used until 1973 to fill military needs.
- After 1973, US military depended on volunteers to fill needs.
2. Women's role in WWII
- Rosie the Riveter - represented women workers in WW2.
- Women were needed even more during this war because it lasted longer.
- Worked in factories, nurses, secretaries, farm workers, waittresses, taxi drivers, bus drivers, do laundry, conductors, elevator workers, typest, they provided the men with the stuff they needed, planes, weapons, all that junk. Women didn't fight in the war, the women's army core typed, tested machinery, desk jobs, since men were over their fighting, the women took over their jobs. Worked with maps, developing pictures. They planted gardens, so they could can food and send to troops.
- WAVES - Women's navy.
3. African-American's role in WWII
- Minorities played many roles in WW2, pretty much did factory worked, while being segregated.
- The Tuskegee pilates were trained African American bombers by Tuskegee Institute - Bombed Italy.
4. Asian's role in WWII
- Japanese Americans were forced to sell their homes and move to camps.
5. Hollywood's role in WWII
- Sent movies over to entertain the troops. The Purple Heart was a big one. Casablanca - one too. Bob Hope died in 2003, Mr. Bruns followed up on his specials every year during Christmas in December. Comedian, singer, actor. Movies in 40's, 50's. Heavily involved with entertaining the troops. John Wayne - huge actor. Got his name during WW2.
6. Office of Price Administration
- Set up in 1941 to administor price controls. 8000 rationing boards were created with 200,000 volunteers. They rationed sugar, meat, silk, clothing. People have to sacrifice stuff. Ration stamps: telling you what you can and can't buy. Had to wait in line to buy things. (such a hassel) By the end of 1942 half of nations automobiles were issued A sticker, allowing four gallons per week. The other half of automobiles had either B (more gas because you worked in factories, or make war goods) or C stickers (doctor, teachers). T for truckers for unlimited amounts. A black market developed in stolen or counterfeit stickers that were used in 5-30 %of gasoline sales. By 1945 there were 32,500 motorist arrested for using such false stickers, 1300 convictions, 4000, gas stations closed.
7. War Production Board
- All about production - made sure factories made everything they could. Don't waste time.
8. National War Labor Board
- Government didn't want workers going on strike. Basically brought everyone together. US Government organization - help the war.
9. Why the Homefront helped win the war
- made all the supplies, women, minorites. keeping the war positve through movies, propaganda. rationing and not buying as much food.
10. How US/Allies fought back against U-boats
- Built faster more moverable ships, out run u-boats.
- Convoy ships.
- Intercepted German codes - messages.
- HF/DF - used to locate the sources of enemy radio transmissions such as submarines.
- ULTRA was US code name for intercepting and decifering codes from Germans
- U-boat attacks went up, then went down down down.
11. Intelligence gathering--Ultra/Magic
- Spying, decifing code, radar, detecting things above surface.
- Enigma was a system in which Germany transferred their information through codes. Solving this system was one of the great Allied triumphs of WW2. Looked like a type writer.
12. Operation Barborossa(USSR vs Germany)
- Lebensraum - Hitler despised the ethnic Slavs ruled by their "Jewish Bolshevik" masters. He wanted Ukraine for farmland. Could use the people as slave labor. The defeat of USSR would further isolate the Allies. Hitler wanted the oilfields in Caucasus mountains. He didn't trust Stali-German propaganda showed that Stalin was planning to attack Germany. The Western Front fighting was over, except Great Britain.
- Greatest land war in recorded history (man power and casualties) began at 3:30 am on June 22, 1941. Biggest land battle in war history. Hitler needed this to go quick. Wanted to do it 6 - 9 months.
- German Wehrmacht (Army) German Army in USSR was split.
