We continued taking notes on WWII.
Battle of Atlantic- trying to keep bad guys from getting things.
German invasion of USSR June 1941-
- Final plan for Operation Barbarossa.
- Largest military operation in history in both manpower and casualties.
- Wanted to take over Lenengrad, Moscow, Stalingrad.
Scorched Earth Policy-
- Stalin demanded this of the Soviet troops as they retreated.
- Fight Germans or retreat and get killed.
Atlantic Charter-
- August 1941
- Set up the war goals of the U.S. and Great Britain.
- No terrirorial gain.
- Free trade.
- Freedom of the seas.
- Destruction of the Nazis and then setting up a peaceful gov. in Germany.
- Abandon the use of force, disarmament and a stronger League of Nations.
Japan invades French Indochina 1941.
U.S. wasn't neutral- lend lease, destroyers to Great Britain, and Atlantic Charter.
Pearl Harbor
In July, 1941, Japan invaded French Indochina
In response, the US stops trading with Japan
Due to embargo, Japan felt it had three options:
1. Abandon ambitions in South East Asia.
2. Compromise with the US.
3. Attack Dutch and British possessions in the Pacific and US bases in the Pacific.
Yamamoto went to college in U.S., thought of plan against U.S.
Yamamoto felt that if Japan had any chance of winning a war against the US it must destroy the US Pacific fleet in a surprise attack.
A surprise attack would give Japan at least six months to dominate SE Asia unopposed.
Japan thought that the US then would face a long, bloody struggle and would settle for a negotiated peace that would allow Japan to do as it pleased in Asia.
Tojo replaces Konoye as Premier of Japan. Konoye wanted to negotiate with the US. Tojo didn’t and had a low regard of the US.
Tojo wanted war but Emperor Hirohito wanted one last peace attempt.
Japan offered this:
1. Open door policy everywhere and Japan would withdraw from French Indochina.
2. US would stop Lend-Lease Aid to China and start trading with Japan again.
3. Japan would start peace talks with China.
US refused plan on November 29th
Wanted Japan to drop out of China and Indochina.
US took a hard line stance with Japan now because we had deciphered their diplomatic code (Magic) and knew that they had some type of attack plan.
Magic Information
“November 29th is the deadline”
"Things are automatically going to happen”
Japan felt that the key to success in the Pacific was air and sea power
-especially launching airplanes from aircraft carriers and submarines attacking enemy ships
Japan had ten aircraft carriers to our three in the Pacific (based in Pearl Harbor)
Japanese Pearl Harbor Attack Plan
1. Destroy three aircraft carriers, eight battleships, seven cruisers and other small ships at Pearl Harbor.
2. Attack Wake Island and Guam.
3. Attack Malay and Hong Kong.
4. Attack Philippines, Dutch East Indies, and Burma.
Pearl Harbor wasn't the only thing attacked on Dec. 7, 1941.
Japanese attack force consisted of:
1. Six aircraft carriers
2. 360 airplanes
-Kate High level bombers
-dive and torpedo bombers
-Zero fighters
3. Two battleships, three cruisers, eight destroyers
Admiral Nagumo commanded the force.
To succeed, Japan had to travel 3,500 miles without being detected. That meant absolute radio silence and travelling through a vast, lonely expanse of the Pacific Ocean. This attack had to be a complete surprise.
“Backdoor to War” Conspiracy- Thought FDR wanted Japan to attack U.S., FDR didn't think that the American people weren't ready for war so they needed something to unite the people. U.S. needed an attack to get into the war.
2 waves of attacks, had a 3rd wave but they called it off because they thought that they had done enough.
The three aircrafts carriers that Japan wanted to get weren't there.
Pearl Harbor is shallow so the Japanese put a wooden fin on the torpedos.
Dec. 8, 1941- U.S. declares war on Japan, 3 days later Germany declared war on U.S.
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