Friday, March 30th

US Homefront:

 

1. Selective Training and Service Act

 First peacetime draft in US history. Passed in 1940 and was 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-women labor poster. Worked in factories and farmed because the men were over seas fighting. Preformed men jobs. Made war materials. Red Cross and older military organizations. Tested airplanes but didn't fight or drop bombs. Many worked in the military but did not in the front line.

3. African-American's role in WWII

 Many black men volunteered. They were separated from the whites and were thought to of as not as good so most were cooks or other less menial jobs. Most famous were the Tuskegee Airmen. Worked at factories and on farms.

4. Asian's role in WWII

 If they didn't fight they stayed at home and worked on farms and in factories. Wore badges to show that they were from the US. Were translators.

5. Hollywood's role in WWII

 Made videos that illistrated hate to Germany. Bob Hope- born in Britian and was a great American comedian. USO: United Service Organization-tried to entertain American troops, propoganda, entertain people back home and get their mind off of the war, inspire people to do their part in the war, and there were news reels before movies instead of previews. USO presented performances with people like: Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, The Marx Brothers, The Rockettes, Mickey Rooney, and most famously Bob Hope.

6. Office of Price Administration

 Established in 1941 to administer price controls. 8,000 rationing borads 200,000 volunteers to assist 60,000 employees of the agency. Restrictions on sugar and meat; clothing rationing restricted silk and nylon. Gas rationing started May 1942 on the East Coast, 5 gallons per week. Stickers A-4 gal wk, B-war workers, C-doctor, and T-truckers. Black markets for gas stickers and gas.

7. War Production Board

 MINE

8. National War Labor Board

 Started in WWl. Designed to keep people from going on strike, having all people work together. Together we win.

9. How the Homefront helped win the war

 Rationed a lot of food and other war materials. Normal industries changed to war industries. Women working in factories. Hollywood insired more people to dislike the Germans.

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

 Sank thousands of allies ships. We built faster ships that would get away from them. Use of Ultra. HFDF-being able to detect things under water. Convoy System-travel in big numbers (can't take out all of them) Germans used wolf pack with U-boats to counter this. Depth charges and aircrafts like the Hunter-Killer that were used to attack U-boats.

11. Intelligence gathering--Ultra/Magic

 Ultra- British name to decode German's messaging code. Knew what Germans were going and doing because we were desyphered their codes. Bombe-machine that desyphered German codes. Capitalists- people who desyphere the code. Magic- Allies forces that the US desyphere Japan codes.

12. Operation Barborossa(USSR vs Germany)

 Germany invading the Soviet Union using blitzkreig. Why Hitler did this? Wanted Ukraine for farmland, could use people for slave labor, despised ethnic Slavs ruled by their "Jewish Bolshevik" masters, defeating USSR would further isolate the Allies, wanted oilfields, didn't trust Stalin, and Western Front fighting was over (except GB). 3 places they were planning to attack Stalingrad, Lenningrad, and Moscow (capital didn't get to it just outside of it). Ultimately helped the Allies because Germany lost a lot of soldiers and resources. Soviets won. Siege of Leningrad: siege-blockade of a city and bombing it. People became canibals because of the blockade.

13. Battle in Africa and Italy

 Erwin Rommel-The Desert Fox. Bernard Montgomery-nickname "Monty". George Patten-major US general in WWll and fought in Africa and Europe.

Operation Torch- The British-American invasion of French North Africa started on Nov. 8, 1942. By mid 1943, we had defeated the Germans, Italians and the Vichy France.

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

 George C. Marshall-Chief of Staff of the US Military during WWll.

Dwight D. Eisenhower-Mine.  Allies Supreme Commander in D-Day and the when troops were landing on Normandy. Eisenhower also led the Allies forces in the Battle of the Bulge. He was regarded as one of the greatest and most important generals of World War 2 and later went on to be the President of the United States from 1953 to 1961.

George Patten-major US general in WWll and fought in Africa and Europe.

MacArthur-US general against Japan

Nimitz-Admiral in the Navy, Chief of Navigation, head of the Navy against Japan.

Bradley-Famous US general in WWll and fought in Africa and involved after the D-Day invasion.

15. D-Day-Operation Overlord

 D-Day--June 6th 1944. Allied invasion of Nazi controlled France. 2 phases: 1st-airborne assault landing of 24,000 British, American, Candadian, and Free French airborne troops shorty after midnight. 2nd-amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armored divisions on the coast of France starting at 6:30 AM.

INVASION OF GERMAN CONTROLLED FRANCE

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 causalities(6,600 US).

Atlantic Wall: An extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along western coast of Europe. Built as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from GB.

16. Battle of the Bulge

Started on December 16th 1944. Called the battle fo the bulge because the Germans made a bulge by pushing forward. Very cold snowy winter. Over million men: 500,000 Germans, 600,000 Americans, and 55,000 British. 100,000 Germans casualitites. 81,000 American casualities. 1,400 British casualities. 800 tanks lost total. Malmedy Massacre-86 Americans were captured and murdered by Germans. This battle was the worst battle-in terms of losses-to the American Forces in WWll.

17. FDR Dies-Truman takes over

 April 1945-FDR died. He died of cerebral hemmorage. Truman took his spot and he was in charge of the atomic bomb dropping. Had to deal with post-war recovery. Dealt with womens racism. Re-elected. By the time he left office he was one of the most despised presidents ever.

18. VE Day

 May 8th 1945: Victory in Europe day. Famous sailor with nurse kiss.

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

 Island Hopping: Military Strategy against Japan because we couldn't take control of all the islands. So they just took the larger more important islands. By taking control of the larger islands the smaller ones around them would not have enough resources.

Philippines: December 7th 1941. Japanese attacked the Philippines same day as Pearl Habor. Philippines, Japan Bataan Death March-US treated badly by Japan. 60 mile forcible transfer of 75,000 Americans and Flip in a POW camp.

Battle of Coral Sea: Fought from May 4-8, 1942. Near Australia was kind of a stalemate which the US considered a win because Japan had won a lot. Major naval battle between Japan navy and Allied navy and air forces from US and Australia. Battle was 1st action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other.

Battle of Midway: Widely reagarded as the most important naval battle against Japan. Fought between June 4-7, 1942. Japan aimed to eliminate the US as a strategic power in the Pacific and believed a victory at Midway Island would do just that. US Navy decisively defeated the Japan Navy attack against Midway island. Japan's Navy suffered heavy losses and never recovered from this battle. Magic played a vital role in the Allied victory. True victory. Japan never the same after this. Stopped their advancement just like the Battle of Coral Sea.

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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