- Battle of Moscow - October 1941 and January 1942. Hitler believed Moscow was the major military and political target in the USSR as it would lead to the collapse of the country. Germany got within 12 miles of Moscow before Soviet troops stoped the advance. This battle marked a major turning point on the Eastern Front. (280,000 - 400,0000 German Casualties, 650,000 - 1,280,000 Soviet Casualties. Furious that his army had been unable to take Moscow, Hitler dismissed his commander in cheif in December 1941, and took personal charge of the Wehrmacht (German Army). Hitler took control and made all military decisions afterward. The led to many experienced German officers to go against him. Hitler surrounded himself with the staff officers with little or no experience, to manipulate them.
- The Siege of Leningrad - started on Sept. 8th 1941 when the last land connection to the city was but off by Germany. Lifting of the siege took place on Jan. 27 1944 872 days after it began. One of the longest most destructive sieges in history and one of the most costly terms of casualties. Reports of cannibalism appeared in the winter of 1941-1942, after all birds, rats, and pets were eaten by survivors. People died on the streets and citizens shortly became accustomed to the look of death. Hungry gangs attacked and ate defenseless people. Leningard police were even formed a special unit to stop this. Finally a successful Russian counter-offensice at Stalingrad, drained necessary resources the Germans needed to continue the blockade and eventually it failed. The Germans never took Leningrad but it was one of the most conflicts Russia ever had.
13. Battle in Africa and Italy
- Erwin Rommel - The Desert Fox - plotted to asassinate Hitler, put to death. Was a really good general.
- Bernard Montgomery - Monty - British Gerneral.
- Operation Torch - The British - American invasion of French North Africa started on November 8, 1942. By mid 1943 we had defeated the Germans, Italians, and the Vichy France. Stalin was unhappy because he was loosing people. He thought we were playing games.
- Tank warfare was one of the big things in North Africa.
- Casablanca Conference - January 1942 "Unconditional Surrender" - means long war, take down Germany/Hitler. What ever we force on Germany they are gonna have to accept. Churchill decieded to attack Italy, the underbelly. Churchill thought that Italy was very strong. They surrendered very quickly. Germany had been in Italy and Italy was a huge area where Americans fought and died. Very mountainous terrain.
14. US Generals-Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, MacArthur, Nimitz, Bradley
- George C. Marshall - Cheif of Staff of the US military during WW2. Head honcho of the military.
- General George Patton - interesting guy, one of the best US general. He was tough. He thought he was very very awesome. Pistels made of ivory. He thought if you could walk and hold a gun you should be in the war.
- Admiral Chester Nimitz - Admiral of US Navy against Japan. Played a vital role against Japan.
15. D-Day-Operation Overlord
- Allied invasion of Nazi controlled France. The assault was contucted in 2 phases: 1 - an airborne assault landing of 24,000 British, American, Canadian and Free French airborne troops shortly after midnight. 2 - an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armored divisions on the coast of France starting at 6:30 am. There were also decoy operations to distract the German forces from the real landing areas. The operation was the largest amphibious invasion in world history with over 160,000 troops. Roughly 10,000 Allied casualties(6,600 US).
16. Battle of the Bulge
- Hitler knew we were "knocking on Germany's door". The last known offense by Hitler was Battle of the Bulge. During the winter - very cold - coldest, snowiest weather in memory in the Ardennes Forest on the German Belgium border. Over a million men, 500,000 Germans, 600,000 Amercan's (More fought than Gettysburg) and 55,000 British. In it's entirety this battle was the worst battles to the Americans.
Hitler committed suicide. Married his sweetheart and then they both committed suicide. (Romantic, right?)
17. FDR Dies-Truman takes over
- Died a month before VE Day.
- April 8th, 1945.
18. VE Day
- VE - Victory in Europe Day. Nazi's gave up, people were excited.
19. Battle in the Pacific-Island Hopping, Philippines, Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa,
- We thought we'd get to the 50's if we hit every island, so we island hopped to get to Japan - skipping some. As you jump over the Japanese island, they surrender because their supply lines are cut short. Saved time, money, lives. Smart US military strategy.
Defeated Spain and took the Philippines on December 7, 1941, took six months for Japan to take over Philippines.
- Bataan Death March - Japan made men walk a 60 mile forcible transfer of 75,000 American and Filipino POW's to a POW camp. Was characterized by phyiscal abuse and murder. Close to 20,000 men died.
