Battle for the Atlantic
German U boat warfare- submarines
hitler's biggest mistake- operation Barbarosa--worst operation in history in both man power and
Stalingrad, Moscow (capitol) , Leningrad-- cities that were attacked-- hitler never took these cities over
Scorched earth policy- the soviets rereated a lot
battle of moscow - germans push and push toward moscow but then it gets cold, supply lines are very very long -- things slow down, starving, cold, running out of oil-- soviets start to push back; germany never gets to moscow
August 1941- FDR meets with winston churchill
- met to set the war goals of US and GB- we werent in the war yet
goals: no one would gain land from losers, no territorial changes, self- determination, free trade, destruction of the nazis and setting up a peaceful government in germany, freedom of the seas, abandon the use of force, disarmament and a stronger league of nations
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 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 on 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
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”- we had to accept the peace thing by this time, but we didnt
“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
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- we basically forced japan to attack us so we can go to war
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