- Battle of Coral Sea - fought May 4 - 8 1942. Major navel battle between Japan Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the US and Austrailia. The battle was the first action in which aircraft carriers engaged at each other. Also the first naval battle in history in which neither side's shis saw or fired directly upon the other. While Japan sank more ships than the Allies did, it was a strategic victory for the Allies by stopping their advance. Both sides could claim victory. We mostly saw it as ours.
- Battle of Midway - Widely regarded as the most important naval against Japan. Fought between June 4 - 7 1942. Japanese aimed to eliminate the US as a strategic power in the Pacific and believed that if they won they'd destroy and sign a deal. US Navy demolished the Japanese Navy against Midway - the navy had troubles after this - suffered heavy losses and never recovered from this battle. Magic played a vital role in the Allied victory.
- Guadalcanal - Done in the fall of 1942. Victory for us, defeated Japan. It marked the transition by the Allies from defensive operations to offensive that resulted in Japan's eventual surrender and the end of WW2.
- Phillippines - we were trying to take them, in October 1944. Japanese last battle.
Battle of Leyte's Gulf was the last battle for Japan. MacAurther came back from the Phillippines happy.
- We lost a lot of American soldiers at Iwo Jima.
20. Navajo Code Talkers
- Transmitted our messages over airways in Navajo (not many non natives knew the language). It kept our message secret. They recieved no recognition until classifications.
- big part in helping us win the war; spoke codes; tansmitted info through airwaves in their code made it so that germany and japan didn't know what we were doing
21. Doolittle's Raid
- James Doolittle's was a famous pilot. Roosevelt ordered an attack on Japan, and Doolittle said that an attack on the Japanese homeland would cause confusion in the minds of the Japanese people and sow doubt about the reality. To get these planes lite enough they striped them, put bombs in.
22. Manhattan Project
- Code name for atomic bomb. General Leslie Groves was in charge of scientists.
- J Robert Oppenheimer was scientist in charge of the bomb, he was a communist. Developed the bomb in New Mexico. Tested it in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
23. Hiroshima bombing (Uranium) "Little Boy"
- Didn't do as much damage as thought because of the mountains. Stoves tipped over and fire starter. The closer you were, you had a quick death, but if you're far away from it you'll be in pain from burns. 4 to five concrete building remained. Suffered radiation sickness. Everything was rubble. The heat burnt the shadows to the ground and it's called atomic shadow.
24. Nagasaki bombing "Fat Man"
- Second bombing. Japan didn't surrender the first time so we hit them again. Bomb didn't hit where it was supposed to, they almost ran out of gas. Everything got flattened.
25. VJ Day
- August 14, 1945 Japan surrenders, thus ending WW2. This marked the end of the entire war.
26. Yalta Conference
- Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt met. Decided what would happen the Germany after the war. February 1945 - 3 months before Germany surrenders. Germany would be broken into four occupation zones - US, GB, France, USSR. Stalin promised free elections in Eastern Europe. Stalin also promised to join the war against Japan after war with Germany was over. Had a conference at San Francisco to set up the US. Very important.
27. Nuremburg Trials
- Nazi war crime trials after the war in Nuremburg, Germany.
- The guy that took over for Hitler later committed suicide after the trial..
- GI Bill of Rights - Designed to help armed forces get used to everyday life - college, life skills, all that good stuff. Get reunited to normal life. FDR signs this.
28. Japanese Internment Camps in US
- Forced them to sell everything and move to camps. Army homes, desolite derserts. All they had was what they carried with. They played football, went to school, had intertainment. Everyone is given a job. Women typed, guys worked in fields. Educated. Weren't beaten or killed.
- October 1, 1993 Bill Clinton finally apologized for the camps from WW2 for the Japanese Americans.
29 . Why did Allies win WWII -
- Henry Kaiser owned a ship company - made a lot of ships. We made a lot more stuff than all the countries combined.
- We knew what our enemies were doing, but they had no clue what we were doing.
Comments